Week 3 Roundup

A-Z FFB
Sep 29, 2020
12 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2020

Welcome back to the third edition of the weekly roundup! Week 3 was a rough week for ya boy (me). I just want to give you a heads up now... this one might get a little 'ranty', but it could also be very entertaining. If you follow me on Twitter (which you totally should, @ZackFFB) then you knew on Sunday at 3:01 PM that it had already been a long day for me.

I had more than a couple takes that I thought were LOCKS that fizzled out pretty hard. There is an old saying-

"When it seems to good to be true, don't say it on a podcast or put it on Twitter."

At least I think that is how the saying goes? Anyways let's hop into our regularly scheduled programming.

Injuries: Week 3 continued the trend, as there were a number of players who were injured. Luckily, the injuries sustained in week 3 were not as long term as those that we saw in week 2, but still things to keep an eye on.

Disclaimer: This is NOT a complete list, there will be some that I don't catch. I would highly recommend following an injury expert on Twitter, here are a couple of my favs... @TheFantasyPT & @FBInjuryDoc)

Michael Thomas (ankle) *

George Kittle (knee)

A.J. Brown (knee) *

Davante Adams (hamstring) *

Julio Jones (hamstring) *

Chris Godwin (hamstring) *

Russell Gage (concussion) *

Diontae Johnson (concussion) *

Chris Carson (knee)

Zack Moss (toe)

Cam Akers (ribs)

Christian Kirk (groin)

Jalen Reagor (thumb)

Jack Doyle (ankle/knee)

Injury Reaction:

Davante Adams & Julio Jones were both game time decisions on Sunday, neither ended up playing. Better safe than sorry for these two super star wideouts. The injuries themselves are believed to be relatively minor, but as we all know, soft tissue injuries have a tendency to linger, and even after they are "gone", there is a higher chance of re-injury later on.

A.J. Brown's bone bruise is reportedly taking longer to heal than expected. Brown missed his second consecutive game nursing this injury.

Chris Godwin sustained a hamstring injury of his own on Sunday. Godwin exited the game during the 3rd quarter with a hamstring injury. I do not yet know the severity, but something to monitor, as we have already seen WR's take a week off to nurse hamstring injuries.

Update: It is being reported now that Godwin could miss "multiple weeks" with this hamstring injury. Keep an eye on rookie 5th round pick, Tyler Johnson, as his number may be called given all of the injuries in the Tampa Bay WR core.

Russell Gage & Diontae Johnson both exited their week 3 games with concussions. I have not heard a status update on Gage, but Diontae Johnson tweeted after the game, "I'm fine! Great team win though". I am sure that both players will have to pass the concussion protocol this week, something to monitor.

What I learned from Week 3:

- The Falcons are allergic to winning.

Field Yates shared a stat that blew my mind. "Over the past 20 seasons, no team has blown multiple 15-point 4th quarter leads in a single season..." For the second week in a row, the Falcons have done what no other teams have done in 20 years, losing to the Bears 30-26.

- The Mitchel Trubisky 'Era' lasted 3 years too long

Mitchel Trubisky was benched in the 3rd quarter vs. the Falcons. Nick Foles proceeded to bring the Bears back from a 16 point deficit (26-10) to beat the Falcons. I have seen worse play from Trubisky, but apparently the Bears have had enough. With Foles getting this win, I can't imagine Trubisky waltzes back into that starting lineup any time soon. Stock is UP for Bears WR's.

- Eagles vs. Bengals; the tie heard round the world

"I know a tie when I see one" - Friend of the show (exaggeration), Chris Long. No one likes a tie, or so we thought. The Eagles looked awful (again). As a Carson Wentz apologist, it is getting harder and harder to stick up for my dude. 29/47 completed passes / 225 yds. / 1 TD / 2 INT. In the final minutes of OT, rather than attempt a 61 yard field goal (Chase Elliot HAS hit a game winner from 61 before), the Eagles elected to punt the ball and just take the tie. A disappointing ending to a disappointing game between two franchises who know a thing or two about disappointing.

- Josh Allen & the Bills are for real

This was one of the most exciting games of the weekend. Josh Allen went OFF for the 3rd consecutive week vs. a Rams team that has been playing very well so far. Allen accounted for 5 total TD's (4 passing, 1 rushing). Allen has thrown for 300+ yards in every game (week two 415 yards) and has 2 games this year with a 70+% completion percentage. Through three weeks, Allen's 3rd year leap is a massive leap, indeed.

