Injuries to CeeDee Lamb and More Lead to Prioritizing These Players on Waivers

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

The inherent chaos of the NFL season kicked into overdrive in Week 3 with a brutal rash of injuries.

Here’s everything we know and some players to target on the waiver wire in their absence …

CeeDee Lamb (out 3-4 weeks with a high-ankle sprain). I’m still tilting the fact that this happened on an RB carry, but I guess it’s time to move on. The big winners in Lamb’s absence (George Pickens, Jake Ferguson) are already rostered in your league, but KaVontae Turpin (better TPRR, more explosive) and Jalen Tobert (more routes, lower aDOT) are worth a stab if you are desperate.
Tyrone Tracy (dislocated shoulder). We don’t know the exact timeline for his return, but Cam Skattebo (10-60-1; 8-61 vs. the Chiefs) is about to ball the hell out (especially if Jaxson Dart finally gets the nod). He’s rostered in 75% of Yahoo leagues, which is 25% less than what it should be.
James Conner & Najee Harris (out for the year). As feared, both Conner and Harris are done for the year. Omarion Hampton is the obvious smash going forward, but there’s a 48% chance that Trey Benson is still available in your league. He dominated the snaps, attempts and routes in Conner’s absence.
Mike Evans (low-grade ankle sprain). Compared to the Lamb prognosis, this is good news, I suppose, but still frustrating. Chris Godwin is expected back soon, but it’s worth adding Sterling Shepard regardless—he had an 18% target share vs. the Jets and went 4-80.
Terry McLaurin (quad). As of this writing, I don’t have any additional details on McLaurin’s quad injury (he left the game early), but I still want to shout out Luke McCaffrey and rookie Jaylin Lane. They both saw only 3 targets, but little bro scored a TD and Lane returned a punt to the house. Any young pass catcher on a Jayden Daniels-led offense deserves to be on the stash radar.

For more waiver adds, be sure to check out Kendall’s full Week 4 rundown …

WEEK 4 WAIVER WIRE ADDS

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About Last Night …

It was billed as a clash of two NFL heavyweights, and boy did it deliver … so many fantasy points. David Montgomery (29.4), Jahmyr Gibbs (26.9) formed Detroit’s dynamic RB duo, while Mark Andrews (27.1) surprised with a big game, with some help from garbage time. Lamar Jackson was the QB3 on the week with 288 passing yards and 3 TDs, but was sacked 7 times. That was a career high, as the Lions outlasted the Ravens, 38-30. Here’s a little more about what happened on MNF.

Another rough night for Derrick Henry (50 rushing yards). But what a start.
Knuckles calls ballgame to close out a 151-yard night on the ground.
Sonic was not to be outdone.
What a catch from the Sun God.
The top performers on the night.

PLENTY OF GOOD UR SCORES FROM MNF

Editors’ Picks

Week 3 is in the books, and it’s time to turn our attention to Week 4. Tweaking rosters and adjusting based on what we saw, while also doing our best not to overreact—now that’s a fine needle to thread. Get a head start with some of the latest Fantasy Life content to come through the Week 4 pipeline …

QB Streamers For Week 4

With bye weeks coming, is it time to snap up Geno Smith? John Laghezza recommends some quarterbacks to help through the injuries at the positions and the upcoming sits.

Week 4 Players To Drop

Did you draft Stefon Diggs, hoping for a revitalization with a new QB? What about Isiah Pacheco, in hopes he returns to his 2023 form? It’s time to cut bait. Geoff Ulrich outlines Week 4’s priority drops.

Week 4 Trade Targets

Injuries are turning the skill positions upside down, opening up more buying and selling opportunities entering Week 4. Jonathan Fuller breaks down who you should target in the trade streets.

Week 3’s Utilization Data Is In …

And we’ve got rookie running backs making significant utilization strides:

Omarion Hampton upgrades to borderline RB1 status with Najee Harris out.

Hopefully, Harris can recover fully for the 2026 campaign. We wish the best to Najee.

