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Kyle Yates’ Week 3 Fantasy Projections (2020 Fantasy Football)

Kyle Yates’ Week 3 Fantasy Projections (2020 Fantasy Football)

The intro to articles like these are a fascinating case study. Do people ever really read them?

Well, I’d love to think that they do, but you can never be truly certain until you put it to the test. With that in mind, I’d love to discuss something that I’m currently wrestling with and get everyone’s thoughts on it.

After dealing with a cold this week that has made my work schedule an absolute mess, I’m found entertaining this idea that’s been thrown around, but has never truly been proven. Want to know what that idea is?

Is the “man cold” truly a real thing?

If you’re unfamiliar, the notion here is that men experience a worse version of the common cold than the female gender. While it’s been reported that women can carry on throughout their day and conduct their everyday tasks, men are rendered useless when they become sick and are essentially unable to accomplish anything.

Is it just that women are stronger than men? Or is there really something to the “man cold” idea?

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While you read through my 100th article on the FantasyPros site here, I encourage you to ponder this idea. And then reach out to me on Twitter with your takeaways.

Miami Dolphins vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Date/Time: September 24, 8:20 pm ET
Odds
: Jaguars -165
Over/Under: 49 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Jaguars 25.75, Miami 21

Miami Dolphins

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick 23/39 266 2 1 14 0 18.01
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Myles Gaskin 9 35 1 3 22 0 13.05
RB Matt Breida 6 28 0 0 0 0 2.76
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR DeVante Parker 0 0 0 6 91 1 17.94
WR Preston Williams 0 0 0 4 43 0 6.09
WR Isaiah Ford 0 0 0 4 37 0 5.62
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Mike Gesicki 0 0 0 6 58 1 14.56

__________

Jacksonville Jaguars

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Gardner Minshew 24/38 263 2 1 26 0 19.08
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB James Robinson 16 62 1 4 28 0 17.03
RB Chris Thompson 2 9 0 2 21 0 4.24
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Keelan Cole 0 0 0 6 65 1 15.51
WR Chris Conley 0 0 0 3 54 1 13.11
WR Laviska Shenault 0 0 0 5 57 0 8.01
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Tyler Eifert 0 0 0 3 24 0 3.66

__________

Quarterback

Miami: The Ryan Fitzpatrick Experience is a fun ride and you never quite know what you’re going to get. Against the stout Bills defense, Fitzmagic was able to put up great numbers. Now, he gets a matchup against the Jaguars defense that just gave up four passing touchdowns to Ryan Tannehill. While we shouldn’t be expecting four passing touchdowns from Fitzpatrick, this is a great matchup and he can be rolled out as a fine streaming option this week.

Jacksonville: Minshew has done nothing but exceed expectations so far this year. He’s been fantastic and has kept the Jaguars competitive despite everyone’s presuppositions about this team heading into the season. Now, he gets a nice matchup here against the Dolphins that just got shredded by Josh Allen. Minshew can be rolled out as a streaming option in this matchup.

Running Backs

Miami: Gaskin has certainly done more than people expected of him so far this year, but this offense isn’t anything spectacular. There simply aren’t enough scoring opportunities for Gaskin in this offense and he’s forfeiting goal-line touches to the inefficient Jordan Howard. Gaskin’s nothing more than a RB4 even in what may be perceived to be a fine matchup. Breida’s looked good when he’s gotten the touches this year, but he’s simply not seeing enough of them to be considered useful for fantasy football. He can remain on your bench or waiver wire. Howard’s been incredibly inefficient and it’s nearly laughable at his stat lines for the first two games of the season. He can’t be trusted anywhere near your starting lineup and should be worth considering dropping in your league if you’re still holding onto him.

Jacksonville: Robinson has been fantastic this season and is coming off a dominant performance against the Tennessee Titans. He’s now played himself into RB3 territory with the amount of touches he’s seeing and his work on the field. Robinson should be considered a fine RB3/FLEX option this week against the Miami Dolphins defense. While Thompson did end up reeling in a touchdown grab on Sunday, he’s not someone that you can consider a safe option to roll into your lineup. He can remain on your bench or waiver wire in this matchup.

Wide Receivers

Miami: Parker defied all odds when he came back last week after dealing with a lingering hamstring injury. On 8 targets, he was able to finish with a 5-51-1 line and be a solid contributor to your fantasy lineup if you had the guts to play him. As long as Parker’s healthy and he practices this week, he’s a fantastic WR2 option in this matchup. The Jaguars haven’t been able to stop anyone through the air yet and Parker should put together a solid outing. Williams hasn’t looked like the same player that we saw on the field in 2019. He’s struggling with drops and just simply hasn’t been as productive. While this is a solid matchup for him, it’s hard to put him into your lineup with confidence this week. He can be started as a low-end WR3/high-end WR4 because of the matchup.

Jacksonville: Cole has emerged as a solid option in this Jacksonville passing attack recently and he’s now moved himself into consideration for your starting lineup. He’s been incredibly efficient with the targets he’s received and this is a fine matchup for him. With the news that Chark won’t play, Cole can be started as a high-end WR3 against these Miami corners that just allowed Diggs and Brown to put up some big numbers last week. Shenault has continued to be utilized all over the formation the first two weeks, but it hasn’t turned into reliable fantasy production just yet. If you’re looking for a desperation FLEX play, there are worse options to go with, but you’re stuck hoping that he finds the end zone. Conley gets a bump up due to Chark’s absence in this game, but he’s nothing more than a WR4 that you’re hoping is able to take one across the goal line. With that being said, this is a nice matchup and if you’re looking for an option to pivot to, Conley’s not a bad play.

Tight Ends

Miami: Gesicki showed up in a big way last week by turning 11 targets into 8 receptions for 129 yards and a score. He’s always had the athleticism, but he now appears to be getting the targets necessary with Preston Williams struggling and no other option behind Devante Parker stepping up in this offense. Jonnu Smith just torched the Jaguars defense for multiple touchdowns and Gesicki’s in a prime spot to be a top option at the TE position this week with this matchup. You can start him as a low-end TE1.

Jacksonville: Eifert got the targets that we thought he was going to get in this offense over the offseason last week and he was able to convert one of them for a score. With that being said, he’s nothing more than a touchdown-or-bust option moving forward for fantasy purposes.

FantasyProjection Buster: Conley has seemingly always been a touchdown vulture in Jacksonville, but with the emergence of Shenault, there’s a very good possibility that my projected touchdown goes Shenault’s way instead.

__________

San Francisco 49ers vs New York Giants

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: 49ers -195
Over/Under: 41.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: 49ers 22.75, Giants 18.75

San Francisco 49ers

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Nick Mullens 17/26 180 1 1 0 0 9.22
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Jeff Wilson 14 63 1 2 16 0 14.85
RB Jerick McKinnon 11 46 1 3 24 0 14.43
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Brandon Aiyuk 0 0 0 3 37 0 5.13
WR Kendrick Bourne 0 0 0 3 35 0 5.02
WR Trent Taylor 0 0 0 2 18 0 2.7
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Jordan Reed 0 0 0 3 35 1 11.23

__________

New York Giants

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Daniel Jones 22/37 238 1 1 19 0 13.4
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Devonta Freeman 12 44 1 4 31 0 15.45
RB Dion Lewis 1 4 0 1 6 0 1.47
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Darius Slayton 0 0 0 5 67 1 15.14
WR Golden Tate 0 0 0 5 53 0 7.57
WR C.J. Board 0 0 0 1 11 0 1.57
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Evan Engram 0 0 0 4 43 0 6.41

__________

Quarterback

San Francisco: With Jimmy G looking doubtful for this matchup against the Giants, Mullens is going to get the nod as the starting QB. We’ve seen Mullens be an effective NFL QB in the past in this scheme, but there are simply too many things working against him to trust him for fantasy. Mullens falls just outside the top-24 QBs in my weekly rankings.

New York: Jones hasn’t exactly been a good fantasy option over the first couple weeks of the season and he’s now lost some key pieces to his offense. Jones is currently the QB26 for fantasy football through two games and he’s going up against another stout defense here on Sunday. While the 49ers have lost two dominant defenders up front, they’re still a tough unit to go up against. With Jones’ propensity for turning the ball over, it’s smart to avoid him yet again.

Running Backs

San Francisco: Raheem Mostert is likely going to miss this game with an injury and Tevin Coleman is also likely to miss the next couple of games, which leaves Jerick McKinnon as the next man up. The Giants defense has been shredded over the first two weeks of the season by Benny Snell and David Montgomery, so there’s a very good chance that McKinnon has a fine day against this unit. The 49ers are going to want to lean on their run game with how many injuries they have everywhere else and McKinnon could easily return RB3 value. Additionally, with the news that Mostert and Coleman are going to most likely miss this game, Jeff Wilson becomes an intriguing name to monitor, but he’s more of a DFS play than someone that you can trust to roll out in your redraft leagues.

New York: Barkley is now out for the year with a torn ACL, which means that the Giants now have to reimagine their offense without their star player. Freeman has now been brought in to be the primary replacement for Barkley and he should see significant work in this one right away. While the 49ers defense looks like a tough matchup, they have been decimated by injuries and their defensive line doesn’t look anywhere near as daunting as it once was. Freeman should see enough work as both a runner and receiver to return low-end RB3 value right out of the gates. Gallman might see some work on the ground in this matchup, but it’s not going to be enough to warrant consideration for your fantasy lineup. Lewis was a hot waiver wire add before the news of Freeman signing with the Giants, but it might be best to avoid Lewis for fantasy purposes if you can. He hasn’t been productive for several years now and he seems to have lost a step comparative to what we saw from his New England days. He’s going to assume the backup role here in New York again, which means that he should be off the redraft radar.

Wide Receivers

San Francisco: Aiyuk was finally able to get onto the field in week two, but it didn’t amount to much from a fantasy perspective. He’s an intriguing hold in deeper leagues, but you simply can’t trust him in your starting lineup right now. Bourne showed some promise in week two and he could be rolled out as a desperation FLEX play, but this offense comes with so many question marks right now that it might be wise to avoid it if you can.

