Bills, Chargers pick receivers to open Round 2 of draft

Fri Apr 26 9:50pm ET
Field Level Media

One day after offense dominated the first round of the NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers selected a pair of wide receivers back-to-back to start the second round Friday night in Detroit.

The Bills used the first pick of Round 2 (No. 33 overall) to select Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman. It marked the first selection of the draft for the Bills, who hope that Coleman will provide quarterback Josh Allen with a deep threat after the team traded wideout Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans earlier this month.

The Chargers picked Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey moments later with the 34th overall pick. McConkey also could fill a void after Los Angeles sent veteran Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears last month.

Four of the next five picks were defensive linemen. The Atlanta Falcons took Clemson's Ruke Orhorhoro, the Washington Commanders drafted Illinois' Johnny Newton, the Tennessee Titans turned to Texas' T'Vondre Sweat and the Los Angeles Rams nabbed Florida State's Braden Fiske.

The only team that did not beef up its defensive line in that five-pick stretch was the New England Patriots, who drafted Washington wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk at No. 37 overall. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound receiver will team up with rookie quarterback Drake Maye, whom the Patriots took at No. 3 overall on Friday night.

Four consecutive cornerbacks went off the board in picks No. 40-43. The Philadelphia Eagles started the run by drafting Cooper DeJean, an All-American out of Iowa whom many had projected as a first-round pick.

The next three picks were Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry to the New Orleans Saints, Georgia's Kamari Lassiter to the Texans and Rutgers' Max Melton to the Arizona Cardinals.

Texas' Jonathon Brooks was the first running back to be selected this year. The Carolina Panthers picked Brooks at No. 46 overall after he rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games with the Longhorns in 2023.

Another Longhorns skill player, wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, went to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 52. Mitchell, who hauled in 11 touchdowns among his 55 catches last season, will pair with second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis.

The Detroit Lions, the host team of the draft this season, selected a cornerback for the second day in a row. The Lions chose Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at No. 61 one day after they tabbed Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold at No. 24 in Round 1.

The San Francisco 49ers closed out the second round by selecting Florida State cornerback Renardo Green. He was the third Seminoles player to be selected in the second round, joining Coleman and Fiske.

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Player Notes
Khari Blasingame Sep 20 8:30pm CT
Khari Blasingame

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Terry McLaurin Sep 20 8:30pm CT
Terry McLaurin

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Daniel Jones

The Cleveland Browns defense draws an excellent home matchup against the New York Giants in Week 3. Cleveland has plenty of upside against a Giants offense that is allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to fantasy defenses through two weeks. Most of the fantasy production comes thanks to Daniel Jones, who has taken six sacks and thrown two interceptions already this season. The Browns are installed as 6.5-point home favorites in a game with a low 38.5-point over/under. This projects as a fantastic spot for the Cleveland defense heading into Week 3. Treat them as a top-three fantasy option this weekend.

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Noah Brown Sep 20 8:30pm CT
Noah Brown

Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown led all Washington wideouts with 56 yards last week in his Commanders debut and hopes to continue to emerge as the No. 2 receiver opposite Terry McLaurin. It was impressive to see Brown lead all wideouts in yards last week while playing only 20 snaps, which was the lowest at the position. He pulled in all three of his targets, including an impressive 34-yard catch on the eventual game-winning drive. Last season in Houston, Brown served in a depth role behind Nico Collins and Tank Dell but was able to catch 33 passes for 567 yards and two scores. For now, Brown is a solid stash option in deeper leagues but should only be used as a sneaky play in DFS on Monday night given the uncertain volume.

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Zach Ertz Sep 20 8:30pm CT
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Austin Seibert Sep 20 8:30pm CT
Austin Seibert

Washington Commanders kicker Austin Seibert had one of the best debuts a kicker could have. In his first game in the DMV, Seibert went 7-for-7 on attempts, scoring every point in the victory over the New York Giants. Seibert's leg was not tested from too deep, as his longest kick was 45 yards. However, given the preseason and Week 1 struggles, having a stable kicker will greatly improve this offense. While the 27-year-old has bounced around several teams throughout his eight-year career, he may have found a new home and is worth a look as a streamer in deep 14+ team leagues in a game on Monday night that is projected to be high-scoring with a hefty 47 point spread.

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Jerry Jeudy Sep 20 8:20pm CT
Jerry Jeudy

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy has emerged as one of Deshaun Watson's favorite targets through the first two weeks of the season as his 98 receiving yards lead the team thus far. Jeudy will look to keep it going at home against the New York Giants in Week 3. The Giants have been solid against receivers through two weeks, allowing just the 19th-most fantasy points per game to the position. Jeudy has worked his way into the conversation as a weekly flex moving forward and could continue to climb the fantasy ranks if Amari Cooper continues to struggle. Treat Jeudy as a flex option heading into Week 3.

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Jaleel McLaughlin Sep 20 8:20pm CT
Jaleel McLaughlin

Denver Broncos second-year running back Jaleel McLaughlin actually out-touched Javonte Williams in the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. However, McLaughlin took a step back in the Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, carrying the ball only three times for six yards and not drawing a single target after catching all five targets in Week 1. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has led the offense to one touchdown drive through two weeks, while McLaughlin has averaged a measly 2.5 yards per carry alongside an ineffective Williams. The Broncos will be facing a banged-up Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has allowed the fourth-most half-PPR fantasy points to RBs through two games, but until Denver's offense shows some punch, McLaughlin will be hard to trust as a flex option, even in deeper fantasy leagues. He's currently rostered in only 27% of Yahoo leagues.

