'Monotone' gives his top TD props for Week 3
Week 3 is upon us, and with that another chance for ball spikes and celebrations in the end zone. Here are my top choices for TD props for this weekend's NFL action.
Joshua Kelley is someone I like targeting for a touchdown, especially considering the 54-point total in the Chargers-Vikings game. We have two of the worst defenses in the league facing off against each other, and without Chargers RB Austin Ekeler, Kelley will have a large chunk of the opportunities.
People were low on Kelley last week, but the Titans have one of the best run defenses in the league and one of the worst pass defenses. I expect a more balanced attack against the Vikings, with plenty of opportunities.
Travis Etienne Jr. has a good chance to get into the end zone. The Texans allowed four rushing touchdowns to the Colts last weekend and three to the Ravens RBs in Week 1. ETN is in line for 15+ carries, and the Jaguars are likely to be in a rush-heavy gamescript for most of this one. With an implied team total of over three touchdowns, and no Christian Kirk, ETN should see 3+ red zone carries.
Speaking of positive game script, Kenneth Walker III finds himself in another very intriguing matchup – Panthers at Seahawks. While there were questions about how much of the workload he would handle before the season started, he’s clearly shown to be the workhorse back.
Walker has two touchdowns, with 16 and 18 total touches in the first two weeks. This should be the best matchup he’s had yet, and I expect him to capitalize on it.
I think a lot of NFL fans are very curious to see how Fields performs against the Chiefs after a very rough start to the season. With the comments made in the media, it seems he’s interested in diverting back to the playstyle we saw from him last season.
I’m expecting more designed runs and more carries. While I don’t have confidence in this offense, I do have confidence in this defense getting torn apart by the Chiefs. KC QB Patrick Mahomes will have a lot of success, which should generate a lot of garbage time chances.
We’ve seen Fields break a lot of big plays, but he should also be a huge part of the the redzone playbook when given the chance.
Parham is not a household name, but the former XFL legend has carved out a strong red zone role for the Chargers. He’s expanded that even more this season, playing more snaps and running more routes than Gerald Everett last week. This resulted in two red zone targets for the mega-sized tight end. Now that we have an incredibly high-scoring matchup (Chargers at Vikings), we should have our chances here.
Steezy lays out the top DFS fades for Week 3
It’s Friday and you guys know what that means -- time to fade ‘em up, Week 3 edition. Of the five guys I listed as ‘fades’ last week, three of them put up season-highs in fantasy points. Perhaps they’re a weekly reader of mine and used my analysis as fuel?
Either way, let’s hope the following players can escape the wrath of my doghouse as well — after the conclusion of Week 3 (all salaries courtesy of DraftKings).
Watson’s ownership percentage of 4.3% is higher than Josh Allen’s, Tua’s, Dak Prescott, and Justin Fields’ - which is bizarre given how he’s looked in his last eight games as a Brown.
Sure, QB14 at cost isn’t exorbitant, but he has yet to complete at least 60 percent of his passes nor average 6 yards or more per attempt. Plus, he’s been sacked nine times in two games for a team that lost its workhorse in Nick Chubb. No thanks.
For those wondering whether or not the Houston version of Watson is gone for good, these next few weeks will be very telling. He will have to carry the offense ala his Texan days.
Until then, I’d advise fantasy owners everywhere to stay far and away as there’s other options with more upside and cheaper.
Once upon a time, Dillon looked like the future of the Packers running back room. If you recall, he rushed for over 800 yards and had 7 total touchdowns playing alongside 2021 MVP Aaron Rodgers.
That’s no longer certain.
Dating back to Week 15 of last season, Dillon hasn’t cracked 4 ypc in his past six games. Not only has the efficiency cratered, his usage in the passing game has become almost non-existent as well.
Coupled with the fact that his Packers are taking on a formidable Saints defense that have been very stingy against the run – including holding Derrik Henry to under 70 yards in Week 1 – and I’m beginning to lose hope for Dillon as far as his fantasy prospects.
