Fantasy Football Sweep: Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs (2023)

The NFL news cycle is 24/7, especially during the season. For fantasy football managers, it can be overwhelming to stay on top of all of the news and the fantasy-relevant analysis that comes with it.

That’s where the Fantasy Football Sweep comes in.

With this article, I’ll attempt to bring you up to speed with all of the latest storylines, analysis and injuries to monitor all in one place.

Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.

Fantasy Football News, Notes & Takeaways

On Fridays, we’ll take a look at what happened on Thursday Night Football and peek ahead at the Friday injury reports and relevant news heading into the weekend.

Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore managers are not OK

Check on your friends who roster and, more importantly, started Kadarius Toney or Skyy Moore in Week 1 against the Lions. Send them a DoorDash if they started either one over Rashee Rice (as I did in one league). Toney and Moore combined for exactly one catch for one yard on eight targets. Toney, in particular, had some pretty atrocious drops, to the point it’s fair to wonder just how much he’ll be involved in short-term game planning until he earns back some trust from Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Moore is the WR more people were excited about, and he finished the night with a goose egg in the receiving department and one carry for four yards. Mahomes did miss him a couple of times, and he had one lone catch called back for a holding penalty, so his night could have ended with a more respectable 2-3 catches for 50 yards with a bit of luck.

The worst part? This all happened without Travis Kelce hogging targets on offense. With Kelce inactive, there were plenty of opportunities for Toney and Moore to step up and prove they deserve to be featured, or at least involved, in the offense game plans going forward. Neither did.

The question now is where do go from here? Do we buy low on Moore? Is it too early to cut Toney? My answers as I sit here tonight are probably, and probably not. If you can get Moore for cheap from a panicking manager, roll the dice and grab a piece of this offense. At the very least, there should be spike weeks. And if you need the roster spot, I’m probably fine with either cutting or selling low on Toney. Thursday night was terrible, and even peak Toney is inconsistent.

It's going to be a LONG week of "Should you buy low on Skyy Moore" discussions in the fantasy football community.

We are not ok.

— Mike Maher (@mikeMaher) September 8, 2023

Should we be concerned about the David Montgomery – Jahmyr Gibbs situation?

Given the draft capital and all of the offseason hype, many fantasy managers were excited about Jahmyr Gibbs coming into the season. Sure, there was some concern about David Montgomery filling the “Jamaal Williams” vulture role in the Detroit offense, but the prevailing consensus was that Gibbs would receive more touches, be the more featured back, and see consistent work in the passing game.

Well…

David Montgomery: 21 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD (3.5 YPC)

Jahmyr Gibbs: 7 carries, 42 yards, 0 TD (6.0 YPC)

— FantasyPros (@FantasyProsNFL) September 8, 2023

Is it time to panic? No.

This was game script-related, and we’re also talking about a rookie in his first game against the team that just won the Super Bowl. Be patient here. Gibbs clearly looked like the better, more explosive back on Thursday night, and he may have gotten into the end zone if he didn’t slip on an outside run in the first half where it looked like he had an angle.

We’ll still have to worry about Montgomery in the red zone, but the talent is going to rize to the top here. Keep the faith in Gibbs.

Rashee Rice, Sam LaPorta have impressive debuts

Neither lit up the box score, but Rashee Rice and Sam LaPorta had nice debuts for their respective teams and looked like they belonged. Both also looked like they could carve out roles in their respective offenses fairly quickly. Rice scored an early touchdown and finished with three catches on five targets for 29 yards and the one score. LaPorts caught all five of his targets for 39 yards.

Given what we saw from Kansas City’s pass catchers on Thursday night (see above), it’s not out of the question that, if he continues to develop, Rice could emerge as Mahomes’s second-favorite target after Kelce. He’s worth a stash in most leagues if he isn’t already rostered, in my opinion.