New York: Slayton came crashing back down to earth last week, but he does have some upside in this matchup. With some key pieces missing from this offense now, Slayton’s going to be needed more than ever and this 49ers secondary isn’t as daunting as it’s been in previous seasons. He can be rolled out as a WR3 again this week. Tate came back into the lineup in week two and was a fine option in Full PPR leagues, but he’s nowhere near the type of player that he was previously. Maybe it was the injury, but Tate had little to no run after the catch ability and he was simply out there as a “chain mover”. Tate could be rolled out as a FLEX option in Full PPR formats this week, but otherwise he can’t be trusted in your lineup.

Tight Ends

San Francisco: If Kittle comes back into the lineup this week, he’s a must-start option. The 49ers are desperately going to need him in this matchup and he could easily see 10-12 targets. If Kittle does sit, Reed becomes a fantastic pivot option again.

New York: Engram bounced back from his week one performance, but he still didn’t look exceptional on the football field. Jones threw an interception because of Engram coming out of his break slowly, slipping on the field, and giving little effort to make up for his mistake. With the other receiving options that are now going to miss some time in this offense, it’s possible that Engram sees enough work to be relevant on sheer volume alone, but it’s not going to feel great plugging him into your lineup. He’s a low-end TE1/high-end TE2 this week against the 49ers.

FantasyProjection Buster: My projections for Jeff Wilson are very optimistic, but he’s shown that he can step in and be a fantasy contributor in the past. However, there’s a possibility that we see the 49ers lean more on McKinnon in this matchup or call up one of their other backs from the practice squad. Wilson certainly has a wide range of outcomes this game.

__________

Washington Football Team vs Cleveland Browns

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: Browns -295
Over/Under: 44 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Browns 25.5, Washington 18.5

Washington Football Team

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Dwayne Haskins 21/34 229 1 0 9 0 14.11
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Antonio Gibson 14 59 1 3 25 0 15.88
RB Jd Mckissic 8 29 0 2 20 0 6.03
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Terry McLaurin 0 0 0 6 74 1 16.34
WR Steven Sims 0 0 0 4 39 0 5.77
WR Dontrelle Inman 0 0 0 2 34 0 4.57
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Logan Thomas 0 0 0 3 30 0 4.69

__________

Cleveland Browns

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Baker Mayfield 20/30 237 2 1 8 0 16.25
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Kareem Hunt 12 58 0 4 39 1 17.89
RB Nick Chubb 15 73 1 1 11 0 15.04
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Odell Beckham 0 0 0 5 77 1 16.35
WR Jarvis Landry 0 0 0 5 61 0 8.43
WR Rashard Higgins 0 0 0 1 7 0 1.04
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Austin Hooper 0 0 0 3 32 0 4.59

__________

Quarterback

Washington: Haskins still has potential to be a fine NFL QB down the road, but he’s nowhere near that point yet. Until then, he can’t be trusted for fantasy football.

Cleveland: Baker looked better on the field last week against Cincinnati, but he still wasn’t able to get it done for fantasy football. He’s now the QB27 on the season and shouldn’t be considered in this matchup against a tough defensive front.

Running Backs

Washington: Washington rolled out Peyton Barber in week one and it frustrated fantasy managers beyond belief. In week two though, Barber just saw one carry. He’s off the redraft radar as this now becomes Gibson’s backfield. Gibson wasn’t able to get much done in week one, but he bounced back in week two with his increased touches. Gibson was effective on the ground and he was able to find the end zone as well. Moving forward, Gibson should see the majority of the carries, but he also has room to improve from a fantasy perspective with more involvement in the receiving game. Gibson’s an excellent pass-catcher and Washington should begin to utilize him more in this fashion as the season progresses. This week, Gibson’s a high-end RB3 based on volume, but the matchup isn’t exactly exciting with the Browns actually having a solid run defense.

Cleveland: Chubb showed everyone what he can do when he gets a significant workload this past week and he shredded the Cincinnati Bengals defense. This Washington run defense is a slightly better unit than Cincinnati, so we can’t expect multiple touchdowns again from Chubb. However, he’s still a solid RB2 start in this matchup with upside. Hunt was unstoppable last week against Cincinnati and he is now a top-10 option at the RB position for fantasy football through two weeks. He’s incredibly valuable in PPR formats and he should remain heavily involved in this matchup. Hunt should be looked at as a solid RB2 this week against Washington.

Wide Receivers

Washington: McLaurin struggled in week one, but he absolutely made up for it with his performance in week two. With Washington playing from behind and needing to throw the ball, McLaurin was peppered with targets and he delivered in a big way. As long as McLaurin’s healthy, he belongs in your starting lineup. He’s a solid WR2 option again this week against Cleveland.

Cleveland: Baker and OBJ were finally able to connect in week two and it led to a big day for the talented wideout. OBJ could have had an ever bigger day, but there was no need to keep throwing the ball with the Browns going up big against the Bengals. Moving forward, OBJ is a weekly WR2 that always has the potential of hitting the big play downfield to vault him into WR1 status. Landry was questionable to play in the game against the Bengals, but he gutted through it and put together a fine game. With Baker only throwing the ball 23 times, the opportunity for a huge game was never there for Landry, but that won’t be the norm moving forward. Landry’s a consistent low-end WR2 for fantasy football each week as long as he’s fully healthy.

Tight Ends

Washington: Thomas was a hot waiver wire addition after week one, but I recommended waiting a week before confidently plugging him into your lineup. He disappointed in week two, but the target totals are an encouraging sign. Thomas is a solid weekly TE2 right now that can be plugged in if you’re in need of a fill-in option.

Cleveland: Hooper had a great opportunity in front of him last week with David Njoku sidelined, but he failed to deliver with a 2-21-0 line. Unfortunately, Hooper can’t be trusted for fantasy football right now. He’s a high-end TE2 moving forward that you’re hoping finds the end zone if you’re forced into starting him.

FantasyProjection Buster: Hooper has been someone that I’ve held out hope for here in Cleveland, but his performance last week against the Bengals burned my projections. I’ve bounced back to more conservative, but there’s always the possibility that Hooper finds the end zone and burns my projection model for a second straight week.

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Cincinnati Bengals vs Philadelphia Eagles

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: Eagles -210
Over/Under: 46 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Eagles 25.5, Bengals 20.5

Cincinnati Bengals

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Joe Burrow 25/41 265 2 2 23 0 16.96
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Joe Mixon 18 74 1 2 20 0 16.57
RB Giovani Bernard 3 9 0 4 29 0 5.83
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR AJ Green 0 0 0 6 77 1 16.87
WR Tyler Boyd 0 0 0 6 69 1 16
WR John Ross 0 0 0 2 31 0 4.1
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Drew Sample 0 0 0 4 41 0 6.01

__________

Philadelphia Eagles

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Carson Wentz 24/37 289 2 1 13 0 18.85
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Miles Sanders 17 69 1 3 24 0 16.62
RB Boston Scott 4 17 0 2 13 0 3.78
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR DeSean Jackson 0 0 0 4 69 1 14.97
WR Greg Ward 0 0 0 4 43 0 6.42
WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside 0 0 0 2 33 0 4.54
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Zach Ertz 0 0 0 6 56 1 14.41

__________

Quarterback

Cincinnati: Burrow was excellent for fantasy football last week, but he did it on the back of 61 total pass attempts. That’s not going to happen every week and this is a very tough defense for any QB to go up against, let alone a rookie. Burrow’s ceiling is sky high down the road, but he’s not someone that we can rely on for top-tier fantasy production just yet. He’s a mid-range QB2 in this matchup.

Philadelphia: Wentz has definitely not looked like himself through the first couple weeks of the season and this offense needs to figure out their identity quickly. Until we see Wentz start to bounce back to the type of QB that he was previously, he can’t be trusted anywhere near your starting lineup. He’s a mid-range QB2 this week even what looks like a great matchup on paper.

Running Backs

Cincinnati: From a talent perspective, Mixon belongs in the conversation with the best of the best in the NFL. However, for fantasy football, he’s not being utilized fully properly to be a top-tier option week in and week out. Even though Mixon saw four targets last week, he was game-scripted out for Gio Bernard eventually. Until Zac Taylor chooses to put the superior talent on the field for every situation, Mixon needs to be viewed as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2. This is a tough matchup for him, but he should see enough volume to return that value this week. Bernard has been utilized more than expected so far this season, but he’s not seeing enough usage to be considered for fantasy football. He can remain on your waiver wire.

Philadelphia: There were major questions surrounding Sanders last week and the type of work he was going to see coming off of his extended absence due to injury. However, he came out and saw enough work to finish as the RB12 on the week. Moving forward, Sanders belongs in your lineup every single week and this is a fantastic matchup for him. The Bengals are currently 2nd in the NFL in terms of allowing fantasy points to the RB position and Sanders could easily finish within the top-5 this week. Scott was a favorite for some in the fantasy football community heading into draft season, but he’s simply not seeing the work necessary to be a reliable fantasy asset. With Sanders back in the lineup, Scott only saw seven touches in week two and that’s simply not going to get it done. Scott can remain on your bench or can be dropped to the waiver wire if a better option is available.

Wide Receivers

Cincinnati: People are going to be scared off of AJ Green if they just see the boxscore stats, but we should be focused in on his opportunity. 13 targets is hard to come by for any receiver and it’s encouraging to see that Burrow is continuously looking his way. With that being said, this isn’t the greatest matchup for Green from a fantasy perspective. The Eagles are currently ranked 24th in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers, which means that it’s a tough matchup, and Darius Slay is a big reason for that. Slay is expected to cover Green in this matchup, which means that Green can be viewed as nothing more than a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 this week. Boyd put together a solid outing for fantasy football last week against the Browns, but he should be viewed as nothing more than a high-end WR3 in this matchup. Burrow should be under duress all game long and the Eagles are a very stingy secondary when it comes to fantasy points allowed right now. Boyd still deserves to be in your starting lineup, but we need to temper our expectations for him in this matchup. Ross has the talent to be a fine option for fantasy football, but right now he’s falling down the depth chart here in Cincinnati. Ross just simply isn’t seeing the necessary volume to be considered for fantasy football. He can remain on your waiver wire. Higgins has shown flashes of his talent throughout the first couple weeks of the season, but there are simply too many mouths to feed right now in this offense for him to even be considered for your starting lineup. Higgins is a fantastic stash in Dynasty for next season, but he’s not worth holding onto in redraft leagues right now.