If Aaron Jones is ready to go Sunday, it might be all the more reason to fade Dillon, regardless of cost.
I never thought I’d do this, but I’m going to fade a top 5 player at his position – just for this week.
Although not entirely his fault, the status of Cincy QB Joe Burrow is still up in the air for Monday Night Football as of Friday. Given that he likely won’t be 100 percent even if he does play, I have a difficult time believing in Chase if Jake Browning is the one throwing him passes against a very underrated Rams secondary.
There’s a crazy stat going around that Chase has the least yards through two games (70) for somebody that has at least 15 targets.
Ultimately, his supreme talent will win out. Even if he produces more against the Rams than he has this season – relative to cost -- you can find cheaper options with similar production.
If I get this wrong, I’ll never fade a top 5 at his position player ever again.
With just 6 receptions for 22 yards this season, Goedert hasn’t been anywhere near the top-5 TE he was projected to be, much less his current price point.
While we all knew he was going to be the third or fourth option in the passing game, even that seems to be in jeopardy given the heroics of the Eagles’ RB room.
To top it off, a matchup against underrated Bucs safeties Antoine Winfield Jr and Ryan Neal doesn’t exactly scream bounceback. They’ve yet to allow a TE to eclipse 40 receiving yards.
If you’re betting on a pass-catcher to bounce back for Philadelphia this week, I’d pivot towards AJ Brown instead.
Even if Watson can play, Marshon Lattimore, Tyrann Mathieu, Paulson Adebo, and the rest of that nasty Saints defense will do everything in their power to make it look as if he didn’t play at all.
Hamstring injuries are tricky, especially for players who are reliant on speed and explosiveness in getting down the field. In addition, Watson’s boom-or-bust style of play is too risky to insert into lineups when we don’t know if he’s going to be 100 percent and whether or not he’ll be on a snap count.
I’m fading Watson in all formats of fantasy this week, DFS be damned.
Longtime scout breaks down the best and worst from TNF
Yes, it’s true -- Fantasy Sports Logic and the Contrarian Edge Optimizer won first place in the DraftKings Million Dollar to the Winner grand prize. We’ll get to that, but first my intro:
My name is R.C. Fischer, and I am a decade-plus-long football scout and Fantasy writer/player (and bettor) of football things for Fantasy Football Metrics.com, and I watch football games for a living. I am a fan of no NFL team, except the one I may have bet on. I review and study game tape for personal profit (or loss) in DFS and handicapping/props.
I watch the TNF games (and every NFL game) live, then watch it again on tape for scouting Fantasy/DFS and future betting (player props) purposes. And like a restaurant or movie critic, I’m here to report my critiques of this nationally televised game -- pro and con.
Here is the best and worst of TNF Week 3, Giants at 49ers:
Seriously! No joke. 176,470 entries with a $2.25M prize pool and $1 million to the winner.
One of the FSL Optimizer’s entries won it. Holy cow!
The $1M prize got shredded into $10K-plus payouts. I’ve never hated 124 other random strangers so much before in all my life. But it’s a great DFS Optimizer and football theory/scouting effort accomplishment for the young company nonetheless -- and all kidding aside, congrats to the other winners.
Real people really do win!
When you have a TNF-only DFS showdown contest, there’s going to be a lot of duplicate entry potential. There’s only so many players to pick from, so ties are very possible especially when the obvious stars shine like they did in this game. But you also have to hook the right sleeper plays with them and FSL did.
A win is a win.
On the FSL Podcast for this TNF DFS preview (check out the TNF DFS preview show every Thursday on Sportstopia), Daryl Snyder and I discussed the extra boost reasoning for Deebo this night, and he didn’t disappoint. The late dagger bomb TD catch by Deebo put him over the top as the high PPR scorer of any player, QBs included, in this game.
