Footballguys #155 - 9/23 - News And Notes From Around The League
Volume 20, #155 -- Sunday Night, September 23rd, 2018
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Howdy Folks,
Good Monday to you. We've got the News and Notes you need so let's get to it.
J
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. SF - QB Jimmy Garoppolo carted off
2. PIT - Pittsburgh fielding Le'Veon Bell trade offers
3. ATL - QB Matt Ryan ties franchise record
4. NO - WR Michael Thomas absorbs all 10 targets
5. NO - RB Alvin Kamara huge in the pass game
6. NO - QB Drew Brees totals five TDs in OT win
7. KC - TE Travis Kelce hits century mark in win
8. KC - RB Kareem Hunt finds end zone twice
9. KC - Patrick Mahomes tosses three more TDs
10. SF - TE George Kittle tops team in yardage
11. SF - RB Matt Breida productive in road loss
12. HOU - WR Will Fuller catches TD pass
13. CAR - WR Devin Funchess leads way in win
14. HOU - QB Deshaun Watson throws for 385 yards
15. NYG - TE Evan Engram held to one catch
16. NYG - WR Sterling Shepard finds end zone
17. CAR - RB Christian McCaffrey goes off in win
18. CAR - QB Cam Newton totals four TDs in win
19. CIN - TE Tyler Eifert racks up six receptions
20. NYG - QB Eli Manning plays well in Week 3
21. CIN - WR A.J. Green doesn't feel injury is serious
22. CIN - WR Tyler Boyd delivers
23. CIN - RB Giovani Bernard totals 86 yards, TD
24. CIN - QB Andy Dalton picked off four times in loss
25. MIN - WR Stefon Diggs held in check
26. JAX - RB T.J. Yeldon has solid outing
27. MIN - TE Kyle Rudolph finds end zone in loss
28. MIN - WR Adam Thielen hits century mark again
29. JAX - QB Blake Bortles finishes with 155 yards
30. MIN - RB Latavius Murray does nothing in loss
31. MIN - Forgettable day for QB Kirk Cousins
1. SF - QB Jimmy Garoppolo carted off
Source: 49ers.com
San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo (knee) was carted off the field during the Week 3 game after he suffered knee injury.
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The team fears a torn ACL. CJ Beathard would take over, but other than running back reception numbers, this will be very very bad for the 49ers offense.
2. PIT - Pittsburgh fielding Le'Veon Bell trade offers
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell is being inquired about by teams pitching trade offers, and the Steelers are listening, league sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday, Sept. 23.
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The Steelers seem ready to go forward with James Conner. They will get a compensatory third for Bell as he enters unrestricted free agency next year if they don't trade him, so a team will need to make a strong offer to convince the Steelers to move him.
3. ATL - QB Matt Ryan ties franchise record
Source: ESPN Stats and Information
Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan completed 26-of-35 passes for 374 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in the Week 3 loss against the New Orleans Saints. The five TDs were a career high and he tied the franchise record set by QB Wade Wilson back in Week 15 of the 1992 season.
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Ryan had a massive game for the second straight week. Calvin Ridley's addition to the offense is going to change their weekly ceiling, with a banged up defense contributing to shootout game scripts. Ryan is a strong QB1 next week against the Bengals.
4. NO - WR Michael Thomas absorbs all 10 targets
Source: 1 No Source
New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas managed 10 receptions for 129 yards on 10 targets in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons.
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Thomas has three straight double-digit catch games, making him easily the #1 wide receiver in fantasy football. He may lose a little bit of ceiling when Mark Ingram comes back, but Thomas has a real chance to set a single-season catch record if this keeps up.
5. NO - RB Alvin Kamara huge in the pass game
Source: NFL.com - Alex Gelhar
New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara rushed 16 times for 66 yards in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons and he added 15 grabs for 124 yards on 20 targets. No running back had more than 18 targets in a game since the NFL started tracking the stat.
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Kamara continues to be used at a LeVeon Bell level of volume, which has made him the #1 fantasy running back through three weeks. His value will take a small hit when Mark Ingram returns in Week 5, but he is still one of the two or three most valuable players in fantasy football by any measure.
6. NO - QB Drew Brees totals five TDs in OT win
Source: 1 No Source
New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees completed 39-of-49 passes for 396 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Week 3 win against the Atlanta Falcons and he rushed for two scores.
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Brees broke the record for all-time completions and even broke tackles in the red zone on one of his touchdown runs. He's back to being an elite fantasy quarterback with Mark Ingram suspended. He and the Saints face the Giants on the road next week.
7. KC - TE Travis Kelce hits century mark in win
Source: 1 No Source
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce managed eight receptions for 114 yards on 10 targets in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers.
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Kelce is arguably the most valuable fantasy tight end going forward. Big gains are going to be routine and it's clear that the Chiefs offense is going to push for the most passing touchdowns this year. He'll be ranked as #1 next week against the Broncos, who have trouble defending the tight end.
8. KC - RB Kareem Hunt finds end zone twice
Source: 1 No Source
Kansas City Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt rushed 18 times for 44 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers.