As for the 2025 season, Hampton is firmly in the driver's seat. The rookie first-round NFL pick posted the No. 2 Utilization Score (96) for an RB on his way to the fourth-most fantasy points (24.9) in Week 3.

We can't completely dismiss Hampton's duds in the first two weeks. The Chargers rank No. 2 in dropback rate over expected (DBOE) at 6%. This is a pass-first offense. We also can't expect many more 15% target share games, given the three quality downfield receiving options Justin Herbert will prefer. Still, Hampton should see plenty of pass-down work moving forward, and that puts receiving spikes like Week 3 in the range of outcomes.

The Chargers could add a veteran back, but there aren't any options available that are the same caliber as Harris. Hassan Haskins will likely serve as the No. 2 option on the ground, and the team could promote Kimani Vidal to take on some of the pass-down work.

Hampton has averaged only 3.4 yards per carry to this point, with 2.9 coming after contact. He has taken 9.5% of his attempts for 10+ yards, right at the NFL average. That leaves the door open for larger roles for other backs, similar to what we have seen with Ashton Jeanty, but Hampton controls his own destiny. He has the upside to take on a 70% snap share.

→ Hampton is a high-end RB2 option and offers mid-range RB1 upside if he can cement his status as the bell cow option over the next few games.

Quinshon Judkins is the Browns' primary rushing option.

Well, that didn't take very long. After leading the team with a 46% rush share in Week 2 despite having much time with the team, Judkins bogarted 95% in Week 3 against the Packers.

The second-round NFL Draft pick still conceded most of the pass-down work to Jerome Ford, who handled 80% of the long-down-and-distance (LDD) work and 75% of the two-minute offense.

Judkins' 37% route participation and 3% target share are the two things holding down his Utilization Score. Those two things will make his performances more volatile in trailing game scripts. On one hand, the Browns' offense isn't very good, which could lead to those scenarios. On the other hand, they have one of the best defenses in the NFL, which can offset the offensive woes.

Judkins is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, with 5.1 coming after contact on his 28 attempts. The Browns' best chance to win games is likely via less passing, and Judkins could be the catalyst for change. The Browns DBOE by Week:

Week 1: 6%
Week 2: -3%
Week 3: 1%

Look for Kevin Stefanski to try and deploy a run-balanced attack moving forward.

→ Judkins UPGRADES to low-end RB2 territory and offers RB1 upside in close and leading game scripts.

Continue on for the rest of the Utilization Report ahead of tonight’s Week 4 waiver wire run! ⬇️

CAM SKATTEBO HEADLINES THE REST OF THE UTILIZATION REPORT

Early Week 4 Rankings: A New WR1

Week 3 is in the books. We now have enough film and data available to us to make more solid determinations than we could have done 19 days ago when the Eagles and Cowboys opened up the season. And with those dreaded injury gods rearing their ugly heads, players are moving up and down the weekly rankings—and sometimes out, unfortunately.

Ian Hartitz has been grinding all the film and data, so you don’t have to. His weekly early rankings piece is a must-read, especially with so much movement up and down the board. There’s a new WR1, and with good reason. QB is getting some players moving up and down with so many injuries impacting the position. Check out where Ian has moved players on your teams. ⤵️

HOW HIGH DOES CALEB WILLIAMS CLIMB?

Around the Watercooler

We’re on to Week 4. 0-3? Time to lock in. 3-0? Still gotta lock in. 1-2 or 2-1? Lock TF in!! Let’s get into it …

👀 Ready to empty your FAAB for this player?

🐶 There’s a new top dog in the Heisman race.

💪 Prioritize these pickups on the waiver wire.

🚑️ The Niners suffer another huge injury. They just can’t catch a break.

😡 I think it’s a trend at this point. Free BTJ.

🚀 Is A.J. Brown finally unlocked? Good start.

🧨 Start your QBs and WRs vs. the Cowboys. Exhibit A.

😆 The Aaron Glenn celebration … and on the 21st night of September.

☝️ He’s the one. The new WR1.