NFL Barometer: Full Speed Ahead for Howard and Bucs

After another eventful NFL week, it's time to review the fantasy landscape once again and determine who's had a reversal of fortune after Week 2. Last week's games saw a couple of surprise breakout efforts and what appears to be further clarification of roles on certain squads. It's another full house in both directions on this week's Barometer, so let's dive in without further ado.

Trending Up

Quarterback

Josh Allen, Bills: The numbers may not have been spectacular Sunday in his pro debut (18-for-33, 245 yards, 1:2 TD:INT), but they certainly exceeded expectations. To be fair to the demoted Nathan Peterman, Allen had much better weather to work with, but he also unquestionably possesses greater upside, including a big-time arm. With coach Sean McDermott already anointing him the starter for the rest of the season, Allen's stock is on the rise despite the team's overall mediocre outlook.

Blake Bortles, Jaguars: Maybe his 377-yard Week 2 effort versus the Patriots will ultimately prove to be an outlier, but Bortles and the Jags passing game as a whole looks like it has the potential to hit on all cylinders frequently. Bortles has also been excellent on the ground over the first pair of contests, rushing for 77 yards to supplement his fantasy production in impressive fashion. If Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook continue to perform well and Donte Moncrief can remain healthy, Bortles' outlook is bright.

Running Back

Matt Breida, 49ers: Breida flashed the speed that enticed the 49ers' brass in last year's draft, busting out a 66-yard touchdown run against the Lions in Week 2, and he's unsurprisingly looked like a lot more dynamic runner than backfield mate Alfred Morris. There's still a timeshare at play here, but given his play-making ability and Morris' own pedestrian production, Breida increasingly looks like the asset on the rise out of the two.

Giovani Bernard, Bengals: Bernard was on the opposite end of the spectrum last week, but in the NFL, all it takes is one injury to flip a situation around. Such is the case in Cincinnati for the next couple of weeks, as Joe Mixon will need approximately that time frame to recover from recent arthroscopic knee surgery. One look at Bernard's numbers at the tail end of last season when Mixon was hurt (341 total yards over three games) corroborates his potential value in an expanded role, even though it's short term.

Austin Ekeler, Chargers: One week could be a fluke, but two weeks starts to form a trend. That describes Ekeler's status at present, as he was impressive for the second time in as many games to open the season versus Buffalo last Sunday. The fact Melvin Gordon exited the game with an upper-body injury certainly didn't hurt Ekeler's cause, and it could naturally be a factor in the continuation of an enhanced role for the second-year back. Gifted as both a runner and receiver, Ekeler appears to have carved out a robust complementary role alongside Gordon at minimum, with the potential for more in any contest in which Gordon is limited.

Wide Receiver

Will Fuller, Texans: Fuller made his presence felt in grand fashion during his Week 2 season debut, bringing in eight of his nine targets for 113 yards and one touchdown. Included in that tally was a 39-yard score that served as a tangible reminder of his game-breaking speed, and that corroborated the health of his previously ailing hamstring. Fuller looks good to go moving forward -- as does quarterback Deshaun Watson – leaving the former poised for plenty of production.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers: Schuster has been trending in the right direction since training camp, but the first two weeks have pushed his value even higher. A 5-119-1 line in the opener versus the Browns got things started on the right foot, but his Week 2 effort (13-121-1) confirmed that he can be counted on as a true No. 1 receiver if Antonio Brown is limited by either injury or the opposing defense. With Pittsburgh's defense also looking quite shaky early, Smith-Schuster could be one of the primary beneficiaries of what might be quite a few shootouts this season.

Allen Robinson, Bears: Mitchell Trubisky hasn't been very successful deep through two games, but Robinson clearly has his trust, which is the most important thing to see early on. The former Jaguar was targeted a whopping 14 times by the second-year quarterback Monday night against the Seahawks. That resulted in an impressive 10 catches, although they only went for 83 yards. Again, while the overall totals aren't optimal, the fact Robinson now has 14 grabs through two games after coming off a major knee injury and in a new offense is very encouraging.

