The Monday NFL Roundup: Week 3

Photo: USA Today Sports

Christian McCaffrey. Isiah Pacheco. Cooper Kupp. Puka Nacua. A.J. Brown. Tua Tagovailoa. Evan Engram. 

The list will continue to grow. 

Injuries are an unfortunate reality in football. As fantasy managers, we can only hope to avoid them and react when we cannot. Christian McCaffrey's surprise Monday night scratch left managers reeling in Week 1. At least we knew about A.J. Brown yesterday morning. 

So, what do you do when injuries hit?

A Guide to Fantasy Football Injuries

Handcuffs.

I recognize the insensitivity to this term. We associate it with a direct backup running back to a fantasy-relevant starter. An intriguing school of thought says you should never roster a handcuff because it limits the ceiling of your roster. Tell Christian McCaffrey managers who had Jordan Mason on their bench ready to swap in last Monday. This applies more to a Best Ball or a format that does not require active management during the season. I want to build for optimal upside and assume health as my top option. I had a sixth-grade teacher who taught us what it means to assume. In a managed league, I do not actively seek to grab handcuff backs above ADP, but I do not stray away from adding them at value. Mason was available on many deep waivers this summer. The idea McCaffrey owners should avoid adding him if the acquisition cost is free because of the hypothetical roster value ceiling is absurd. But so are most things in life if you stick to black-and-white applications.  

Trading for production.

Here, I am much more rigid. I see McCaffrey managers trading second and sometimes even first-round rookie picks for Mason. This is ridiculous. If your team is not built to weather a player missing in your lineup, even if it is McCaffrey, trading away a future draft pick is the last thing you need. I recognize the possibility McCaffrey misses the entire season, but in that instance, you no longer have a contender built around McCaffrey. Do you think this is the last injury your lineup will have this year? I'm okay(ish) with the idea of trading future draft picks to help bolster a contender, but go out and add a player like Derrick Henry or Alvin Kamara on a veteran discount and have a higher ceiling when McCaffrey does return. 

Building a bench.

I naturally classify players into backs who will gain significant value with an injury before them and those who do not. A satellite or third down back rarely sees much value change if the “lead” back is injured and does not give you a weekly ceiling to be anything beyond a bye-week, what-the-heck flex (credit Sigmund Bloom for coining that term). Ideally, I have two, no-doubt, starting running backs and a bench full of players who gain value with injury. I can capitalize and upgrade elsewhere if there are more than three no-doubt backs on my roster. Someone in your league is always desperate for a running back; hence, Jordan Mason traded for early picks. The biggest key is allowing yourself to gain value. 

Wide receiver injuries.

Receiver handcuffs are not real. Usually, the starters will increase their volume to account for a missing teammate. Bluntly, there is no easy answer for dealing with a loss to a receiver you drafted in the first round. ZeroRB builds should continue to draft receivers until the drop-off occurs around ~WR40. However, holding running backs who can gain value opens up opportunities for trade to address this lost production. 

Adopt a DFS mindset.

One of my favorite stories deals with a rival from my home league. Significant bragging rights were always on the line when we would play. His team was better than mine that year as I was dealing with injuries. So I pivoted and adopted a DFS mindset of hunting the waiver wire for the best possible matchups for that week, throwing some darts on some longer-shot receivers who profiled for great matchups. It worked, and I was able to spring the upset that week. When dealing with injuries and bye weeks, compartmentalize and focus on the only thing that matters: beating the team before you. Sorry, Dan. Thank you, Terrance Williams! 

Don't give up.

Don't ever give up. If you have played fantasy football long enough, you can probably think of an instance when a random game in Week 8 swung and affected the playoffs. Almost every league has people who quit or accidentally start inactive players. Keep swinging and allow luck to break in your favor. Getting into the playoffs is the primary goal of the regular season. Once you accomplish that, anything can happen. 

Okay, give up if it's a dynasty.

We have all had teams that were just The Team From Hell. Dynasty allows pivoting if you have lost Tagovailoa, McCaffrey, Kupp, and Pacheco. You may have been planning on that team being a contender for nine months. This happened to you; you did not cause it. Pivoting to build value or rebound off one down year is perfectly acceptable. Sometimes, you may have been dealt a favor from being blinded by ambition.  

Thank you, Nathan Jahnke. Check out Nathan's weekly usage article on PFF.com!

And now, The Roundup.

Blind Resume

Revenge of the tight ends! After a disappointing start to the season for elite tight end drafters, some players came through with high-volume days. Can you place this production?

Deep Dynasty Watch List

Identifying players rostered in less than 50% of Sleeper Dynasty leagues (give or take).

• QB Skylar Thompson, Miami (14% Sleeper rostered) - The violent nature of football creates heart-stopping moments. Everyone watching stopped when Tua Tagovailoa hit the turf and exhibited the dreaded Fencing response. Tagovailoa and his family need to make the best decision for them. As a fan of the game, he should have our unconditional support. Due to the transactional nature of fantasy football, the importance of quarterbacks in Superflex formats, and the elite nature of offensive weapons in Miami, Thompson has to be mentioned. Times like this, “next man up” feels particularly cold. Thompson struggled to relieve Tagovailoa, but he beat out Mike White before the season. With a week of prep, Thompson should be better.

