The Desai Guys continue their Fantasy Football coverage this week with injury updates and replacements.
Fantasy Football Updates: Week 2 Injuries And Waiver Wire Week 3
Trey Lance, QB – San Francisco 49ers
- Suffered an ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks last week
- He had surgery on the ankle and will be out for the rest of the season
- The move to bring back Jimmy Garoppolo is looking like a genius transaction after not being able to trade him during the offseason
- With Garoppolo under center, this offense is expected to lean more on the run game and Garoppolo might be a good streaming option through the season
- If you’re looking to the waiver wire to make some moves, you can look at guys like Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence, and Carson Wentz
Jerry Jeudy, WR – Denver Broncos
- Jeudy suffered injured ribs during the Week 2 games against the Houston Texans and missed most of the game
- Doesn’t seem like the injury is serious but there is a chance he might miss the Sunday night game against the 49ers
- This Broncos passing attack needs to get on track and not having Jeudy for a week will be another setback for this offense
- If you’re looking on the Broncos for waiver wire options, look at guys like Albert Okwuegbunam and KJ Hamler
- Non-Broncos players at the receiver position specifically that would be good options for this week are Garrett Wilson, Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson, and Russell Gage
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
- Injured his ankle in the Week 2 game with the Las Vegas Raiders
- The injury is not considered a long-term injury but he might not be able to play in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams
- Damien Williams and Eno Benjamin stepped in for Conner and are the options you want from the Cardinals
- With a matchup against the Rams, you might want to look elsewhere for a running back replacement in case Conner can’t play
- Good options to replace Conner this week if he can’t play include Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Jamaal Williams, and James Cook
Dalton Schultz, TE – Dallas Cowboys
- Schultz suffered a knee injury in the Cowboys game against the Bengals in Week 2
- While no structural damage has been shown in x-rays, he is expected to miss a few weeks
- This Cowboys offense continues to take hits and it might be hard to trust the backup option for Schultz, rookie Jake Ferguson
- You’re best off looking at non-Cowboys options at the tight end position
- Players like Tyler Higbee, Irv Smith Jr., Gerald Everett, and Hayden Hurst
Hunter Renfrow, WR – Las Vegas Raiders
- Suffered a concussion against the Cardinals in Week 2
- He is currently in the concussion protocol and we’ll see if he suits up for the Raiders Week 3 game against the Titans
- Renfrow has seen a good amount of targets, but nowhere near the same amount as last season with Davante Adams now a Las Vegas Raider
- Expect more targets to go to tight end Darren Waller and the running backs Josh Jacobs and Brandon Bolden
- If you want to add a Raiders receiver to replace Renfrow, your best pick would be Mack Hollins but not a good option to add
- Look to the waiver wire to add a possible replacement receiver and hopefully, you can snag a better option (some options were listed above and a few below are coming as well)
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 3 Picks
Quarterbacks
Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons vs. SEA (ESPN Roster Percentage – 9.3%)
- The Seattle Seahawks have allowed the ninth most total yards on defense
- This is a good game for Mariota to re-assert himself to be the starter in this Falcons offense
- A bad performance can lead to more thought about switching to the rookie Desmond Ridder
- The Falcons offense is pretty balanced so far and based on the performance last week by Seattle, Atlanta has a good shot of racking up stats through the air and through the ground
- Don’t be surprised to see a rushing score from Mariota to go along with a couple of passing scores
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers vs. DEN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 16.5%)
- Hey sometimes the most obvious choice is the best one and this is a no brainer
- He averaged 16 points a game last year when he was the starter so he’s the perfect streaming option
- Unlike a lot of backups, we have plenty of history to know what to expect, plus he’s familiar with this offense
- Yes, the Broncos have held both their opponents to 17 points or below but those teams were Seattle and Houston, let’s calm down here
Running Backs
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins vs. BUF (ESPN Roster Percentage – 51%)
- In a surprising development, Mostert logged 6 more touches than Chase Edmonds on his way to a near 10-point performance
