Welcome back to week three of Keeping it Real With Fantasy. The first three weeks have been entertaining, and the fantasy season is finally settling in. Week 4 shouldn’t disappoint as many players have shown flashes of breakout seasons, while others have been surprisingly inefficient. Alvin Kamara, who was drafted in the first round in most leagues, ranks 56th amongst running backs in ESPN fantasy points. Similarly, Austin Ekeler, who is rostered in 99.9% of ESPN leagues ranks 34th amongst running backs in fantasy points. On the contrary, both Christian Kirk and Amon Ra St. Brown rank top seven amongst wide receivers so far in scoring. 

News/Injuries:

D’Andre Swift (RB) – The 2022 season has been riddled with injury for the young running back D’Andre Swift. After recovering from an ankle injury, swift is now dealing with a shoulder injury. Swift is likely going to need time to rest, his backup Jamal Williams will see the majority of the touches while Swift recovers. 

David Montgomery (RB) – Montgomery is dealing with multiple injuries to his leg: knee and ankle. The Bears running back missed both Wednesday and Thursday’s practice which likely means he won’t be active for week 4’s game against the Giants. 

Christian McCaffrey (RB) – The superstar McCaffrey, who annually deals with multiple injuries. McCaffrey, too, missed both Wednesday and Thursday’s practice with a quad injury and his status is in question for Sunday. 

Starts:

Chris Olave (WR) – Rookie receivers have been dominating this year. Chris Olave leads these receivers, winning rookie of the month with 268 receiving yards on 17 receptions. His success in the NFL won’t stop here, especially after receiving the largest target share on his team over veteran receiver Michael Thomas and star running back Alvin Kamara. After his dominant performance in week 3 there should be no reason to leave the up and coming receiver on your bench this week. 

Romeo Doubs (WR) – It’s been a rough start for Packers’ receivers but there is some light amongst the measly performance. The rookie Doubs seems to be Aaron Rodgers’s new number one out on the field. By the end of week three Doubs saw the highest target share, tallying eight catches on eight targets for 73 yards and a touchdown. Week 4 the Packers face an injury riddled New England Patriots and all signs are pointing towards another big game for the stand out rookie. 

Sits: 

Michael Carter (RB) – After a tough loss week 3 against the Bengals, Carter was not the man on the field during crunch time. All signs are pointing towards second round draft pick Breece Hall taking over the workload sooner rather than later. Only seeing 11 carries and two targets, Carter should be seen on everyone’s benches come sunday. 

DK Metcalf (WR) – Metcalf, once a phenom, has fell off along with the Seahawks. Russell Wilson left Seattle for the Broncos, and Metcalf was left with Drew Lock as his Quarterback. His production has decreased significantly, only having 135 yards and a touchdown throughout three games. The Lions recently held Justin Jefferson in check, and should be able to do the same to DK.

Waiver Wires:

Greg Dortch (WR) – The Cardinals, who are missing DeAndre Hopkins, lost Christian Kirk in free agency, and released Andy Isabella are short on receivers despite acquiring Marquise Brown this offseason. Dortch has stepped up and established consistency in the first three weeks averaging 15 points per game in ESPN leagues while only being rostered in less than 20% of leagues. 

Khalil Herbert (RB) – With star running back David Montgomery going down week 3 to an ankle injury, the man next in line is Khalil Herbert. Herbert saw the majority of the workload after the fall of Montgomery tallying 157 yards on 20 carries for 2 touchdowns. The running back is poised for a huge game and would be a solid addition to any fantasy roster.