• QB Andy Dalton, Carolina (8% Sleeper rostered) - How long is the leash in Carolina? Looks like it was two weeks long. If the Falcons score three points on Monday night, the Panthers will have the fewest points scored and the most points allowed. Dalton was a regular starter in New Orleans as recently as 2022, and he posted 361 passing yards in his only start in 2023. The Panthers need to get to some level of competition; it's probably in Young's best interest to sit him and allow the rest of the offense to get on the same page in Dave Canales' scheme. 

• RB Julius Chestnut, Tennessee (2% Sleeper rostered) - Tyjae Spears picked up an ankle injury in the loss to the Jets. Chestnut was active and played in the loss. If Spears misses time, this backfield will lean heavily on Tony Pollard. In deep leagues, the backfield churn matters, and part of that is adding players who are still backups but climb closer to an opportunity. 

• TE Brenton Strange, Jacksonville (17% Sleeper rostered) - Evan Engram was a bit of a surprise inactive, injuring his hamstring in pregame warmups. That pushed the second-year Strange into the lineup. He saw six targets, converting three for 65 yards. Strange is an athletic player capable of adding many of the same elements as Engram. Depending on the severity of Engram's injury, Strange could enter the pool for shallower leagues. 

• WR Jordan Whittington, LA Rams (71% Sleeper rostered) - The Puka Nacua IR placement likely chased Whittington off most deep waivers. The Cooper Kupp injury makes him a must-roster in almost all leagues. The Rams quickly emerge as the “Year From Hell” team (credit to The Ringer's Danny Heifetz).  The Rams get the 49ers in Week 3. This could quickly become a “play the youth and see what they have” situation. 

• RB Carson Steele (4% Sleeper rostered) / RB Samaje Perine (8% Sleeper rostered), Kansas City - Isiah Pacheco was diagnosed with a fractured fibula. Without him in the lineup, the Chiefs are likely looking at a traditional committee, Perine handling passing game work and Steele as a short-yardage specialist. Injuries have already created desperate fantasy situations early on, and the ceiling is high on this offense. Both are worth adding to rosters while Pacheco is out, deferring to Perine in PPR formats. 

• WR Jalen Nailor, Minnesota (46% Sleeper rostered) - Nailor has scored in both games and is WR25 on the season. Justin Jefferson looked like his old self but picked up an injury in this game. The hope stands at no time missed, but Jordan Addison missed this game, and T.J. Hockenson's return is still far off.  Nailor is an every-down player, as it stands for the Vikings. While his production has been boosted by the touchdowns, increasing the trust in Sam Darnold will lead to more volume. 

Stats Of The Week

• 44.1 Passer Rating—QB Bryce Young, Carolina—Since 1978, only Ryan Leaf has attempted more than 200 passes in a season with a lower rating. Leaf posted a 39.0 rating as a rookie in 1998. The Panthers have already benched him.

• 15 for 15 / 91 Points—The Saints have 15 possessions on the season and 15 scoring drives. According to NFL research, only the 2009 Saints (93 points) scored more in the first two weeks, with the 1971 Cowboys equaling the Saints' 91 points. 

• Three rushing touchdowns / one receiving touchdown - RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans - Kamara posted his third career game with three or more rushing touchdowns, pairing it with a receiving touchdown for the first time. This was the 44th time in NFL history a player has rushed for three touchdowns while catching a touchdown pass. Christian McCaffrey and Raheem Mostert were the only players to do it in 2023. Marshall Faulk is the only player in NFL history to accomplish this three times. 

• Thirty-two rush attempts - RB Josh Jacobs, Green Bay - The 32 rushes were the second most of Jacobs's career, and he became the seventh Packers back to hit this number in a game. Joining Joe Mixon's 30 attempts in Week 1, the NFL has now equaled the total 30+ attempt games for each of 2023, 2022, and 2021. 

• Fifty-three rush attempts - The Packers became the first team since the 2021 Ravens to rush 50 times in a game. Seven teams have hit this mark since the 2010 season. The last time the Packers hit 50 rush attempts in a game was Week 13 in 1978. 

• 131 rushing yards - RB J.K. Dobbins, LA Chargers - Dobbins posted the first back-to-back 100-yard games for a Charger since Melvin Gordon III in 2018. His recovery is one of the early feel-good stories. He hit 19.92 MPH in Week 1, tying Saquon Barkley as the fastest running back on the week. His injury history will create trepidation, and social media is filled with calls to “sell high”, but this may still be a buy-low situation.  

• Forty-four rush attempts—The Chargers tied their most rushing attempts since 2008. The last time they hit 44 attempts in a game was a 2020 overtime game against the Chiefs. The franchise record for attempts in a game is 58, but with Justin Herbert getting banged up, that may be threatened. 

• Twelve receptions / ten receptions - WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and WR D.K. Metcalf, Seattle - The Seahawks had two receivers hit double-digit receptions for the first time in team history. Week 1 was odd, with Tyler Lockett as the top target and Metcalf and Smith-Njigba both afterthoughts. Fantasy managers must feel much better about the ADPs invested in the top two targets today. 

• Four receptions, 130 yards, two touchdowns - WR Marvin Harrison Jr. - The Randy Moss Club? Harrison Jr. became the 18th rookie to catch four passes or less, top 130 yards, and score twice. Marquise Brown was the last to do it in 2019. NFL fans of a certain age will never forget Moss's Thanksgiving 1998 performance when he posted 163 yards and three touchdowns on just three catches. Rumors of Harrison Jr.'s demise were greatly exaggerated; he is the fantasy WR1 of the week.