Having Deebo as the ‘Captain’ of the winning Showdown entry was a must, and that’s just what we did by pushing a few different entries with him as the captain because of the strategy discussions on the FSL TNF Preview Podcast (that drops every Thursday).
We did have entries banking on a big Dan Dimes run game/FF scoring game. However, Jones only rushed 2 times for 5 yards with no Saquon and a great need for him to run.
Somehow NYG had the bright idea to push more run game to Gary Brightwell for some reason. He too ran for five yards on four carries.
Daryl Snyder and I also discussed the scouting logic behind playing Ronnie Bell for DFS on the TNF DFS Preview Podcast earlier in the day, and we switched some other long shot names out to insert more Bell, and ‘boom’.
Bell is Brandon Aiyuk-like, and had a great training camp and preseason, he was the natural hope to fill-in for Aiyuk this game. Bell wasn’t involved in the game as much as I thought he would, but he got a TD with his two-catch, 24-yard night, and the TD was all the DFS difference.
I liked Ronnie Bell and Jalin Hyatt as the long shot plays in this game for various reasons, but I had more confidence/hope in a Hyatt deep ball pop/TD.
I saw Hyatt run a deep route early, that I think was designed to go to him, where he lined up next to some other NYG WR and they sprinted off deep off the snap and then ran into each other making a cut and took each other out of the play and all Daniel Jones could do was throw it away in desperation.
Hyatt ended the game with zero catches on zero targets and earned zero dollars on any DFS lineup he was in.
Waller had more universal DFS ownership appeal for good reason -- Kittle hasn’t been lighting up the stat sheets out of the gates in 2023. But our scouting/game script projected that the 49ers defense, known TE-killers for Fantasy scoring, would squash Waller too much, and thus Kittle, who was overdue, especially without Aiyuk there, was the better TE play.
Kittle snagged a season-best 7 catches for 90 yards, while Waller got all of 3 catches (on 7 targets) for 20 yards, and Waller did not look good (going forward for FF purposes).
The whole Waller-based NYG offense concept for 2023, they may need to rethink that.
No controversies here. The better team definitely won. San Fran won the time of possession 39/21. They converted 9 of 16 third downs. They had no turnovers (13 games in a row with 0 or 1 turnover in a game). And SF outgained the Giants 441 yards to 150. The 49ers handled business.
Me.
No, it’s not because I spent 3.5 hours of my life watching this dull mercy killing of NYG, but because I spent 3.5 hours watching it as an idiot who picked NYG +10.5 -- hoping they’d stay close for a cover.
I think there were about 19 instances (that may be exaggerated some) where the Giants held the 49ers short on a 3rd-down play but then a flag would come in and give the 49ers an extended life, thus the lopsided time of possession and final score.
The Giants were hanging in there as best they could but all the yellow flags at the absolute wrong time every time did them in from.
We’ll end on a ‘worst’ from the way this game ended.
For the final kneel downs, $4.5M QB Sam Darnold took the final snaps as Brock Purdy and his $870K payroll watched from the sidelines as he went to 11-0 in regular season and playoff games where he played the majority of the snaps or started fully.
Unbelievable.
See you for TNF Week 4, Detroit at Green Bay, where we’ll try to win the Million DFS prize all alone this time. Baby steps …
Great PrizePicks/Underdog plays for Week 3
Week 3 is here, and we’ve spotted plenty of value plays for the weekend. Every single week, I’ll be placing an Underdog/PrizePicks entry and breaking down each prop with analysis and key stats that will help you make money. And I will be using the Sportstopia DFS Optimizer to guide my research, which you can sign up for here!
Robinson receiving yards was one of my favorite plays last week, and I’m surprised we’re still getting such a reasonable number here. Since the preseason started, Washington offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy has been clear that Robinson needed to catch more passes, simply to make the offense less predictable.