Philadelphia: Jackson hasn’t exactly produced the way that I thought he might to begin the season, but this offense hasn’t exactly looked functional throughout the first two weeks. With that being said, he’s still doing enough to be a fine FLEX option for your lineup. This week, he absolutely belongs in your starting lineup against the Bengals. The Bengals secondary doesn’t have anyone that can keep up with Jackson and he always has the potential to hit the big play. I’m not expecting anything crazy from Jackson this week, but he should be viewed as a WR3 in this matchup. Reagor is reportedly dealing with a UCL tear in his thumb and is likely to miss the next few weeks. Ward is the next man up in this Eagles passing attack with the Reagor injury, but he’s nothing more than a WR4 in Full PPR leagues.

Tight Ends

Cincinnati: Sample wasn’t known for his pass-catching ability coming out of college, but he was a key part of this offense last week as the Bengals attempted to come back against the Browns. While Burrow isn’t going to be throwing the ball 61 times every matchup, he’s looking to get the ball out quickly to his receiving options over the middle of the field. With Cj Uzomah out for the season, Sample could step in and become an intriguing option for rosters that need help at the TE position. He can be viewed as a mid-range TE2 in this matchup.

Philadelphia: Ertz has been somewhat of a disappointment to fantasy managers through the first couple of weeks, but he’s still seeing the targets that you hope for at the TE position. While this offense is still floundering and trying to figure out how to get back to being a high-powered unit, Wentz should continue to lean on his reliable target over the middle of the field. Ertz is still a weekly must-start option that could go off in this matchup. Goedert came out swinging in week one, but disappointed fantasy managers that rolled him into their starting lineup in week two. He’s still getting the targets that make him an intriguing option in deep leagues, but he’s not someone that can be trusted as a reliable start every single week. In this matchup, Goedert is a high-end TE2.

FantasyProjection Buster: I’m still holding out hope that the Eagles come to their senses and start feeding Ertz the ball again. However, there’s always the possibility that we see Ertz take a backseat to Goedert any given week. These two players are very difficult to project right now.

__________

Las Vegas Raiders vs New England Patriots

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: Patriots -240
Over/Under: 48 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Patriots 27, Raiders 21

Las Vegas Raiders

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Derek Carr 25/38 272 2 1 7 0 17.54
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Josh Jacobs 20 81 1 4 34 0 19.49
RB Jalen Richard 4 15 0 3 26 0 5.56
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Henry Ruggs 0 0 0 4 48 1 12.54
WR Hunter Renfrow 0 0 0 3 34 0 4.89
WR Bryan Edwards 0 0 0 2 29 0 3.99
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Darren Waller 0 0 0 6 71 1 16.01

__________

New England Patriots

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Cam Newton 23/35 254 2 1 53 1 27.4
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Rex Burkhead 7 28 0 5 50 0 10.28
RB Sony Michel 11 41 0 1 7 0 5.23
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Julian Edelman 0 0 0 7 85 1 17.94
WR N’Keal Harry 0 0 0 5 64 1 15.07
WR Damiere Byrd 0 0 0 1 14 0 2.03
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Ryan Izzo 0 0 0 2 22 0 3.26

__________

Quarterback

Las Vegas: Derek Carr silenced the haters with his performance on Monday Night Football against a stout Saints defense. Carr went 28-of-38 passing with 282 yards and three touchdowns and looked like a confident QB as he becomes more and more familiar with his receiving weapons. While this might appear to be a tough matchup for Carr again, the Patriots defense is averaging 21.4 fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs. If you’re looking for a high-end QB2 this week, Carr’s a fine option to roll out there, but he falls just outside the streaming conversation with some of the other options available.

New England: Newton is looking like the steal of drafts right now with how he’s looked through the first couple of games. The Patriots are intent on letting Newton be himself, which means that they’re letting him run the ball an insane amount. Newton has ran the ball 26 times for 122 yards and four touchdowns through two weeks, which has vaulted him to top-3 fantasy football QB status. Additionally, Newton currently ranks fourth in the entire NFL in terms of red zone rushing attempts. This doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon either, which makes Newton a weekly must-start option at the QB position.

Running Backs

Las Vegas: Jacobs was a monster in week one, but that can be chalked up to the matchup against the Panthers run defense. He had a much tougher matchup this week against the Saints, but he still had a great day on the ground. He looked explosive and was consistently picking up chunk gains. He wasn’t able to find the end zone, but fantasy managers should be encouraged by the fact that he saw 30 total touches in week two. Moving forward, he has a decent matchup here against the Patriots and he should see enough work to be in the RB1 conversation yet again. As long as he’s fully healthy, Jacobs deserves to be started.

New England: Michel was an intriguing late-round option in draft season, but he’s simply not seeing the necessary work to be relevant for fantasy football. With Cam taking away all goal-line opportunities, Michel has very little upside on a weekly basis and should remain on your bench. Otherwise, there aren’t any other running backs that are worth starting this week for New England. James White would be in consideration, but we have no idea whether or not he’s going to be back in the lineup after experiencing a family tragedy last week. Our thoughts go out to him and his family and we hope that he takes the necessary time away from football to grieve and process.

Wide Receivers

Las Vegas: Ruggs showed his talent and speed in his first week in the NFL, but he simply didn’t see enough opportunity this past game to be a reliable fantasy option. This is another tough matchup for him and Carr simply didn’t target the wide receivers enough last game to instill confidence plugging Ruggs into your starting lineup moving forward. He’s a WR4 at best this week. Edwards has an enormous ceiling in the NFL down the road, but he’s simply not seeing enough work right now to be considered useful for fantasy football.

New England: Edelman was utilized downfield more than anticipated in New England’s game against Seattle, which is exciting for fantasy football purposes. Edelman can be rolled out as a weekly WR3 option that could turn into something more if he continues to be used in the intermediate to deep levels of the field. Harry has continued to develop into a solid receiving option for this Patriots offense and we saw him targeted frequently in a matchup that the Patriots were forced to throw the ball more than they probably would have liked. Harry’s a high-end WR4 in this matchup based on projected game flow and he could easily see 8-10 targets.

Tight Ends

Las Vegas: Waller was force fed targets against New Orleans and there’s no reason to doubt that that won’t continue in this matchup. Waller’s a solid TE1 each and every week in this offense.

New England: With Cam choosing to rely heavily on Edelman and Harry, there’s very little left over for any of the tight ends in this offense. You shouldn’t be considering any of them for your lineup in week three.

FantasyProjection Buster: Based on the logic and way that I do my projections, the Vegas implied point totals indicate that someone outside of Waller or Jacobs is going to score for Vegas in this matchup. (Unless one of them scores twice, but that’s very difficult to project) With that being the case, Ruggs has the best chance of scoring a breakaway touchdown, but the likelihood is still pretty small considering the matchup. Ruggs could disappoint again in week three or he could hit and be a fine start…

__________

Chicago Bears vs Atlanta Falcons

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: Falcons -165
Over/Under: 47.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Falcons 25.25, Bears 22.25

Chicago Bears

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Mitch Trubisky 25/38 283 2 1 17 0 19.06
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB David Montgomery 17 71 1 2 20 0 16.13
RB Tarik Cohen 4 19 0 4 40 0 8.14
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Allen Robinson 0 0 0 7 90 1 18.52
WR Anthony Miller 0 0 0 4 52 0 7.21
WR Darnell Mooney 0 0 0 2 32 0 4.38
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Jimmy Graham 0 0 0 3 30 1 10.61

__________

Atlanta Falcons

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Matt Ryan 24/38 267 2 1 5 0 17.14
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Todd Gurley 17 65 1 3 20 0 15.82
RB Brian Hill 6 23 0 1 9 0 3.86
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Calvin Ridley 0 0 0 6 80 1 17.08
WR Russell Gage 0 0 0 6 56 0 8.39
WR Julio Jones 0 0 0 3 41 0 5.54
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Hayden Hurst 0 0 0 4 49 1 13.16

__________

Quarterback

Chicago: Trubisky fell outside the top-20 QBs from a fantasy perspective in week two, but he becomes an intriguing streaming option yet again in a matchup that the Bears are certainly going to have to throw the ball quite a bit. With his rushing ability, Trubisky could easily finish in the top-15 at the QB position this week, which makes him an option in deeper leagues. If you’re desperate at QB though, he’s a fine pivot option that’s almost certainly on your waiver wire.

Atlanta: With how many times the Falcons are throwing the ball this year, Ryan becomes a weekly must-start at the QB position for fantasy football. While this is a tough defense, Ryan should be able to finish as a low-end QB1 based on volume alone.

Running Backs

Chicago: Montgomery left last week’s game with an injury scare, but he was able to come back in and continue to produce for fantasy football. Montgomery has looked great on the field against two easy matchups and he gets another fine matchup here with Atlanta. The Falcons are currently surrendering 22.2 fantasy points to running backs on average this season, which means that Montgomery should be in line for another solid outing. Montgomery can be rolled out as a low-end RB2 this week that could easily find the end zone in this one. Cohen was able to secure a contract extension before Sunday’s game against the Giants, but he simply has not been getting the touches that would put him into RB3/FLEX consideration for your lineup week after week. Until we see Cohen’s usage trend upwards, we have to leave him on our bench. Five carries and one target is not going to get it done for fantasy football.

Atlanta: Gurley looked great in week one and it appeared that you had a locked-and-loaded RB1 as long as he was on the field and healthy. However, last week, Gurley did next to nothing with his incredible opportunity. Gurley saw 21 carries, but was only able to convert those to 61 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, he wasn’t targeted at all in a game where the Falcons threw the ball 36 times. Gurley is now moving into a category where he needs to find the end zone in order for you to feel happy that you plugged him into your lineup. He’s now a touchdown-dependent RB2 moving forward.

