The Seahawks placed RB Travis Homer (ribs) on IR. He's out at least the next 4 weeks. Homer had been playing a passing-down role for Seattle before the injury. We'd expect that work to now go to RB DeeJay Dallas, but we'll see if RBs Rashaad Penny or Ken Walker can pick up some of it.
Saints WRs Michael Thomas (toe) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. Their injuries reportedly aren't serious, but consider them uncertain for this weekend's game vs. the Vikings. We'll get another update on their statuses tomorrow.
Jets HC Robert Saleh announced Wednesday that QB Zach Wilson has been medically cleared from the meniscus tear and bone bruise he suffered in his knee in mid-August. Barring a setback this week, Wilson will start Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. He shouldn't be in fantasy lineups, but we'll see what he means for New York's skill-position guys. QB Joe Flacco currently leads the NFL with 155 pass attempts but completed just 59% of them and averaged an ugly 5.8 yards per attempt. Wilson is certainly capable of beating those numbers.
Browns EDGE Myles Garrett was released from the hospital Monday night after his one-car accident. He suffered a shoulder sprain, biceps strain and lacerations, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, but cleared the league's concussion protocol, according to other reports. The team has yet to rule him out for Sunday's game against the Falcons.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott had the stitches removed from his surgically repaired thumb but still has swelling, HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday. Once that subsides, Prescott will need to regain strength in the thumb. Then he can resume throwing. “I do not have a timeline for when he will start throwing," McCarthy admitted. Prescott and the team have been overly optimistic about his return timeline recently. We still think Week 6 is his earliest possible return.
Tests on Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown's injured ankle were "encouraging overall," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "They’ll be cautious, but if St. Brown misses time, it shouldn’t be anything long-term," Pelissero adds. It doesn't sound like St. Brown is quite a lock to play Week 4. But we're expecting him to considering he returned to last week's game after hurting the ankle.
The Eagles and Lions used a steady dose of double teams to limit Vikings WR Justin Jefferson to a combined 9 catches and 62 scoreless yards over the past 2 weeks. HC Kevin O'Connell is determined to get Jefferson going again. "I have to do a better job of giving Justin different aspects of lining up in different spots, different personnel groupings, whatever I need to do to help him," O'Connell said. WRs Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn delivered TDs on more advantageous matchups in Week 3. The pendulum will swing back in Jefferson's direction soon. We're not worried about his rest-of-season fantasy outlook.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel called QB Tua Tagovailoa (back, ankle) "questionable" for Thursday night's game vs. the Bengals but added that he's "optimistic" his QB will be able to play. The short week is doing Tagovailoa no favors. We'll see what he does in practice today and tomorrow and how he's listed on the final injury report Wednesday afternoon.
RB Tony Pollard paced the Dallas backfield in production in Week 3, taking 13 carries for 105 yards. He saw the Cowboys’ first attempt of the night vs. New York but was narrowly out-carried by Zeke Elliott (15-73) overall. Elliott handled 3 of Dallas’ 4 goal line rushing opportunities, punching in 1 score. And, after seeing 7 targets in Week 1, Pollard garnered only 1 against the Giants. This backfield split will remain in place going forward, with Elliott the slightly better bet for weekly carries. Pollard’s receiving game involvement should rebound a bit Sunday vs. Washington. Also note that Dak Prescott (thumb) should return over the next couple of weeks.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb tallied 8 grabs for 87 yards and 1 score in a Week 3 win over the Giants. His 12 targets easily led the team and represented a 38.7% share from Cooper Rush. He dropped an easy downfield ball before halftime, but fantasy owners can’t really complain about his production. The young WR has now tallied lines of 6-112 (2021), 7-75 and 8-87-1 in 3 starts with Rush. Dak Prescott (thumb) might only be a couple of weeks away from returning, and Lamb will clearly remain a fantasy starter in the meantime. Next up is a divisional tilt with Washington.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley was the team’s lone standout in Monday’s loss to Dallas, rushing 14 times for 81 yards and 1 score. The highlight was a 36-yard scoring dash that showcased his speed and vision. Barkley added 4 grabs for 45 yards, although his 10.8% target share disappointed a bit. Still, through 3 games, his target share sits at nearly 18%. With Sterling Shepard now done for the year (ACL), that number could rise for Barkley. Next up is a home game vs. Chicago.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that S Minkah Fitzpatrick has entered the concussion protocol. He was diagnosed in the wake of Thursday night's loss to the Browns. We'll see whether Fitzpatrick can make it back for Sunday's game against the Jets, but plan as though you won't have him available for IDP lineups.
