Sam Darnold’s MVP run continues, Ravens save season with win in Dallas
Sports Seriously’s Mackenzie Salmon ‘overreacts’ to the biggest news from Sunday’s slate of games.
Sports Seriously
This past week was an odd one, with a good number of non-superstars turning in big performances, while many of the elite players laid eggs.
As we look toward the upcoming slate of games, we have a new starting quarterback in Carolina who might just be changing an entire offensive dynamic. After last week’s stellar season debut, is he worth picking up and starting?
Meanwhile, we’re also seeing some new usage patterns at the skill positions. Who could be the next diamond in the rough?
Finally, it’s not a bad time to bolster your roster depth. Byes start next week!
Due to the wide variance in types of leagues and individual team needs, the players listed here are in the lowest to highest availability rates in Fantrax leagues, which may or not match rates on other platforms.
Aaron Rodgers loves to throw to his tight ends, so how is Conklin still on the waiver wire in four out of 10 leagues? Perhaps because he had just one catch in each of his first two games. After hauling in five of six targets for 53 yards in Week 3, Conklin is the primary target for fantasy managers whose starting tight ends (Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, George Kittle) have health questions this week.
If Conklin isn’t available, perhaps Ertz is. The veteran was a reliable safety valve for rookie QB Jayden Daniels on Monday night, catching five passes for 38 yards, including one for a critical fourth-down conversion. Daniels’ efficiency so far this season bodes well for Ertz continuing to have value on a weekly basis.
Douglas was the Patriots’ main receiving threat last Thursday, catching seven passes for 69 yards and also getting one rushing attempt for 9 yards. Don’t expect a whole lot of consistency from QB Jacoby Brissett (Douglas was held without a catch in Week 2), but if the Pats are going to do anything through the air, Douglas will be the one to do it.
With starter D’Andre Swift mostly silent through the first three weeks, Johnson emerged as the best runner and receiver in the Bears backfield on Sunday. He gained 30 yards on eight carries and caught four of his five targets for another 32 yards. An injury to third-down back Travis Homer may have opened the door for more opportunities.
An injury in training camp slowed the rookie’s progress, but he seems to be getting more involved in the offense. Devin Singletary is still the starter, but Tracy saw a season-high 20 snaps in Week 3 and produced 40 yards on seven total touches. Those figures should continue to increase.
Taking over a moribund offense from a terribly ineffective Bryce Young, Dalton injected plenty of life into the Panthers attack. He completed over 70% of his passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps more important, he reinvigorated the fantasy values of RB Chuba Hubbard (169 total yards, TD) and WR Diontae Johnson (8 catches, 122 yards, TD). That still doesn’t make Dalton startable in one-QB leagues, but if you’re concerned about Brock Purdy’s status, he makes a fine emergency replacement against his former team, the Bengals.
We were all wondering last week, would Tyler Johnson or Demarcus Robinson be the Rams receiver to step up in the absence of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp? The answer was neither. Atwell had the biggest game of them all in L.A.’s big comeback win, with four catches for 93 yards (including a 50-yard bomb). QB Matthew Stafford spread the targets around well, but he was at his best when he was looking at Atwell.
Wilson saw a season-high 25 snaps against Tennessee in Week 3 – and for good reason. Starter Josh Jacobs was largely ineffective (14-43), while Wilson showed a nice burst on the ground with 50 yards on 12 carries and through the air with his nifty 31-yard touchdown run on a screen pass.
It’s probably not smart to get overly excited by one offensive sequence, but Sermon came in briefly for starter Jonathan Taylor on Sunday and – on two carries – rushed for 15 yards and a first down, then scored on a 1-yard run. He’s clearly the No. 2 back in the Colts offense, and would have significant fantasy value if anything were to happen to Taylor.
A potential quarterback change in Vegas could impact Tucker positively or negatively going forward. But in Week 3, he had a big 54-yard catch early in the game and a number of receptions late. With defenses keying on Davante Adams and TE Brock Bowers, Tucker could be in for a few more games like the one on Sunday: seven catches, 96 yards, TD.
While these are the most intriguing players across this week’s waiver wire, don’t forget to check on players we highlighted last week who may still be available in your league, including Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys (64% available, up from 78%) and Vikings wideout Jalen Nailor (64%. up from 88%).
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