Dobbins Gets His Socks: 2022 Week 3 Fantasy Football Injury Report

My sincere apologies to all twelve of my readers for my lackluster effort in last week’s injury report article, where I clearly had no idea what I was doing. An eagle-eyed reader on Reddit pointed to my deficiencies, which were many, and indicated that he — I assume it was a he because he liked to participate in the Tinder subreddit — regretted giving us a click. 

Razzball execs spent the past week discussing how we would manage without that 1/132nd of a cent of ad revenue that we would no longer receive. However, the “Blair has no clue” Zoom meeting ended early when FantasyPros returned their weekly ranks. Guess who topped the running back rankings in week 2? Oh, look, it me. 

Thanks to everybody who actually read the column and supports the site. And random Redditor — if you’re out there, I ain’t mad. I’m not here to hurt your team. But you might want to reconsider your relationship with free internet content.

I’m gonna change up the preface here a bit just so we’re all clear — medical professionals shouldn’t be commenting on the injury or health status of people who aren’t under their care. Now, I am a doctor, but not the kind you’re thinking of. I’m not here to vicariously examine in my imagination the tendon of a football player I’ve never met. Maybe you like to think about that kind of stuff. Me? I like to think about ways to win fantasy leagues. I’ll give you some plays to try, some plays to avoid, and we’ll have some fun along the way. If you’re not having fun playing fantasy sports, you’re doing it wrong. 

Aight, let’s jump into the fray and see what we can do for your team. 

If you want the best plays of the week and up-to-the-minute injury replacements, send us the cost of a small latte per week and enjoy the Razzball Premium Fantasy Football Tools.

The following players are designated as OUT at the time of writing: 

Rondale Moore: Slide back in time to three weeks ago. The S&P 500 was recovering. You could still afford a house. You still had a positive opinion about Adam Levine. And Rondale Moore was your savior at wide receiver. You probably strutted around the house in your undies, celebrating all the fantasy football you were about to win. Then Moore pulled a hammy — what is he, a 37-year-old dad? — and he’s been out since the start of the season. Meanwhile, the indefatigable Greg Dortch has admirably carried the Cardinals on his petite 5’7″ shoulders. Finally, I’m taller than a professional athlete! This is one of those nightmare situations for Moore managers — Dortch shouldn’t have been a threat, but after week 2, Dortch is WR21 on the year. He’s finished as a WR3 for 12-team leagues two weeks straight, and been useful for FLEX spots. Now, it’s not that Dortch is here to take Moore’s spot, but it certainly complicates matters for when Moore returns. If Dortch puts up a third fantasy-useful week, then we’ve got a trend, and you’re looking at diminishing returns as a Moore manager. It’s your team and you do you, but injured players on your bench earn you zero points. If you’re looking for a FLEX receiver, grab Dortch and hope that variance translates to trend. 

J.K. Dobbins: You know that writer that once wrote a book series about angsty tween wizards saving the earth from abominable evil? Am I supposed to pretend like I don’t think about a house elf when I type out the name J.K. Dobbins? You know precisely what my brain is filled with: episode pilots for new Star Trek series, the schedule for when my McDonalds switches from breakfast to lunch, and free association fantasy football jokes. Speaking of being kept out of sight, Dobbins hasn’t touched the field yet in 2022…or 2021 for that matter. Dobbins appears to be “ready” for football — yes he’s been listening to MNF theme song — yet the Ravens haven’t officially declared if he’ll play. Dobbins is available in 7% of leagues somehow. If you’re in one of those 6-teamers, grab him and get ready. If you’re a Dobbins manager and need a backup, then pray that you’re in one of the 30% of leagues where Jeff Wilson is available. For everybody else, welcome to Jamaal Williams time. 

Hunter Renfrow: Fumbled to lose the game last week and will sit out this week with a concussion. Renfrow was WR10 in 2021 and being drafted like a bench player in 2022, so fingers crossed he has a safe return. 

Josh Jacobs: Struggling with an illness and didn’t travel with the Raiders. Me too, Josh, me too. He can still zoom over to meet with the team — and not the virtual meeting kind of zoom — so he’s a game-time call. Zamir White is probably the wrong answer for your fantasy team — I’d prefer almost anybody on your bench. 

Justin Herbert: Whether it be by hook or by crook, the Chargers are messing with their QB’s chests. The same week that Tyrod Taylor announced that he’s suing the Chargers doc for the infamous misdirected needle poke that punctured his lung and ushered in the Justin Herbert era, Herbert himself suffered a fractured rib. Much like a good Jason Statham movie, Herbert looked like a war zone survivor who could also chuck the pigskin with force and emotion when he finished out Week 2. Now, I don’t want to criticize the new-look Jaguars, but if there’s a matchup you might want to sit your franchise QB for, it’s the Jags in Week 3. If Herbert sits, you’re doing the QB grab bag of Marcus Mariota, Jimmy Garoppolo, or Matt Ryan. 

Trey Lance: I covered this in my Sunday NFL round-up, but our dear friend Trey Lance is off to hold a clipboard and wear a headset for the rest of 2022. Lance suffered an ankle injury in week 2 and underwent season-ending surgery. He’s obviously a drop in redraft leagues and a hold in dynasty leagues — well, a hold until we see how Jimmy G performs. Garoppolo played in 85% of snaps in 2021 and was still demoted in favor of Lance in 2022. Garoppolo has never finished as a top fantasy QB and has a fair injury history himself, so we could see plenty of opportunity for QB turnover in 2023. 

D’Andre Swift, Alvin Kamara, and Leonard Fournette: All questionable, all participated in various forms of practice. If this is your first time playing fantasy football, welcome to the injury gauntlet. It’ll last until February. Start them if they play, and if they don’t play, pray to the altar of Jeff Wilson. 

Keenan Allen: You got a problem with my injury coverage? How about the big alphabet sites reporting that Allen is “iffy” for Sunday. Hah! Take that for elite round the clock coverage. Josh Palmer saw 8 targets with Allen out last week. Also, Justin Herbert had most of his ribs for that game. Week 3 will probably be different, and you might want to avoid the Chargers as much as possible in week 3. 

Dalton Schultz and Michael Gallup: Schultz suffered a knee injury in week 2 but is still listed as questionable for week 3. The Cowboys seem like they would prefer Schultz to remain sidelined at this point, so it’s better to get a backup TE plan for week 3, like Gerald Everett or Irv Smith. Michael Gallup should play in week 3, but reports are that he’ll be on a snap count — avoid in all formats.