Wide Receivers

Chicago: Robinson looked to be a solid candidate to return WR1 production week in and week out heading into the season, but he simply has not been the same receiver on the field that we saw last year. While he’s seeing the high target totals, he’s not turning them into much for fantasy football. It’s a great matchup for Robinson, so he deserves to be in your starting lineup, but you shouldn’t be expecting anything more than high-end WR2 numbers this week. Miller hurt your fantasy lineup last week by failing to reel in a catch, but he should be back in your lineup this week. While Miller is only coming onto the field in 11-personnel (1 RB & 1 TE), this is a matchup that the Bears should be forced to throw more than they would normally like. Trubisky is going to need Miller in this one and it’s a great matchup for the talented slot wideout. With that being said, he’s nothing more than a WR3 this week. Mooney has seen his role increase in this offense each week of the season and he looks like he’s going to be a steal for the Bears in the draft. He’s not worth looking at for redraft leagues just yet, but he should be rostered in every Dynasty league.

Atlanta: Julio is reportedly dealing with a hamstring injury that he aggravated further during last week’s game. At this point, it’s highly unlikely that we see Julio suit up, but you just never know. Julio is seemingly always banged up, but he finds a way to suit up and deliver big performances. With this injury though, it did seem to affect him immensely during the game against the Cowboys and it would probably be wise for him to sit this one out. Even if he does play, you might not be able to trust him as anything more than a low-end WR2. Meanwhile, Ridley is currently the WR1 in all of fantasy football and it’s not even close. He’s been insanely productive the first couple of weeks and there’s absolutely no reason to sit him moving forward. Even if Julio sits this game out with his injury, plus a tough matchup against the Bears defense, Ridley’s still a must-start option as a low-end WR1. Moving forward, in any matchup, Gage deserves consideration as a WR3. This offense is simply too high-powered and pass-happy to ignore what Gage is doing on the field. Currently, Gage is the WR14 through two weeks in all of fantasy football. In a matchup that might see Julio sit, Gage could easily see 8-10 targets, which is a solid bet to return WR3 production.

Tight Ends

Chicago: In a game that Vegas is expecting points to be put up on the board, Graham’s a fine touchdown-or-bust option for fantasy at the TE position. While he saw his target totals take a drastic drop-off in week two, this is a game where the Bears should be throwing the ball more than what they did last week. Graham should see 4-5 targets and he should be targeted in the red zone, which puts him as a back-end TE2.

Atlanta: Hurst had himself a game last week and the arrow is pointing up for the talented receiver. With the news that Julio is questionable for this game, Hurst could even see more of an uptick in targets. He’s a mid-range TE1 this week and moving forward.

FantasyProjection Buster: Robinson’s been getting the targets from Trubisky, but he simply hasn’t been able to produce. I’m buying into the narrative that it will eventually turn around, but there’s always the possibility that Robinson struggles again in week three.

__________

Los Angeles Rams vs Buffalo Bills

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: Bills -130
Over/Under: 47.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Bills 25, Rams 22.5

Los Angeles Rams

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Jared Goff 25/38 273 2 1 4 0 17.33
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Darrell Henderson 17 70 1 1 12 0 14.87
RB Malcolm Brown 15 58 0 3 20 0 9.11
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Robert Woods 0 0 0 6 74 1 16.18
WR Cooper Kupp 0 0 0 5 60 0 8.5
WR Van Jefferson 0 0 0 3 31 0 4.48
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Tyler Higbee 0 0 0 6 56 1 14.38

__________

Buffalo Bills

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Josh Allen 24/36 275 2 1 40 1 27.05
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Devin Singletary 8 34 0 4 24 0 7.58
RB Zack Moss 11 37 0 2 13 0 5.9
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Stefon Diggs 0 0 0 6 85 1 17.49
WR John Brown 0 0 0 5 73 1 15.88
WR Cole Beasley 0 0 0 4 48 0 6.96
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Dawson Knox 0 0 0 2 24 0 3.49

__________

Quarterback

Los Angeles: Goff was on fire last week against the Eagles defense and put together a nice performance. This is another tough matchup for Goff, but he did enough last week to warrant mid-range QB2 consideration. He can be avoided in 1QB leagues, but is a solid start in 2QB formats.

Buffalo: Allen is currently leading the NFL in passing yards. Yes, you read that correctly. He’s been unstoppable through the first two weeks of the season and, with the way he’s playing, that doesn’t look like it should stop any time soon. While he’s going up against a tougher defense this week, which may limit his passing output, he can always make up for it with his rushing ability. Allen’s a weekly top-5 option moving forward.

Running Backs

Los Angeles: With the news that Akers is considered a long-shot to play on Sunday, Henderson becomes an intriguing option for fantasy football. He looked fantastic on the field last week and should continue to produce against another solid run defense. He’s always had the explosive and big-play ability, but he hasn’t been able to get the opportunity up to this point of his career. If the backfield is just Henderson and Brown, he should see enough work to return low-end RB2 value. While Henderson is going to be a popular play for fantasy managers, and rightfully so, there’s a possibility that Brown can also be rolled out as a low-end RB3 option. Both of these RBs are going to see enough work to be useful for fantasy football and people shouldn’t be moving off of Brown just yet.

Buffalo: Moss looked better as a runner in week two, but he’s still not seeing enough volume to be a reliable option for fantasy. In an essentially even split backfield, Moss doesn’t have the ceiling to return RB2 value even in a decent matchup for RBs on paper. Moss can be viewed as a low-end RB3 in this matchup against the Rams. Singletary has been getting the majority of the touches in this backfield and has put up some decent numbers. However, without the goal-line opportunities, it’s unlikely that we see Singletary ever finish higher than a RB2 in a given week. Singletary can be rolled out this week as a RB3 in a fine matchup for RBs on paper.

Wide Receivers

Los Angeles: Woods didn’t see a ton of opportunity in week two, but he still delivered by finding the end zone with a rushing score. This is another tough matchup for Woods, who should draw coverage from Tre’Davious White, but he still belongs in your starting lineup as a high-end WR2. Kupp has struggled to deliver the high-end production that we all became familiar with throughout the first half of 2019, but he’s still producing solid WR2 numbers this year. This is a tough matchup for opposing wide receivers, but Kupp should see enough volume to return low-end WR2 production yet again. Van Jefferson isn’t someone that’s on the redraft radar just quite yet, but he’s worth monitoring moving forward as he continues to get more involved in the offense.

Buffalo: Diggs has been incredible in this Buffalo offense that is setting the league on fire through the first two weeks. Moving forward, no matter the matchup, Diggs needs to be viewed as a solid WR2 every single week. With Allen playing as well as he is, plus Diggs being the clear No. 1 option in this offense, there’s no reason to doubt Diggs’ fantasy potential. Brown has been a reliable fantasy asset as well so far, but it’s mostly been on the back of big plays downfield. There’s always the possibility of Brown hitting that play every single week with Allen’s arm strength downfield, but it’s hard to trust Brown as anything more than a WR3. This is a tougher matchup than what we’ve seen the Bills face previously, so expectations need to be managed in this one, but Brown’s still worth starting anywhere you’ve got him. Meanwhile, Beasley has quietly been producing as a solid FLEX option for your fantasy roster the first couple of weeks of the season. He’s nothing more than a high-end WR4 this week in this matchup, but if you’re desperate for a starting receiver and Beasley’s on your waiver wire, he’s worth picking up and plugging into your lineup.

Tight Ends

Los Angeles: Higbee went off last week against the Eagles and he’s a weekly must-start option moving forward. While we shouldn’t be expecting three touchdowns every single week, he’s a focal point of this offense and should be viewed as a low-end TE1 moving forward.

Buffalo: None of the Buffalo TEs should be considered for fantasy football this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Diggs has been on fire to start the season, but he gets a tough matchup here against Jalen Ramsey. If Ramsey is able to contain Diggs, there’s no way he’s coming close to my projections for him.

__________

Houston Texans vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: Steelers -205
Over/Under: 45 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Steelers 24.5, Texans 20.5

Houston Texans

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Deshaun Watson 23/35 259 2 1 31 0 19.49
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB David Johnson 10 38 1 4 33 0 14.95
RB Duke Johnson 4 15 0 1 12 0 3.26
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Brandin Cooks 0 0 0 5 66 1 15.26
WR Will Fuller 0 0 0 3 41 0 5.67
WR Randall Cobb 0 0 0 3 35 0 5.03
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Jordan Akins 0 0 0 3 35 1 11.23

__________

Pittsburgh Steelers

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Ben Roethlisberger 24/37 281 2 0 6 0 19.88
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB James Conner 18 74 1 3 21 0 16.81
RB Benny Snell 5 21 0 1 11 0 3.85
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Diontae Johnson 0 0 0 7 80 1 17.32
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster 0 0 0 5 71 1 15.8
WR Chase Claypool 0 0 0 2 32 0 4.22
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Eric Ebron 0 0 0 3 30 0 4.36

__________

Quarterback

Houston: Watson hasn’t exactly been as dominant as we were all hoping for throughout the first two weeks of the season. He’s had two incredibly tough matchups and it’s led to him landing as the QB15 in all of fantasy football. With that being said, it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better for Watson this week against the Steelers defense. The Steelers have essentially held every position group in check so far and Watson’s going to have a tough time this week. Without his normal rushing production, it’s hard to view Watson as anything more than a low-end QB1 in this matchup.

Pittsburgh: As Ben continues to get back up to speed, we’re seeing him develop more and more chemistry with his receiving weapons. This is a favorable matchup for Ben and the Steelers offense and Ben should be viewed as a low-end QB1 in this one.

Running Backs

Houston: David Johnson had an extremely tough matchup last week and it showed on the final stat sheet. Johnson was held to only 34 yards on the ground and he did little through the air. This week, Johnson gets another tough matchup against a stout Steelers defense that is unlikely to give DJ much room on the ground. Johnson’s a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 in this matchup.

Pittsburgh: There was so much uncertainty last week surrounding what the carry split was going to look like with Snell and Conner, but we got our answer pretty quickly. Conner is the guy in this backfield and he should be viewed as a must-start option this week against a Houston defense that has been shredded the first two weeks. The Texans are currently giving up an average of 28.1 fantasy points to opposing RBs and Conner should be viewed as a player with top-5 upside this week. While Snell looked great in week one, any hope that fantasy managers had of him breaking out this season has been laid to rest. He’s the clear handcuff for Conner in Pittsburgh, but nothing more at this point.

