Chargers WR Mike Williams has been diagnosed with a torn left ACL and will miss the rest of the 2023 season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The timing of the injury at least gives Williams a good chance to be ready for the start of the 2024 campaign. He turns 29 in about a week and is officially signed with the Chargers for next season. But his contract currently carries a $32.5 million cap hit. Williams will need to restructure that deal to remain with the team. His absence for the rest of this season leaves behind big opportunity. Williams averaged 8.7 targets on a 21.3% share through three games. WR Josh Palmer is the better immediate bet for production with Williams out. But first-round rookie WR Quentin Johnston is the higher-upside longer-term bet. WR Keenan Allen, RB Austin Ekeler (once healthy), and TE Gerald Everett should also see a bit more volume without Williams.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes' ankle is "all good," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Mahomes got rolled up on near the end of the first half of Sunday's blowout win over the Bears. But he stayed in the game, only exiting in the third quarter after the Chiefs went up 41-0. Mahomes should be fine for Sunday night's game vs. the Jets.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini hears that there's "optimism" Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) will be able to play vs. the Rams tonight. He'll go through a workout this morning, per Russini, before a final decision is made. "Burrow is campaigning with the coaching staff and trainers to play, however his status is still uncertain," Russini adds. We'll keep you updated on the situation.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin tied for the team lead in targets (6) in Week 3. He caught all 6 but tallied only 41 yards against a Bills D that held Washington to 3 points. McLaurin’s now been held under 50 yards twice this season, which happened only four times all of 2022. He’s also tied with Jahan Dotson in 2023 target share (17.4%). Improved play from Sam Howell is a must if McLaurin is to get back to WR2 status. He figures to see plenty of top CB Darius Slay when Philly hosts the Commanders in Week 4.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo was checked for a concussion after Sunday night's loss to the Steelers. No word yet on whether he's been placed in the protocol. We should get an update by the end of today.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Chargers fear WR Mike Williams may have suffered a "potentially" season-ending left knee injury in Sunday's win over the Vikings. He'll have an MRI today to confirm the diagnosis. Losing Williams would present opportunity to rookie WR Quentin Johnston and third-year WR Josh Palmer. Each will be worth a look on the waiver wire this week, with Johnston carrying more upside.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Saints QB Derek Carr is believed to have suffered an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. Carr reportedly avoided "major" injury to the joint, but Rapoport says he'd be "a little surprised" if Carr were able to play in Week 4. Assuming he doesn't, Jameis Winston would get the start against Tampa Bay. Winston threw for 101 yards on 10-of-16 passing in relief against the Packers on Sunday. He's worth a pickup in superflex leagues for Week 4.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown gathered 5 catches, 61 yards, and 1 score in a Week 3 win over Dallas. His 7 targets represented a 33.3% team share. He’s benefiting from Josh Dobbs’ surprisingly effective play, as the QB hit him both downfield (23 yards) and at the goal line (2 yards) on tight-window connections. Brown now travels to San Francisco looking to sustain a hefty season-long target share of 27.5%.
Cardinals RB James Conner piled up 98 rushing yards and 1 score on 14 attempts. Surprisingly, Arizona’s O-line opened up several holes for Conner to exploit. He nearly went untouched on his goal line score from 5 yards out. The veteran has now scored in two straight, while he’s hit 15 opportunities in all three games. He’ll be tested Sunday at San Francisco, especially with the 49ers having a rest advantage.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard encountered some bad luck in Week 3. He looked spry en route to 121 yards on 26 touches, but he lost a 15-yard screen pass TD to backup Rico Dowdle. (Pollard wasn’t in for the previous play, and the one before that was a false start.) Dallas’ lead back is now sitting on 0 TDs over the past two weeks, despite 58 touches. You’ll continue to see him near the top of our RB rankings due to that high-end volume.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott struggled in the red zone in Week 3, leading to a lowly 249-1-1 passing line. “It just goes back to myself, the offense, in the red zone,” Dak said. “We get better there, we win this game. But we've got to fix that area, period.” After going one of five in the red zone on Sunday, the Cowboys now rank 27th in RZ efficiency. If we’re searching for a positive: Michael Gallup enjoyed his best game of 2023 (6-92). Brandin Cooks also returned in this one and dodged a setback. Prescott will look to rebound at home vs. New England.
