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| Sunday, September 25, 2022 |
| We're here to help you set your lineups, and you probably need the help this week, given all of the injuries around the league. If this is what Week 3 on the injury report looks like, I'm not looking forward to how the rest of the season is going to play out. |
| Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and Dave Richard are on CBS Sports HQ to answer your questions and get you the latest up-to-date injury news live until kickoff. And if you want more direct answers to your questions, I've got two more ways for you to win: Go to Twitter and use the hashtag "#AskFFT", where our whole team will be answering questions all morning; and go to the FFT YouTube channel to chat with Adam Aizer, Frank Stampfl and I starting at 11:30. We'll be there right up until kickoff answering as many questions as we can, so make sure you're in the chat early to get your questions in. |
| For more Week 2 help, here's the rest of our preview content to get you ready: |
| Week 3 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WRStarts, sits and sleepers for every gameWeek 3 Cheat Sheets: PPR | Non-PPRWeek 3 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TEWeek 3 Rankings: Jamey | Dave | Heath | ChrisMy Updated Week 3 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE |
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| For the rest of this morning's newsletter, I have updates on the latest injury news as well as answers to your questions in an #AskFFT mailbag -- email me at chris.towers@ViacomCBS.com throughout the week to get your emails included. |
| Week 3 Injury Report |
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| Quarterbacks |
| Justin Herbert (ribs) is a legitimate game-time decision as he continues to deal with his injury from Week 2. He is reportedly mulling pain-killing injections at the site of the injury to play, and it doesn't sound like the risk is one of re-injury -- it's more of a pain-management issue. If he plays, you're probably starting him, but Herbert carries some risk as a result of the injury, for sure. He's not the obvious top-five QB he typically is. If he doesn't play, Chase Daniel is a downgrade for the entire offense. |
| Running backs |
J.K. Dobbins (knee) is expected to make his debut today after rehabbing his reconstructed knee. He's been practicing for a few weeks, but I still expect Dobbins to have his reps limited, so I'm not viewing him as a must-start Fantasy RB just yet -- he should get there eventually, but for now he's more of an RB3 as he knocks the rust off.
Alvin Kamara (ribs) looks like he's going to play after missing last week's game. It's not clear if he's going to be limited as a result of the injury -- his role in Week 1 wasn't quite what we expected due to the injury. I'm not treating Kamara like a top-12 RB this week, but I'm starting him where I have him. James Conner (ankle) is still looking like a game-time decision, but Sunday morning reports indicate he is trending toward playing. Maybe he has a lesser role than usual -- maybe Eno Benjamin takes on a few more snaps to help keep Conner fresh -- but Conner is still an RB2 in my rankings if he plays.Josh Jacobs (illness) joined the team in Tennessee Saturday after missing the flight Friday. It's not clear yet if he's going to play, but the fact that he did ultimately travel seems to indicate he will. If he doesn't, Brandon Bolden and Zamir White would likely both see a bigger role, with White likely handling rushing downs and Bolden getting a bigger role in the passing game -- I'd rather use Bolden if it came to it.Leonard Fournette (hamstring) looks like he's going to play, after following the same practice trends as last week. |
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| Wide receivers |
