What an interesting weekend of football. My Panthers absolutely blew out the Raiders, the Buccaneers forgot how to play good football, the Ravens avoided going 0-3 and Cowboys are already ready to burn everything to the ground. Football is great!
Monday night brought us a double header featuring the Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Commanders versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Lets start with the Jags/Bills game. Josh Allen and company absolutely demolished the Jaguars and “Generational talent” Trevor Lawrence 47-10. The Bills were all gas and no breaks from start to finish. Allen threw for 263 yards and 4 TDs to 4 different receivers. The Jaguars had no answer on offense or defense the entire game.
Bengals versus the Commanders was a different story. The Commanders came out swinging going up 21-13 at the half. JaMarr Chase looked like he was back to the fantasy monster we all know and love with 118 yards and 2 TDs. Jayden Daniels also looks like he is the real deal as he threw for 254 yards and 2 TDs while also leading the team in rushing with 39 yards and punching in another score. Commanders are now 2-1 and the Bengals are 0-3 on the season. One crazy stat to mention, this was the first game in 1940 (84 years) to not feature an interception or punt. Wild.
As we head into week 4 here are some injuries and waiver wire targets to keep in mind.
Notable Injuries to Keep in Mind:
- Justin Herbert (high ankle sprain)
- Not expected to miss time. Could be limited
- Brock Purdy (back)
- Day to day
- Skylar Thompson (chest)
- Day to day
- DeVonta Smith (concussion)
- In concussion protocol
- Adam Thielen (hamstring)
- Placed on IR
- Sam LaPorta (ankle)
- Low Ankle sprain. Day to day.
- Trey McBride (concussion)
- In concussion protocol. TBD
- Evan Engram (Hamstring)
- Missed MNF. Keep an eye on him for week 4
- Austin Ekeler (Head)
- TBD
- Najee Harris (arm)
- In a sling but expected to play week 4
- Jaylen Warren (knee)
- Getting an MRI. Keep an eye on him
- Christian McCaffrey (Achilles)
- On IR. Seeing a specialist
Waiver Wire Targets:
Bucky Irving (Rostered in 32.8% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
I don’t think many people had the Broncos beating the surging Buccaneers. In a not great game for the Bucs, we got a pretty clear insight into the RB situation. Irving very handedly outperformed Rachaad White. Irving had 9 carries to White’s 6 and did way more on the ground turning those 9 carries into 70 yards compared to White’s 17. Post game Todd Bowles came out and said Irving has earned more snaps. I’ve been all in on rostering Irving so far this year and he could very well be the number 1 RB in Tampa soon.
Braelon Allen (Rostered in 28% of ESPN leagues)
This is your weekly reminder that Braelon Allen is one of the best handcuffs in football. Against the Patriots, Allen saw a season high 11 carries. Breece Hall is obviously the number 1 guy but Allen is a great insurance policy.
Jalen Tolbert (Rostered in 6.4% of ESPN leagues)
Jalen Tolbert is making his case for the team’s number 2 wide receiver. Through 3 games, Tolbert is outpacing Brandon Cooks in targets, receptions, yards and yards per reception. He is also averaging just about 5 targets a game so far. Ceedee is clearly on top of the pecking order but I like Tolbert as the number 2 in this offense. Dallas is currently leading the NFL in pass attempts per game (41.7) so there is plenty to go around. Feel comfortable rostering Tolbert moving forward.
Wandale Robinson (Rostered in 14.8% of ESPN leagues)
Malik Nabers this, Malik Nabers that. What if I told you there might be a viable wide receiver in an offense no one cares about unless you happen to be a Nabers owner. Wandale Robinson is not a flashy pick and has not really put up crazy points so far. However, what I do like is the amount of targets he has seen. Through 3 games he has seen 12, 4 and 8 targets. That averages out to 8 targets a game. He has also just about put up double digit points in each week so far (9.8 in week 2). If you are in a full PPR league and are in need of a nice flex play, Robinson could be your guy based purely off the amount of targets going his way.
Xavier Legette (Rostered in 6.4% of ESPN leagues)
Adam Thielen suffered a hamstring injury during the Panthers win over the Raiders on Sunday. News broke today (9/24) that he will be placed on IR. This opens the door for an expanded role for Xavier Legette who saw more work once Thielen went down. Could be an interesting flex play.
Tyler Conklin (Rostered in 27.7% of ESPN leagues)
If you waited on a tight end in drafts this year, odds are that you ended up with Conklin on your roster. Through the first 2 games, you were also probably cursing yourself for drafting him or had already dropped him. Well, if you weathered the storm, he rewarded owners with a 14.3 point game going for 5 receptions and 93 yards. I think this boils down to Aaron Rodgers having his “get back” game after suffering a season ending injury last year. He seems to have warmed up a bit and he gave us a reminder of why he is an all time QB against the Patriots. Conklin should directly benefit from this increased performance. The tight end landscape is volatile but you can’t go wrong when there is an elite QB involved. Consider rostering Conklin if needing an injury fill.
Sam Darnold (Rostered in 16.3% of ESPN leagues)
Yikes, this hurts. Add Sam Darnold to the list of former Panthers quarterbacks who have gone on to be pretty good following their escape from David Tepper. I was not very high on him headed into this season and thought that he would be on a short leash with JJ McCarthy waiting in the wings. An injury to McCarthy derailed that a bit but Darnold has been absolutely balling out. Fresh off a 4 TD performance against the Texans, Darnold and the Vikings face a tough divisional opponent in the Packers. If Darnold keeps playing the way he has been, there is no reason he should be on waivers or even sitting on your bench.
Andy Dalton (Rostered in 1.5% of ESPN leagues)
What a game for the Red Rifle. Not only did he reanimate a putrid offense in his first week as the starter, he is also the first QB this season to throw for 300 yards and 3 TDs. A favourable upcoming schedule adds the excitement around Andy Dalton fantasy relevance. OVer the next 4 weeks, the Panthers face the Bengals (who just had 38 put up on them), Bears, Falcons and Commanders. Look for Dalton to build upon his successful outing against the Raiders.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
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