Raiders WR Davante Adams hauled in 13 of 20 targets for 172 yards and 2 TDs in Week 3 vs. the Steelers. Teammate Jakobi Meyers saw major involvement in his return from a concussion, logging 7 catches on 12 targets for 85 yards in Sunday night’s loss. These performances certainly benefited fantasy managers this weekend, particularly the 42.2 PPR point effort from Adams. The Vegas duo will look to deliver again in Week 4 vs. the Chargers.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs ran the ball 17 times for 62 rushing yards in Week 3’s loss vs. the Steelers. He also added 3 catches on 5 targets for 18 yards and a score as a receiver in the game. There’s still a lot left to be desired from last season’s rushing yardage champion, though Jacobs is turning a corner here. His 80 total yards are the highest mark he’s recorded thus far in 2023. We’ll see if he can make good on these strides in Week 4 vs. the Chargers.
Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo completed 28 of 44 attempts for 324 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs in Week 3's loss vs. the Steelers. The Pittsburgh pass run was able to get after Garoppolo early and often, racking up 4 sacks in the contest. However, he was able to sync up nicely with WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. That's certainly a positive to hold onto. Fantasy managers should hope for a better performance with fewer turnovers in Week 4 vs. the Chargers.
Steelers WR George Pickens led the team in receiving with 75 yards and 4 catches in Week 3’s win vs. the Raiders. Second-year wideout Calvin Austin III had a nice performance as well, hauling in 2 of 6 targets with a 72-yard TD. Fantasy managers also saw a bounce back from TE Pat Freiermuth in the contest. He totaled 3 catches for 41 yards and a score on Sunday night. This is the best that the Steelers’ passing offense has looked all season. Still, we’re not going to get overly excited about this one, given the poor state of the offense. We’ll see if this unit can build upon their achievements in Week 4 vs. the Texans.
Steelers RB Najee Harris posted 19 carries for 65 rushing yards vs. the Raiders on Sunday night. Teammate Jaylen Warren logged 29 rushing yards on 8 carries in addition to hauling 3 of 4 targets for 23 yards as a receiver. Even though the duo saw a larger workload divide between them in this contest, Warren outscored Harris in PPR with 8.2 and 6.5 points, respectively. The Raiders’ defense has been a soft matchup so far in 2023. The fact that neither back could capitalize on this opportunity speaks to the deficiencies the Steelers’ offense still has to work through. They’ll have a chance to improve upon this outing next week vs. the Texans.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett completed 16 of 28 attempts for 235 passing yards with 2 TD in Week 3 vs. the Raiders, marking the first multi-passing TD game of his NFL career. Pickett was lucky to have a would-be INT dropped early in the contest, a theme all too familiar for him at this point. One thing that won’t come up in the box score, however, is a 27-yard run from the signal-caller in the second quarter that was negated by a penalty. Pickett only ended the game with 11 rushing yards officially, though he did look pretty good running around. He’ll look to build on his minor successes in Week 4 vs. the Texans.
Dolphins Edge Jaelan Phillips left Sunday's win over the Broncos with an oblique injury. That's a new issue after he missed Week 2 with a back injury. HC Mike McDaniel said afterward that the team trainer "wasn't too worried," according to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. We'll see about Phillips' outlook for Week 4.
Chargers S Derwin James left Sunday's win over the Vikings with a hamstring injury. After the game, James called it "nothing major, nothing to be concerned about," according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. James also said he'll know more after a Monday MRI. We'll see what the testing reveals.
Broncos LB Josey Jewell left Sunday's loss to the Dolphins with a groin injury. The team downgraded him to out before the end of the contest. That likely doesn't bode well for his chances of being ready for Week 4. We'll watch for more on Jewell's outlook and the potential fill-in plan.
Search
