Although both players’ teams struggled and lost in Week 1, Jakobi Meyers and Adonai Mitchell became talking points for the fantasy football community. Meyers entered the conversation as he outpaced Davante Adams, while after an offseason filled with positive camps reports, Mitchell disappeared in front of our eyes like Harry Houdini.
In Week 2, we must determine if the previous week’s performances indicated what is to come or if we have an anomaly that we can ignore. Meyers and the Las Vegas Raiders head into battle with the Baltimore Ravens, while Mitchell and the Indianapolis Colts face off against the Green Bay Packers. Let’s break down the key insights to determine which play should be higher in our rankings and starting for your fantasy football team.
Which WR Should You Choose From Jakobi Meyers and Adonai Mitchell in Week 2?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Meyers is the player to start. However, in our rankings, Mitchell will be the higher-upside play for your fantasy team in Week 2. The Packers are tied for the seventh-most receptions allowed this year to the wide receiver position. They also allow the fourth-most yards to the position and the 10thmost fantasy points per game to the wide receiver position.
Even though Meyers can PPR scam his way to points through garbage-time receptions, our belief in the Raiders’ offense to produce isn’t there. However, we believe that Anthony Richardson and the Colts can quickly put up points.
Remember our rule about drafting good players from good offenses? That rule becomes starting good players in a good offense. Mitchell has the skill set and resides within a potent offense. He was already gifted five targets in Week 1, which shows Richardson’s trust in the rookie wide receiver. We should expect more out of the rookie wide receiver here in Week 2
Meyers’ Fantasy Outlook This Week
Although Meyers only received three targets, he turned them into three receptions for 61 yards. Those 61 yards were a top-24 finish for the Raiders’ veteran wide receiver. Meyers finished with a top-10 yards per reception average of 20.3 and a top-20 finish on TruMedia in air yards per target.
Although the Raiders’ offense struggled, Meyers made the most of it last weekend. However, he may be in for another tough battle this weekend as they face the Ravens. The Ravens struggled in Week 1 with Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, but their skill set stands above Meyers. They also have the best quarterback in the NFL with Patrick Mahomes, as Meyers has career journeyman Gardner Minshew II under center for his team.
Vegas (betting market) has Vegas (Raiders) as eight-point underdogs, allowing you to at least PPR scam your way into extra fantasy points with Meyers.
Mitchell’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Mitchell’s stat line is one the young rookie wide receiver will want to forget for the rest of his life. Although he received five targets, he only had one reception for two yards in Week 1.
Colts reporter Stephen Holder stated that Mitchell was winning his matchups in his postgame thoughts on X. He believes, like we do, that the training camp chemistry between Mitchell and Richardson will rekindle and shine through during the season.
Adonai Mitchell is winning his matchups. Anthony Richardson is gonna have to do his part there and connect with him. The two actually had some good synergy in training camp, so I suspect they'll figure it out. But Mitchell showed a lot today even without production. 3/4
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 8, 2024
The good news for Mitchell was that his air yards per target were among the best in the league. He ranked ninth on TruMedia with a 16.40 total. This stat shows us that Mitchell’s targets are valuable as Richarson is looking for him down the field within this offensive scheme.
It’s sporadic to watch Mitchell’s teammate, Alex Pierce, deliver the performance he did in Week 1, which hampered Mitchell’s potential, but the rookie still has life within this potent offense.
Kyle Soppe’s Fantasy Outlook for Meyers and Mitchell
Jakobi Meyers: I’m as much of a Meyers stan as anyone, and even I have to admit that playing him is thin. Adams is always going to command a high target count, and with Brock Bowers proving to very much be ready for the bright lights, Meyers is the third option in an offense that won’t always give us one viable fantasy starter through the air.
Meyers made a 33-yard grab last week in Los Angeles and narrowly missed a touchdown – if Adams or Bowers were to go down, he’d move onto my Flex radar, but until that is the case, he can sit patiently on the bench.
Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell: As mentioned in the Pittman profile, this Packers secondary can be had down the field. Jalen Hurts may have only completed two of seven passes when challenging them deep in Brazil last week – and don’t get me started on the field conditions – but those two completions happened to net 85 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Pierce hauled in a 58-yard bomb after running past double coverage, taking full advantage of the unicorn that Richardson is. Of course, the other side of that coin is the Mitchell Week 1 experience wasn’t as friendly – he was missed on a wide-open 29-yard touchdown and had a path at a 50-yard gain if Richardson didn’t miss him.
I think that is what we are looking at on a week-to-week basis. Over 15 points were left on the field by Mitchell, and Pierce ran hot.
Both of these receivers will carry interesting upside into every matchup, but you’re not going to be able to outrun the low floor.
For me, that puts them firmly on the DFS radar, especially in this advantageous matchup, but off of annual radars unless you’re in true desperation mode. And if that’s the case in Week 2, a bigger conversation needs to be had.