Notable Injuries from Week 3:
- James Connor (Ankle)
- Najee Harris (Achilles)
- Tyrone Tacy Jr. (Shoulder)
- CeeDee Lamb (Ankle)
- Mike Evans (Hamstring)
- Terry McLaurin (Quad)
- Dyami Brown (Shoulder)
- Alec Pierce (Concussion)
- Colston Loveland (Hip)
- Michael Mayer (Concussion)
Waiver Wire Targets:
Trey Benson (Rostered in 54.8% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
In Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, James Conner suffered a foot injury that will require season-ending surgery. Hate to see it for one of the toughest sons of bitches out there. Wishing him a speedy recovery. This however, blows the doors wide open for second year running back Trey Benson. Drafted 66th overall in the 2024 draft out of FSU, Benson look to seize the RB1 role. This year he is averaging 5.83 yards per carry. He also is involved a little bit int he passing game which is nice. It is also important to mention that there is very little competition behind Benson as Emari Demercado and Bam Knight serve as the backups. While he is just above the 50% threshold, he is hopefully available in your league and you should add him immediately.
Tre Tucker (Rostered in 2% of ESPN leagues)
What a crazy game for Tre Tucker! 8 catches on 9 targets for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns.While that clearly won’t happen every week, there just might be something there. Through 3 games, Tucker has seen 20 targets which ranks third on the team behind Brock Bowers (21) and Jakobi Meyers (26). He also coincidentally is responsible for all 4 of the Raiders passing touchdowns so far this year. Crazy stat. Tucker feels like a boom or bust option at this point in the season but could hopefully develop into a regular fantasy starter on a team that will often be throwing from behind. A fun flex option.
Tyquan Thornton (Rostered in 2.2% of ESPN leagues)
Thornton is an interesting one heading into week 4. The Chiefs offense as a whole is struggling without Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy and in their absence guys like Thornton are getting more looks. He saw 9 targets against the Giants which is pretty encouraging and he even had a touchdown. Two if it hadn’t gotten called back. Definitely keep an eye on Worthy who may come back soon and reclaim the role that Thornton is occupying but if Worthy sits out, Thornton could be a flex option against an exploitable Ravens secondary.
Elic Ayomanor (Rostered in 21.1% of ESPN leagues)
Another week, another repeat waiver wire target. Ayomanor saw 5 targets and managed to coral 4 of them for 38 yards and a touchdown. It is worth mentioning that he leads all Titans wide receivers in red zone targets. While he won’t catch a touchdown every week, Ayomanor provides a nice flex option for fantasy managers. Most of what I said last week still stands. Worth rostering.
This is what I had to say last week:
The rookie out of Miami had a much better week against the Rams than he did in his first outing against the Broncos. Ayomanor brought in 4 of his 6 targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. So far through 2 games, Ayomanor is 2nd on the team in targets and is averaging 11.5 yards per catch. Ridley should continue to draw most of the attention from opposing defenses which leaves some room for Ayomanor to potentially add fantasy value. That plus his already existing connection with fellow rookie Cam Ward, adds to his case as a potential flex option. The Titans have played 2 of the league’s best defenses so far so I’m excited to see what happens as the season progresses and the offense develops.
Sterling Shepard (Rostered in 0.9% of ESPN leagues)
This is sort of a dart throw for week 4 purely based on the injury to Mike Evans and the eventual return of Chris Godwin. Evans is set to miss at least a couple of weeks opening the door for more targets for Shepard. He has been involved in the Bucs offense in some capacity and is averaging 5 targets a game through 3 games. Info on the return of Chris Godwin may come out closer to the Bucs week 4 matchup against the Eagles which might limit Shepard beyond week 4 so I would only consider adding him if you are truly desperate for a wide receiver.
Chig Okonkwo (Rostered in 27.7% of ESPN leagues)
Believe it or not, Okonkwo is the leading receiver in Nashville right now. He leads the team in receiving yards, is third in targets and is averaging a nice 10 yards per catch. While the Titans havn’t been overly successful on offense, they have also played some of the league’s better defenses. A 4 game stretch against the Texans, Cardinals, Raiders and Patriots could bode well for Cam Ward passing wise which would also push Okonkwo into starting TE territory.
Brenton Strange (Rostered in 21.3% of ESPN leagues)
Strange is another one of those tight ends on the fringe of starting territory. He’s averaging 5.3 targets a game but has not yet produced in the redzone. However, stats don’t always tell the whole story. While watching the games, Trevor Lawrence looks Strange’s way on key possessions. You have to love QB/TE chemistry because usually that equals points. I like Strange against the 49ers who just lost their best pass rusher to a season-ending injury.
Sam Darnold (Rostered in 7.7% of ESPN leagues)
I called out last week that Darnold had an easy matchup against a bad Saints team and boy oh boy did they get mollywopped. Darnold had himself a near perfect day going 14/18, 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Seahawks defense helped make it so the offense didn’t have to do much heavy lifting. This week is another easy matchup against the Arizona Cardinals that should have Darnold primed for a repeat performance.
Geno Smith (Rostered in 10% of ESPN leagues)
The Raiders may very well be a semi hot bag of ass this season but they have a QB that loves to throw the ball and may often be in a position where they need to. Smith is certainly a competent QB but the team around him is less than stellar. He does have decent weapons in Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and…Tre Tucker? This week’s matchup against the Bears could be a nice matchup for Smith. The Bears have some key injuries to their secondary and both teams should be able to keep things competitive. With a lot of QB injuries still floating around, Smith enters startable territory.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
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