| We'll start with the Buccaneers receivers, just like last week. Chris Godwin (hamstring) is out, as is Mike Evans (suspension). Julio Jones (knee) is a game-time decision, while Russell Gage (hamstring) is expected to play -- I think the same is true of Breshad Perriman (knee). The Buccaneers added Cole Beasley from their practice squad, and I get the feeling he's going to play a decent role off the bat. Gage is the only one of this group I would trust in my season-long lineups, but even he is more of a low-end WR3 for me. There just isn't enough certainty beyond him to trust anyone. Keenan Allen (hamstring) looks like he has a chance to play, though it's not a great sign that he missed Friday's practice after being limited the first two days of the week. If he plays, you're definitely starting him, but there's risk between his injury and Herbert's. Michael Pittman (quad) is not on the injury report for the Colts, so his absence is just a one-week thing. Alec Pierce (concussion) is also expected to make his return, so that gives Matt Ryan his top two WRs back. Pittman is a must-start option. Gabe Davis (ankle) is expected to play against the Dolphins. He's going to test it in warm-ups to make sure, so don't lock in your lineup until you see inactives, but he's a WR3 if he does play. Jerry Jeudy (ribs/sternum) looks like he's got a pretty good chance to play, per Sunday morning reports. Whether he'll play his typical role remains to be seen, and the risk of re-injury makes him a risk, but I'm expecting he'll be pretty involved -- I'm still viewing him as the 1b to Courtland Sutton's 1a in this offense. Both are in the WR2/3 range of my rankings. The Packers have some injury concerns of their own in that game against the Buccaneers, with Randall Cobb (illness) and Christian Watson (hamstring) questionable plus Sammy Watkins placed on IR earlier in the week. Romeo Doubs is a great beat-the-waiver-wire add just in case he steps up this week. Michael Gallup (knee) is expected to play Monday night against the Giants, assuming he passes his final tests in warmups. You should be stashing him, but don't start him in his first game back. Hunter Renfrow (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Titans. Jakobi Meyes (knee) is not expected to play, per Sunday morning reports. Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne figure to see bigger roles, but I don't think anyone from this passing game is worth using. Kadarius Toney (hamstring) is doubtful for Monday's game against the Cowboys. I still have some hope he'll figure it out, but his inability to stay on the field has reportedly been an issue with the coaches, so he has some work to do to prove himself. Rondale Moore (hamstring) remains out, with Greg Dortch remaining an interesting PPR sleeper in his absence. Kyle Phillips (shoulder) is doubtful for Sunday against the Raiders. Treylon Burks could see an even bigger role if Phillips remains out. |
| Tight ends |
| George Kittle (groin) is expected to make his return this week after he was taken off the practice report Friday. He is not expected to face any snap count restrictions, so you have to have Kittle in your lineup. Dawson Knox (foot) is questionable, but it looks like he's going to play after upping his participation in practice Thursday and Friday. He's a fringe starter at this point.T.J. Hockenson (ribs) was limited in practice all week, and we don't really have any sign of whether he is going to play. He remains a volume-based TE1 if he's active. Dalton Schultz (knee) got a limited practice in Saturday, but I'd prefer not to have to rely on him going into Monday Night Football. I'm not sure I trust rookie Jake Ferguson to be worth using if Schultz is out, and the Cowboys don't really have a tight end worth getting excited about -- Tanner Hudson and Daniel Bellinger have combined for four targets in two games. |
