It only took until Week 2 for a dozen of my favorite players in fantasy football to be shelved by injury. At least the first near-miss prediction occurred simultaneously to dampen the impact. Chris Godwin was fantastic on Sunday. He surpassed 100 yards receiving and scored a touchdown in the Buccaneers’ road upset win over the Lions. No victory lap. Godwin did not reach double-digit targets or receptions, so we can’t put it on the board. Pretty damn close, though, right? Time to put on darker shades and turn the heat up another notch.
Week 3 provides even a little bit more clarity to the situation. We can already see which players might be taking a leap this season (and those who will not be). A good many new coaches have impressed in the early goings, while a handful have already landed themselves on sort of a hot seat. For those of you in the same boat as me with oodles of questionable (Q) and out tags, pay close attention to who I mention below. Along with the headliners, there will be some sleepy little sleeper breakout candidates for the Week 3 slate woven in. Kick back and wiggle those toes while I light this stick of dynamite.
It only took until Week 2 for a dozen of my favorite players in fantasy football to be shelved by injury. At least the first near-miss prediction occurred simultaneously to dampen the impact. Chris Godwin was fantastic on Sunday. He surpassed 100 yards receiving and scored a touchdown in the Buccaneers’ road upset win over the Lions. No victory lap. Godwin did not reach double-digit targets or receptions, so we can’t put it on the board. Pretty damn close, though, right? Time to put on darker shades and turn the heat up another notch.
Week 3 provides even a little bit more clarity to the situation. We can already see which players might be taking a leap this season (and those who will not be). A good many new coaches have impressed in the early goings, while a handful have already landed themselves on sort of a hot seat. For those of you in the same boat as me with oodles of questionable (Q) and out tags, pay close attention to who I mention below. Along with the headliners, there will be some sleepy little sleeper breakout candidates for the Week 3 slate woven in. Kick back and wiggle those toes while I light this stick of dynamite.
Fantasy Football Hot Takes: Week 3
Eagles Bounce Back from Heartbreak with Resounding Double-Digit Road Upset over Saints
DeVonta Smith Goes Ballistic, Reaping a Top-5 PPR Performance
Not many expected the Falcons to come away with a win on Monday night. A dropped pass by Saquon Barkley gave the Dirty Birds life. Kirk Cousins marched his previously stagnated offense down the field and found Drake London for the go-ahead score. Philly should have won that game. They dominated both sides of the ball for most of it, only lapsing at key times down the stretch. The Saints have nearly 100 points scored in their two blowout wins over Carolina and Dallas. Klint Kubiak has resuscitated 2016 Derek Carr and 2020 Alvin Kamara and has Dennis Allen somehow levitating above his chair set ablaze. They look great, but I fear regression is on the horizon versus the visiting Eagles.
Jalen Hurts will be without AJ Brown for a couple of weeks, leaving the priority routes to lethal technician Devonta Smith. I expect New Orleans to prioritize stopping Barkley, but they have no one who can hang with Smith. The pre-snap motion has masked some of Carr’s deficiencies, especially when the defense is showing pressure in front of man coverage. Philly is a lot better at disguising looks than both the Panthers and Cowboys. I think we will see a big game from Chris Olave, but also watch out for AT Perry if he is activated for the game. I can also picture Philly getting Johnny Wilson involved in the red zone.
Dak Bounces Back in a Big Way with 350 Passing Yards and Three Touchdowns
Ravens Fall to 0-3 After Committing Four Turnovers in Dallas
I thought the Cowboys would get smashed by the Browns. Wrong. I believed their defense could hold up against the red-hot Saints. Wrong. My heart of hearts is telling me the Ravens will bully the Cowboys and finally earn their first victory in 2024. That’s probably wrong, too. I’m going reverse psychology. Dak Prescott has a lot to prove after looking befuddled in the home opener. Baltimore’s defense is really good, but Gardner Minshew and the Raiders exposed them a bit down the stretch. Am’o’ Be There? Michael MacDonald isn’t coaching this unit anymore. It has already proven to be a detriment to the Ravens’ success.
The Dallas Cowboys have a very bad running game. They know this and have already embraced a diverse passing attack through CeeDee Lamb. The missing piece last week was tight end Jake Ferguson, who is questionable for Week 3 with a sprained knee. My guess is we will continue to see Jalen Tolbert increase in prominence against Baltimore, especially on the short and intermediate routes. Dak was playing catchup from the jump last week, but there’s reason for optimism about whether they can limit mistakes against the Ravens. Lamar Jackson is one of my favorite players in the league, but he will have trouble finding room to work against this swarming Dallas defense.
Cards Keep Coming up Aces in 40-point Barrage Versus Detroit
Trey McBride Leads the Way with 100 Yards and Two Touchdowns from Kyler Murray
The Lions are a really good football team. Most of us predicted they would build upon last year’s dream run deep into the playoffs. The Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise through two weeks. Kyler Murray was spectacular on Sunday and found rookie sensation Marvin Harrison Jr.for two touchdowns in the first quarter. Detroit will need to bracket the young Buckeye if they are to get back into the win column. If they do that, they are left extremely vulnerable where Trey McBride lurks. James Conner has also been outstanding. The Cards are in the most brutal division in football, but the window is opened for them to chew up ground on the 49ers and Rams while they struggle through key injuries.
Pay attention to Jameson Williams again this week. He has already shown himself worthy of more first-read targets, mostly at Sam LaPorta‘s expense. If you’re looking for another key player for Detroit to keep up with Arizona this week, look no further than David Montgomery. The Cardinals’ defense is laden with speed and athleticism but can be pushed around by physical play at the point of attack.
Atlanta Embarrasses the World Champion Chiefs with 250 Rushing Yards and Win Outright
Bijan Robinson Gains 200 Scrimmage Yards and Scores Multiple Times
The Baltimore Ravens were assembled to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs. If only they would have actually played to that identity in either of those last two games. The blueprint is simple: run it down their throats and don’t stop. If they get ahead, don’t panic. Andy Reid wants you to abandon the run and try to chuck it into Steve Spagnuolo’s coverage labyrinth with Chris Jones dragging the QB into the underworld. The Falcons loved to run the ball last year under Arthur Smith. It would have worked a lot better if they would have featured Bijan Robinson over Tyler Allgeier. Zac Robinson has turned Bijan into an every-down player. He deserves nothing less. We yearn for Robinson to earn 30 touches and keep Patrick “Burnt Steaks ‘n’ Ketchup” Mahomes chilling on the sidelines.
Travis Kelce is due. He is TE28 through two games, and some are expressing their panic outwardly. It will be fine, starting this week. The Chiefs’ RB situation is dire without Isiah Pacheco, so Reid will have to dial up the creativity another notch. Carson Steele is my dark horse to score twice at the goal line and reach the top-12 RBs this week. How is this for spicy? I think the Falcons and Chiefs will each produce a top-10 RB and top-5 TE in this game. I’ll leave you with that juicy one. Let it marinate, and I’ll see you in Week 4.
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