Through the preseason, we saw that start to materialize, with new and more creative usage. Through the first two weeks of the regular season, it’s been even better than expected, with Robinson dominating total RB opportunities.
Robinson is the workhorse back for this team, and even if they fall in a more negative game situation, I expect him to succeed regardless. Last week, Washington struggled early but came back in part due to running the ball with Robinson and working off play-action. He cashed this number last game with 42 yards, and I’m expecting 2-3 catches in this one.
I love this number for Henry, especially considering he’s cashed it in back-to-back weeks. Henry was more involved in the screen game last week, and while he doesn’t run a lot of routes, he’s highly efficient on a per-touch basis. Betting on such a low number for one of the best players is fun, because we only need one play to break this.
The logic here is quite simple: the Browns’ defense is really good, and Titans QB Ryan Tannehill must get the ball out fast. Henry is the most explosive player on this offense, and if the traditional run game is having trouble getting going, they are going to find other creative ways to get their star player involved.
The Browns get pressure at the highest rate in football, and Tannehill is traditionally one of the worst QB’s under pressure via success rate. I expect them to struggle early, and Henry will have 2-3 screen opportunities alone.
While the Ravens are traditionally run heavy, OC Todd Monken’s new lead system will open things up and air it out more. We’ve already seen early returns on that, and I expect it to continue against a pass-funnel Colts team.
While their defensive line is strong, the secondary is not. Stephon Gilmore left in the offseason, and their best corner is Kenny Moore. This is not a strong pass defense, and with Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins out, I see more red zone pass attempts.
Flowers had multiple plays schemed up for him in the red zone in Week 2, and Andrews has always been Lamar’s favorite redzone target. I expect them to have 3–4 opportunities here and I like the chances.
Through two games, Collins has 20 targets with a 14.8 ADOT. He’s recorded 80 and 146 receiving yards in those two matchups, and it looks like he’s on the precipice of a breakout season. He’s posted a 20%+ target share in six straight games, and this new offense with CJ Stroud is more pass-heavy than we initially anticipated.
The Jaguars offense may be good, but their defense hasn’t been strong. This game has sneaky offensive upside, but even in a lower-scoring game, we saw two receivers, Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney, clear 60+ yards. In the first game, we saw Michael Pittman clear this number with 87 yards on 11 targets. I expect WR1’s to continue to have success against the Jaguars.
Best fantasy plays and prediction for Giants-49ers
We’ve had two consecutive entertaining Thursday Night Football games with the Chiefs/Lions and Vikings/Eagles coming down to the wire. Can we make it three in a row? The odds are stacked against this one, but weirder things have happened.
San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants
49ers
Lions
Giants
Without question, the biggest injury storyline in this game is the absence of Barkley after the star running back sprained his ankle late in the win over the Cardinals. The 26-year-old is a big loss in the running game but also has already received 11 targets as a checkdown for Daniel Jones.
It appears Matt Breida will be the first option for New York on Thursday with Breida going up against the team that gave him his first chance, but it seems likely the Giants will use RB-by-committee approach to replace Barkley with Gary Brightwell and potentially rookie Eric Gray.
Robinson has missed the first two games recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in 2022, but multiple outlets are reporting that the second-year player will play tonight. He had 227 yards on 23 receptions prior to the injury and should be involved in the passing attack if he plays.
49ers
The only fantasy-relevant injury question mark for the 49ers is Aiyuk, but it’s a big one. The wideout is going to be a game-time decision due to a shoulder surgery he suffered in the win over the Rams. He played through the injury but was a non-participant in Monday’s practice and a limited one Tuesday.
Even if Aiyuk is active he may not be in for his usual line of targets -- he played 52 percent of the offensive snaps in Sunday’s victory -- and there are options that might make sense to play over him that we’ll offer later. This is called a tease, in the industry.
