After two weeks of the worst injury news I can remember so early in a fantasy season, it appears, knock on wood, as if most of us made it through Week 3 unscathed. Outside of Justin Herbert (ankle) being seen in a walking boot, he hopes to play in Week 4, Sam Darnold (knee) left the game for a play and came right back (will have precautionary MRI early this week), and Sam LaPorta (ankle) leaving the game near halftime, it feels like Week 3 was a win as far as injuries go.
Did you take my advice and add AND START Sam Darnold? Did you shake your head wondering why I did not list Jauan Jennings in my Week 3 Waiver column (Editor’s Note: I did add him later via a tweet on X)? How about Bucky Irving? Are the Bucs ready to hand him the starting RB job after 84 total yards in an ugly loss at home against the Broncos? What did we think of the Derek Carr dud?
Now what? Well, same as last week. We step back, take a deep breath, and prepare for Week 4. While we prepare for the current week, it is important to remember the bye weeks start next week. Time to prep for those Week 5 byes (Lions, Chargers, Eagles, Titans).
Do not forget the @Razzball NFL team of writers will be hosting our Sunday Morning Start/Sit podcast every week starting three hours before kickoff all the way up to the official start of the early games. Bobby – @BobbyLaMarco, Sky – @SkyGuasco, Derek – @Derek_Favret, and me/Matt – @stiles08, will be answering all your questions to help you win your weekly matchups. Come for the analysis and stay for the laughs!
WAIVERS:
ADD OF THE WEEK = Jauan Jennings – 31% rostered: Who needs CMC, Deebo, and Kittle when you have Jauan Jennings? Said no one ever (until Week 3 of this unpredictable 2024 fantasy football season). Add Jennings NOW and start him NOW. This will be the last time you will be able to obtain him and the price will be high after his monster Week 3 showing (11 catches on 12 targets for 175 yards and 3 TDs)!
QB: Andy Dalton – 4% rostered: I will be the first to admit that some (many) waiver adds could turn out to be one-week wonders. I do not thin that is the case with the Red Rifle in 2024. Andy Dalton was virtually flawless in carving apart a Raiders defense that had been solid to start the season. With almost 320 passing yards and 3 TDs, Dalton announced his return and firmly supplanted Bryce Young on the bench! Dalton is a must add and start in SuperFlex and is shaping up nicely as a bye week fill-in for Week 5 for those of you rostering Goff, Herbert, Hurts, or Levis.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Sam Darnold – 13% rostered: Scary to see Sam Darnold SZN almost over in second half of yesterdays game. Alas, our Viking warrior came right back into the game and capped off the Minnesota 3-0 start by throwing for 181 yards and 4 TDs. Keep an eye on reports from his early week MRI.
Aaron Rodgers – 50% rostered: Did you ever think you would see this guy’s name in a waiver wire column? Especially one written by a self-admitted Packers homer? Well, neither did I, but Thursday night was a clinic and Dr. Rodgers was making house calls all night. He looked mobile and accurate. What more could you want from the four-time league MVP?
RB: Braelon Allen 36% rostered. I repeat…As the primary handcuff to consensus Top 3 RB pick, Breece Hall, he should be on more than 36% of rosters. After a quiet Week 1, Allen added a nice Week 2 and Week 3 (just minus the two TDs) and is a must add in my opinion. 14 touches in Week 3 shows me this kid has implied (handcuff) and actual value at the RB position.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Bucky Irving – 35% rostered: Week 3 is the first week in which Irving has out-touched Rachaad White. Sure, it was only by one touch, but to pass White, Irving had to start with one, right? Irving is clearly the better running RB with White proving his value as a pass-catching RB. What needs to happen now is Todd Bowles needs to understand which RB fits better in each role and then play to those strengths. It appears as if we are witnessing the start of a full-time RB split in Tampa.
Emmanuel Wilson – 3% rostered: This is a pure dart throw considering Josh Jacobs is the clear alpha for Green Bay. Wilson, with Mar’Shawn Lloyd on IR is making a case for more carries, if for no other reason than he is a nice complimentary, change of pace RB to Jacobs. His 14 touches (and TD) mean we need to pay attention. This is still Jacobs’ backfield, but there is every reason for Matt LaFleur to continue to mix in Wilson.
WR: I have been screaming from the mountaintops about my guy Darnell Mooney – 26% rostered and I will continue to do so with the frequency at which Kirk Cousins looks his way. He caught all 8 targets for 66 yards in Week 3 and was the go-to WR for Cousins during the game winning drive against Philly in Week 2. Mooney may not be an every week starter for you but he is a perfect plug-and-play during bye weeks.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Quentin Johnston – 45% rostered looked like a legit professional WR again in Week 3, except he only had two targets, one of which he hauled in for a TD. Keep an eye on Justin Herbert’s ankle since Johnston loses some value with Taylor Heinecke as the starting QB. He may be less expensive with the backup QB under center and probably should be owned in far more than 45% of rosters especially with his 3 TDs already in hand.
Tre Tucker – 0% rostered (hard pass)
Calvin Austin – 0% rostered (hard pass)
DeMario Douglas – 7% rostered (worth your consideration)
Michael Wilson – 9% rostered (best of this foursome)
TE: I sure wish I was in a no TE league this season. What a dumpster fire the position has been. If you have a TE named Kincaid, McBride, Kelce, Andrews, Engram, Pitts, Kittle, LaPorta, I guess you just stay the course. If you can add Cole Kmet – 40% rostered, Mike Gesicki – 40% rostered, or Hunter Henry – 52% rostered, then take a shot if they are inexpensive. Did I mention this position is a dumpster fire? I would almost rather provide Kicker recommendations at this point!
As mentioned above, it has only been three weeks, so if you lost, got blown out even, or had an early rash of injuries, relax. It will be OK. There is no need to rush to drop any specific player.
Follow me @stiles08 on X and send questions comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs. We have a ton of free content to include our Slot Versus Wide tool, our Win Versus Loss tool, and many more.
-Stiles-