- Russell Wilson is a machine

Mr. Unlimited is certainly living up to that abhorrent self declared 'alter-ego'. At this point, Russ can do whatever he wants, including making cringe-worthy videos of himself doing his best impression of The Rock. Russ is playing at an MVP level right now. Conveniently, the Seahawks are my 2020 side team.

- Packers offense rolls without Davante Adams

For all the heat the Packers took this offseason (I would say rightfully so), they are playing at a high level. Year two of Matt LaFleur's offense has been impressive thus far. The Saints were undoubtedly the hardest defense the Pack has faced this year, and they still hung 37 points on them (minus Davante Adams). WR 2 Allen Lazard has a huge game, posting 146 yards and 1 TD on 6 catches. You love to see it.

- Justin Herbert revitalizes Chargers (for fantasy football)

The Justin Herbert experience through two weeks has resulted in two losses, but for fantasy football, you are probably dancing for joy if you have any Chargers on your roster. Austin Ekeler is alive and well in the receiving game, catching all ELEVEN of his targets. Even crazier... in the past two games, WR Keenan Allen has been targeted 29 times, including a crazy week 3 where he saw 19 targets.

- Alvin Kamara is en fuego

Ever since entering the league, Alvin Kamara has been my favorite player to watch. I didn't follow his collegiate career much, so if that makes me a 'bandwagon fan', fine... whatever. This dude is just different. He makes some of the most insanely athletic plays look effortless, like the one we have all seen from Sunday night's game vs. my Packers. Haven't seen it? Go ahead and check out this link. I tried to link the video directly to the article, but the 'No Fun League' won't let me do that... so this is the best I can do for now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehhdORCwlbU&feature=emb_err_woyt

Going back to 2019, Alvin Kamara now has 5 consecutive games where he has scored 2 TD's. Versus the Packers, Kamara had multiple chunk plays including a 49 yard run in the first half, and a dump off pass that he took 52 yards to the house where is patience, burst & balance were all on full display. Kamara tallied 197 yards from scrimmage, mostly via the air. Kamara caught 13 of 14 targets for 139 yards. Pre-season I had Kamara ranked as my RB 3 behind only CMC and Saquon Barkley. Given the injury situations and the fact that Kamara is on another planet right now, I will revert to my 2019 take and say that Alvin Kamara is the RB 1.

- Week 3 was 'Rookie WR Breakout Week'

In week 3 we saw a number of rookie WR's really stand out. Some names we have been waiting for, some pleasant surprises. Here are some of the highlights:

Justin Jefferson - 9 tgts. /7 rec. / 175 yds. / 1 TD

Brandon Aiyuk - 8 tgts. / 5 rec. / 70 yds. | 3 rush / 31 yds. / 1 TD

Tee Higgins - 9 tgts. / 5 rec. / 40 yds. / 2 TD

Gabe Davis - 4 tgt. / 4 rec. / 81 yds.

Report Card:

So, the rant. Sometimes you see a matchup, and you do your research, and you land on a take and you say, "This is fire. There is no way this fails", or something like that. Then you talk about it on a podcast and tweet it into the universe only for the takes to fall apart. We all have those weeks, it happens... and news flash, it will probably happen again. Alex & I both missed this week... but this segment will just be about my takes. Scores referenced are 0.5 PPR.

My Starts:

Joe Burrow ended up being a fine play. I expected more, but 20 points won't lose you your matchup, but I don't want to give you takes that help you not lose, I want to give you takes that will help you WIN. Sadly that is about where my "good" calls ended.

Miles Sanders posted a civilian 12.7 fantasy points against a CIN defense that just allowed over 200 yards to the CLE RB's. Kenyan Drake was even worse, scoring only 8.7 fantasy points. CeeDee Lamb was primed to go off vs. a Seattle defense who gives up hella yards to opposing slot WR's. Lamb only scored 9.1 fantasy points. Diontae Johnson only provided 0.9 points before exiting the game due to a concussion. Dallas Goedert also saw his day cut short due to an injury. A player exiting the game for injury was beyond my control, but beyond that, if you bash an injured player as the reason you lost a fantasy football game, get a different hobby. We can be upset that we lost, that is fine. But holding personal vendettas against these men ain't it. Hayden Hurst got in the end zone, and that was absolutely essential, because aside from those TD points, it was the least helpful stat line possible. 1-1-1.