Wide Receivers

Houston: Cooks looked to be back from his injury that he had in week one and he put together a solid outing against a stout Ravens defense. With Fuller pulling a disappearing act, Cooks stepped in and turned 5 receptions into 95 yards through the air. This is another tough defense, but Cooks should be a fine option to roll out there as a WR3 this week. As mentioned, Fuller pulled a disappearing act last week, which makes him a very difficult lineup decision in this matchup. As long as all the practice reports come back fine, Fuller can be rolled out as a low-end WR3 that you’ll simply have to deal with the potential range of outcomes with. Cobb stepped up in Fuller’s absence last week, but he’s still not someone that you can trust in your starting lineup.

Pittsburgh: Is there a real possibility that Johnson has emerged as the Steelers’ WR1? The target totals would suggest that the answer to that question is yes. Through two games, Johnson has seen 23 targets to Juju’s 14. Johnson is now solidifying himself as a weekly must-start option and Big Ben should be looking his way often in this matchup. Johnson has top-15 upside this week and should be played everywhere that you’ve got him. While Juju has taken a back seat to Johnson from a target share perspective, he’s still been productive for fantasy football. He’s been incredibly efficient with the targets that he’s seen and he always has the potential to find the end zone. Juju is a solid WR2 this week with WR1 upside. Claypool has made a couple of splash plays so far this season, but he’s simply not seeing enough volume to be a reliable contributor for fantasy football.

Tight Ends

Houston: Akins was solid last week, but there’s simply too much volatility with the Houston TEs to rely on any for fantasy this week. Both Akins and Fells make intriguing DFS plays, but they shouldn’t be on the redraft radar just yet.

Pittsburgh: Ebron had some hype this offseason, but he’s failed to live up to it through two weeks. He’s nothing more than a TE2 this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Fuller has to be the answer here for any matchup that the Texans are playing in. He could easily pop off for two big touchdowns or he could disappear the way that he did in week two. There’s simply no way of knowing ahead of time.

__________

Tennessee Titans vs Minnesota Vikings

Date/Time: September 27, 1:00 pm ET
Odds
: Titans -130
Over/Under: 48.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Titans 25.5, Vikings 23

Tennessee Titans

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Ryan Tannehill 19/30 221 2 1 16 0 16.43
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Derrick Henry 28 124 1 3 29 0 22.69
RB Darrynton Evans 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Corey Davis 0 0 0 4 59 1 14.1
WR Adam Humphries 0 0 0 4 42 0 6.44
WR Kalif Raymond 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.67
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Jonnu Smith 0 0 0 5 54 1 13.74

__________

Minnesota Vikings

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Kirk Cousins 18/25 203 2 1 7 0 14.82
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Dalvin Cook 14 55 1 2 19 0 14.34
RB Alexander Mattison 5 20 0 3 27 0 6.29
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Adam Thielen 0 0 0 4 60 1 14.21
WR Justin Jefferson 0 0 0 3 35 0 4.77
WR Olabisi Johnson 0 0 0 2 25 0 3.44
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Kyle Rudolph 0 0 0 2 20 1 9.17

__________

Quarterback

Tennessee: Tannehill was fantastic last week against the Jaguars defense and he now gets to face this Vikings unit that simply can’t stop anyone. Even without A.J. Brown, who is expected to miss this game, Tanehill’s a perfect streaming option again this week.

Minnesota: I’m trying to find a nice way of describing what Cousins did on the field last week against Indianapolis, but I’m coming up short. This was a disastrous performance and Cousins cannot be trusted anywhere near your starting lineup moving forward. The Vikings need to figure out what they’re doing on offense or their season is going to quickly get away from them.

Running Backs

Tennessee: Henry saw his typical and insane workload last week, but he took a backseat to Tannehill throwing four touchdowns. That won’t be the norm moving forward and Henry should be viewed as a safe RB1 start every single week. Against a Vikings defense that is currently surrendering an average of 22.5 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs, Henry’s in a prime spot to finish as a top option in week three.

Minnesota: Cook has been the bright spot of this Vikings offense through two games and he should continue to see enough work to be a safe RB1 yet again this week. While the Vikings are running a ridiculously low amount of plays on offense, which limits Cook’s overall ceiling, he’s still finding the end zone consistently. Fire him up as a mid-range RB1 against the Titans.

Wide Receivers

Tennessee: With AJ Brown out, Davis didn’t see as much work as we were anticipating, but he was still a great start due to the fact that he found the end zone. While the five targets are concerning moving forward, Davis is still a fine WR3/FLEX option this week for your lineup. With the Vikings surrendering 36.6 fantasy points on average to opposing WRs, Davis has a very good chance of finding the end zone again in this matchup. Meanwhile, Humphries quietly had a very good day last week against the Jaguars and he has some sneaky FLEX appeal in Full PPR leagues again this week. With the Vikings giving it up to opposing WRs, Humphries could easily finish with a solid outing in this one. He’s worth looking at if you need someone to fill in.

Minnesota: Right now, Thielen is the only WR on Minnesota that you want to consider for fantasy football. With the offense struggling as much as it has been, Thielen’s nothing more than a WR2 option each week that needs to connect on the deep shot downfield. The Titans will be expecting that this week and should be able to focus in on Thielen and let the other options on the Vikings try to beat them. Thielen’s nothing more than a l0w-end WR2 that needs to connect on the big play in order to even return that value in this offense.

Tight Ends

Tennessee: Smith is currently the TE1 in all of fantasy football and has now moved into weekly must-start territory. In a matchup that should see Tennessee put points up on the board, Smith should easily return TE1 value yet again.

Minnesota: For the time being, with how atrocious this Minnesota offense has looked, no Vikings TE can be trusted for fantasy.

FantasyProjection Buster: Cousins was atrocious in week two, but all it takes is one or two deep shots downfield to Thielen for his fantasy day to be salvaged. It’s hard to project those types of plays though.

__________

Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Chargers

Date/Time: September 27, 4:05 pm ET
Odds
: Chargers -275
Over/Under: 43.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Chargers 25.25, Panthers 18.75

Carolina Panthers

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Teddy Bridgewater 25/40 272 2 2 10 0 15.84
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Mike Davis 12 48 0 4 28 0 9.39
RB Trenton Cannon 3 12 0 2 13 0 3.35
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR DJ Moore 0 0 0 7 86 1 18.24
WR Robby Anderson 0 0 0 5 75 1 16.14
WR Curtis Samuel 0 0 0 3 35 0 5.21
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Ian Thomas 0 0 0 2 23 0 3.48

__________

Los Angeles Chargers

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Justin Herbert 21/30 240 1 0 16 0 15.19
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Austin Ekeler 17 72 1 4 38 0 18.94
RB Joshua Kelley 19 86 1 2 13 0 16.71
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Keenan Allen 0 0 0 6 68 0 9.68
WR Mike Williams 0 0 0 4 54 0 7.2
WR Jalen Guyton 0 0 0 1 11 0 1.49
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Hunter Henry 0 0 0 5 56 1 14.24

__________

Quarterback

Carolina: Bridgewater has certainly looked the part of a NFL starting QB, but this offense hasn’t been high-powered enough for that to amount to more than a QB22 rank for fantasy football. If you can, I’d avoid playing Bridgewater this week against a stout Chargers defense.

Los Angeles: After the Tyrod Taylor injection debacle, Herbert will start this week against the Panthers defense. While Herbert looked rusty throughout the first part of last week’s game, he showed enough to warrant consideration in 2QB formats. With the other options ahead of Herbert at the QB position, you don’t need to look his way in 1QB leagues, but the matchup is intriguing.

Running Backs

Carolina: This Panthers offense is going to look drastically different without Christian McCaffrey. This offense wasn’t exactly high-powered previously and it was as effective as it was because of CMC. Davis was a hot waiver wire add, but he’s done nothing throughout his NFL career to instill confidence that he can be a top option for fantasy rosters moving forward. Davis gets an extremely tough matchup against the Chargers defense that has only given up an average of 9.1 fantasy points to opposing RBs through the first two weeks. This Panthers offense will rotate in other players into this backfield, but Davis could see enough work through the air to warrant low-end RB3 consideration only in Full PPR leagues.

Los Angeles: Are you ready for the Austin Ekeler explosion that’s about to happen? Ekeler bounced back from week one and saw a significant workload in the receiving game with Herbert at QB, which will be the case against for week three. The Chargers are going to look to run the ball over and over again in this matchup and they should have no problem doing so against the Panthers defense that ranks 1st in fantasy points allowed to opposing RBs. Ekeler has overall RB1 upside in this matchup. Kelley has been an amazing find for fantasy managers that took the shot on him late in drafts and he saw an insane 23 carries last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s also seeing some work out of the backfield as a receiver and he’s getting the goal-line carries. Kelley’s in an excellent spot this week to return top-20 value at the RB position and he should be started everywhere you can against the worst run defense in the NFL right now.

Wide Receivers

Carolina: With this matchup, it’s hard to be excited about any Panthers receiving weapon. Moore could be the best of the group though with his role as the short-to-intermediate receiving option in this offense. Bridgewater is going to be looking to get the ball out quickly and Moore could be a valuable low-end WR2 in Full PPR leagues. Anderson has been on a tear this season and is currently the WR5 in Half PPR scoring. However, he needs to be downgraded with this matchup against the Chargers corners. With that being said, he’s still a great start as a WR3. The Panthers are doing everything they can to get the ball in Anderson’s hands and they’ll still need him heavily involved with CMC out in this one. He’s unlikely to finish as a WR1, but Anderson can be a solid start as a WR3 for your lineup. Meanwhile, Samuel hasn’t exactly been someone that you can rely on for fantasy football and that’s unlikely to change in this matchup. He can remain on your bench.

Los Angeles: Allen bounced back in a big way last week and put together a solid performance with Herbert behind center. He saw 10 targets and was able to reel in 7 of them for 96 yards. While this is a fantastic matchup on paper for Allen, the Chargers may not need to throw much to win this game. That limits Allen’s ceiling, but he’s still a fine low-end WR2 option. Williams was a disappointment in week two, but Herbert came very close to connecting with Williams on a shot in the end zone that would’ve changed his fantasy day. While Herbert’s going to play it safe and keep the ball towards the line of scrimmage, which means Ekeler and Allen should be first in line for targets, Williams can still always connect on the big play. With that in mind, Williams is a solid FLEX option this week and every week moving forward.

