Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

No first-round fantasy picks this time but enough fantasy starters to impact  your league.

QB Mitchell Trubisky – Benched
QB Jeff Driskel – Benched
RB Tarik Cohen – Knee (ACL?)
RB Chris Carson – Knee
TE Dallas Goedert – Ankle
TE Jordan Reed – Knee, ankle
TE Jared Cook – Ankle
WR DeSean Jackson – Hamstring
WR Russell Gage – Concussion
WR Diontae Johnson – Concussion
WR Bryan Edwards – Ankle
WR John Brown – Calf
WR Michael Pittman – Ankle
WR Mike Williams – Hamstring
WR Chris Godwin – Hamstring

Chasing Ambulances

Not as bad as Week 2 but still worth noting.

RB Tarik Cohen – Is believed to have a season-ending ACL injury. The Bears have not done much with the backfield so far and David Montgomery remains the primary back.  Ryan Nall is the only other back on the active roster so they’ll be either calling up a practice squad player or scraping a “best available” back from the waiver wire. Cohen lacked any consistent fantasy value, so his absence likely means that Montgomery will be a bit more work rather than a new back will be worth grabbing.

RB Chris Carson – Left the game and HC Pete Carroll said he had a knee sprain and would get an MRI on Monday. Carlos Hyde should be owned by the team with Carson but if not he’s worth grabbing. Hyde would be first in line to replace Carson if needed and is second on the team with 16 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown this year. The Seahawks face the Dolphins and Vikings next, so the starting running back is a fantasy option for the next two weeks.

WR Diontae Johnson – Missed the second half with what was reported to be a concussion while running a reverse. If he misses time, it is less clear that any individual wide receiver will see more work. James Washington would be first in line but the rookie Chase Claypool also figures in and tight end Eric Ebron just had his best game as a Steeler. Washington is the best bet but that may not mean much.

WR DeSean Jackson – Left with a hamstring strain and so did Dallas Goedert (ankle). They were already without Jalen Reagor (thumb) and Alshon Jeffery (foot). That allowed Greg Ward to have a career-best performance of eight catches for 72 yards and the lone receiving touchdown. His 11 targets paced the team. Deontay Burnett had been called up from the practice squad to help out but only caught three passes for 19 yards.  Ward deserves to land on a fantasy roster as (currently) a starting wideout on an offense that has to throw to catch up. But the next two games are at the 49ers and at the Steelers, so roll back the expectations for any of their receivers.

WR John Brown – Suffered a calf injury and had been nursing a foot injury last week.  In his place, fourth-round rookie Gabriel Davis took his place and caught four passes for 81 yards while Cole Beasley stepped up to lead the team with six receptions for 100 yards. Stefon Diggs still caught a touchdown but ended with four catches for 49 yards. The Bills hit the road for the next two weeks to play at the Raiders and Titans. Davis and Beasley become at least lower-end options for those games if Brown remains out.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Deshaun Watson – He’s been sacked 13 times and hit many more. The Texans have to start protecting him better because they have no chance if he is injured. Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 14 sacks only because the Eagles dumped him eight times this week. Watson was sacked at least four times each week.

QB Nick Foles – The change isn’t official yet, but Foles replaced the benched Mitchell Trubisky and led the Bears to a three-touchdown fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Falcons. He threw for 128 yards over the final 20 minutes of the game. The Bears host the Colts and Buccaneers next and came into the season with one of the most advantageous passing schedule strengths. Maybe Foles is the guy to realize that advantage.

TE Jimmy Graham – Caught six passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons. He scored in Week 1. But he flopped with just one catch in Week 2. Could be worth a stash to see if Foles continues to look for him but he’s been invisible in home games so far.

RB Darrell Henderson – He scored for the second week in a row and ran for 114 yards on 20 carries at the Bills. Malcolm Brown still had seven runs but only gained 19 yards. Cam Akers was out with a rib injury. He may end up a factor later in the year but at least for now, Henderson is the only fantasy play in this backfield.

WR Donte Inman – Scored twice in the loss to the Browns but only caught three of six targets for 38 yards. The Football Team host the Ravens and Rams next, so repeating the production is very unlikely.

WR Kalif Raymond – He led the Titan receivers with three receptions for 118 yards at the Vikings but that included a 61-yard catch. He’s on his third NFL team and never caught more than nine passes in a season. Not worth a free agent pick.