My Sits:

Derek Carr felt like a layup, I'm not sure if you were starting him anyways. To be honest, I am really working on my process of identifying players to avoid based on matchups. Anyways, this was a "good" call. Carr only scored 15.7 points, nothing special there. Todd Gurley had his day saved by a TD, bringing his point total to 14.7. I did deem Gurley a TD dependent player, this just happened to be a week where he found the end zone. All things considered, Gurley was a viable play this week, so I'll take this as a "miss". Stefon Diggs was a bold take for me, especially given the red hot start that the Bills are in the midst of. I do feel slightly vindicated by this call, as Stefon Diggs finished outside of WR 2 territory, scoring 12.9 fantasy points, not amazing but still a perfectly usable point total. Chris Herndon was an easy, absolute layup of a pick. Like I said, I am still working on how to identify 'Sits of the week' based on metrics and matchup data. There aren't enough hours in the day haha.

All of my starts were in amazing situations to be top 20 at their respective positions on the week. Likewise with my sits, the matchups were not in their favor. If I could go back in time and re-evaluate these games/matchup's, I would likely land on some of these same names again. This is just one of those weeks where it didn't work out, and I just gotta eat it and move on. My grade: D

Popped off & Dropped off: This segment may not always feature the highest/lowest scoring players at their respective positions. These are just guys who surprised me and could have continued success. Points referenced are from fantasydata.com | 0.5 PPR scoring

Popped Off:

- QB - Aaron Rodgers - QB 7 | 24.5 pts.

21/32 passing / 283 yds. / 3 TD | 2 rush att. / 12 yds.

- QB - Nick Mullens - QB 16 | 17.72 pts.

25/36 passing / 343 yds. / 1 TD

- RB - James Robinson - RB 3 | 27.9 pts.

Rushing - 11 att. / 46 yds. / 2 TD | Receiving - 6 rec. / 83 yds.

- RB - Darrell Henderson - RB 11 | 18.5 pts.

Rushing - 20 att. / 114 yds. / 1 TD | Receiving - 1 rec. / 6 yds.

- WR - Justin Jefferson - WR 2 | 27 pts.

9 tgt. / 7 rec. / 175 yds. / 1 TD

- WR - Keenan Allen - WR 4 | 23.7 pts.

19 tgt. / 13 rec. / 132 yds. / 1 TD

- WR - Allen Lazard - WR 5 | 23.4 pts.

8 tgt. / 6 rec. / 146 yds. / 1 TD

- TE - Jimmy Graham - TE 1 | 21 pts.

9 tgt. / 6 rec. / 60 yds. / 2 TD

- TE - Robert Tonyan - TE 4 | 13.5 pts.

5 tgt. / 5 rec. / 50 yds. / 1 TD

***

Dropped Off:

- QB - Justin Herbert - QB 20 | 14.7 pts.

35/49 passing / 330 yds. / 1 TD / 1 INT | 3 rush att. / 5 yds.

- QB - Cam Newton - QB 28 | 11.2 pts.

17/28 passing / 162 yds. / 1 TD / 1 INT | 9 rush att. / 27 yds.

- RB - Josh Jacobs - RB 31 | 7.8 pts.

Rushing - 16 att. / 71 yds. | Receiving - 3 rec. / 12 yds. / 1 FUM

- RB - Joe Mixon - RB 33 | 7.5 pts.

Rushing - 17 att. / 49 yds. | Receiving - 2 rec. / 16 yds.

- WR - Odell Beckham Jr. - WR 47 | 7.9 pts.

6 tgt. / 4 rec. / 59 yds.

- WR - D.J. Moore - WR 49 | 7.5 pts.

4 tgt. / 2 rec. / 65 yds.

- TE - Tyler Higbee - TE 20 | 7 pts.

2 tgt. / 2 rec. / 40 yds.

- TE - Darren Waller - TE 46 | 1.9 pts.

4 tgt. / 2 rec. / 9 yds.

