The Friday weekly AMA on the FantasyPros Discord was hopping, per usual. Many users had excellent questions. Yet, a few players were the subjects of multiple questions. Let’s look at a few players multiple users asked about in the AMA.
Friday’s Fantasy Football Discord AMA Recap
Can Gamers Trust Andy Dalton?
Andy Dalton was a necessary breath of fresh air for Carolina’s stagnant offense last week. He lit up the Raiders for 319 passing yards and three touchdowns. As a result, the Red Rifle was eighth in fantasy points (24.6) in Week 3. The veteran signal-caller was also outstanding in his only start for the Panthers last season. He passed for 361 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks in Seattle in Week 3 last season, finishing as the QB7 with 23.5 fantasy points.
Dalton can’t maintain his two-game pace in starts for the Panthers. Still, his success with Carolina’s lackluster pieces was encouraging, and he has a favorable matchup this week. The Bengals couldn’t force the Commanders to punt last week, and Jayden Daniels eviscerated them. Cincinnati might be a shootout squad because of their stellar offense and dreadful defense, creating a fantasy-friendly environment for Dalton. The Red Rifle is the QB22 in the expert consensus rankings (ECR), but I would move him ahead of Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers, Caleb Williams, Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield, putting him in fringe QB1 territory. I’d also start him ahead of another quarterback, but I won’t spoil a forthcoming topic.
Is Garrett Wilson a Must-Start Player Against the Broncos?
The draft capital used to select a player doesn’t matter anymore. Gamers shouldn’t feel obligated to start a player because they selected them early in drafts. It doesn’t matter where gamers picked Garrett Wilson. He’s not a must-use player in a brutal matchup.
In fact, I boldly declared Wilson won’t be a top-24 wide receiver in any scoring format this week. As I pointed out in the linked piece, Wilson is the WR39 in standard scoring, tied for the WR34 in half-point per reception (HALF) and tied for the WR28 in point-per-reception (PPR) formats this season. Gamers should check out the linked piece for a more thorough analysis of why Wilson shouldn’t be a lineup lock this week. In short, Wilson is in the WR3/WR4 mix against the shadow coverage of Patrick Surtain this week.
Who Should Gamers Target as a One-Week Replacement for Trey McBride?
Trey McBride didn’t clear the NFL’s concussion protocol and will be out this week. As a result, gamers are scrambling to replace him at tight end this week. Fortunately, there are a few viable options on fewer than 40% of Yahoo! fantasy rosters.
Zach Ertz (27% rostered) is my favorite option among the widely available options. The Cardinals and Commanders are projected to have a shootout this weekend. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Ertz has run the second-most routes (82) for the Commanders this season, and he’s second on the team in targets (13), tied for first in receptions (12) and second in receiving yards (128). Tyler Conklin (33%), Noah Fant (32%) and Colby Parkinson (25%) are other viable alternatives. Finally, desperate gamers scraping the bottom of the barrel in deeper leagues can scoop up McBride’s direct replacement, Elijah Higgins (2%).
What Should Gamers Do with Anthony Richardson?
Anthony Richardson has gotten off to a dreadful start to his sophomore campaign. His inaccuracy as a passer wasn’t a secret entering the year, but his strong arm and mobility made him a popular fantasy football option. Sadly, he’s the QB15 in points per game (15.7) this year.
Among 34 quarterbacks with at least 40 dropbacks this year, Richardson is 31st in PFF’s passing grade, 34th in turnover-worthy-play rate (8.0 TWP%) and 34th in adjusted completion percentage (59.7%). Richardson is 23rd in passing yards (583), has only three passing touchdowns and has thrown the most interceptions (six) this year.
Perhaps the more significant concern is Richardson’s lack of rushing production. Richardson is tied for 12th in scrambles (six) and has rushed for only 117 yards and one touchdown. The second-year quarterback demonstrated his immense fantasy ceiling in his injury-shortened rookie campaign. So, gamers shouldn’t cut him in 12-team leagues or larger. However, he should be benched for quarterbacks such as Dalton, Justin Fields, Geno Smith, Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, Goff and Jordan Love this week.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.