Dynasty News: Week 3

Photo: Imagn Images

In today’s  “Dynasty News,” we will examine some of the larger happenings of the week from a dynasty perspective.

Dynasty News: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami

After his concussions in 2022, Tua Tagovailoa’s third-quarter collision with a defender brought back scary memories.  Tagovailoa was not having an especially strong game, including throwing for three interceptions, so he was pressing for extra yards when he collided head-first with Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin. Neuroscientist Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., tweeted about the play, “Tua suffered a traumatic brain injury on this play, no question. His right arm shows the ‘fencing posture’ indicating loss of consciousness & is on the severe end on the #concussion spectrum. He is done for the night and must miss the next game.” He was quickly ruled out of the game with a concussion. Tagovailoa was replaced by Skylar Thompson, who beat out Mike White in the preseason. Ironically, White signed to the Buffalo practice squad after his release. Thompson is more of a runner than a passer and looked lost and overwhelmed after taking over at the helm. He did not inspire confidence Thursday night, completing just 8-of-14 passes for 80 yards.

We expect Tagovailoa to miss a few games with the concussion. These are scary injuries so we hope he is able to get healthy very soon. His long-term health should anchor these conversations … much more than fantasy football. Tagovailoa’s concussion does put a damper on the Dolphins playoff hopes. The good news is that the team has a few extra days to regroup before Week 3.

For those wondering about the contract implications in case Tagovailoa retires, Spotrac tweeted, “While a full recovery is the only real focus here, in response to questions regarding Tua Tagovailoa's contract: The deal includes $167M guaranteed for injury, $43M of which has been paid in 2024. If he's medically cleared to return to football but opts to retire, he will forego the remaining $124M guaranteed (barring a custom settlement). If he's medically forced into retirement, he has a right to collect the $124M remaining.” Then, Jason Fitzgerald from OvertheCap.com tweeted, “Per source with knowledge of the #Dolphins contract with Tua, the team has insurance that would cover up to $49.3M of the $167.1M that is guaranteed for injury.”

Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport tweeted an update on Tagovailoa, "From @NFLGameDay #Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has no plans to retire, sources say. He’s already begun seeing concussion specialists and will continue to do so, but there is no timeline to return. Tua will be back when he and his doctors deem him healthy and ready." This is good news. For now, we are just rooting for the star quarterback to have a long, healthy life.

Dynasty News: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco

Dynasty managers were caught off-guard by Christian McCaffrey not playing in Week 1. When asked about his star tailback’s health, coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday, “The Achilles is tendonitis and that stuff comes and goes. And when it is acting up, it’s something you’ve got to be very careful about. Christian's very diligent about that stuff. And if it was a playoff game, he made it very clear to me he believed he could go. But when you hear that type of stuff and it's not a playoff game and it's week one and especially when you're dealing with the lower extremities like that, it was a tough decision, but hearing all the words in the long run, it made it easy.” Ace beat reporter Matt Barrows tweeted during coach Shanahan’s Friday press conference, “Shanahan said that IR is now something the 49ers are considering. The 49ers had their toughest practice of the week Thursday and McCaffrey was dealing with pain afterward, he said.” Dr. Deepak Chona tweeted Friday night, “#49ers Christian McCaffrey - Comments suggest IR. His pain is worsening, which means he could rupture his Achilles by playing. And that would torpedo the career of a 28-year-old RB. Problem is that 4 wks out still doesn’t guarantee he’s healed. Have to play this one by ear.”

Let’s recap the situation. It has been four weeks since McCaffrey was injured. He had practiced very sparingly until last Thursday, and his body did not respond well to the practice. It was no surprise that McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve, as Shanahan teased Friday. There are many estimates floating around about when to expect the star tailback back in the lineup, but there is nothing conclusive at this time because the injury is tendonitis and needs time. Given his age, this will be a difficult situation to navigate for dynasty managers as McCaffrey’s Achilles may not be fully healed this season.

Dynasty News: Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City

Pacheco fractured his fibula in Sunday's victory over the Bengals. He will be placed on injured reserve and miss two or three months. This is not a situation with an obvious back to step in so dynasty managers should be wary of fully committing to either Perine or Steele.

Dynasty News: Audric Estime, Denver

Last Wednesday, the Denver Broncos placed rookie tailback Audric Estime on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He will now miss at least the next three games. The Broncos will lean on Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin to run the ball and take the pressure off rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Undrafted rookie Blake Watson may also see time with Estime sidelined. This is a young offense that will take time to gel. Estime makes a solid dynasty stash as he played well in training camp.