Usually, a quarterback is the most expensive play on a Thursday, but it’s not surprising McCaffrey is the priciest. He’s gone over 100 yards and scored a touchdown in each of the first two games, and the Giants have allowed 136.5 yards per game on the ground -- seventh worst in the NFL. Even with teams looking to stack the box against McCaffrey, it’s beyond reasonable to expect a big game anytime he’s on the field.
Jones vs. Purdy is an intriguing quarterback matchup because of their difference in style and pedigree. Jones has helped fantasy players more with his legs than as a passer (102 yards rushing with a TD, 425 yards passing 2/3 TD/INT) after receiving a massive extension in the offseason.
Purdy has completed 66.7 percent of his passes with a pair of scores a year after being the last selection of the 2022 draft and helping San Francisco reach the NFC Championship Game in his rookie season.
Jones offers the higher ceiling because of his ability to scramble, but Purdy has the higher floor because he doesn’t make mistakes and offers more weapons to get the ball to -- even if Aiyuk is unable to play.
This game also features two of the better tight end options in Waller and Kittle, but both are still looking for their first TDs. Kittle has received just nine targets and has yet to go over 30 yards.
Waller was a big part of the offense in the come-from-behind win over Arizona Sunday, however, with six receptions for 76 yards.
Both players are due for some scores -- particularly Kittle who picked up 11 touchdowns last season -- and it would be far from an upset if both players found paydirt Thursday.
Jalin Hyatt, WR, NYG: $7,800
The third-round draft pick in April received only two targets against the Cardinals, but they went for 89 yards, including a 58-yarder to open the second half. The 6-foot, 195-pound wideout was drafted out of Tennessee in large part due to his big-play ability, and while there are some names ahead of him on the depth chart, it does seem likely he will be more involved with the offense going forward. A breakout game could be on the horizon.
Jauan Jennings, WR, SF: $6,600
Jennings’ value is at least partially tied into how much Aiyuk plays, if at all. After being held catchless against the Steelers, Jennings hauled in two passes for 51 yards against the Rams.
The 6-foot-3 Jennings offers a big target for Purdy and has had success when given a chance to play, and this is a friendly price point. If you’re feeling adventurous and Aiyuk doesn’t suit up, ponder Ronnie Bell. The seventh-round selection, who showed promise in the preseason, might be the third wideout in sets while offering just a $300 price point.
Eric Gray, RB, NYG: $2,100
Gray has yet to receive a carry or a target so far, so this is obviously a dart throw. The fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma in April has been doing punt returns. With Barkley out of commission and Breida along with Brightwell not exactly looking like stars in the backfield, it would make sense if New York gave Gray a look. At this price, the risk is worth it.
On paper, this seems like a mismatch. The 49ers are one of the NFL’s best team, while the Giants got boat-raced by the Cowboys and needed an epic comeback to beat the lowly Cardinals.
The NYG will be without one of the NFL’s most electric playmakers in Barkley, and they’ll be facing the 49ers in SF’s home opener. A double-digit point spread is always scary in this sport and Thursday night games are often an adventure, but it’s impossible to pick against the favorite in this one.
49ers 27, Giants 17
The top stack options from FanDuel and DraftKings
Daniel Jones won somebody a million dollars. Let me repeat that. DANIEL JONES WON SOMEBODY A MILLION DOLLARS. The winner of the DraftKings Week 2 Milly Maker was all about that Giants stack. Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and Darren Waller helped one astute player take home a cool mil.
While I don’t recommend playing Daniel Jones on Thursday against the buzzsaw that is the 49ers defense, we will find this week’s Daniel Jones among the other matchups. Maybe another struggling QB with a good matchup? (Spoiler alert: It’s Deshaun Watson)
How do you not keep going back to Tua and this Dolphins offense? And this Broncos defense that just allowed Sam Howell to throw for nearly 300 yards (299 Sam? Really? This argument would have sounded so much better if I could just say 300).