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Elijah Moore Sep 20 8:20pm CT
Elijah Moore

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore has been busy through the first two weeks of the season, drawing 14 targets which he has turned into nine catches for 53 yards. Moore will look to stay involved in the offense as the Browns take on the New York Giants at home in Week 3. The Giants represent a tough matchup for Moore as they are allowing the 19th-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers through two games. Moore hasn't shown much in the way of long plays but he has been heavily targeted, making him a low-end flex option in PPR leagues heading into Week 3.

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Jayden Daniels Sep 20 8:20pm CT
Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels looks to continue his strong start to his professional career on Monday evening as he travels to Cincinnati on Monday night. After throwing just 186 yards in his debut, Daniels improved his total to 226 yards last week and completed six more passes in the process. While he did not run as much as in the opener, he still used his legs ten times and tallied an additional 44 yards. Even though it slightly lowered his fantasy production last week, it was promising to see him use his arm more than his legs. The former LSU Tiger should be viewed as a QB1 going forward, even though he faces a tough Bengal defense that has allowed an average of 21 points each game.

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Brian Robinson Jr. Sep 20 8:20pm CT
Brian Robinson Jr.

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Bo Nix Sep 20 8:00pm CT
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Things haven't gone swimmingly in Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix's first two career regular-season starts, as he's completed 59.7% of his 77 pass attempts for 384 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions in losses to the Seahawks and Steelers. On the ground, he's run the ball nine times for 60 yards and one touchdown. Nix will be on the road in Tampa to face the Buccaneers in Week 3, and while this is probably his best matchup of the year so far -- the Bucs D has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs through two weeks -- fantasy managers should still consider the 12th overall pick out of Oregon as a QB3. Head coach Sean Payton has had a very conservative game plan so far to help ease the young signal-caller in at the next level. Nix is averaging just 5.0 yards per attempt and 8.3 yards per completion, and the ground game hasn't helped him at all.

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Devaughn Vele Sep 20 7:50pm CT
Devaughn Vele

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele (ribs) practiced in full on both Thursday and Friday and was removed from the final injury report. Vele will be active for the Week 3 matchup on Sunday on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was inactive for the Week 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 26-year-old's return on Sunday is bad news for Courtland Sutton and the team's leading receiver, Josh Reynolds, after Vele caught all eight of his targets for 39 yards in the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The seventh-round selection out of Utah played 49% of the snaps in Week 1 and could immediately return as the WR3 and push fellow rookie Troy Franklin back to being a healthy scratch. While Vele appears to have some chemistry with rookie quarterback Bo Nix, he's nothing more than a deep-league stash for the time being in what has been an ugly offense through two games.

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Travis Homer Sep 20 6:40pm CT
Travis Homer

Chicago Bears running back Travis Homer (finger) underwent surgery on his finger and will be placed on Injured Reserve, meaning he will be out for at least the next four games. The Bears have their bye in Week 7 as well, so the earliest Homer will be able to return will be for a Week 8 tilt versus the Washington Commanders. The 26-year-old isn't at all on the fantasy radar after seeing just three carries for 16 yards in the first two weeks of the season. With Homer now out for the foreseeable future, it means that Roschon Johnson should see more involvement on passing downs alongside D'Andre Swift in a Bears offense that has been stuck in the mud early on behind rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. In his first year in Chicago in 2023, Homer was used exclusively on special teams and didn't see a single touch on offense. He was targeted once in the passing game in 16 games.

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Myles Garrett Sep 20 6:30pm CT
Myles Garrett

Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett (foot) was limited in practice on Friday and was removed from the final injury report, meaning he will be active in Week 3 on Sunday versus the New York Giants. There was some concern as to whether Garrett could play this weekend after he missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday. The 28-year-old pass-rusher said he's feeling better after practice on Friday and needs to remain in all starting IDP lineups now that he's locked in to play. There's the risk of the Browns limiting Garrett's defensive snaps if he's not 100 percent, but Garrett is a talent that needs to be starting if he's active. The five-time Pro Bowler has two sacks, five solo tackles and two forced fumbles through two weeks in 2024 after winning Defensive Player of the year for the first time in his career in 2023.

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D'Onta Foreman Sep 20 6:30pm CT
D'Onta Foreman

Cleveland Browns running back D'Onta Foreman saw a major uptick in playing time from Week 1 to Week 2. After playing just one snap in Week 1, Foreman led the team with 14 carries in their Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. Foreman could see another hefty workload at home in his team's Week 3 showdown against the New York Giants. The Giants have struggled to slow down opposing running backs in 2024, allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to the position thus far. The Browns are installed as 6.5-point favorites, so Foreman could see plenty of clock-killing carries in the second half if this game goes as expected. Foreman settles in as a decent flex option heading into Week 3.

From RotoBaller

Amari Cooper Sep 20 6:30pm CT
Amari Cooper

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper is off to an extremely slow start in 2024, posting just five catches for 27 yards with a handful of bad drops. He will look to turn things around at home in Week 3 against the New York Giants. The Giants have been solid against receivers so far this season, allowing just the 19th-most fantasy points per game to the position. Cooper is tough to trust based on his first two games and could soon be passed by Jerry Jeudy as the team's No. 1 receiver, who has handily outproduced him this season. Treat Cooper as a low-end WR3 in fantasy heading into Week 3.

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