Antonio Callaway / Rashard Higgins, Browns: Both players will undoubtedly benefit from the departure of the mercurial Josh Gordon, as they'll slot in directly behind Jarvis Landry. While Landry's targets will also rise, they were already projected to be high regardless. The bigger jump is going to come for Callaway and Higgins, who each bump up a notch and have more downfield speed than the veteran. Their increased involvement was already evident in Week 2, when they combined for eight catches (on 11 targets) for 128 yards and a touchdown (Callaway's).

Mike Evans / DeSean Jackson, Buccaneers: Evans and Jackson have been the primary weapons that Ryan Fitzpatrick has deployed in his season-opening aerial assault, as they've posted a combined 535 yards and five touchdowns between them over the first pair of contests. Each player has made an especially encouraging improvement to their respective games thus far, too – Evans boasts an 89.5 percent catch rate after hauling in just 52.2 percent of his targets last season, while Jackson is averaging 30.6 yards per reception in his first two contests after averaging a career-low 13.4 yards per grab last season. It remains to be seen how long Fitzmagic lasts, but for the moment, the outlook on these two pass catchers couldn't be more bullish.

Quincy Enunwa / Terrelle Pryor, Jets: Much like the just-discussed Bucs duo, Enunwa and Pryor have provided some peace of mind after their trials and tribulations in 2017. Enunwa has demonstrated he's all the way back from a neck injury that wiped out last season by hauling in 13 of 21 targets for 155 yards and a touchdown over his first two games. Meanwhile, Pryor is slowly proving that his washout season in the Nation's Capital may have been a fluke, as he's totaled seven catches (on 11 targets) for 133 yards over that span. Both players serve as dependable, big-bodied targets for rookie Sam Darnold, increasing the likelihood they'll remain heavily involved.

Tight End

O.J. Howard, Buccaneers: Throughout the summer, Bucs coaches talked the talk about getting Howard more involved in the passing game. The results are in after the first two weeks, and it appears it wasn't just lip service. The 2017 first-round pick is still seeing a very modest amount of targets compared to some of his more prolific teammates, but he's making very good use of his opportunities. The most recent example was a 3-96-1 line in Week 2 against the Eagles that pushed Howard's early-season YPC to a jaw-dropping 30.0. While that number is naturally unsustainable, it's clear Howard will pose a matchup problem for the majority of defenses moving forward, and he's also significantly outpacing position-mate Cameron Brate in playing time thus far (46 snaps to Brate's 14 against the Eagles).

Will Dissly, Seahawks: Dissly was supposed to be a blocking tight end coming out of Washington, but he's displayed some unforeseen pass-catching acumen over his first two games. The 2018 fourth-round pick had already vaulted ahead of season-opening starter Nick Vannett on the depth chart prior to Monday night's game against the Bears, and he validated that standing with three receptions (on five targets) for 42 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, a three-catch, 105-yard, one-touchdown effort in the opener versus the Broncos is what earned him his promotion in the first place, making him a hot commodity after his first pair of NFL contests.

Trending Down

Quarterback

Nick Foles, Eagles: Foles' designation has nothing to do with his Week 2 effort, which included 334 passing yards in a loss to the Buccaneers. Rather, it's simply confirmation that Carson Wentz will be ready to make his return from last season's torn ACL in Week 3. With that, Foles heads back to a reserve role, although Wentz owners may be wise to hang on to him for the time being, given his proven value if he does regain a starting opportunity by way of another injury to the latter.

Marcus Mariota, Titans: Mariota started the season looking fairly dreadful versus the Dolphins. Moreover, an elbow injury sustained in that game has reportedly left him without feeling in his throwing hand and kept him out of Sunday's Week 2 win over the Texans. There were already legitimate concerns about Mariota after last season's fairly significant downturn, and Monday's comments from head coach Mike Vrabel that the 2015 first-round pick won't retake the field until he's completely healthy has his outlook decidedly murky.

Running Back

Ty Montgomery, Packers: Montgomery has had a modest role over the Packers' first two games, totaling just 10 total touches from scrimmage. While he retains value as a dual threat out of the backfield, Aaron Jones' return in Week 3 from his suspension could limit Montgomery's role further.