With Surtain expected to shadow Tyreek Hill most of the night, it makes sense to pivot to the less played option in Jaylen Waddle. It’s been the Tyreek Hill show so far this season, but Waddle isn’t going to just fade into the background. There are big games ahead for both players, but I’ll take the big discount opposite the Surtain matchup this week.
While not projected to be the highest scoring matchup of the week, this game has sneaky DFS upside. Houston has been having CJ Stroud do his best “Joe Flacco on the Jets” impression, throwing the ball on average 45+ times per game through the first two weeks of the season. I expect Jacksonville to go up early which means we could see another high-volume passing game from the Houston Texans.
There are three receivers on the Houston Texans that all have an argument to be started each week. Nico Collins is the WR1 here in Houston, but Robert Woods and Tank Dell both out snapped him this past week. The Fantasy Sports Logic Contrarian Edge Optimizer loves the Stroud stack. Get contrarian by playing Robert Woods and hope for another 47-pass attempt game from Stroud.
The Browns lost star running back and offense focal point Nick Chubb to a season-ending injury Monday night. With Jerome Ford (and Kareem Hunt) taking over, the Browns welcome the league’s best run defense through two weeks to Cleveland.
The Titans have been tough to beat on the ground, but they’ve been very beatable through the air, seeing both Derek Carr and Justin Herbert throw for over 300 yards (exactly 305 for both of them). This Browns offense is going to have to throw the ball more with Chubb out for the year, and this Titans defense is going to expedite that process.
Amari Cooper has been Watson’s favorite target so far this season and I expect Watson to lean heavier on Cooper in this Chubb-less Browns’ offense.
Steezy lays out the best low-cost values for Week 3
Another week, another bargain bin column from yours truly! Week 1 was an absolute atrocity, but I did a lot better hand-picking players from the well of bargains in Week 2, so let’s keep that train going!
Zack Moss, DJ Moore and Michael Thomas were a few of the guys I highlighted as ‘bargain’ plays last week and you probably hit it big if you followed my advice. If not, then this is your week! (all salaries courtesy of DraftKings)
If I told you that entering Week 3, Mayfield was top five in QB rating and top 10 in QBR, would you believe me?
Shoot, if I hadn’t done the research beforehand, I wouldn’t even believe it myself. Having yet to turn the ball over, Mayfield has been an integral part of the Bucs’ 2-0 start.
Now, with the Eagles on tap for a Week 3 showdown on ‘Monday Night Football,’ expect more Mayfield mania. The Eagles have allowed both Mac Jones and Kirk Cousins to throw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, so their pass defense has looked more susceptible than we’re accustomed to seeing.
And with TB wide receiver Mike Evans looking like a supernova (you can’t forget about Chris Godwin either), Mayfield has the stage set for him to continue balling out.
Priced outside of the top 20 QBs in DFS salary, Mayfield at $5,300 should be the closest thing to larceny we’ve seen in the NFL since the DeAndre Hopkins trade to the Cardinals.
Prior to this season, the 2022 fifth-round RB had the same amount of touchdowns as both you and I – ZERO.
CRAZY right?
Fast forward to Week 3, and Williams is the NFL’s leader in scrimmage touchdowns with four. If you weren’t a believer, I hope that stat changes your mind.
Want further proof of just how entrenched Williams is in the Rams backfield? Look no further than the latest news surrounding his soon-to-be ex-teammate, Cam Akers. Having been hyped all offseason long by Sean McVay, it’s not a coincidence that the moment Williams starts balling out, Akers is reportedly on the trade block.
Not only is Kyren (a dope name, by the way) the Rams’ goal-line back, he was second in targets last week against the 49ers with 10 and has been praised for his pass catching ability, so we know Matthew Stafford is going to look for him every time he drops back.
Make no mistake about it, Williams is a low-end RB1 for the rest of the season, so lock it in! I assure you he won’t be had at such a discount after Week 3, so pounce on the value while it’s still there.