| #AskFFT Mailbag |
| Send your questions to Chris.Towers@ViacomCBS.com to be included next week |
| Doug: For teams sitting at 0-2, coming off the heels of a good draft with players performing less than their expected output (your Kyle Pitts/Darnell Mooney variety), do you bail on relatively highly drafted players for the waiver-wire hotshots or hang tight? |
| It all depends on the player, obviously. With Mooney, I'm not far from giving up hope – the Bears need to show a willingness to operate like a modern NFL offense for him to have any chance of living up to his potential, and they haven't done that through two games – they have the NFL's only two games with 20 or fewer pass attempts. They'll throw more than they have moving forward, but the early returns on this offense are bad enough that it's not unreasonable to have thinning patience with Mooney. |
| Pitts is a different question, mostly because I just truly believe he's an elite talent. Maybe Drake London is even better – he's pretty dang good, you know – but I need more than two games before I'm willing to give up on a young player of Pitts' skill set. If anything, London's quick emergence should make Pitts' life easier, and I believe it will moving forward. Even if Pitts has a bad game this week, I'm still going to rank him as a top-10 tight end. |
| Which is to say, your preseason expectations should still hold quite a bit of weight. They shouldn't be everything, of course – we have learned new information, And I can't tell you there's an obvious rule when it comes to who deserves your faith and who doesn't. It's an "I know it when I see it" kind of thing. |
| Bill: I'm worried about Wentz vs Eagles defense after seeing the Vikings struggle. I picked up Flacco, but I'm having second thoughts. So, start Wentz or Flacco? |
| I share your concerns about Wentz – he's had some pretty bad stretches so far, especially in the first half of games, where he has averaged 5.9 yards per pass attempt. Wentz has been able to come back from his slow starts so far, but this Eagles defense figures to be quite a bit tougher than the Jaguars or Lions. Wentz has some pretty excellent weapons, but so does Kirk, and Darius Slay was able to take away Justin Jefferson pretty convincingly. However, there are plenty of quarterbacks with questions right now, and I can't say Wentz is one of the riskier ones. It says a lot about the state of the position this week that Wentz is a top-12 option. |
| Scott: Start two in full PPR: Drake London, Rashod Bateman, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave? |
| That's something of an embarrassment of riches, which can be a blessing and a curse – I have one league where I'm 1-1 but I've left the most points on my bench of any team in the league because I'm making these kinds of tough calls every week. It's the worst. At some point, if these guys keep producing, you might want to consolidate and turn two of them into one superstar-level player, if for no other reason than to save yourself the headache of dealing with these kinds of decisions. |
| But that's a discussion for a different time. Among these four, I have Wilson ranked 21st, Bateman 24th, London 30th, and Olave 40th. There are certainly things to like about all of them, but they all have competition for targets. I actually feel a bit iffy about having Bateman ranked highest, simply because he isn't playing every snap or running every route for the Ravens, and it's already a pretty low-volume passing game to begin with. He's hit on enough big plays early on to overcome that, but I think there are likely to be some frustrating days in his future. |
