Fantasy Football News

Everson Griffen has been ruled out of this weeks game against the L.A. Rams. He is reportedly barred from the Minnesota Vikings facility until he is able to get cleared from a personal and possible mental health matter.

Fantasy Impact: Fantasy owners would love to see Griffen get well and return to action with the Vikings. Until this occurs, Stephen Weatherly will get the start in his place. Weatherly finished last week with seven tackles, five of which were solo, and a sack. Weatherly is worth an add in deeper IDP leagues since it seems Griffen will be out for a while.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting Giants TE Evan Engram (MCL) will miss an "undetermined time period" with a sprained MCL. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: While Engram was viewed week-to-week, matters are worse off a few days removed from suffering the MCL sprain. Currently, Scehfter projects an undetermined timeline for the tight end's return to the field, which could slow down a passing attack that seemed to be picking up steam against the Texans. And although the Giants still have Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard, Engram was certainly a featured part of the offense, especially in passing situations. With Engram out, Rhett Ellison, who scored a touchdown in Engram's absence in Week 3, will be viewed as the starter.

According to Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer there is a "possibility" that Dalvin Cook will play Thursday night against the Rams. (Source: Chris Tomasson on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Cook missed the Week 3 game against the Bills with a hamstring injury. Some felt it was a move to have him ready for Thursday night's big matchup with the Rams,. however, "possibility" is not a ringing endorsement from the coach. If Cook sits it will be Latavius Murray getting the start with Mike Boone backing him up. If Cook plays he would be a risky fantasy option as he might not get a full workload or he could get replaced if the Vikings fall behind.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST surrendered 413 total yards and 30 points in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: The Buccaneers D/ST continues to be an unusable fantasy asset in 2018. Although the team's record is 2-1, they can't stop anybody, especially a high-octane passing game like Pittsburgh's. Facing the upstart Bears in Week 4, continue to fade the Tampa Bay D/ST.

Buccaneers K Chandler Catanzaro was successful on both of his field goal attempts as well as all three of his extra point attempts in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: Catanzaro continues to have a solid start to the year despite a rough outing in Week 2 -- he was perfect in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers. And while the Buccaneers offense continues to move the football and get themselves into ample scoring chances on a game-to-game basis, Catanzaro will continue to be an employable fantasy kicker. He will get the Bears in Week 4.

Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate caught 3-of-4 targets for 34 yards and one touchdown in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: After a rough start to the year -- he was held without a catch in back-to-back games -- Brate finally broke out of his misfortunes with a 3-34-1 night. However, since O.J. Howard still caught 6-of-8 targets for 72 yards, he is clearly the top tight end in Tampa Bay, especially while Ryan Fitzpatrick is under center as Brate was more utilized by Jameis Winston. As a result, Brate is not a trustworthy fantasy option heading into Week 4 unless Winston draws the start.

Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard caught 6-of-8 targets for 72 yards in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: While Cameron Brate finally had a solid game and caught a touchdown this week, Howard still had a respectable night, locking himself in as the Tampa Bay TE1 -- he out-targeted Brate 8-to-4. And although he didn't find the end zone, he will look to bounce back this week in a tough matchup against the Bears. Howard is on the fringe TE1 radar for Week 4.

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin caught 5-of-10 targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: Although he saw 10 targets on Monday night, Godwin only caught five of them for 74 yards and a touchdown, which was his third in as many games. However, he did have a pair of early and significant drops, which he obviously made up for in the second half with the aforementioned score. Locked in as the Tampa Bay WR2 behind Mike Evans despite the fact that the wide receiver depth chart has DeSean Jackson ahead of him, Godwin is a must-start in Week 4 against the Bears.

Buccaneers WR DeSean Jackson caught 3-of-5 targets for 37 yards in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: Coming off of two huge games, Jackson was finally shut down by the Steelers while Chris Godwin and Mike Evans continued their early 2018 run. Now that Jackson has slowed, his fantasy worth will now come into question facing a tough but exploitable matchup against the Bears in Week 4. While Jackson will garner touchdown or bust Flex consideration this week, his value will peak if Godwin, who is banged up, sits out.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans caught 6-of-11 targets for 137 yards and one touchdown in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: Although he had an off 2017 campaign, Evans is bouncing back in a big way, already accumulating 23 receptions for 367 yards and a touchdown in three straight games. Heading into his Week 4 matchup against the Bears, Evans should be viewed in the WR1 tier. While the Chicago defense is improved, they can be beaten in the passing game, which favors Evans' Week 4 fantasy outlook.

