Fantasy Football Panic Meter After Week 2: Tyreek Hill and Miami Teammates, Zamir White, Sam LaPorta and More

Week 2 of the NFL regular season has wrapped up, and fantasy football owners have turned their attention to the waiver wire and week 3.

Before we dive further into week 3, I wanted to continue my panic meter series that we began last week. In this story, we’ll talk about the players who underperformed in week 2, or so far this season, and what to make of those players going forward.

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Miami Dolphins Offensive Players

The concussion to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is a scary one given his concussion history. We hope Tagovailoa is able to get back on the field at some point, or that he can find peace in making a decision to hang it up.

Either way, it looks like the Dolphins will be without Tagovailoa for at least a short period. That should have fantasy owners who roster players like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle - and even De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert - extremely worried.

Tagovailoa might not be an elite quarterback, but he runs the Dolphins’ offense pretty well. He had 4,624 passing yards and 29 touchdowns in 2023, and when you paired that with a dynamic 1-2 punch out of the backfield, Miami’s offense was tough to slow.

For now, it looks like Skylar Thompson is going to get the starting nod in week 3. Tyler Huntley was signed off the Ravens’ practice squad, and once he’s up to speed with the team’s offense, he could be a starting option at QB.

Thompson has played in eight NFL games, making two starts and going 1-1 in those two contests. He has a 57.1% completion mark, with one touchdown, three interceptions and 534 passing yards. He doesn’t add much as a runner.

Huntley has played in 20 games, going 3-6 across nine starts. He has 1,957 passing yards, a 64.6% completion mark, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions, while adding 509 rushing yards and three scores on 115 attempts.

Huntley is likely the better starting option, but neither he or Thompson are Tagovailoa. The offense definitely will be worse off, with the pass catchers suffering the most.

I’d say Hill and Waddle’s panic meter is at a 6 or 7 right now, and could keep rising toward 10 if Tagovailoa is out an extended period and Thompson or Huntley can’t even be average starting quarterbacks.

The panic meter for Achane and Mostert is a bit lower, but they aren’t likely to be nearly as effective if the team can’t consistently pass. I’d say the panic meter for the two RBs is at a 4.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford and Caleb Williams are two quarterbacks I want to talk about this week.

Stafford is on the panic meter because he’s lost Puka Nacua and now maybe Cooper Kupp. Being down two wideouts is challenging enough, but when you’re talking about wideouts as talented as Nacua and Kupp, it’s a much bigger deal. 

Expect the Rams to really rely on their running game until they can get Nacua or Kupp back. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum should see a bump in usage, while Stafford passes less. 

The panic meter for Stafford as a fantasy asset is at an 8 in my eyes, and the only reason it isn’t higher is because we haven’t seen the offense without both receivers for a full game - that could happen as soon as week 3.

Williams has not looked good through two games. There’s some more favorable matchups coming, but fantasy owners should not trust the rookie QB right now.

Because Williams has struggled as a passer, the wide receivers (D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze) can’t be trusted in standard leagues either. D'Andre Swift is also a risky starting option. Until further notice, I think every Chicago offensive playmaker needs to be benched in standard leagues.

The panic meter was at 3 for Williams in week 1, and now it’s up to a 6 after week 2.

Running Backs

Aaron Jones, Jerome Ford and Zamir White are three running backs I want to feature this week.

Jones outsnapped Ty Chandler 33-10, but only had four more touches (14-10). Chandler produced 50 more rushing yards than Jones, but Jones saved his fantasy day with a 36-yard showing as a receiver.

There’s definitely some concern that Jones could continue to split work with Chandler, and that makes it hard to trust either guy with a starting spot in standard leagues.

I’d put the panic meter for Jones at a 3 right now, but it could keep rising if he loses double-digit touches to Chandler each week.

With Nick Chubb out, everyone sort of just expected Ford to be the Browns’ go-to back. Ford got seven less touches than D'Onta Foreman in week 2 despite playing five more snaps. Ford was much more efficient, but Foreman also got all the red zone work.

After week 2, it’s really hard to trust Ford going into week 3. With Chubb working his way back, Ford might be running out of time to make a difference.

I’d put Ford’s panic meter at 5, and in the grand scheme of things, it’s really probably a 7.

White played 40 snaps to just 14 for Alexander Mattison in week 2, but White didn’t do much with his 12 touches. He had 24 rushing yards on nine attempts and 14 yards on three catches and targets.

With a 3.1-yard rushing average through two weeks, White is really hard to trust going into week 3. A favorable matchup against the Panthers this coming week might be his last chance to ease the mind of fantasy owners.

The panic meter is between 4-5 for White. If he struggles again in week 3, that number will jump quite a bit.

Wide Receivers 

George Pickens and Ja'Marr Chase are the top two receivers on the panic meter this week.

Pickens has just 18.4 PPR fantasy points through two weeks, while Chase is at 19.7.

Chase hasn’t been able to get going after getting a late start to his season. It’s a bit surprising since Tee Higgins has been out the first two weeks. When Higgins returns, that should open some things up for Chase.

I’m a bit worried about Chase, but I need to see his production when Higgins is back before making a true call on him. The panic meter is at a 3.

Pickens is on a weak Steelers’ offense - this is what I was worried about with Justin Fields starting. The team is winning, but it’s not because of a prolific offense.

I’d avoid starting Pickens against tougher defenses (like the Chargers in week 3) until he proves he can be a big-time asset every week.

The panic meter is at a 4 for Pickens, but really could be at a 5, and might jump way up with another weak showing this week.

Tight Ends

Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta are the two biggest fantasy TEs and the two I want to discuss this week.

Kelce has a whopping eight PPR points through two weeks, while LaPorta is at 11.8.

I’m more worried about Kelce because of his age, but the injury to Isiah Pacheco should help get him involved more going forward. Still, two weak showings to start the season after a down 2023 regular season is not what fantasy owners wanted to see from Kelce.

The panic meter has risen to a 5 with Kelce - it was a 3 after week 1.

LaPorta and the Lions’ offense has not looked like it did a season ago, and with all the playmakers on the offense, it’s not crazy to be worrying about LaPorta for the long haul.

I think LaPorta is too talented to struggle for long, but there’s definitely a little panic right now for the fantasy owners who used an early draft pick on him. The panic meter is a 2 with LaPorta.