In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Paramount+:

Aren’t ya worried, Pete?

That’s what I would hear over the past couple of weeks as I continued to draft CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase in the Top 5 picks despite the specter of holdouts looming.

Well, I’m pleased to announce that those situations are now resolved…

• CeeDee Lamb gets paid. Lamb and the Cowboys agreed to a record four-year $136 million deal that makes him the second-highest-paid non-QB in NFL history, and includes a $38 million signing bonus. There’s only one person happier than Lamb fantasy managers … and his name is CeeDee Lamb.
   
• Ja’Marr Chase is practicing without limitation. I would assume Chase is a tad envious of the Lamb deal, but he’s no longer protesting by skipping practice. He’s now participated in full on back-to-back days and can be selected with confidence in drafts down the home stretch.

We are almost out of dominoes that need to fall before the season starts. The last big one is whether the Patriots will capitulate and announce Drake Maye as the Week 1 starter. And it sounds like we are getting very, very close to that happening.

For more Week 3 preseason takeaways, check out Dwain’s Utilization Report below…

What else is in today’s newsletter?

• Dwain McFarland’s Preseason Week 3 Utilization Report.
• WATERCOOLER: Injury updates on key RBs

UTILIZATION REPORT: Preseason Week 3 Takeaways

by Dwain McFarland

Below are the biggest storylines of Week 3 in preseason and what they mean for fantasy football.

If you want the full breakdown of every takeaway from the weekend beyond my top 10 below—check them out here.

📈 Bucky Irving moves into my Top 150

Irving handled drives two through five, playing 100% of snaps. He has looked great on the ground all preseason, but showed up in pass protection in Week 3. Sean Tucker didn't sniff the field until the sixth possession, and Chase Edmonds will likely be placed on IR.

Irving is the clear-cut No. 2 back in Tampa and would surge to RB2 territory if something happened to White. However, Irving isn't a pure handcuff play. Given how well the rookie meshes with what this staff wants from their backs, the door is open for Irving to push White for reps as the season progresses. Irving moves inside my top 150 and is one of my favorite picks on the board at RB.

🤑 Diontae Johnson offers AMAZING value in fantasy drafts

Johnson had a 100% route participation and a 29% target share on the drive with Bryce Young. The rapport between the two might already be in midseason form—they were hand-in-glove on a scramble drill connection.

Young played his only preseason drive with 12 snaps and nine dropbacks. He looked crisp, going 6 of 8 for 70 yards. It's a small sample, but the former No. 1 overall pick pushed the ball downfield—including a great intermediate throw to Johnson on the run. This is the Bryce Young we saw at Alabama, not the checkdown king he was forced to become with suspect weapons and offensive line play in 2023.

Johnson is an alpha target earner with a WR8 finish already on his resume. He has never played with a good QB (Ben Roethlisberger was on his last leg by then), but he has remained fantasy-relevant on a points-per-game basis. We have dismissed Young too quickly. He has a chance to be the best QB who Johnson has played with.

We just need a healthy season from Johnson—he is one of the best values on the board in fantasy drafts. You get to draft him as a WR4 when he offers WR3 potential, even if Young doesn't improve. If Young does improve, you have a WR2.

👎️ GTFOH Pat Freiermuth

Freiermuth has the talent profile to challenge for a low-end TE1 season, but Arthur Smith is going to Arthur Smith, y'all.

Muth posted a 60% route participation with the starters this preseason, with Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt rotating heavily. Smith loves to utilize multiple personnel groupings, and right now, Freiermuth isn't getting reps in formations using 12 and 21. This situation would be alarming even if he had a 100% snap rate in 11 personnel.

Life is just too short to deal with this sort of shit. What is the point in selecting a part-time TE on a run-first team with QB questions? Even if all this preseason stuff is a smoke screen, Freiermuth isn't a pick that will burn us if he plays a full-time role. Because of that, I have dropped him out of the top 150 and would take Taysom Hill over him in formats where he is TE-eligible. Better yet, just draft a top-12 TE and be done with it.

7 MORE UTILIZATION TAKEAWAYS

RELATED CONTENT:

• Rob Waziak highlights the 10 players he’s had the toughest time ranking in 2024.
• Dwain also walks you through his WR draft strategy for 2024.

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The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:

🤔 Starter or not, there’s appeal to Drake Maye in 2024. How should you approach him in your fantasy drafts?

🔥 Our boldest fantasy football predictions for 2024. Buckle up.

🤯 The Chiefs signed who?! Rashee Rice suspension insurance?

🚑️ An update on Nick Chubb. This seemed expected, but still notable.

😱 The 49ers have multiple contract issues. Oof.

🙏 Great news on a dicey RB hamstring injury. Love to hear it.

🚨 ICYMI: Preseason Week 3 overreactions!

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