| Tom: I have Waddle in my flex (A.J. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown starting). Should I replace with Sutton? Both are playing really tough defenses. Also have Lockett, Singletary and Edmonds as options for flex. |
| I like both Sutton and Waddle, and if Jeudy is out, it makes it an even tougher call. I'll tentatively give Waddle the edge, and I think that'll hold even if Jeudy is out – the Bills still have a ferocious pass rush, and I'm still not sure I trust Tua Tagovailoa against good pass rushes. |
| But the Bills are missing multiple starters in the secondary, including both of their starting safeties, which is going to give Waddle the chance to break one or two of those big plays that are fast becoming Miami's signature. The Dolphins offense is built around two-WR sets, and Waddle and Hill should keep getting funneled targets, so I'm treating both like top-12 options. |
| Eddie: Who would you start at flex Antonio Gibson or Curtis Samuel? |
| I do like Curtis Samuel, but I'm sticking with Gibson here. He's had 14 carries in each of the first two games with 12 targets, which is exactly the workload we've been hoping he would end up with. The passing game role from Week 1 didn't translate to Week 2, which is a concern, and the way Samuel has been featured early on, and especially when the Commanders need a touchdown, has been incredibly impressive, but I think Gibson's combined role wins out. |
Rankings Updates
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| Quarterbacks |
Josh Allen @MIA Patrick Mahomes @IND Lamar Jackson @NE Jalen Hurts @WAS Kyler Murray vs. LAR Joe Burrow @NYJ
Matthew Stafford @ARI Derek Carr @TEN Justin Herbert vs. JAX Carson Wentz vs. PHI Russell Wilson vs. SF Tua Tagovailoa vs. BUF Aaron Rodgers @TB Jameis Winston @CAR Trevor Lawrence @LAC Kirk Cousins vs. DET Tom Brady vs. GB Justin Fields vs. HOU Jared Goff @MIN Marcus Mariota @SEA Baker Mayfield vs. NO Daniel Jones vs. DAL Jimmy Garoppolo @DEN Joe Flacco vs. CIN Mac Jones vs. BAL Ryan Tannehill vs. LV Cooper Rush @NYG Matt Ryan vs. KC Geno Smith vs. ATL Davis Mills @CHI |
| Running backs |
| Christian McCaffrey vs. NOJonathan Taylor vs. KCSaquon Barkley vs. DALAustin Ekeler vs. JAXLeonard Fournette vs. GBJoe Mixon @NYJDalvin Cook vs. DETAaron Jones @TBDerrick Henry vs. LV D'Andre Swift @MINJavonte Williams vs. SFDavid Montgomery vs. HOUJames Conner vs. LARAlvin Kamara @CARAntonio Gibson vs. PHIJosh Jacobs @TENCordarrelle Patterson @SEAAJ Dillon @TBEzekiel Elliott @NYG Miles Sanders @WASDarrell Henderson @ARIJeff Wilson @DENJames Robinson @LACNyheim Hines vs. KCDameon Pierce @CHIDamien Harris vs. BALRhamondre Stevenson vs. BALMichael Carter vs. CINJ.D. McKissic vs. PHI J.K. Dobbins @NEChase Edmonds vs. BUFBreece Hall vs. CINClyde Edwards-Helaire @INDCam Akers @ARITony Pollard @NYGDevin Singletary @MIATravis Etienne @LACJamaal Williams @MINRashaad Penny vs. ATL Raheem Mostert vs. BUFMelvin Gordon vs. SFTyler Allgeier @SEASony Michel vs. JAXAlexander Mattison vs. DETKenneth Walker vs. ATLZack Moss @MIAKenneth Gainwell @WASMark Ingram @CAREno Benjamin vs. LAR Jordan Mason @DENRex Burkhead @CHIKenyan Drake @NEKhalil Herbert vs. HOUAmeer Abdullah @TENRachaad White vs. GBSamaje Perine @NYJAmari Rodgers @TB |
| Wide receivers |
| Cooper Kupp @ARIDavante Adams @TENJustin Jefferson vs. DETStefon Diggs @MIAJa'Marr Chase @NYJAmon-Ra St. Brown @MINDeebo Samuel @DENTyreek Hill vs. BUFTee Higgins @NYJ A.J. Brown @WASJaylen Waddle vs. BUFBrandin Cooks @CHIKeenan Allen vs. JAXMichael Pittman Jr. vs. KCMike Williams vs. JAXMichael Thomas @CARD.J. Moore vs. NOChristian Kirk @LACCeeDee Lamb @NYG Garrett Wilson vs. CINCurtis Samuel vs. PHIMarquise Brown vs. LARRashod Bateman @NEElijah Moore vs. CINAdam Thielen vs. DETCourtland Sutton vs. SFAllen Robinson @ARIJuJu Smith-Schuster @INDDrake London @SEA Terry McLaurin vs. PHID.K. Metcalf vs. ATLJerry Jeudy vs. SFTyler Lockett vs. ATLRussell Gage vs. GBDarnell Mooney vs. HOUDeVonta Smith @WASBrandon Aiyuk @DENGabe Davis @MIATreylon Burks vs. LV Sterling Shepard vs. DALTyler Boyd @NYJRobert Woods vs. LVAllen Lazard @TBGreg Dortch vs. LARCole Beasley vs. GBCorey Davis vs. CINChris Olave @CARJarvis Landry @CARJahan Dotson vs. PHI Zay Jones @LACDJ Chark @MINRobby Anderson vs. NOA.J. Green vs. LARNico Collins @CHIKyle Phillips vs. LVDeVante Parker vs. BAL |
