Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the utilization stats you should know from Week 2 of the NFL season.
We now have a two-game sample size of fantasy football data to work with from the 2022 NFL season.
It’s still a relatively small sample size, but trends are starting.
Before you make any roster cuts or waiver claims for Week 3, here are 10 utilization notes to know following Week 2.
Here are your waiver wire targets for Week 3 of fantasy football.
After what seemed to be a low-scoring opening week for fantasy football, Week 2 offered some extremely explosive performances.
As roles begin to get settled, the waiver wire may not be as chaotic moving forward. But between injuries and poor performances, scouring the waiver wire for the top additions is still the best path to maintaining a championship-caliber team.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% mark (25% availability) as the threshold. We also will be giving FAAB suggestions based on a $1,000 budget. Take it for what it is: a suggestion. You can go higher or lower at your own discretion.
If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!
Here are 12 waiver wire targets entering Week 3 of fantasy football:
Check out our starts and sits in fantasy football for Week 2.
With Week 2 of fantasy football officially underway, the start and sit decisions take on even more of an impact for managers.
Whether you’re looking to bounce back from a Week 1 loss or continue to stay undefeated, the start and sit decisions are ones that will make or break a week.
Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.
Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.
You also can check out our start and sit bench list for Week 2.
Here is a look at some of the tough start and sit decisions in fantasy football for Week 2:
Taking a look at the top streaming options for fantasy football in Week 2.
The 2022 NFL season is only heading into Week 2, and fantasy football managers already need to look for streaming options on the waiver wire.
Whether managers need to replace a quarterback like Dak Prescott, who is expected to miss at least a month, or whether they need to find a new tight end, embracing the stream life may be the only viable option.
In order to qualify as a streamer, a player must be available in more than 40% of ESPN leagues at the time of writing. Each week, we will focus on the quarterback, tight end, defense/special teams, and kicker positions.
For each position, I’ll give a “stream of the week” indicating the priority streamer along with an additional two options. Don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter with any questions or thoughts on the process (@KevinHickey11).
After taking a look at the top waiver wire targets for the week, here are the top streaming options in fantasy football for Week 2.
The Rams created $3.8 million in cap space by restructuring Tyler Higbee’s contract – a necessary move after LA was over the cap
Entering Week 1, the Los Angeles Rams were slightly over the salary cap – only by less than $1 million. However, they needed to get under the cap by Tuesday afternoon, so they made one move that freed up a bunch of space.
According to Field Yates of ESPN, they restructured Tyler Higbee’s contract by converting $4.75 million of his base salary into a signing bonus. They also added three void years to spread out the money, creating a total of $3.8 million in cap space this year.
With this move complete, the Rams will have about $3.1 million in salary cap space to work with.
The Rams converted $4.75M of TE Tyler Higbee's base salary into a signing bonus (while adding 3 void years), creating $3.8M in 2022 cap space.
More room for the Rams as the season begins.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 6, 2022
This newfound money doesn’t mean a signing or trade is imminent. The Rams simply needed to get under the cap today, and tweaking Higbee’s contract was a simple way to get it done.
This added cap space could help the team eventually sign Odell Beckham Jr., however. They didn’t want to go through the season right up against the cap anyway, so they’ll have some added flexibility now.
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These tight ends could be sleepers in fantasy football this season.
Fantasy football managers love finding sleepers – players who are going toward the end of drafts despite having high upside for the upcoming season.
At tight end specifically, Pat Freiermuth and Cole Kmet are too well known to really be considered sleepers at this point, so this list is made up of deeper sleepers for the 2022 NFL season.
Tyler Higbee has an overall rating of 83 in “Madden NFL 23,” which puts him in the top 12 at his position
The folks at EA Sports are beginning to release overall ratings for players in the upcoming “Madden NFL 23” video game, beginning with the wide receivers and tight ends. Cooper Kupp is the second-best wideout in the game with an overall rating of 98, and Tyler Higbee is also among the top players at his position.
Higbee has a rating of 83 overall, which puts him 12th among all tight ends. Travis Kelce (98), George Kittle (97) and Mark Andrews (93) are the top tight ends in the game, with Darren Waller being the fourth and final tight end to earn a rating of at least 90 overall.
Top 15 TEs in Madden NFL 23:
Travis Kelce: 98
George Kittle: 97
Mark Andrews: 93
Darren Waller: 91
TJ Hockenson: 89
Kyle Pitts: 87
Mike Gesicki: 86
Dallas Goedert: 85
Hunter Henry: 84
Zach Ertz: 84
Dawson Knox: 83
Tyler Higbee: 83
Dalton Schultz: 82
Noah Fant: 82
Evan Engram: 81— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 18, 2022
Higbee may not blow people away with exceptional speed or elusiveness like some of the top tight ends do, but he does everything well. He’s a solid receiver, a good blocker and still manages to make plays after the catch.
He also plays in an offense that features Cooper Kupp and now Allen Robinson, so he doesn’t exactly get the most targets.
Tyler Higbee will return as the starting tight end, but who will be the Rams’ No. 2 option at that position?
Tight end isn’t exactly a heavily featured position within the Rams’ offense. Tyler Higbee has done an excellent job as the starter, but he’s never had more than 800 yards in a season or been targeted more than 89 times.
That doesn’t mean it’s not an important position, however. It’s a key spot when it comes to not only moving the chains, but blocking in the running game and helping in pass protection.
Even though Higbee will play most of the snaps, there’s still room for a No. 2 tight end to contribute, as we saw at the end of last season and into the playoffs. So let’s take a look at what the Rams have at tight end heading into training camp.
There are quite a few guys on the Rams to target in best-ball drafts if you’re looking to find value at certain positions.
Finding value in fantasy football is one of the keys to having success. It’s easy to pinpoint which players to target in the early rounds, but discovering players that can deliver worthwhile production to your team in the later rounds can be somewhat of a challenge.
On the Los Angeles Rams, Cooper Kupp is one of the first players being selected in best-ball drafts. Kupp is coming off one of the most historic seasons for a wide receiver, so his current rankings shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, especially with most leagues implementing a half-point or full-point PPR (points per reception) scoring system.
With the Rams looking to defend their title as Super Bowl champions in 2022, who are values at their current ADP in best-ball drafts?
Note: All ADPs are courtesy of 4for4’s Underdog ADP.
Best ball leagues have become more popular in recent years, so what stacks from the Rams should you be targeting in 2022?
Fantasy football has become a larger-than-life hobby for those that eat, sleep, and breathe football. Similar to our technology, fantasy football has evolved over the years. Instead of having only the option to play season-long leagues, best ball leagues (Underdog Fantasy is my preferred site) have become a popular choice for those that don’t want to stress over the weekly lineup decisions.
In best ball leagues, you simply draft your teams, and the best players at each position every week are the ones that accumulate points. The Los Angeles Rams are one of the coveted teams to target in best ball due to the talent they possess and the positive effect that Sean McVay lends to the offense.
Stacking, which is when you select a quarterback and an offensive weapon from the same team, has proven to be an effective strategy in best ball leagues. Ahead of the 2022 campaign, what stacks from the Rams should you be targeting?
*Note: All ADPs are courtesy of 4for4’s Underdog ADP.