Tight Ends

Carolina: None of the Carolina TEs should be considered for fantasy football this week.

Los Angeles: Henry burst back onto the scene last week with a solid outing. He saw eight targets and was able to reel in six of them for 83 yards against the Chiefs. While the Chargers may not need to throw a ton in this matchup, Henry still should have a solid fantasy day. He’s a low-end TE1 again this week against Carolina.

FantasyProjection Buster: Williams is always a difficult projection. He can easily make a big play downfield and obliterate his projected yards per reception or he could miss connecting on his deep shots and wind up with a stat line like he had in week two.

__________

New York Jets vs Indianapolis Colts

Date/Time: September 27, 4:05 pm ET
Odds
: Colts -560
Over/Under: 43.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Colts 27.25, Jets 16.25

New York Jets

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Sam Darnold 16/33 188 1 1 8 0 10.33
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Frank Gore 11 42 1 2 14 0 12.59
RB Lamical Perine 3 11 0 0 0 0 1.11
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Braxton Berrios 0 0 0 3 30 1 10.59
WR Chris Hogan 0 0 0 5 53 0 7.58
WR Breshad Perriman 0 0 0 3 48 0 6.36
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Chris Herndon 0 0 0 3 36 0 5.05

__________

Indianapolis Colts

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Philip Rivers 18/28 201 2 1 2 0 14.2
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Jonathan Taylor 23 91 1 2 16 0 17.69
RB Jordan Wilkins 10 41 1 1 8 0 11.32
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Michael Pittman Jr. 0 0 0 4 56 1 13.69
WR T.Y. Hilton 0 0 0 3 38 0 5.29
WR Zach Pascal 0 0 0 2 27 0 3.8
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Mo Alie-Cox 0 0 0 3 34 1 10.76

__________

Quarterback

New York: Darnold simply doesn’t have the receiving weapons to be considered for fantasy football. He’s an extremely talented QB, which makes it a shame that he can’t be trusted, but you’re playing with fire if you put him anywhere near your starting lineup. He can remain on your waiver wire.

Indianapolis: Rivers hasn’t exactly looked great over his first two games as a member of the Indianapolis Colts and it’s hard to trust him for fantasy purposes. He’s still turning the ball over and he’s simply not putting up enough volume to compensate for his mistakes. While this is a nice matchup on paper, Rivers shouldn’t be looked at as a streaming option in 1QB leagues this week.

Running Backs

New York: Gore saw 21 carries in week two, but that didn’t exactly amount to much from a fantasy perspective. Gore will continue to see the majority of the workload, but this offense is just simply not good enough for that to equate to anything more than RB4 value.

Indianapolis: Welcome to the NFL, Jonathan Taylor! Taylor saw 26 carries in week two and turned that into 101 yards and a score. He was the main guy for the Colts last week and there’s little reason to doubt that that won’t continue in this matchup against the Jets. While the Jets are a stingy run defense, Taylor’s simply going to see too much work on the ground to not be a top-tier option this week. Fire up JT as a low-end RB1 this week. Hines’ usage last week was utterly bizarre. He was heavily featured by the Colts in week one and then got only one touch in week two. With the Colts moving solely to Taylor as their lead back, it looks like Hines’ fantasy value was short lived. He can remain on your bench until we see if last week’s usage was a fluke or not.

Wide Receivers

New York: Crowder would be the only WR that you should consider starting from this Jets offense, but he’s still not practicing this week. Braxton Berrios had a decent game last week, but he’s not someone that you should trust in a redraft lineup. He’s a fine DFS play, but you may just want to completely avoid this offense altogether.

Indianapolis: With Parris Campbell landing on IR, there’s an increased opportunity here for the remaining options on this roster. Pittman has the highest ceiling and he could become a valuable fantasy asset as early as this week. He’s an extremely polished receiver for a rookie and he’s looked good in the limited opportunities he’s gotten so far this year. With Campbell out of the lineup, plus Hilton’s inefficiencies, Pittman could become Rivers’ main target moving forward. With that being said, Pittman’s best viewed as a upside stash in leagues right now versus someone that can be trusted in your lineup. He’s a WR4 this week with upside. Hilton’s best shot at returning fantasy value was last week against a Vikings secondary that got gouged by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers receivers in week one. Unfortunately, Hilton disappointed and he simply does not look like the old version of Hilton that we’ve seen on the field previously. Hilton can’t be trusted as anything more than a low-end WR3 this week. Pascal becomes an intriguing option in deeper leagues, but he’s not someone that has a guaranteed role on this roster. With that in mind, it’s hard to trust him in redraft leagues. He can remain on your bench until we see who Rivers chooses to lock onto at the WR position.

Tight Ends

New York: Herndon had an incredible opportunity in front of him last week with essentially every receiver out of the lineup and he failed to deliver. Herndon’s nothing more than a TE2 moving forward.

Indianapolis: Mo Alie-Cox broke out in a big way last week and put together a dominant performance. Alie-Cox went 5-111-0 on six targets against Minnesota and he showed that he can be a key part of the offense moving forward. While it’s hard to trust a player who just put up a dominant performance like that after being a backup for so long, he’s in the TE2 conversation this week against the Jets. He’s worth holding onto if you have the space on your bench though in case this last performance wasn’t a fluke.

FantasyProjection Buster: Alie-Cox has always had the athleticism, but no one would’ve been able to project the stat line that he put up in week two. Will he be able to repeat that performance again? It’s unlikely, but we know it’s in the realm of possibilities.

__________

Dallas Cowboys vs Seattle Seahawks

Date/Time: September 27, 4:25 pm ET
Odds
: Seahawks -220
Over/Under: 56 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Seahawks 30.75, Cowboys 25.5

Dallas Cowboys

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Dak Prescott 27/40 307 2 1 16 0 19.9
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Ezekiel Elliott 20 94 1 4 34 0 20.96
RB Tony Pollard 5 24 0 3 24 0 6.26
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Amari Cooper 0 0 0 7 91 1 18.64
WR CeeDee Lamb 0 0 0 5 58 1 14.06
WR Michael Gallup 0 0 0 4 55 0 7.3
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Dalton Schultz 0 0 0 4 46 0 6.67

__________

Seattle Seahawks

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Russell Wilson 24/35 271 3 0 20 0 24.83
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Chris Carson 15 66 1 4 32 0 17.95
RB Carlos Hyde 6 26 0 1 8 0 4.17
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Tyler Lockett 0 0 0 7 88 1 18.5
WR DK Metcalf 0 0 0 5 74 1 15.98
WR David Moore 0 0 0 2 35 1 10.7
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Greg Olsen 0 0 0 2 19 0 2.86

__________

Quarterback

Dallas: Things didn’t exactly look great for Dak through the first quarter of last week’s game, but he led the Cowboys to one of the most improbable comebacks we’ve seen in recent history. He was a top option for fantasy football last week and there’s no reason to think that that won’t happen again in this matchup. This game is going to be a shootout and Dak should be viewed as a top-5 option again this week.

Seattle: Wilson is looking unstoppable through two weeks and there’s a reason why he’s currently the favorite to win the NFL MVP. Russ should continue his dominance in this game and he should be viewed as a top-tier option every single week moving forward, no matter the matchup.

Running Backs

Dallas: With the injuries to both Saquon and CMC, Zeke jumps up into the top fantasy RB conversation. He’s in one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL and he’s receiving a ton of work and opportunity this season. There’s no reason to second guess plugging Zeke into your lineup in this matchup. He’s a locked-and-loaded top-tier start every single week. Pollard remains one of fantasy’s top insurance RBs, but he’s not seeing anywhere close to enough work to be considered for your starting lineup in any format.

Seattle: Carson got back to his usual workload on the ground last week against New England and he should see a substantial amount of work in this one too. With this offense being extremely efficient, Carson’s an every week must-start as a low-end RB1. Hyde is nothing more than a complimentary piece in this backfield. He’s not seeing enough work to be relevant for fantasy football right now and can be left on your bench.

Wide Receivers

Dallas: It’s hard to find a receiver in this matchup that I’m not excited to start for fantasy. Cooper has been a consistent top-tier option his first two games and he’s put up solid numbers without finding the end zone. If he’s still able to see an average of 11.5 targets per game, but he also starts finding the end zone, we could be talking about a top-5 option for fantasy moving forward. Cooper’s a smash start this week and he should be viewed as a mid-range WR1 in this matchup. Gallup hasn’t exactly hit the way that many fantasy managers were hoping for so far this year, but he’s still involved in one of the league’s most dynamic offenses. Gallup can be viewed as a WR3 moving forward that always has upside to find the end zone or reel in a big catch deep downfield. Lamb has been fantastic through his first two games as a rookie and he’s soaking up targets from Prescott over the middle of the field. In a matchup where the Seahawks are currently allowing 42.5 fantasy points on average to opposing WRs, Lamb is in an excellent spot to return top-24 value this week.

Seattle: With Russ playing as well as he has been lately, it’s hard to view the Seattle WRs as anything less than must-start options. Lockett is currently the WR15 on the season and should be viewed as a low-end WR1 in this matchup. The Cowboys are currently allowing 28.8 fantasy points on average to opposing WRs and Lockett always has a good chance of finding the end zone. He’s a solid start this week. Metcalf has top-10 upside in this matchup. The Cowboys are struggling to stop opposing WRs, as mentioned above, and Metcalf always has a chance of reeling in a perfectly thrown deep ball from Wilson to make his fantasy day. Both Seattle WRs should be viewed as top options this week.

Tight Ends

Dallas: With the injury to Blake Jarwin, Schultz was an intriguing name to monitor on the waiver wire heading into week two. While not many people played him, you would’ve been rewarded if you took the shot. Schultz saw 10 targets and reeled in 9 of them for 88 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. While the Cowboys aren’t going to be throwing the ball 48 times every single week, Schultz should still remain a key part of this offense. He’s a fine play in games where points are expected to be put up on the board and this is one of those matchups. Schultz is a mid-range TE2 with upside this week if he’s able to find the end zone again.

Seattle: Olsen was the cause of Wilson’s interception on Sunday night and he didn’t see another target. Olsen’s off the redraft radar and shouldn’t be someone that you trust in your starting lineup.