The Bears have placed WR Byron Pringle on IR with an injury to his right calf. That will knock him out for at least 4 games. Pringle -- coming off preseason injury issues -- only managed 26 total snaps through the 1st 3 contests. So his absence shouldn't mean too much impact, especially for an offense vehemently opposed to throwing the ball.
Giants WR Sterling Shepard tore his left ACL at the end of Monday night's loss to the Cowboys and will miss the rest of the season. It's an especially tough blow for a guy who just came back from a December Achilles' tear and was leading a disappointing Giants WR corps. Shepard's injury helps the opportunity for Kadarius Toney, if the 2nd-year wideout can get healthy and get his stuff together. Otherwise, it's David Sills V, Richie James and the ghost of Kenny Golladay. We'll see about Shepard's status heading into 2023, which will be his age-30 season.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams led the backfield in Week 3, rushing 15 times for 58 yards. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Melvin Gordon mixed in for 12 attempts and a goal line score, plus 6 targets (vs. 5 for Williams). Williams added a drop. If there’s a positive here, it’s that he continues to pass the eye test as a tackle-dodger. Pro Football Focus charted him with 5 missed tackles forced against a stout San Francisco defense. He’ll enter a more favorable matchup this Sunday at Vegas.
Giants WR Sterling Shepard left late in the 4th quarter of Monday night's loss to the Cowboys after injuring his left knee. It was a non-contact injury, and Shepard left the field on a cart. This doesn't look good for a guy coming off a December Achilles' tendon tear.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy played through his questionable tag for Sunday night's win over the 49ers. He spent 20 fewer snaps on the field than WR Courtland Sutton but ran only 9 fewer routes (39-30, according to Pro Football Focus). Sutton led the team, though, in targets (10), receptions (8) and receiving yards (97). No one else on the team reached 30 receiving yards. Jeudy added 2 catches for 17 yards on 6 targets. His 1 missed connection was a narrowly completed deep ball that got tipped by the covering corner just before reaching Jeudy's hands. We'd bet on that playing-time gap closing as Jeudy gets further beyond his Week 2 injury.
Seahawks QB Geno Smith racked up 325 yards and 2 TDs on 32-of-44 passing in Sunday's loss to the Falcons. Smith threw 52.3% of his pass attempts at WRs D.K. Metcalf (12) or Tyler Lockett (11). No other Seahawk drew more than 4 looks. Lockett posted a 9-76 receiving line. Metcalf caught 5 balls for 64 yards and a TD. The remaining score went to TE Will Dissly.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts had his best receiving line of the season so far, with 5 catches for 87 yards in Sunday's win over the Seahawks. His 8 targets led the team and accounted for 40% of QB Marcus Mariota's total pass attempts. The downside: Pitts saw his playing time decrease in 2-WR sets. He played in 64 of 74 such snaps through the first 2 games (86.5%). That rate dipped to 54.3% at Seattle, according to Pro Football Focus numbers. WR Drake London followed with 6 targets, the only other Falcon to draw more than 2. Mariota threw for 229 yards and a TD to London on his 20 attempts. He added a 1-yard TD on the ground in the 1st quarter.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson ran for 141 yards and a TD on 17 carries in Sunday's win over the Seahawks. He ceded just 7 other rushing attempts to Tyler Allgeier (6) and Avery Williams (1). Patterson again didn't see much receiving work. He garnered 1 target for the 2nd straight game and ran just 2 more routes than the combined total for Allgeier and Williams. We're not sure Patterson is built to regularly log 17+ carries, as he has in 2 of the 1st 3 games. But we'll take the production from a guy whose ADP sat well outside of starter range in fantasy football drafts. A decent Week 4 matchup with Cleveland gives way to tougher defenses from Tampa Bay and San Francisco the following 2 games.
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