Welp.
That was the reaction — the printable version, anyway — of fantasy football players as bad news kept rolling in during Week 2.
The carnage included injuries and bad performances from marquee players so widespread that they almost certainly affected your teams.
At quarterback, Dallas lost Tony Romo to a broken collarbone, Chicago lost Jay Cutler to a hamstring injury and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford is banged up.
The problems at running back weren’t limited to injuries to Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy and San Francisco’s Carlos Hyde. There were high-profile flops such as Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch (62 total yards) and Cincinnati’s Jeremy Hill (benched for two fumbles), while Philadelphia’s DeMarco Murray is off to an awful two-game start (21 carries for 11 yards).
So now what?
Tune out the bubbling panic and remember: you drafted them for a reason, whether for talent, their fit in an offense or both. Kneejerk trades rarely pay off unless you’re targeting an underperformer, and another week might make clear whether to ride it out or start dealing.
OBSERVATIONS FROM WEEK 2
— Denver’s offense is a work in progress. Peyton Manning showed some life at Kansas City out of the shotgun, and that boosted wideouts Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. But C.J. Anderson’s running struggles aren’t helping and could mean more work for backup Ronnie Hillman.
— Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis offense are out of sync early. The Colts committed five turnovers in Monday’s loss to the New York Jets and have eight in two games. And offseason additions Frank Gore and Andre Johnson haven’t made the expected impact yet.
— It’s hard to know what’s coming from longtime producer Roddy White in Atlanta. A week after grabbing four passes for 84 yards, he went catchless and with one target. The beneficiary was Leonard Hankerson, who had a TD catch and 11 targets behind Julio Jones.
HELP WANTED
Hoping to tweak your lineup? Here are some possible waiver additions to consider:
QUARTERBACKS
— Buffalo’s Tyrod Taylor (15 percent owned in Yahoo leagues) scored 25.98 points in standard leagues against New England by accounting for four touchdowns to offset three turnovers.
— Oakland’s Derek Carr (15 percent owned in Yahoo) had 26.34 points by in a huge day against the Baltimore defense that shut down Denver in Week 1.
RUNNING BACKS
— Hello Matt Jones! Washington’s buzzed-about rookie (16 percent in ESPN) split carries with Alfred Morris in Week 2 and ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns. His workload might fluctuate, but he’s got upside in a run-heavy approach.
— If Lacy is limited or out with his ankle injury, James Starks (8 percent owned in ESPN) could have a heavy workload for the Packers.
— New England sure likes the versatile Dion Lewis (40 percent owned in ESPN). He had 13 touches for 138 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo despite LeGarrette Blount’s return from a one-game suspension.
RECEIVERS
— Cleveland’s Travis Benjamin (6 percent owned in ESPN) is a boom-or-bust guy, but he’s got three scoring catches of at least 50 yards and a 78-yard punt return for a score.
— Green Bay’s Ty Montgomery (4 percent owned in ESPN) could see more reps with starter Davante Adams battling an ankle injury.
— Others to watch: Atlanta’s Hankerson (4 percent owned in ESPN), Miami’s Rishard Matthews (2 percent owned in Yahoo) and Oakland’s Michael Crabtree (23 percent owned in Yahoo).
TIGHT ENDS
— Baltimore’s Crockett Gillmore (4 percent owned in Yahoo) had two touchdowns for a team needing receiving threats.
— Detroit’s Eric Ebron (20 percent owned in ESPN) has two touchdowns in two games.
LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY
Washington’s divisional trip to New York could reveal whether it’s staying with a run-heavy attack. That could mean plenty of carries for both Morris and Jones, but fewer chances for receiver Pierre Garcon and tight end Jordan Reed in the passing game.
As for the Giants, Eli Manning found Odell Beckham Jr. for a big day in Week 2. They could use some production on the ground from one of their running backs: Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen and Andre Williams.
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