WR Justin Jefferson – The Vikings 1.22 pick this year, Jefferson broke out with a seven-catch, 175-yard effort against the Titans and scored his first NFL touchdown. His 4.43/40 speed was on display when he included catches of 31, 33 and 71 yards. The Vikings play on the road these next two weeks against the Texans and Seahawks, so there should be plenty of opportunities for him to contribute.

RB Rex Burkhead – James White remained out with his family tragedy, so Burkhead filled in. Sony Michel ran for 117 yards on nine carries but Burkhead converted his six rushes into 49 yards and two touchdowns, plus he led the team with seven catches for 49 yards and a third touchdown. It was everything that the James White owner was hoping to get. The backfield remains a committee approach and White will return, but Burkhead earned a spot on any fantasy roster with Michel or White on it.

RB Jerick McKinnon – With Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert out, McKinnon led the backfield with 14 runs for 38 yards and a score but was only good for three catches for 39 yards. Jeff Wilson was also allowed 12 rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown plus three receptions for 54 yards and a second score. The 49ers hit a string of three straight home games that go against the Eagles, Dolphins and Rams. There will be at least moderate fantasy value from whichever backs can play.

Giants backfield –  They only ran the ball ten times but that divided into Devonta Freeman (5-10), Wayne Gallman (4-7) and Dion Lewis (1-0).  Worse yet is that the only times they used the position for a reception was with Gallman (2-7) and Lewis (1-10) in a game that they lost by 27 points. None of the backs merit a fantasy start until one proves worthy and the Giants face three road venues over their next four games.

WR Tee Higgins – Played in his second NFL game and turned nine targets into five catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns. It’s a nice sign that the Bengals first two draft picks are already connecting so well.

RB Antonio McFarland – The Steelers 4.18 pick finally saw his first action when he ran for 42 yards on six carries and added a seven-yard catch. The 5-8 Maryland star sports a 4.4 speed and averaged 7.0 yards per carry. James Conner remains safe as the workhorse back, but McFarland was chosen to add a new, speedy complement in the backfield.

RB Mike Davis – Nice payback on handcuffing Christian McCaffrey or at least having early access to the waiver wire. Davis was limited to  46 yards on 13 runs but led the Panthers with eight catches for 45 yards and the lone offensive touchdown. Not that much of a step down from what McCaffrey would have done.

QB Justin Herbert – He’s only started two games but topped 300 yards in both. Versus the Panthers, the rookie passed for 33 yards and one score though he lost two fumbles and tossed an interception. When Herbert plays,  Keenan Allen hasn’t gained fewer than 96 yards. HC Anthony Lynn said that Tyrod Taylor was still the starter when healthy… but why?

WR Kenny Golladay – Missed the first two weeks with a hamstring strain, but returned despite the questionable tag. He led the Lions with six catches for 57 yards and one score and the passing offense just seemed to operate better in their win over the Cardinals. He’ll likely draw CB Marshon Lattimore when the Saints visit this week, but at least he’s back and helping the other receivers as well.

Buccaneers backfield – Despite the success of Leonard Fournette in Week 2, the Bucs reverted back to favoring Ronald Jones (13-53) while Fournette was left with seven carries to gain 15 yards. Both backs caught two short passes and neither scored. The schedule tightens up with the next matchups going against the Chargers, Bears and Packers, so there’s nothing safe about this backfield.

TE Rob Gronkowski – After a catchless Week 2, he was roundedly dropped in all fantasy leagues and even said he was there to block. So, naturally, he led the Buccaneers with seven targets for six catches for 48 yards. There’s no reliability in any receivers outside of Chris Godwin or Mike Evans. Too early to buy back into Gronk as a fantasy option.

WR Cedrick Wilson – The Cowboys No. 4 wideout just caught five passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns. He recorded no catches in the first two weeks and totaled just five receptions in all of last year. It’s favorable for the Cowboys to get that level of production from a No. 4 wideout, but he’s not worth touching for a fantasy team.

WR Allen Lazard – scored in the two road games this year and did little in the one homestand. Lazard ended with a team-high six catches for 146 yards and one score at the Saints on Sunday night. The Packers face the Falcons this week but – at home.

Huddle player of the week

Alvin Kamara  –  He everything you hoped for when you drafted him last year. It took a little more faith to draft him this summer after that down year and he’s paid back his team owners. Kamara was Saints’ best (and nearly only) weapon in their loss to the Packers. He rushed for 58 yards and caught 13 of 14 targets for 139 yards and two scores. If your league awards reception points, his 44.70 probably helped you to a win. His 52-yard touchdown catch through much of the Packers defense should end up on an NFL highlight reel for 2020.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Now get back to work…