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Hunt benefited from a pass interference call that set the Chiefs up at the one. He didn't find a lot of room to run against the 49ers, but as long as this offense is going up and down the field at will, Hunt will be worth a spot in our lineups.
9. KC - Patrick Mahomes tosses three more TDs
Source: USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes completed 24-of-38 passes for 314 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Week 3 win against the San Francisco 49ers. He now holds the NFL record with 13 TD passes through the first three games of a season.
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Mahomes really opened it up in the first half, when the Chiefs scored 35 points. There's no doubt that he's the #1 quarterback in fantasy football heading into a Week 4 Monday night game at Denver.
10. SF - TE George Kittle tops team in yardage
Source: 1 No Source
San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle racked up five receptions for 79 yards on seven targets in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Kittle was predictably strong in the matchup with the Chiefs defense, but his rest of season outlook is in great danger with Jimmy Garoppolo possibly out for the season with a knee injury.
11. SF - RB Matt Breida productive in road loss
Source: 1 No Source
San Francisco 49ers RB Matt Breida carried 10 times for 90 yards in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs and he added three receptions for 27 yards on three targets.
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Breida left the game for a bit with a non-contact leg injury, but it ended up being a false alarm. What is probably not a false alarm is Jimmy Garoppolo's knee injury, which would take the air out of the balloon of this offense. Breida is still worth holding to see how things go, but as a committee back, if CJ Beathard is the leader of his offense, he is probably going to just be depth going forward.
12. HOU - WR Will Fuller catches TD pass
Source: NFL.com
Houston Texans WR Will Fuller caught five passes for 101 yards and one touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 3.
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When Fuller plays with DeShaun Watson, he scores touchdowns, it's just that simple. He has to be lineups as a strong WR2 against the Colts next week.
13. CAR - WR Devin Funchess leads way in win
Source: 1 No Source
Carolina Panthers WR Devin Funchess posted four receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Funchess had a nice game even though Cam Newton only threw 24 times. He is the #1 and most trusted on third downs and in the red zone with Greg Olsen out. Funchess is definitely worth holding through his Week 4 bye.
14. HOU - QB Deshaun Watson throws for 385 yards
Source: NFL.com
Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson went 24-for-40 for 385 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against the New York Giants in Week 3. He also rushed for 36 yards on five carries during the game.
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Watson was great for fantasy but his team fell to 0-3. He is going to be a fantasy QB1 again, but the wins and new hope for the Texans that came with Watson last year are not there this year. Watson faces an underrated Colts defense next week.
15. NYG - TE Evan Engram held to one catch
Source: NFL.com
New York Giants TE Evan Engram (knee) caught one pass for 19 yards against the Houston Texans in Week 3 before he left the game because of his knee injury.
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Engram was ruled out quickly, but he was seen on the sidelines flexing his leg and standing on his own. We'll wait for more information, but for now fantasy teams need to plan on not having Engram for his matchup against the Saints next week.
16. NYG - WR Sterling Shepard finds end zone
Source: NFL.com
New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard caught six passes for 80 yards and one touchdown against the Houston Texans in Week 3.
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Shepard had his best game of the year, aided a bit by Evan Engram leaving early with a knee injury. Next week, Shepard had the Saints secondary that Calvin Ridley torched in Week 3, so put him in your lineups.
17. CAR - RB Christian McCaffrey goes off in win
Source: ESPN.com - David Newton
Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey rushed 28 times for a career-high 184 yards in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals and he added two grabs for 10 yards. The rushing yardage was the fourth-best mark in franchise history.
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McCaffrey had his best game as a runner by far, and it made it so it didn't matter than he didn't do much as a receiver. He's been paying off on his steep draft capital and teams built around McCaffrey should feel good going into his bye.
18. CAR - QB Cam Newton totals four TDs in win
Source: 1 No Source
Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton completed 15-of-24 passes for 150 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals and he ran for two scores.
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Newton was unstoppable as a goal line runner, and he was good enough as a passer against a Bengals defense that was supposed to be able to handle a Panthers offensive line without three starters. Consider Newton an elite QB1 going into his bye.
19. CIN - TE Tyler Eifert racks up six receptions
Source: 1 No Source
Cincinnati Bengals TE Tyler Eifert posted six receptions for 74 yards on eight targets in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers.
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Eifert had his best game of the year to date. With the porous Saints pass defense up next, Eifert is in the bottom tier of startable fantasy tight ends, but more importantly he has stayed healthy through three games.
20. NYG - QB Eli Manning plays well in Week 3
Source: NFL.com
New York Giants QB Eli Manning went 25-for-29 for 297 yards and two touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 3.
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Manning had his best game of the year by far as the Ereck Flowers-less offensive line did a great job (except against JJ Watt) and Manning was able to distribute the ball to his talented targets, even without Evan Engram for most of the afternoon. He'll be worth a streaming look against the Saints next week.
21. CIN - WR A.J. Green doesn't feel injury is serious
Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer - Paul Dehner Jr.
Updating a previous report, Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green (groin) said Sunday, Sept. 23 that the groin injury he suffered in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers isn't serious and he expects to play in Week 4.