FantasyProjection Buster: Gallup didn’t get a touchdown for the first time in my weekly projections article, which means that he’s most likely going to score two in this one. It’s just how it goes.

__________

Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals

Date/Time: September 27, 4:25 pm ET
Odds
: Cardinals -240
Over/Under: 55.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Cardinals 30.5, Lions 25

Detroit Lions

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Matthew Stafford 26/40 290 2 1 6 0 18.19
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Adrian Peterson 11 53 1 1 11 0 13.14
RB D’Andre Swift 8 35 0 4 30 0 8.37
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Kenny Golladay 0 0 0 5 70 1 15.61
WR Marvin Jones 0 0 0 4 57 0 7.91
WR Danny Amendola 0 0 0 3 33 0 5.04
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE TJ Hockenson 0 0 0 4 48 1 12.86

__________

Arizona Cardinals

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Kyler Murray 26/39 274 2 1 60 1 28.93
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Kenyan Drake 16 70 1 3 23 0 16.95
RB Chase Edmonds 7 29 0 2 16 0 5.62
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR DeAndre Hopkins 0 0 0 10 110 1 21.77
WR Larry Fitzgerald 0 0 0 5 44 1 12.79
WR Christian Kirk 0 0 0 2 28 0 3.86
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Dan Arnold 0 0 0 2 23 0 3.27

__________

Quarterback

Detroit: This game quietly could turn into a shootout and Stafford could be forced to throw the ball all over the yard. As of right now, there’s optimism surrounding Golladay’s ability to suit up in this matchup, which is a huge boost to Stafford’s fantasy outlook. If Golladay plays, Stafford could be rolled out as a low-end QB1 in this one.

Arizona: With the way that Murray is running the ball, there’s no way that he can be viewed as anything less than a top-5 option at the QB position for fantasy football. Murray is currently ranked in the top-10 of the entire NFL (RBs included) for rushing yards. Not only that, but he’s the Cardinals leading rusher as well. With the way that fantasy points are calculated, rushing production at the QB is king. Even if the QB is struggling to put up great numbers from a passing perspective, he can still be an elite option for fantasy if he’s running as much as Murray is in Arizona. With that in mind, plus a matchup that should see points go up on the board, Murray has overall QB1 upside this week.

Running Backs

Detroit: On the surface, this looks like a great matchup for the Lions RBs, but there’s just no way of knowing which one in this committee is going to return value for your lineup. Peterson has looked amazing on the field through two weeks, but he’s simply not getting the goal-line opportunities that would vault him into the RB2 conversation. He’s nothing more than a RB4 this week. Swift has been the most effective fantasy option out of this backfield with his involvement in the receiving game, but there’s too much volatility in this backfield to trust him as anything more than a RB3. Kerryon Johnson looked like he was going to be riding the bench moving forward after week one, but he got the goal-line look last week and was able to convert. Johnson’s a low-end RB4 moving forward that you simply can’t trust near your starting lineup.

Arizona: Drake has seen back-to-back tough matchups and that’s led to him landing at RB23 for fantasy so far this season. However, this is a matchup that we should see Drake bounce back in and be a top option at the position. The Lions are currently giving up the third most fantasy points to opposing RBs and Drake should be viewed as a top-12 back this week with this matchup. Start him everywhere that you can. Edmonds was able to score in week one, but he saw his production take a significant nose-dive in week two. Edmonds is nothing more than an insurance RB that will come in to spell Drake when he needs a break.

Wide Receivers

Detroit: Golladay is currently a question mark, but he’s trending towards suiting up in this matchup after missing the first two weeks. If he plays, you can fire him up as a WR2 in this game. Jones has been a consistent option for your lineup in Golladay’s absence, but with it appearing like Golladay will play this week, Jones moves back to a WR3 that needs to score or break off a big play to finish higher. In a matchup that I’m expecting points to go up on the board though, Jones has a solid chance of finding the end zone. He’s a high-end WR3 this week in my rankings. Amendola’s fantasy outlook takes a hit with Golladay most likely returning to the lineup this week. He moves back to WR5 status.

Arizona: Hopkins is currently leading the NFL in targets and he’s currently the overall WR3 in fantasy football through two weeks. All signs point to Hopkins putting together another dominant performance in this one against a Lions secondary that is banged up and is currently allowing the 12th most fantasy points to opposing wideouts. Start Hopkins as a top-tier option this week. Kirk was able to reel in a big catch downfield last week, but he’s simply too much of an afterthought in this offense to be relied on for fantasy football. He can remain on your bench or even dropped to your waiver wire. Fitzgerald has been productive and incredibly efficient through two games, but he’s simply not seeing enough volume to be relied on as anything more than a low-end WR4 for fantasy.

Tight Ends

Detroit: Hockenson has been on fire to start the season and it’s resulted in a top-10 TE ranking for fantasy through two weeks. However, he gets a slight downgrade with Golladay most likely returning to the lineup this week. Hockenson is a low-end TE1 in this matchup.

Arizona: None of the Arizona TEs should be considered for fantasy football this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: With a high over/under, there are going to be some players that emerge in this one with scores that we simply weren’t able to project. Kirk is the one that I don’t feel great about his projections though. Even though he’s not a key part of this offense, this game should have enough scoring opportunities that he could walk out of this one with a big performance.

__________

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Denver Broncos

Date/Time: September 27, 4:25 pm ET
Odds
: Bucs -250
Over/Under: 43.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Bucs 24.75, Broncos 18.75

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Tom Brady 22/35 272 2 1 1 0 16.99
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Leonard Fournette 16 65 1 3 20 0 15.86
RB Ronald Jones 5 20 0 1 7 0 3.16
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Chris Godwin 0 0 0 6 85 1 17.71
WR Mike Evans 0 0 0 5 77 1 16.19
WR Scott Miller 0 0 0 2 24 0 3.49
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE OJ Howard 0 0 0 3 33 0 4.73

__________

Denver Broncos

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Jeff Driskel 23/35 260 1 1 8 0 13.22
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Melvin Gordon 13 50 1 4 35 0 16.74
RB Royce Freeman 8 30 0 2 16 0 5.57
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Jerry Jeudy 0 0 0 5 62 0 8.75
WR KJ Hamler 0 0 0 4 49 0 6.93
WR Tim Patrick 0 0 0 2 27 0 3.66
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Noah Fant 0 0 0 5 58 1 14.09

__________

Quarterback

Tampa Bay: Brady hasn’t exactly looked like a dominant fantasy QB over the first two weeks as he adjusts to his new surroundings. With Godwin back in the lineup this week though, Brady could bounce back and produce against a Broncos defense that is banged up. With that being said, he’s nothing more than a mid-range QB2.

Denver: Drew Lock is out for the foreseeable future, which means the Broncos will now turn to backup QB Jeff Driskel. Driskel has shown that he can step in and execute an offense in the past, so there’s no reason to be overly concerned about the Broncos receiving weapons. However, Driskel himself cannot be trusted for fantasy football this week against a dominant Buccaneers defense. Driskel’s a low-end QB2 in this matchup.

Running Backs

Tampa Bay: Jones was able to cash in last week and find the end zone, but it looks like the fumbled hand-off was enough for Bruce Arians to send him to the bench. It’s unfair, but it looks like Jones has suddenly lost his stranglehold on this backfield. He can’t be trusted anywhere near your starting lineup this week and is now in RB4 territory. Fournette took advantage of his opportunity last week and shredded the Panthers defense nearly every single run. Fournette appears to have this job locked up now, which puts him into the RB2 conversation in this matchup. There’s always the possibility that Arians pulls a fast one on us and we see Jones more than we anticipate, but he’s a safe start as a low-end RB2 with upside if he does completely take over this backfield.

Denver: Gordon’s got this backfield locked up with Phillip Lindsay still out, but this is an extremely tough matchup for the veteran RB. The Buccaneers are a stout defense and Gordon is going to have to find the end zone in this one in order to return RB2 value. With a backup QB stepping in against a tough defense, this offense is most likely going to struggle to put points up on the board, which limits Gordon’s ceiling. He lands just inside the RB2 cutoff in my weekly rankings.

Wide Receivers

Tampa Bay: Godwin missed last week due to still being in the concussion protocol, but all signs point to him being active for this game. If he does indeed suit up, he belongs in the top-10 conversation this week in a matchup where he’ll line up across from Essang Bassey. Godwin has the upper hand in that matchup and could be in line for a big day. Fire up Godwin as a locked-and-loaded WR1 in this game. Evans became more of a focal point for the offense in week two and saw 10 targets. He was able to reel in seven of those for over 100 yards and a score, which is a fantastic fantasy performance. This was without Godwin in the lineup though, so we have to anticipate his production take a slight dip this week. With that being said, Evans is still a fine WR2 start this week that always comes with the upside of making a big play downfield. Miller disappointed in week two and with Godwin coming back into the lineup this week, it’s unlikely that we see Miller make any sort of meaningful impact for fantasy. He can remain on your bench or waiver wire.

Denver: With Sutton out for the year with a torn ACL, Jeudy becomes the next man up in this receiving corps. However, Jeudy himself is dealing with his own injury and is questionable for this matchup. I expect him to suit up, but this is a tough matchup and he’s playing with a backup QB now. Jeudy can be looked at as a low-end WR3 if he does play. Hamler is in line for an increased opportunity with Sutton out for the year and he certainly has the talent and speed to make that opportunity count for fantasy football. With that being said, Hamler is more of a bench stash right now versus a reliable fantasy asset. Against this defense, it’s going to be hard to trust him in your lineup. I recommend waiting a week and seeing what his involvement in this offense looks like without Sutton on the field.

Tight Ends

Tampa Bay: Howard is the receiving option in this Bucs TE room, but he’s not necessarily someone that you can rely on week in and week out just yet. This situation is a mess for fantasy managers to try and figure out and it might be best to just leave Howard on your bench or even your waiver wire in 1TE formats. Arians has come out and said that he views Gronkowski as a blocker in this scheme, which is a death sentence for a tight end’s fantasy outlook. The days of relying on Gronk as a weekly fantasy option are over.