Maybe third-wheeling isn’t the worst thing in the world after all? Despite being behind both Justin Jefferson and TJ Hockenson in the targets pecking order, Addison has scored a touchdown and racked up over 60 receiving yards in two straight games to start the season, albeit on limited volume (7 receptions on 11 targets).
With OC Wes Phillips on record stating that Addison’s role is only going to grow as the season progresses, I’d get on board the Addison train while he’s still a bargain.
One more nugget to note: LAC-MIN is expected to be the highest-scoring matchup of the Week 3 slate with an over/under of 54. It will be a buffet for most players. Start Addison with confidence in this one.
Sitting at WR6 in season-long leagues on the year thus far, Collins has been a target hog, averaging 10 per game and parlaying that into monster production: 13 catches for 226 yards (5th in the NFL in receiving).
With an ownership percentage sitting at 19.6% (at the time of this writing), Collins is being inserted into more lineups than Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Ja’Marr Chase, Davantae Adams, etc. That doesn’t mean everything, but it does mean more people are taking notice.
One more thing: Collins’ Texans are +9.5-point underdogs against the Jaguars, so game script could also be in his favor.
At WR38, don’t be surprised if Collins finishes another week as a top 10 WR.
Is Henry on his way to capturing his 2021 form with the Patriots? If you’ve forgotten, Henry totaled 9 touchdowns and 603 receiving yards in his first season in Foxborough.
Through two games this season, Henry is the No. 2 TE on the season and has finished as a top 2 TE in back-to-back weeks (5+ catches, 50+ yards, and a touchdown in both games).
Now that the Patriots are passing the ball with more regularity, Henry seems to be one of Mac Jones’ favorite targets and preferred target in the red zone.
Ranked outside of the top 10 TEs as far as salary, it’s only a matter of time until Henry makes his way into the top 5 TE conversation; here’s your chance to buy low now while you can!
After a subpar performance (by his standards) on the ground in Week 1 vs the Lions, Pacheco got going against the Jacksonville Jaguars, compiling 70 yards rushing on only 12 carries (5.8 per carry).
Being that his team is the largest favorite in the Week 3 slate (-12.5), Pacheco should have game flow in his favor, which should result in a season-high in touches and, theoretically speaking, more fantasy points.
In addition, the Bears defense has been very kind RBs so far, giving up 103 scrimmage yards (and a TD) to Tampa Bay’s Rachaad White just last week and 127 scrimmage yards and two TDs to Aaron Jones in Week 1.
If you’ve been keeping Pacheco on your bench, now’s the time to unleash him. With an 11% ownership rate (at the time of this writing), he’s being started in more lineups than Travis Etienne, Rhamondre Stevenson, Tony Pollard, etc. others are starting to catch on, so don’t be the person that’s late to the (Pacheco) party!
Cody ranks TEs, kickers, defenses heading into Week 3
One player quickly building a case to run for a seat in the 'Mr. Consistency' cabinet -- housed currently by just Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson -- Is Sam LaPorta in Detroit. After just two weeks, he is top-5 at the position in yards and receptions.
Nicknamed YAC.com during this spring's draft process, LaPorta is third in the NFL behind Evan Engram and David Njokue in yards after catch.
During Week 2, we saw some of our favorite TEs deal with tough matchups -- Hayden Hurst against New Orleans, Tyler Higbee against San Francisco and Pat Friermuth against Cleveland. This week, be careful starting Luke Musgrave, Chig Okonkwo, and Zach Ertz.
Instead, lean into cheap options like Cade Otton, Jake Ferguson and Adam Trautman.
Tight End Rankings:
Kicker Rankings:
Defense Rankings:
Fantasy Football Experts Stu (Montone) Durst, and Terrell Furman review all the NFL Week 8 games, give you all the Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9 and recap the Monday Night Football Game between the Raiders and the Lions. Check the Fantasy Fire and Ice Podcast daily for injury updates, breaking NFL news, and player profiles.
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