I was high on Sammy Ballgame (LaPorta) coming into the season, mostly because I spend a lot of time talking to Derek Brown and Thor Nystrom, and they both love him. The reports out of camp this offseason were glowing, and he immediately looked like a key cog in the Detroit offense tonight. The Lions wasted six targets on Marvin Jones (two catches for eight yards), but LaPorta made the most of his five targets, catching all of them.

Sam LaPorta's five receptions tonight are the most for a rookie tight end in Week 1 since 2019 when T.J. Hockenson had 6.

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) September 8, 2023

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News, Notes & Injuries

Let’s take a look at the latest news and notes around fantasy football. To stay up to date on all of the latest fantasy football news, be sure to follow @FantasyProsNFL on Twitter and bookmark the FantasyPros NFL Player News page.

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Joe Burrow agrees to record-breaking deal with Bengals
Thu, Sep 7th 8:29pm EDT
By Kelly Kirby

Joe Burrow has agreed to a 5-year, $275 million extension with the Bengals. It includes $219.01 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: In his three-year career, Burrow has thrown 11,774 yards and 82 touchdowns. While the calf injury during training camp is somewhat concerning, the long-term future of the 26-year-old is not. Burrow is a QB1 for the foreseeable future.

Jaylen Waddle (oblique) a full participant in practice Thursday
Thu, Sep 7th 6:52pm EDT
By Jesse Garcia

Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (oblique) was a full participant in practice Thursday. (Source: Daniel Oyefusi on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Waddle returned to practice Monday after being sidelined in training camp with an oblique injury. Considering he is trending in the right direction with his practice participation, Waddle should be ready to go for the Dolphins’ Week 1 matchup against the Chargers.

Jerry Jeudy states it’s his decision whether he plays Sunday
Thu, Sep 7th 5:12pm EDT
By Jesse Garcia

Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) stated it will be his decision on whether he plays Sunday. (Source: Chris Tomasson on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Jeudy’s Week 1 status is definitely up in the air and could come down to a potential game time decision. With the Broncos playing in the late-afternoon window, fantasy managers may want to have a backup option ready in the event Jeudy is not healthy enough to suit up in Week 1.

Terry McLaurin (toe) practices in full Thursday
Thu, Sep 7th 4:22pm EDT
By Sammy Schulman

Terry McLaurin, who was a limited participant in the Commanders’ Wednesday practice, was upgraded to a full participant on Thursday. (Source: Field Yates on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: McLaurin suffered a toe sprain, also known as turf toe, in the Commanders’ preseason win over the Ravens, which put his Week 1 status in doubt. However, with the fifth-year wideout logging a full practice Thursday, he seems to be on track to suit up when the Commanders take on the Cardinals in their Week 1 opener. McLaurin is a solid flex play if there is word that he will play without limitations on Sunday.

Breece Hall to be limited in practice Thursday, per Saleh
Thu, Sep 7th 4:01pm EDT
By Jordan Epp

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh told the media that RB Breece Hall would be limited in practice on Thursday. He did not practice on Monday. (Source: Connor Hughes on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hall is recovering from his mid-season ACL tear in 2022, but there’s no rush to get him back with the addition of Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook. Hall returns to practice after missing Monday, but he’s expected to play in Week 1. It’s unclear how he and Cook will split the role on Monday night, but it’s hard to sit him and wait. He has an Expert Consensus Ranking of half-PPR RB31 for Week 1, according to FantasyPros, so start him as a FLEX with caution and watch the game to see how they split.

Christian Watson (hamstring) doesn’t practice Thursday
Thu, Sep 7th 1:23pm EDT
By Leo Sells

Christian Watson (hamstring) was a non-participant in Green Bay’s practice on Thursday. (Source: Bill Huber on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Watson is still dealing with a hamstring injury and missed practice again on Thursday. His status for Week 1 hasn’t been determined yet, but with him not practicing in the last few days, his status is looking bleak. Fantasy managers can expect more work for Romeo Doubs (hamstring) and rookie Jayden Reed if Watson can’t play in Week 1 against the Bears.