Some facets of fantasy football are as perennial as phlox. (It's a flower. I know it sounds like an STD, but it's a flower.) There's the season opener. Bemoaning bye weeks. Me breaking at least one remote over the course of the season. And that week when there are umpteen injuries and fantasy managers proclaim it the "worst week ever."
That last one happened in Week 2.
Three starting quarterbacks (Chicago's Caleb Williams, Jaxson Dart of the Giants, and Washington's Jayden Daniels) went down with significant injuries. Multiple big names at wide receiver were already ruled out before the week even began, and that list got longer before it ended. Running backs. Tight ends. Lions. Tigers. Bears. Oh my!
It was the fantasy Apocalypse. The end of the world.
Despite all those losses, the season rolls on. And with holes blasted in lineups all over the place, many fantasy managers are looking at starting players they otherwise would leave glued to the bench until the Byepocalypse rolled around. Trying to decide between the two options at the back end of their depth chart or looking outside the team altogether and at the waiver wire.
Making Close Calls.
Given that unfortunate reality, we're going to go a little deeper than we might usually with this week's close calls. It doesn't do wonders for this analyst's chances of being right (like that happens anyway), but a lot of fantasy managers are going to the well in Week 3.
So, I'm going to hop in there too. Right next to Timmy from Lassie and Baby Jessica.
Every week, we're going to look at some of the closest calls. Make the case for both players. And then offer up this analyst's take on which player is the correct play.
For the sake of this exercise, we'll only consider quarterbacks and tight ends outside the top 10, running backs outside the top 20, and wide receivers outside the top 30 in Footballguys' Weekly Rankings. If you are trying to decide between Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks at wide receiver, then someone should throw you down a well.
Week 2 Close Calls
Geno Smith, NY Jets (QB20) vs. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona (QB23)
The Case for Smith: The Jets acquired Smith in an offseason trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, and while the 35-year-old has thrown just one touchdown pass in two games, he has played relatively well. This week he travels to Detroit to play the Lions, and as Colby Cavaliere wrote for FFToday, the Lions pass defense, um, has not.
"Desperate? Give Geno a spin! Having the Jets at a competitive 1-1," he said, "and playing sound football, Geno heads to Detroit to face a Lions secondary signing guys off the street as starters. The Lions have yielded an absurd 658 passing yards and six touchdowns in only two games, their worst defensive effort since their 0-16 season. Shootout in the Motor City?"
The Case for Brissett: The first step in making a case for Brissett is pretending last week's blowout loss to Seattle didn't happen—95 passing yards and a touchdown don't win any fantasy matchups. It's also worth noting that Brissett has yet to throw multiple touchdown passes in a game this season.
But Brissett has no shortage of weapons in the passing game: tight end Trey McBride and wide receivers Michael Wilson and Marvin "Invisible" Harrison Jr., and two solid running backs behind him. The last time Brissett took on the San Francisco 49ers, he topped 450 passing yards and set an NFL record for the most pass completions in a game.
The Verdict: Smith. Brissett isn't a terrible desperation play—the Cardinals will probably be playing catch-up in Santa Clara, and Brissett has shown the potential for spike weeks. But the Lions have a high-scoring offense and a non-existent defense—a combination that usually leads to lots of fantasy points.
D'Andre Swift, Chicago (RB22) vs. Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville (RB23)
The Case for Swift: After a ridiculous Week 1 game against the Panthers in which he had 124 rushing yards and three scores, Swift didn't find the end zone last week against the Vikings. However, the 27-year-old still flirted with 100 total yards and 15 PPR points, and Alex Butler of UPI expects even bigger and better things in Week 3.
"This week," he wrote, "the Chicago Bears will take on the Philadelphia Eagles, who have allowed the ninth most rushing yards to running backs this season, including 105 in Week 2 to Tennessee Titans ball carriers. I expect the Bears to lean on Swift, especially if quarterback Caleb Williams is ruled out. The Bears' running back, who received 40 touches so far, provided RB2 value through two weeks. He should move up into fringe RB1 range against the Eagles."
The Case for Tuten: The Bhayshul breakout so many predicted over the summer hasn't happened yet, but there have been flashes—including 4.7 yards per carry and a touchdown scamper last week against the Denver Broncos. Per Daniel Griffis of Action News Jax, advanced metrics paint an even more encouraging picture.
"Tuten's 4.47 yards after contact per attempt (2nd), 11 missed tackles (T-3rd), five explosive runs (T-5th), and 12 rushes of 15+ mph (1st) all rank inside the Top-5 at his position," he said. "In fact, the next closest running back to Tuten's 12 runs of 15+ mph is Jahmyr Gibbs with just nine. Tuten is tied for the fastest active running back (w/ De'Von Achane) in the NFL with his 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine."
The Verdict: Tuten. Swift has produced markedly superior stats this season, but that was with Caleb Williams under center. Now it appears Zombie Case Keenum will start at quarterback on Monday night, which means Swift will be the focus of the Philadelphia defense. Tuten gets his first big game of 2026 against the New England Patriots.
