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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
David Dorey

Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

 

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
Dak Prescott 379-7 3
 Brock Purdy 288-41 3
Lamar Jackson 182-87 2
Malik Willis 202-73 2
Andy Dalton 319-(-2) 3
Running Backs Yards TD
Saquon Barkley 156 2
Kyren Williams 116 3
Derrick Henry 174 2
Chuba Hubbard 159 1
Jonathan Taylor 135 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Jauan Jennings 11-175 3
Malik Nabers 8-78 2
Amari Cooper 7-86 2
Diontae Johnson 8-122 1
Rashee Rice 12-110 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Dallas Goedert 10-170 0
Cole Kmet 10-97 1
Jake Ferguson 6-95 0
Tyler Conklin 5-93 0
Noah Fant 6-60 0
Placekickers XP FG
Will Lutz 2 4
Eddy Pinero 3 3
Brayden Narveson 3 3
Will Riechard 4 2
Brandon Aubrey 1 2
Defense Sack – TO TD
Jets 7-1 0
Packers 7-2 1
Broncos 7-2 0
Seahawks 3-2 0
Vikings 5-2 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Justin Herbert – Ankle
QB Sam Darnold – Knee
QB Skylar Thompson – Chest
TE Sam LaPorta – Ankle
TE Trey McBride – Head
WR Van Jefferson – Eye
WR Tank Dell – Hand
WR Adam Thielen – Hamstring
WR DeVonta Smith – Concussion

Chasing Ambulances

QB Justin Herbert – He was already playing through a high-ankle sprain and reaggravated it in the loss to the Steelers. His availability to face the Chiefs will be determined later in the week. Taylor Heinicke joined the Chargers just a few weeks ago and replaced him on Sunday.

QB Sam Darnold – Was hit low by a defender but returned to the game. He will get an MRI this week to ensure there is no damage.

QB Skylar Thompson – Was hit by a defender in his ribs and remained down for a while. Tim Boyle replaced him, which dropped the offense by yet another notch. His status for this week’s game against the Titans will be determined during the week, but the Dolphins also signed Tyler Huntley, who may be an option if Thompson remains out.

TE Sam LaPorta – Left the field on a cart after getting rolled up while blocking. He returned later in the game only to leave again when he further aggravated his ankle sprain. The Lions play football on Monday night and then take their Week 5 bye. If LaPorta’s sprain has any severity, they may elect to sit him this week and then have him return in Week 6 after their bye.

TE Trey McBride – Hit helmets with the Lions safety and remained down on the field for a while. He will be evaluated for a concussion. The Cardinals likely do not need McBride this week, but no fantasy player should ever miss a home game against the Commanders.

WR Tank Dell – Injured his hand at the end of the loss to the Vikings but later said it would not be a problem.

WR Adam Theilen – On the day the Panthers magically found an offense, Theilen injured his hamstring during his touchdown catch. He remained down for a while and finally limped off the field. His status will be determined later in the week for the home game against the Bengals this week, but it appeared to be more than a minor strain.

WR DeVonta Smith – The Eagles star wideout was in a scrum when a defender came in from the side and hit him helmet to helmet which the Eagles considered a “dirty shot” (hard to argue). He was immediately diagnosed with a concussion and left the game. If A.J. Brown remains out, the Eagles may be very short on viable wide receivers. Britain Covey and Jahan Dotson would see increased playing time, but Dallas Goedert and Saquon Barkley would likely see bigger roles.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Andy Dalton – Well, this changes everything. At least for this week. Bryce Young was benched and Dalton started against the Raiders. The Red Rocket merely threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns for one of the best fantasy performances by any quarterback this year, let alone on the Panthers. This was an entirely different team than the previous two weeks, and it happened on the road.

WR Diontae Johnson – After his first two weeks as a Panthers only totaled five catches for 34 yards, it was more than a small surprise to see Johnson turn in eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Raiders. His 14 targets were nine more than any other Carolina player.

WR Demario Douglas – The Patriots’ slot receiver was busy in the loss to the Jets when he fielded nine targets and caught seven for 69 yards. No other Pats’ receiver gained more than 19 yards and Douglas ended with more than twice as many targets as anyone else.

