Welcome back to Week 3 of Keeping it Real With Fantasy! This past week, we saw much of the expected. Tom Brady is still that guy. He threw for five  touchdowns against the Atlanta defense. The Ravens and Chiefs gave us a stunning primetime game as the Ravens pulled off a last second win in a nailbiter of a game. The two former MVPs duked it out, and Lamar Jackson came out with the W. Both the Giants and the Jets lost. Again. The Giants lost on a game winning field goal from the Washington Football Team. The Jets, on the other hand, became the league’s laughingstock following last week’s match against the Patriots. Rookie quarterback Zack Wilson threw two interceptions on his first two pass attempts. Wilson then managed to tack on his third interception within his first 5 attempts- all within the first half. He tallied his fourth and final interception in the second half. The Jets weren’t defeated. They were curbstomped, spat on, and hung out to dry. If you have friends who are Jets fans, check on them. They can’t be okay after this past week. 

Putting New York’s struggles aside, we have a great week of football coming up! 

News & Injuries

Tua Tagovailoa (QB) – After taking a hard hit on Miami’s second drive of the game, Tagovailoa was carted off and sent back to the locker room. He did not return to the game resulting in the Dolphins’ 35-0 loss. Tagovailoa injured his ribs and is now listed as day-to-day. The Dolphins are holding out hope for their QB1 to return on Sunday, as they complimented his toughness. His status on Sunday will depend on how much pain he’s in and if the Dolphins are willing to roll the dice on their starter. 

Amari Cooper (WR) – Cooper played the majority of the Cowboy’s Week 2 matchup against the Chargers until the final drive. He returned to the locker room and missed the final two plays. The Cowboys won, but reports have been released that Cooper has bruised his ribs. Cooper has an extra day to recover as the Cowboys make their way back on the field for Monday Night Football. If he’s unavailable on Monday, look to receiver Ceedee Lamb to fill the whole Cooper left. 

Andy Dalton (QB) – The Bears’ veteran QB left in the second quarter of his matchup against the Bengals after suffering a knee injury. Dalton didn’t tear his ACL, but is certainly not ready to return for next week. His absence will lead to the long awaited start of rookie quarterback Justin Fields. If all goes well for Fields, he might win the QB1 in Chicago. Things are getting interesting in the Windy City. 

Starts

Chase Edmonds – The Cardinals are as explosive as it gets, and Edmonds continues to be the team’s top RB. After recording 106 yards on 16 opportunities in Week 1, Edmonds had another solid week with 75 yards on 13 opportunities against the Vikings in Week 2. He has out-touched James Conner 29 to 24 and seems to be the primary back in the passing game.  

Sam Darnold –  The 13th ranked fantasy quarterback has been solid the first two weeks of the season, and I don’t anticipate this trend slowing down anytime soon. With a numerous amount of studs on the offensive side, Darnold is bound for success in week 3’s matchup against the Texans on thursday. Exceeding the expectations of many, Darnold’s stats have been on the exponential rise and has been able to spread the ball around. 

Sits

Zach Wilson – No surprise here, but the new Jets rookie has been off to an uncomfortable start, throwing four ints’ against the Patriots last week. Although New England’s defense is notorious for throwing a lot at new quarterbacks, their next week match up against the Broncos isn’t going to go down as well because of their yards per game (YPG) and points per game (PPG). Don’t look for the one dimensional New York team to have a breakout week against a solid Denver team. 

Devante Parker – Unless he scores, Parker shouldn’t start for your fantasy team, and Week 2 was a prime example. Although he led the team in targets with nine, Parker had only 42 yards with five receptions as the WR53 on the week. Sure, he has had brutal matchups, but this is who he is, posting WR3 or worse numbers in 69% of his active games since 2017.

Waiver Wires

Rondale Moore – Through two games, Moore has notched 182 total receiving yards on 11 receptions. In an explosive Cardinals offense, Moore is turning out to be a breakout wide receiver early on as he saw 13 targets. That is more than fellow star teammate, Deandre Hopkins, who has 12 targets through the first two weeks. If he can continue at this pace for the rest of the season, Rondale has a real chance of finishing as a top 25 wide receiver in fantasy football on a very pass-heavy offense. 

Sony Michel – Rams’ starting running back, Darrel Henderson, went out of this past Sunday’s game with a ribs injury. While it is uncertain when Henderson will be back on the field, Sony Michel is a must add for now. When Henderson left the game, Michel handled most of the workload and he looked really good. In fact, he took 10 carries for 46 yards, a very good rushing rate. Sony Michel is more talented than Henderson, and while Henderson is out, it is believed that Michel could possibly take the lead back role in the coming weeks. Keep a close watch on Henderson’s status within the coming days to make your decision on Michel.