NFL Week 2 latest buzz, upset predictions and fantasy tips

Besides the Jets, which team should be most worried after Week 1?

Fowler: It has to be the Giants, right? One flat game in the rain won't define their season, but there's really no excuse for football that bad. The cohesion of the offensive line will be a question mark until proved otherwise, and quarterback Daniel Jones had more of the sloppy turnovers that plagued his early career. Dallas has one of the toughest defenses to handle because of its versatility, but the feeling coming out of that game was the Giants' offense was lucky to give up only seven sacks.

Perhaps Dallas simply has New York's number. But a team that won 10 games last season, including the playoffs, was expected to be better on paper.

Graziano: Yeah, wow. I was at that game, and I'm not sure it was as close as the 40-0 final score indicates. This was a game in which everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong for the Giants, and an outstanding Dallas defense came out with its hair on fire and pummeled them into submission before they knew what hit them.

How about the Steelers, though, whose offense kicked off Year 3 of the Matt Canada Experience with a megadud? After all the excitement about how good Kenny Pickett and the offense looked in the preseason, the unit looked lost in the opener against the 49ers. How are the Steelers good enough to compete in a division with the Bengals, Ravens and Browns?

Fowler: I expect Pickett to respond, but considering the Steelers' offense hasn't produced a 400-yard game since a January 2021 playoff loss to the Browns, time to perk up sooner than later.

The Bears come to mind here, too. Based on the offseason changes and their plans to accelerate Justin Fields' development as a passer, Sunday's loss to Green Bay looked more disjointed than expected.

Graziano: Yeah, as the season approached, the stuff I was hearing out of Chicago was leading me to believe the Bears' offense might still be more work in progress than a lot of people maybe were hoping, and Week 1 backed that up. It sounds like Chicago had a very specific game plan to stay away from the Green Bay corners and rely on the short passing game, but it definitely didn't work, and I have my eyes on any adjustments the team makes in Week 2 and going forward. It's a huge year for Fields, as the Bears will have to decide on his fifth-year option next May.

Which Week 1 surprise performance is the most sustainable?

Fowler: I'm going with Puka Nacua's high-volume production in the Rams' offense. Seeing a fifth-round rookie receiver get 15 targets in his NFL debut was jarring, but a high target share makes sense on a few levels. The Rams have been low-key delighted about his impression all offseason and preseason. He's a true short-to-intermediate receiver, and coach Sean McVay thrives when drawing up plays for that type of receiver -- which has been on display for years with Cooper Kupp. So while Kupp is out at least four games, Nacua -- who isn't Kupp, to be sure -- can at least fill that void, after catching 10 passes for 119 yards in Week 1.

Graziano: Yeah, the Rams definitely weren't as surprised by Nacua's big game as the rest of the world.

I'm going to go with David Montgomery and the Lions, though. After the Lions picked Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 12 overall pick in April, there were some who wondered why they had signed Montgomery in free agency. His usage in the season-opening victory over the Chiefs answered that question and showed the way Detroit wants to play on offense. Gibbs will be a big part of things, but I see the Lions relying on Montgomery a lot as a traditional between-the-tackles runner as a centerpiece of their offense. He carried the ball 21 times for 74 yards and a touchdown last Thursday.

What's the latest on the Brian Burns situation, and what could his contract look like after the Nick Bosa deal?

Fowler: After months of talking, the Panthers and Burns never got close on a new deal before Week 1. My sense is Burns, clearly frustrated, is now focused on putting up a banner season and worrying about his contract -- or even a new destination -- next spring. That's not to say the Panthers can't double back and try to renegotiate in-season, but both sides probably need a cooling-off period at this point. Burns is set to be a free agent in March unless Carolina franchise-tags him. This one is still puzzling. Burns is an elite talent, and it feels like it should have gotten done.

Graziano: Burns is an extremely strong candidate for the franchise tag next March if the two sides can't work out a deal before then. I agree that this one feels odd, and I guess I wouldn't be totally surprised if they circled back and got a deal done during the season. But that's an unusual outcome, and the fact that Burns is playing and isn't sitting out to force the issue obviously eases the pressure on the team to do anything.

As for what the deal could look like, I doubt he gets Nick Bosa money ($34 million three-year average per season, $122.5 million guaranteed), but he can maybe land something in the Joey Bosa neighborhood ($29.2 million three-year average per season, $102 million guaranteed). Something in the $27 million-$28 million per year range, in line with guys like T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, makes sense.

What's your top upset pick for Week 2?

Graziano: Bears (+3) over Buccaneers. As I mentioned earlier, the Bears' offense remains a work in progress. But they shouldn't be as bad as they were against Green Bay. And without Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander locking down DJ Moore, Chicago could be able to open things up against a Bucs team that surprised a lot of people by beating the Vikings on the road in Week 1. The Bears should be able to harass Tampa Bay defensively, especially with the questions in the middle of the Bucs' offensive line.