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We'll watch the practice reports to be sure, but Green has a good matchup next week and this version of the Bengals offense seems much more able to support a high ceiling for Green than last year's.
22. CIN - WR Tyler Boyd delivers
Source: 1 No Source
Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd posted six receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers.
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Boyd became the #1 when AJ Green went out and he put up a WR1 stat line. He has broken out in his third year, and is worth a start next week in start three wide receiver leagues against the suspect Falcons defense.
23. CIN - RB Giovani Bernard totals 86 yards, TD
Source: 1 No Source
Cincinnati Bengals RB Giovani Bernard rushed 12 times for 61 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers and he added five grabs for 25 yards on a game-high nine targets.
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Bernard wasn't able to have a big game because the Bengals trailed for most of the afternoon, but he more than came through for fantasy teams that plugged him in. Joe Mixon could be back next week, so Bernard's stint as the starter might be short, but today he reminded us why he's worth a bench spot.
24. CIN - QB Andy Dalton picked off four times in loss
Source: 1 No Source
Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton completed 29-of-46 passes for 352 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers.
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Dalton was victimized by some deflected balls and he lost AJ Green part way through this one. He is still going to be productive, but when the Bengals are behind, the turnovers may ensue. He'll have a high ceiling against the Falcons next week.
25. MIN - WR Stefon Diggs held in check
Source: 1 No Source
Minnesota Vikings WR Stefon Diggs posted just four receptions for 17 yards on 10 targets in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills.
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Diggs was the only key part of the Vikings offense whose production matched the team performance. The Rams lost Marcus Peters today, so his matchup with them on Thursday isn't as scary, although if he's shadowed by the best corner (Aqib Talib with Peters out) like he was when Tre'Davious White followed him, that could be a problem.
26. JAX - RB T.J. Yeldon has solid outing
Source: NFL.com
Jacksonville Jaguars RB T.J. Yeldon rushed for 44 yards on seven carries against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. He also caught six passes for 46 yards during the game.
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Yeldon got the bulk of the work with Leonard Fournette out and put up respectable numbers. Fournette should be ready to return next week, but Yeldon should remain on rosters with Fournette's injury history and possibility of his hamstring issue popping up again.
27. MIN - TE Kyle Rudolph finds end zone in loss
Source: 1 No Source
Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph posted five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown on six targets in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills.
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Rudolph got a garbage time score to stay among the startable fantasy tight ends. He should be a key target against the Rams on Thursday.
28. MIN - WR Adam Thielen hits century mark again
Source: 1 No Source
Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen made a career-high 14 receptions for 105 yards on 19 targets in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills.
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Thielen had a big PPR day because he was a reliable short target as the Vikings were playing out the string in this one, but it wasn't exactly a comforting day if your team has key pieces of the Vikings offense. Thielen will have a tough matchup against the Rams on Thursday.
29. JAX - QB Blake Bortles finishes with 155 yards
Source: NFL.com
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles went 21-for-34 for 155 yards against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3. He also rushed for 27 yards on five carries during the game.
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One week after the best game of his career, Bortles can't even lead his team to a touchdown. The Titans gave Bortles a lot of trouble last year, and it appears that even with a new coaching staff, they have his number. The Jets underrated defense is up next week, so we'll remain in limbo with trusting the Jaguars offense.
30. MIN - RB Latavius Murray does nothing in loss
Source: 1 No Source
Minnesota Vikings RB Latavius Murray rushed just twice for one yard in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills and he added five receptions for 30 yards on seven targets.
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Murray was a dud and only bailed out folks who relied on him with some garbage time receptions. Dalvin Cook is supposedly going to be ready to play on Thursday against the Rams, but if he's not, this performance may make us think twice about plugging Murray in.
31. MIN - Forgettable day for QB Kirk Cousins
Source: 1 No Source
Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins completed 40-of-55 passes for 296 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, but he also lost two fumbles and was sacked four times.
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Cousins was overwhelmed by the Bills pass rush early, and didn't do enough later to make a gameout of this. He'll face the Rams on Thursday night and probably is not a good play with his offensive line ailing and the team generating little momentum on offense.
32. BUF - RB Chris Ivory totals 126 scrimmage yards
Source: 1 No Source
Buffalo Bills RB Chris Ivory rushed 20 times for 56 yards while adding a team-high 70 receiving yards on three receptions in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings.
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This will likely be Ivory's high water mark this year. LeSean McCoy was healthy enough to make the trip, so he should be able to play against Green Bay next week.
33. BUF - QB Josh Allen earns first NFL victory
Source: 1 No Source
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen completed 15-of-22 passes for 196 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in the Week 3 win against the Minnesota Vikings while also running for 39 yards and two scores.
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Allen led the team with energy and capitalized on the opportunities the Bills defense created against Kirk Cousins. Allen's running ability and willingness to take things into his own hands in the red zone will make him worth a streaming look against the Packers next week.
That'll to it for today, Folks. Thanks for reading and thanks for being part of Footballguys. We'll see you tomorrow with the Update.
Peace,
J