RB Braelon Allen – The Jets rookie continues to be more involved each week.  Granted, the Jets easily beat the Patriots and Allen helped mop up, but he ran 11 times for 55 yards and had three receptions. Breece Hall gained 54 yards on 16 rushes and caught four passes. Hall scores every week, but any chance for the occasional 25+ carry monster game may be capped off thanks to Allen who is nearing stand-alone fantasy value.

WR Malik Nabers – No matter than he was drafted by one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL, the rookie looks capable of carrying the team by himself in some games. He finished the upset at the Browns with eight catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Nabers not only is a difference-maker, he’s making Daniel Jones look great good capable.

WR Amari Cooper – After two weeks of nearly zero production, Cooper showed up in Week 3 against the Giants when he led the Browns with seven catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. No one else on the Browns’ offense scored or gained more than 33 yards.

Bears backfield – There’s no real fantasy value here, and the Bears’ offense just became even more convoluted with Roschon Johnson leading the backfield with 30 rushing yards on eight carries, while D’Andre Swift gained 20 yards on his 13 rushes and Khalil Herbert (4-9) pitched in as well. It was Johnson’s first work of the season, so expect more of the less.

QB Caleb Williams – After his first two games failed to record a passing touchdown or throw for more than 174 yards, Williams’ owners started quietly returning him to the waiver wire last week. That was premature. The Bears lost in Indianapolis, but the rookie passed for 363 yards and two touchdowns. He threw two interceptions again, but Williams looked more like a No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

WR Stefon Diggs  – The ex-Bill came at a discount in fantasy drafts because he changed teams, but he led the Texans with ten catches for 94 yards this week – twice as much as any other receiver. When the game against the Vikings went bad, Diggs was the preferred target for C.J. Stroud.’

TE Dallas Goedert – The Eagles’ tight end needed to help compensate for the injured A.J. Brown and turned in a career-best ten catches for 170 yards in the win over the Saints. That was double the yardage of his first two games combined. His role may remain large if Brown misses this week in Tampa Bay.

WR Courtland Sutton – He led the Broncos with only seven catches for 68 yards, but Bo Nix passed better and Sutton’s role should continue to grow. Those first two games caused some to give up on him, but Sutton is one to at least hold on to and see how quickly Nix improves.

RB Bucky Irving – He is consistently better than Rachaad White. In the loss to the Broncos (I know, right?), White only ran for 17 yards on six carries (2.8 YPC) while Irving gained 70 yards on nine rushes (7.8). And it wasn’t just trash yardage at the end of the game. By halftime, Irving had already run four times for 49 yards while White had his six rushes. White still caught five passes, while Irving snared three passes.

WR Michael Wilson – The Cardinals saw Marvin Harrison Jr. catch fire in Week 2, and now their No. 2 wideout Wilson logged his best game with eight catches for 64 yards in the loss to the Lions. Harrison still managed five receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jauan Jennings (SF)  –  It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen – the best fantasy player for the week is probably not on anyone’s roster (until waivers are processed this week). The 49ers No. 3 receiver was asked to do more with Deebo Samuel and George Kittle out. He did.

Jennings caught 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns for a career-best performance. And yet, the 49ers still lost 24-27.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to  cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Malik Willis 202-73 2 QB Anthony Richardson 167-24 0
RB Chuba Hubbard 21-114 rush
5-55 rcv
1 RB Rhamondre Stevenson 6-23 0
RB Emanuel Wilson 12-50 rush
2-35 rcv
1 RB Josh Jacobs 14-43 rush
1-5 rcv
0
WR Jauan Jennings 11-175 3 WR Davante Adams 4-40 0
WR Tre Tucker 7-96 1 WR Mike Evans 2-17 0
WR Rome Odunze 6-112 1 WR Tyreek Hill 3-40 0
TE Tyler Conklin 5-93 0 TE Mark Andrews nope 0
PK Will Lutz 2 XP   4 FG PK Ka’imi Fairbairn  1  XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 207 Huddle Fantasy Points = 39

Now get back to work…

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