| Tight Ends |
| Travis Kelce @INDMark Andrews @NEKyle Pitts @SEAGeorge Kittle @DENDarren Waller @TENTyler Higbee @ARIDallas Goedert @WAST.J. Hockenson @MINGerald Everett vs. JAX Zach Ertz vs. LARLogan Thomas vs. PHIIrv Smith vs. DETCole Kmet vs. HOUDawson Knox @MIAAlbert Okwuegbunam vs. SFDalton Schultz @NYGHunter Henry vs. BALEvan Engram @LACMike Gesicki vs. BUF Tyler Conklin vs. CINHayden Hurst @NYJNoah Fant vs. ATL |
| Flex Top-150 |
| Cooper Kupp @ARIChristian McCaffrey vs. NOJonathan Taylor vs. KCSaquon Barkley vs. DALAustin Ekeler vs. JAXLeonard Fournette vs. GBDavante Adams @TENJustin Jefferson vs. DET Stefon Diggs @MIAJa'Marr Chase @NYJAmon-Ra St. Brown @MINJoe Mixon @NYJDeebo Samuel @DENTravis Kelce @INDTyreek Hill vs. BUFDalvin Cook vs. DETNajee Harris @CLETee Higgins @NYJ Aaron Jones @TBDerrick Henry vs. LVA.J. Brown @WASJaylen Waddle vs. BUFD'Andre Swift @MINMark Andrews @NEBrandin Cooks @CHIJavonte Williams vs. SFDavid Montgomery vs. HOUJames Conner vs. LAR Nick Chubb vs. PITAlvin Kamara @CARAntonio Gibson vs. PHIKeenan Allen vs. JAXMichael Pittman Jr. vs. KCMike Williams vs. JAXMichael Thomas @CARJosh Jacobs @TEND.J. Moore vs. NOCordarrelle Patterson @SEA Diontae Johnson @CLEKyle Pitts @SEAAJ Dillon @TBGarrett Wilson vs. CINChristian Kirk @LACEzekiel Elliott @NYGMiles Sanders @WASCeeDee Lamb @NYGDarrell Henderson @ARICurtis Samuel vs. PHI Marquise Brown vs. LARRashod Bateman @NEElijah Moore vs. CINAdam Thielen vs. DETGeorge Kittle @DENCourtland Sutton vs. SFJeff Wilson @DENAllen Robinson @ARIJuJu Smith-Schuster @INDDrake London @SEA Terry McLaurin vs. PHID.K. Metcalf vs. ATLJerry Jeudy vs. SFTyler Lockett vs. ATLJames Robinson @LACRussell Gage vs. GBDarren Waller @TENKareem Hunt vs. PITNyheim Hines vs. KCDarnell Mooney vs. HOU Dameon Pierce @CHITyler Higbee @ARIDamien Harris vs. BALRhamondre Stevenson vs. BALAmari Cooper vs. PITDeVonta Smith @WASMichael Carter vs. CINDallas Goedert @WAST.J. Hockenson @MINJ.D. McKissic vs. PHI J.K. Dobbins @NEChase Edmonds vs. BUFBrandon Aiyuk @DENGabe Davis @MIATreylon Burks vs. LVSterling Shepard vs. DALTyler Boyd @NYJRobert Woods vs. LVAllen Lazard @TBPat Freiermuth @CLE Breece Hall vs. CINClyde Edwards-Helaire @INDGerald Everett vs. JAXChase Claypool @CLEGreg Dortch vs. LARCole Beasley vs. GBCorey Davis vs. CINCam Akers @ARIChris Olave @CARJarvis Landry @CAR Tony Pollard @NYGJahan Dotson vs. PHIDevin Singletary @MIATravis Etienne @LACJamaal Williams @MINZay Jones @LACZach Ertz vs. LARDJ Chark @MINRobby Anderson vs. NOA.J. Green vs. LAR Rashaad Penny vs. ATLRaheem Mostert vs. BUFLogan Thomas vs. PHINico Collins @CHIDonovan Peoples-Jones vs. PITIrv Smith vs. DETMelvin Gordon vs. SFKyle Phillips vs. LVDeVante Parker vs. BALK.J. Osborn vs. DET Tyler Allgeier @SEACole Kmet vs. HOUIsaiah McKenzie @MIADawson Knox @MIAAlbert Okwuegbunam vs. SFDalton Schultz @NYGHunter Henry vs. BALMarquez Valdes-Scantling @INDMarvin Jones @LACBryan Edwards @SEA Breshad Perriman vs. GBMecole Hardman @INDEvan Engram @LACSony Michel vs. JAXDavid Njoku vs. PITNoah Brown @NYGGeorge Pickens @CLEMike Gesicki vs. BUFRomeo Doubs @TBJosh Palmer vs. JAX Alexander Mattison vs. DETHunter Renfrow @TENTyler Conklin vs. CINHayden Hurst @NYJOlamide Zaccheaus @SEANoah Fant vs. ATLKenneth Walker vs. ATLZack Moss @MIAKenneth Gainwell @WASAustin Hooper vs. LV Mark Ingram @CARSkyy Moore @IND |
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