QB
Joe Burrow / CIN – Round 1
Burrow actually had some competition in week 2 with Justin Herbert putting in a solid performance in the near-upset of KC. Burrow’s stat line wasn’t overly impressive but throwing the ball 61 times without turning it over is overly impressive. He finished with over 320 total yards and 3 touchdowns while showing veteran-poise in the pocket while evading pressure behind a leaky offensive line.
RB
James Robinson / JAX – UDFA
For the second straight week, Robinson was the leading rusher for the team that decided to move on from former top-5 pick Leonard Fournette. He is making the decision look good so far. He finished with 102 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. He gained another 18 yards on 3 catches. Robinson did all of this while being on the field for just 51% of the snaps.
WR
CeeDee Lamb / DAL – Round 1
The Cowboys had the comeback of the week in their home opener against Atlanta. Lamb was a huge part of that. He finished with 106 yards on 6 catches (4/87 of which were in the second half) and was the one Prescott looked to when big conversions were needed.
TE
Harrison Bryant / CLE – Round 4
With the knee injury suffered by David Njoku and Head Coach Kevin Stefanski’s heavy lean toward 12 personnel, Bryant is going to be thrown into the fire whether he is ready or not. He played 52% of the offensive snaps in CLE’s excellent performance Thursday night. He had just one catch for 14 yards but made multiple key blocks at the second level to spring their dominant running game.
OT
Mekhi Becton / NYJ – Round 1
The lone bright spot from the Jets' offense through 2 weeks has been the dominant play of Becton, particularly in the running game. His highlight reel blocks have made their way to the professional level, as a few San Francisco defenders found out the hard way that his power is elite right now.
OG/OC
Kevin Dotson / PIT – Round 4
The Steelers’ offensive line has seen multiple changes since the end of last season. They have been a catalyst to their offensive success in recent years but with injuries and retirements piling up, new guys were forced to step up. Dotson, a dominant run blocker, didn’t allow one pressure, QB hit, or sack in pass protection in Pittsburgh’s win against Denver.
EDGE
Chase Young / WAS – Round 1
Washington’s defense didn’t have the same success against Arizona that it did against Philadelphia, but Young was still pretty disruptive. He finished with 4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL, and 2 pressures. Even in games where he isn’t at his best, Young is still going to factor.
DT
Tershawn Wharton / KC – UDFA
Few people knew much about Wharton. He is 6’1” / 280 pound defensive tackle from Missouri Science and Technology. He stood out at the Shrine Bowl practices last January as the most unblockable defender there. Credit to Kansas City for signing him after the draft and credit to Wharton for forcing himself into the rotation without any preseason games under his belt. He played under a third of the snaps and still finished with 5 tackles, including 1 TFL.
LB
Patrick Queen / BAL – Round 1
As we saw in week 1, Queen to Baltimore appears to be a match made in heaven. The speedy, rangy, physical defender was all over the field in Baltimore’s dominant win in Houston. He finished with 9 tackles and a pressure. Even Deshaun Watson looked shocked at how fast Queen closed the gap on his scramble.
CB
AJ Terrell / ATL – Round 1
Even though the Atlanta defense blew a fourth quarter lead that they will be limping away from for weeks, Terrell’s performance stood out. He was targeted just 3 times and allowed 2 completions. He rotated in coverage between all three of Dallas’ receivers and was equally effective against them all.
S
Antoine Winfield Jr / TB – Round 2
Winfield was drafted to add a missing, versatile element to the up and coming Tampa Bay secondary. Boy did he deliver in week 2. He finished with 11 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass deflection, and a QB Hit. He is being used across multiple roles in a defense that everybody should be paying attention to.