Buccaneers RB Peyton Barber rushed eight times for 33 yards in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: For the third straight game, Barber was shut-down on the ground and was invisible in the passing game. Until Barber is shown as an intricate piece of the offense, he will remain a fantasy stash heading into Week 4's tilt against the Bears' top-ranked defense in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs.

Buccaneers QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 30-of-50 passes for 411 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in Monday night's Week 3 loss to the Steelers.

Fantasy Impact: Fitzpatrick, whose "Fitzmagic" reignited at the start of the 2018 season, has likely played himself into the starting job for when Jameis Winston returns from his suspension. Not only did he become the first quarterback in league history to throw for at least 400 yards in three consecutive games, but he also went toe-to-toe with a high-octane Steelers offense, nearly leading Tampa Bay from a come from behind win on Monday Night Football. In Week 4 the Buccaneers will have the Bears. Who the starting quarterback will remain a mystery, for now.

Greg Olsen is reportedly "way ahead of the curve" in his recovery from a foot injury. Olsen refractured his right foot during the first week of the season. (Source: ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: Olsen was initially expected to miss five weeks due to the injury, but he could beat that timeline if his report is true. The Panthers have a bye Week 4, so owners will need to monitor Olsen's progress to see if he'll be able to get back as soon as the team's Week 5 contest against the Giants.

It "seems unlikely" that Jameis Winston starts Week 4 against the Bears. Winston is returning from suspension this week. (Source: Tampa Bay Times)

Fantasy Impact: Winston appeared to be the favorite to take back the starting job following his suspension entering the season, leading many fantasy owners to stash him on their bench. However, with the way Ryan Fitzpatrick has played, it seems like the 2-1 Bucs could stick with the veteran and let Winston wait in the wings.

Rookie safety Jordan Whitehead may be counted on by Tampa Bay more after Chris Conte (knee) exited for the second week in a row.

Fantasy Impact: After coming in relief for Conte for the second half of Monday nights loss, Whitehead held his own and recorded four solo tackles. IDP owners will want to monitor the situation this week to see if Whitehead could be a viable play if Conte misses time.

Tampa Bay defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul again dominated the stat sheet in the loss to Pittsburgh on Monday night. He didn't go down without a fight by recording five combined tackles, two sacks, and forced one fumble.

Fantasy Impact: Jason Pierre-Paul is rewarding his IDP owners at a high level early this season and they should count on him every week until further notice.

Tampa Bay's Chris Conte did not have the game of his life Monday night. Not only did his team lose to Pittsburgh in the Week Three contest, but Conte aggravated his knee injury in the first half and he allowed a touchdown in the first quarter to Steelers tight end Vance McDonald while being stiff-armed and allowing McDonald to go for a 75-yard touchdown. The stiff-arm is worthy of many high-light reels this week.

Fantasy Impact: Conte's IDP owners will want to monitor his knee situation. He excited Week Two with the same knee, he might be out for a few weeks or be relegated to less of a role until the knee is better.

Tampa Bay's linebacker Kwon Alexander, linebacker Lavonte David, and rookie cornerback M.J. Stewart all recorded eight combined tackles in the Week Three loss on Monday night to Pittsburgh.

Fantasy Impact: IDP owners shouldn't be surprised by David and Alexanders production. But they should take note in leagues using a designated cornerback that the rookie Stewart made his mark this contest. There may be more opportunities coming his way as long as he is getting the snaps with the first defensive unit.

The Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST allowed Tampa Bay to score 27 points in Week 3. Despite the high point total, Pittsburgh managed three sacks and forced three turnovers in the game. The Steelers went on to win 30-27 on Monday night.

Fantasy Impact: The Pittsburgh defense has struggled to limit opponent scoring this season, allowing an average of 25.3 points per game. They will look to tighten up in Week 4 against the Ravens.

Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was 1-for-2 in field goals in his team's 30-27 win over the Buccaneers in Week 3. He also made three of his four extra point attempts.

Fantasy Impact: Boswell has been uncharacteristically shaky in the early going this season, going just 1-for-4 in field goals and missing two of 11 extra points. His job remains safe for now but he is going to need to step it up.