- 51 yards on 11 carries is a pretty impressive performance and all he had to do was add a touchdown and he would’ve shot to the top of a lot of peoples’ list
- Yes, they are playing the Bills next but they have Cincinnati and the Jets in their two games after that
- I think that Mostert could develop into a fairly reliable FLEX player as the season stretches on
Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers vs. DEN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 2.1%)
- Rookie Tyrion Davis-Price is now going to be out for a month or so with a high-ankle sprain
- 49ers are the current leaders in rushing attempts in the league and have the fourth most rushing yards as well
- We know that Kyle Shanahan likes to ride the hot hand in the backfield and Mason looked strong in the preseason
- Also, Marlon Mack is a name to keep an eye on as well as he will be elevated from the practice squad for the foreseeable future
Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch, Arizona Cardinals vs. LAR (ESPN Roster Percentage – 2.1%)
- Through two weeks of NFL action, Dortch is the leader on the Cardinals in receptions and receiving yards
- Arizona has been very pass-heavy through two weeks and this means we should see more targets for Dortch in the short-term
- This upcoming divisional game against the Rams will see the Cardinals use any means necessary to get a win
- Expect the Rams to cover Marquise Brown with Jalen Ramsey, which could allow Dortch to find more open field to rack up yards and receptions
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets vs. CIN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 69%)
- The Jets have themselves a playmaker!
- Both his routes on his touchdown grabs were absolutely dirty and I really do think this is the start of something good, maybe even a strong rookie of the year campaign
- The Jets are going to be down a lot which means a lot of passing opportunities
- The only hang-up with him is consistency because I’m sure he’ll have a lot of trouble staying consistent but if you’re hurting for a receiver, this is definitely a risk worth taking
Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets vs. CIN (ESPN Roster Percentage – 1.8%)
- We always talk about how the younger QBs like their tight ends but the old man Flacco likes his as well
- Conklin has at least seven targets in both games so far this season
- He would’ve gone over ten points in Week 1 had he not fumbled the ball and would’ve been close to 10 this week for the same reason
- CJ Uzomah’s return could hurt his status but I think it’s still a flier worth taking regardless
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers (ESPN Roster Percentage – 30.7%)
- Everett currently leads the team in receiving yards and is tied for the lead in targets
- With Keenan Allen possibly missing more time, Everett is a good option until he returns
- Justin Herbert likes to spread the ball around but Everett has been great with the ball in his hands
- The jaguars have been good on defense, but haven’t faced a team like the Chargers yet
- Los Angeles is fourth in the league in passing yards per game and expect them to continue that
Defense/Special Teams
Kansas City Chiefs vs. IND (ESPN Roster Percentage – 3.3%)
- The Colts are averaging 10 points per game through two weeks but scored 0 points last week…
- The Chiefs are tied for second in the league in most points scored
- Expect this offense to put pressure on the Colts offense to try and keep up with them
- Kansas City has the most pressures in the NFL so far and Indianapolis is tied for fifth in the NFL for most sacks allowed
Atlanta Falcons vs. SEA (ESPN Roster Percentage – 0.4%)
- Trust me, I know how crazy this sounds but they are looking like a halfway decent defense so far
- A good game against the Rams in which they forced a pick, a fumble recovery, and two sacks proves they can hang with the best
- So they scored 6 against the Saints, 16 against the Rams and they’re playing Geno Smith and the Seahawks next week so if you have to stream, I say go with the big risk-big reward play
Kickers
Matt Ammendola, Kansas City Chiefs vs. IND (ESPN Roster Percentage – 4.8%)
- Admittedly this one is contingent on Harrison Butker’s health for Week 3 but for now, he is listed as questionable
- Amendola scored 9 in his debut for KC and he has a great offense backing him so I think he’s a great option
Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. GB (ESPN Roster Percentage – 33.6%)
- Succop is tied for the most field goals made in the league and is also tied for the most field goals attempted
- This game could be a defensive type of game with trading of scores
- Tampa Bay has been slow out of the gate this season so far and this matchup won’t fix things in that matter
- Especially with Mike Evans out for another week, this offense might stall out more often