The Waiver Wire:

Quarter Back:

Justin Herbert - QB, Chargers - 21% Rostered

Herbert's second start was not as impressive as his first, especially losing to the Panthers. That being said, given the severity of Tyrod Taylor's injury, Herbert will be starting for the foreseeable future. There is no denying he is surrounded with premier talent, it will just take some time for him to figure it all out. Once he does you will definitely wish you had him on your team.

Running Back:

Rex Burkhead - RB, Patriots - 11% Rostered

Burkhead has been filling in for James White who has missed the last two games for personal reasons (prayers up). Burkhead cashed in during week 3, scoring 3 total TD's. Burkhead has had sustained fantasy relevance before, and he appears to be locked into the receiving role, at least until James White returns.

Damien Harris - RB, Patriots - 26% Rostered

The fact that Harris has yet to play a snap this season, but is still 26% rostered in Yahoo leagues should tell you a lot. Harris is eligible to return from the short term IR soon. Harris was the talk of training camp. Before Sunday's outlier performance, RB Sony Michel has been miserably inefficient. If you have an IR spot, or a bench spot to burn for a couple weeks, I would definitely recommend stashing Damien Harris, as there is a legit chance that Harris can emerge as the Patriots lead back.

Wide Receiver:

Allen Lazard - WR, Packers - 49% Rostered

The Packers WR 2 really hushed the doubters on Sunday. I myself have criticized the decision to move forward with a former UDFA as the WR 2 in Green Bay, but Lazard stepped up and came in clutch vs. the Saints. His 146 yards and 1 TD were huge for the Packers securing that win. Aaron Rodgers loves Allen Lazard, Sunday it was easy to see why. Lazard should be on rosters.

Justin Jefferson - WR, Vikings - 31% Rostered

The talent rookie out of LSU finally had his number called in a meaningful way, and he sure took advantage. The Titans secondary is more suspect than we imagine, but make no mistake, Jefferson's breakout was for real. The Vikings were yearning for another viable weapon on that offense. Jefferson may have proven to be just that with his 7-175-1 performance in week 3.

Brandon Aiyuk - WR, 49ers - 28% Rostered

Brandon Aiyuk got it done through the air and on the ground Sunday vs. the Jets. Aiyuk was looking very Deebo Samuel-esque, showing exactly why the 49ers spent a 1st round pick on the rookie out of Arizona State. With Deebo Samuel & George Kittle still on the mend, Aiyuk is in line for more opportunities in the coming weeks.

Tee Higgins - WR, Bengals - 5% Rostered

Higgins's breakout was not quite as loud as the rookies mentioned above. Totaling only 40 yards is not that impressive, but finding the end zone twice is something I am interested in. The inconsistencies of the incumbent WR's leaves a lot of room for Tee Higgins to emerge as a reliable option for rookie sensation, Joe Burrow. Higgins might not be a guy to add this week, but someone to keep an eye on, as he has seen his playing time increase every week. In week 3, Higgins played 79% of the offensive snaps.

Tight End:

Mo Alie-Cox - TE, Colts - 10% Rostered

Mo Alie-Cox came through with another solid performance, 3-50-1 in a game where the offense didn't really need to do much. As long as Jack Doyle remains sidelined, Mo Alie-Cox has TE 1 upside given the fact that QB Philip Rivers loves throwing to his TE.

Dalton Schultz - TE, Cowboys - 31% Rostered

In week 2, Schultz saw 10 targets, catching 9 of them for 88 yards and 1 TD. In week 3's contest vs. the Seahawks, Shultz's targets went down to 6, but he seems to be a completely competent replacement for Blake Jarwin who was placed on IR with a torn ACL. I would only consider adding Schultz if you are dealing with an injury at TE currently. As we approach bye weeks, Shultz will be a fine bye week fill in as well.

You made it to the end of yet another edition of the weekly roundup. I hope you enjoyed week 3's edition. I hope that week 3 was kinder to you that it was to myself. If you enjoyed this content, please share it with a friend or three! Also be sure to follow me on Twitter for more content just like this, @ZackFFB & @AtoZffb to stay up to date with our podcast, content, & giveaways! Check out our podcast & everything else related to A-Z FFB in the link tree by clicking here. No literally, click on the word 'here'!

I'll catch you next week, 'same bat time, same bat channel'.