Spencer Ware, Chiefs: The good news is that Ware appears recovered from last season's devastating multi-ligament knee injury. The bad is that he isn't likely to get much of an appreciable opportunity to demonstrate that over the course of the season as long as Kareem Hunt remains healthy. Ware has a modest five touches through two games, leaving him out of fantasy consideration in all but the deepest of PPR-based leagues at present.

Wide Receiver

Allen Hurns, Cowboys: Conventional wisdom dictated that none of the components of the Cowboys passing game would be desirable from a fantasy perspective this season, and Hurns has helped bear that out over the first two games. Arguably the highest-upside piece between himself and fellow newcomers Deonte Thompson and Tavon Austin, Hurns nevertheless has a grand total of two receptions on five targets for 29 yards through his first pair of games. The fifth-year pro should certainly be able to up his numbers in the coming weeks, but the ceiling for the aerial attack in Dallas is low this season.

Mohamed Sanu, Falcons: We may be seeing the early stages of a Sanu edge-out in the Falcons passing game, as he's managed just six catches (on eight targets) for 37 yards over the first pair of contests. His current 4.6 YPT figure is the lowest of his long career, and explosive rookie Calvin Ridley's solid output in Week 2 against the Panthers (4-64-1) also lends credence to the notion that the latter could eventually surpass Sanu on the depth chart with a few more strong efforts.

Robby Anderson, Jets: Anderson still has speed to burn and can explode for a chunk play on any given snap, but consistent week-to-week production could prove elusive this season. Anderson now has a pair of talented position-mates in Enunwa and Pryor that weren't around during his 2017 breakout campaign, and both appear to be eating into Anderson's opportunities thus far, as he's logged a modest six targets through two games, less than the totals of the aforementioned duo. Factor in capable veteran Jermaine Kearse's return and the Jets likely desire to keep rookie quarterback Sam Darnold's throws on the safer side for now, and Anderson's upside might remain relatively shackled for the time being.

Jordy Nelson, Raiders: There was a certain degree of skepticism surrounding Nelson entering this season after his middling numbers in 2017 without Aaron Rodgers, and the fact he'd be entering a new offensive system in Oakland. The results through the first two games haven't exactly offered reason for optimism in the veteran receiver's fantasy prospects, as he's tallied just five receptions (on eight targets) for 53 yards. Even in a Week 2 contest in which Derek Carr was amazingly sharp with 29 completions over 32 attempts, Nelson could only muster two catches for 30 yards, with two of those incompletions coming on throws to him. He also now has Martavis Bryant to contend with for targets once again, and trusted slot man Seth Roberts also retains a steady role under new head coach Jon Gruden.

Tight End

Cameron Brate, Buccaneers: It seems virtually inconceivable after his performances over the last two seasons, but Brate is without a catch through two games and wasn't even targeted last Sunday against the Eagles while playing a scant 14 snaps. His blanking almost certainly won't hold for another week, but fellow tight end Howard's outstanding start to the season – as well as that of the Buccaneers' top receiving trio of Evans, Jackson, and Chris Godwin – seemingly doesn't leave much room for upward mobility where Brate is concerned.

Antonio Gates, Chargers: It would make for a heartwarming story if Gates was able to muster one more productive season after signing just before the start of the campaign, but thus far, it's been more post-midnight Cinderella nightmare than Cinderella story for the veteran. He's seen just four targets from Philip Rivers through two games, bringing in two of them for 16 yards. With plenty of other talented pass-catching options on the roster – including the Chargers' top two running backs – Gates appears destined to be an afterthought in the aerial attack this season.

Ryan Griffin, Texans: It's early, but Griffin's early-season returns have to be deemed a significant disappointment thus far. Hopes were high for the six-year veteran coming into the season, as the combination of quarterback Deshaun Watson's return from last season's knee injury and the retirement of C.J. Fiedorowicz was expected to lead to a potential breakout for Griffin. Instead, he's managed just one catch on six targets through two games, despite playing over 50 snaps in each. Rookies Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas have been involved as well, generating at least some doubt about Griffin's prospects for the moment.