Denver: Fant has been fantastic (see what I did there) for fantasy football over the first couple of weeks and he should become one of Driskel’s favorite targets moving forward. Driskel’s going to need to get the ball out quick in this game and Fant could see an uptick in targets with Sutton out of the lineup. If Jeudy isn’t able to suit up this week, Fant could be in line for a huge target workload, which could vault him up into the top-5 at the position. He’s a great play this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Can I say any of the Bucs tight ends? Even though they haven’t seen a ton of targets each week, any one of them always has the possibility of finding the end zone.

__________

Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints

Date/Time: September 27, 8:20 pm ET
Odds
: Saints -162
Over/Under: 52.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Saints 28, Packers 24.5

Green Bay Packers

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Aaron Rodgers 23/35 246 2 1 6 0 16.47
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Aaron Jones 14 58 1 3 27 0 16.09
RB Jamaal Williams 7 24 0 4 31 0 7.53
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Davante Adams 0 0 0 7 82 1 17.75
WR Allen Lazard 0 0 0 3 33 1 10.63
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling 0 0 0 3 40 0 5.49
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Josiah Deguara 0 0 0 1 14 0 2.17

__________

New Orleans Saints

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Drew Brees 21/30 230 1 1 1 0 11.35
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Alvin Kamara 13 62 1 7 58 0 21.56
RB Latavius Murray 17 68 1 3 23 0 16.78
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Tre’Quan Smith 0 0 0 4 59 0 7.92
WR Emmanuel Sanders 0 0 0 3 31 0 4.36
WR Deonte Harris 0 0 0 0 4 0 0.54
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Jared Cook 0 0 0 4 56 1 13.49

__________

Quarterback

Green Bay: Rodgers has looked incredible through the first two weeks of the season, but he gets a tough matchup here with this stout Saints defense. It’s unlikely that we see Rodgers explode in this game, so he can be viewed as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2.

New Orleans: To be frank, Brees hasn’t looked like the QB that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing over previous seasons. He doesn’t look like he has the necessary arm strength anymore to push the ball downfield, which makes it hard to trust him for fantasy purposes. Brees can be rolled out this week as a low-end QB2.

Running Backs

Green Bay: Jones went nuclear last week against the Lions run defense and he’s currently the RB1 in all of fantasy football because of it. However, this is a much more difficult matchup for the veteran RB and it’s important to temper expectations. Jones can be viewed as a low-end RB1 this week against a Saints defense that’s currently allowing only 18.2 fantasy points on average to opposing RBs.

New Orleans: Kamara was essentially unstoppable last week and there’s a very good chance that we see him finish as the RB1 this week. The Packers are currently the 8th easiest matchup for opposing fantasy RBs and Kamara could easily find the end zone multiple times again in this one. Kamara should be viewed as a locked-and-loaded top-5 option this week. All signs pointed to Murray having a great game against the Raiders last week, but the Saints fell behind and Murray was game-scripted out. After seeing 15 carries in week one, Murray fell to only three attempts on the ground on Monday. I don’t expect that to be the norm moving forward and Murray should be fed the ball early in this matchup against the Packers to help take the pressure off of Brees. Murray’s a fine RB3 play this week with upside.

Wide Receivers

Green Bay: Adams was pulled from last week’s game with a hamstring issue, but all indications are that it won’t threaten his availability for this game. If Adams is playing, he needs to be in your starting lineup. Even though this matchup isn’t great for opposing wideouts, Adams should easily still return WR1 value with the amount of targets that get funneled his way. Lazard is an intriguing FLEX play every single week because Rodgers can always connect with him on a shot in the end zone. However, if that doesn’t happen, you’re unlikely to be satisfied with his production. MVS is currently the WR20 in Half PPR scoring, but he’s easily a sit for me in this matchup if I can afford it. This is a tough matchup for opposing WRs and MVS needs to connect on a big play downfield or find the end zone in order for you to feel happy that you played him. He’s a WR4 in this matchup.

New Orleans: Sanders had some appeal as a WR3 in last week’s matchup, but he absolutely fell flat. Sanders only reeled in one catch for 18 yards against the Raiders and he’s taken a backseat to Smith, who had a huge day. Sanders isn’t anything more than a WR5 in this matchup and he can’t be trusted in your starting lineup. Smith finally broke out last week and put together a dominant performance. He saw seven targets and was able to haul in five of them for 86 yards. Even with Brees struggling, Smith put up a great game and looked to finally step into the spotlight that many have been expecting from him for the past couple of seasons. In this matchup against Green Bay, Smith can be viewed as a low-end WR3/high-end WR4 that should continue to see a significant target share moving forward while Michael Thomas is out.

Tight Ends

Green Bay: None of the Packers TEs should be considered for fantasy football this week.

New Orleans: Cook didn’t exactly see an insane amount of targets last week, but he saved his fantasy day by finding the end zone. Cook doesn’t exactly always bring the most consistent floor in terms of target totals, but he can always find the end zone any given week. Cook is a touchdown-or-bust low-end TE1 this week in my rankings.

FantasyProjection Buster: I’m not projecting a big game from MVS due to the matchup, but all it takes is one big play downfield for MVS to obliterate my projections for him. It’s unlikely, but it’s never out of the realm of possibilities.

__________

Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens

Date/Time: September 28, 8:15 pm ET
Odds
: Ravens -186
Over/Under: 54 points
Implied Vegas point totals
: Ravens 28.75, Chiefs 25.25

Baltimore Ravens

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Lamar Jackson 22/33 269 2 1 62 1 28.96
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Mark Ingram 14 58 1 1 11 0 13.63
RB JK Dobbins 7 31 0 1 6 0 4.04
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Marquise Brown 0 0 0 5 75 1 16.07
WR Willie Snead 0 0 0 4 41 0 5.96
WR Miles Boykin 0 0 0 2 28 0 3.9
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Mark Andrews 0 0 0 6 83 1 17.48

__________

Kansas City Chiefs

POS NAME COMP/ATT PASS YDS TDs INTs RUSH YDS TDs FPTS
QB Patrick Mahomes 28/42 342 2 1 20 0 21.66
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire 14 55 1 5 41 0 18.23
RB Darrel Williams 3 9 0 1 9 0 2.29
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
WR Tyreek Hill 0 0 0 6 78 1 16.53
WR Sammy Watkins 0 0 0 4 56 0 7.66
WR Demarcus Robinson 0 0 0 4 49 0 6.67
POS NAME CARRIES RUSH YDS TDs RECS REC YDS TDs FPTS
TE Travis Kelce 0 0 0 7 90 1 18.52

__________

Quarterback

Kansas City: Mahomes is currently the QB8 on the season for fantasy football, but he gets a tough matchup here against the Ravens. The Ravens are currently only allowing an average of 13.3 fantasy points to opposing QBs, which indicates that Mahomes doesn’t exactly have an enormous ceiling heading into this game. He’s still a must-start option every single week, but it’s important to recognize that the path for him to finish as the QB1 this week most likely isn’t there.

Baltimore: This is going to be the game of the week and the Ravens are probably going to need to throw the ball more than they’ve had to over the first couple of games. The Ravens are going to look to keep their foot on the gas in this one, which means that Jackson has an enormous ceiling in this matchup. While the Chiefs defense is a solid unit, they’re simply not going to be able to contain Lamar as a runner, which is where the majority of his fantasy value comes from. Jackson’s a must-start option every single week and he has a very solid chance of finishing as the overall QB1.

Running Backs

Kansas City: Edwards-Helaire didn’t exactly see 25 carries again in week two, but we saw his usage through the receiving game bounce back to what we expected heading into the season. There are going to be scoring opportunities galore in this matchup, which means that CEH is a must-start option this week. While the Ravens defense is a tough matchup, CEH will see enough work to be viewed as a low-end RB1.

Baltimore: Ingram took back the reigns as the lead option in this backfield last week and was able to produce even with his limited workload. Dobbins wasn’t a factor last week and Ingram should see even more work this week in a matchup where it’s going to be close right up until the very end. In a matchup that promises to be high-scoring, Ingram’s a solid RB2 option. Edwards saw 10 carries last game and looked great, but there’s simply too much uncertainty with how this backfield will look on a weekly basis to trust Edwards for fantasy purposes. He can remain on your waiver wire. Dobbins was barely utilized last week after scoring twice in week one, which puts a damper on his season-long outlook. Dobbins is going to be an inconsistent fantasy option that is probably best left on your bench due to the uncertainty regarding his weekly workload.

Wide Receivers

Kansas City: Hill has found the end zone each of his first two games, which gives fantasy managers confidence in rolling him out in their lineup as a bonafide WR1 moving forward. However, this is a tough matchup for the Chiefs wideouts and Hill might not have as high of a ceiling as he normally would. He’s still a must-start option, but he should be viewed as a low-end WR1 this week versus a locked-and-loaded top-tier option. Watkins was knocked out of last week’s contest, but it looks like he’s preparing to play on Monday night. With the other options that are most likely on your roster, you should have a better option available than playing the guessing game with Watkins if we don’t get official word by kickoff on Sunday. He’s a low-end WR3 if he does suit up in this matchup. Hardman has all the talent and speed in the world, but he simply isn’t seeing enough volume to be a reliable fantasy asset. He can remain on your league’s waiver wire.

Baltimore: Brown is the only Ravens wideout that you should feel comfortable plugging into your lineup this week and he could be in line for a huge game. The Ravens are going to have to throw the ball more than they have the past couple of weeks, which means more opportunity for Brown. He should see 6-8 targets in this game and he always has the potential to find the end zone. He’s a solid WR2 start in this shootout matchup.

Tight Ends

Kansas City: Kelce’s a set-it-and-forget-it option at the TE position. He has overall TE1 upside every single week.

Baltimore: Andrews disappointed fantasy managers in week two, but he simply wasn’t needed in a game that the Ravens were winning by a lot. This week, the Ravens are going to need to rely on Andrews again, which makes him a smash auto-start. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Andrews and Kelce both finish as the TE1 and TE2 on the week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Dobbins’ usage could shock us all on any given week. As soon as we buy in, he could ride the bench for the majority of the game. Or as soon as we decide to sit him, he could break out for another huge game. We have to go with what we see on the field though and Dobbins looks to be third on this depth chart.

__________

 

 


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Kyle Yates is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Kyle, check out his archive and follow him @KyleYNFL.

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