QB Injuries Will Have A Major Impact On Fantasy Football

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:

It’s been a brutal past two days for the QB position.

Here is what you need to know (and some recommendations on QBs to add if you drafted one of these three) …

Quarterback Injuries After Week 2

Joe Burrow (toe surgery): Our worst fears were confirmed yesterday with Burrow set to miss a minimum of three months. No need to pull out a calendar—his relevance to our fantasy squads is now zero. The extremely thin silver lining here is that Jake Browning was still able to pepper Ja’Marr Chase with targets in his absence. But let’s not kid ourselves … this is awful news. The floor (and ceiling) for this entire offense is significantly lower and the upcoming schedule is brutal (@MIN, @DEN, DET, @GB).

J.J. McCarthy (ankle). Speaking of Bengals/Vikings, McCarthy is expected to miss Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. So instead of an LSU WR1 battle between Chase and Justin Jefferson, we are instead getting Carson Wentz vs. Browning. Oof.

Jayden Daniels (knee). You didn’t think we were done, did you? I’ve still got two more … Daniels has a knee sprain from a hit on Thursday that could prevent him from playing Sunday. Sources say it is “not believed to be serious,” but it sounds like his status is legit in doubt. Marcus Mariota would be the next man up if he can’t go vs. the Raiders.

Justin Fields (concussion). Fields is currently in the concussion protocol after taking a hit from Joey Bosa in the fourth quarter of the Jets game vs. the Bills. This one feels like it could go either way, but if Fields can’t go, it will be Tyrod Taylor vs. the Bucs in Week 3.

So that’s the bad news, the good news is that we got you covered with plenty of QB options to consider on the waiver wire …

QBs TO ADD ON WAIVERS IF YOU’RE HURTING

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About Last Night …

It was the rare Monday Night Football doubleheader, and the action in Houston and Las Vegas brought a fitting close to a solid Week 2 of fantasy football action. The Buccaneers and Texans traded fourth-quarter blows, with Rachaad White plowing through from two yards out with nine seconds to play for the game-winning score in a 20-19 victory.

The Chargers followed with a 20-9 beatdown of the Raiders, with Justin Herbert passing for 242 yards and a pair of scores. One was on a 60-yard bomb to last week’s waiver wire darling Quentin Johnston, who finished with a 3-71-1 line.

What else happened last night?

Baker Mayfield did it with his arm (215-2) and his legs (3-33-0). He had us worried after this play, though.
He didn’t score, but Bucky Irving still went for 121 scrimmage yards.
Nick Chubb hit the painted area, for nostalgia’s sake.
Yes, Nico Collins may be an alien.
Herbert and Keenan Allen, reunited and it feels so good.
Omarion Hampton is off to a tough start. But Matthew still believes.
Geno Smith’s 3 INTs made for a tough night.
Brock Bowers (5-38-0) and Ashton Jeanty (44 scrimmage yards) were quiet.

SEE WHERE THEIR UTILIZATION SCORES ENDED UP AFTER WEEK 2

Editors’ Picks

Week 2 is in the books, and it’s time to turn our attention to Week 3. 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 3 pipeline …

Early Week 3 Rankings

Yup, Daniel Jones is moving into must-start territory with all these injuries. Ian Hartitz also ponders what to do with Brian Thomas Jr. after his slow start.

Week 3 Players To Drop

Avoiding Arthur Smith is a key to fantasy success, but avoiding his doghouse is next-level important. With Kaleb Johnson’s latest blunder, is he bound for the doghouse and a one-way ticket to the waiver wire?

Week 3 Trade Targets

Is this the lowest you’ll have to pay for Bhayshul Tuten all season? It’s very possible. Jonathan Fuller breaks down Tuten’s prospects, along with more players to target on the trade block.

Week 2’s Utilization Data Is In …

We’ve now got twice as much data as we did at this point last week, and let us tell you, the utilization bytes are flowing, y’all!

Dwain McFarland outlined his top-10 takeaways from Week 2’s action and how managers should leverage this utilization data to set themselves up for success in Week 3 …

1. Rome Odunze is breaking out.

Odunze has the No. 2 WR Utilization Score (96) after two games, trailing Malik Nabers and one spot ahead of CeeDee Lamb.

The former No. 9 overall NFL Draft pick has an outstanding 30% target share and 46% air yards share. He rarely leaves the field with a 96% route participation rate.

We are only two games in, so the sample is small, but Odunze's historical Utilization comps have smashed. Since 2020, WRs with a Utilization Score between 90 and 100 have averaged 21.3 points per game, with 100% of them finishing as top-six options.

The Bears' passing attack still isn't thriving, and the battle for targets could increase as the rookies find their legs, but right now Odunze is dominating.

Odunze UPGRADES to WR2 status and will enter WR1 territory if he keeps his Utilization Score over 90 in the next two games.

2. Tucker Kraft is the No. 1 receiver in Green Bay.

Kraft boasts the No. 6 Utilization Score (82) through two games. He leads the Packers in route participation at 81% and target share with 21%.

The third-year TE has morphed from an underneath yards-after-the-catch (YAC) monster into a weapon who can also attack downfield and add to the catch with a 9.8 average depth of target (aDOT). Kraft is averaging 9.1 yards after the catch (2nd) and 17.5 yards per reception.

Since 2020, TEs with a similar Utilization Score have averaged 12.2 fantasy points per game, with the majority posting a TE4 to TE6 finish.

TE1 to TE3 season: 21%
TE4 to TE6 season: 43%
TE7 to TE9 season: 29%
TE10 to TE12 season: 7%

With Jayden Reed now out for at least six weeks due to a collarbone injury, the competition for targets in Green Bay is as low as ever with Matthew Golden still stuck in a part-time role.

Kraft UPGRADES to top-six TE status and offers top-three upside.

THE REST OF DWAIN’S LATEST UTILIZATION REPORT

Yesterday’s Most Viewed Content: Week 3 Waiver Wire

While we had significantly fewer injuries in Week 2, it's Joe Burrow who's going to leave fantasy managers shaking their heads going into Week 3. Burrow suffered turf toe and will miss several months (go ahead, it's okay to scream). Add in the fact that we're still probably a week or more away from seeing Brock Purdy back on the field for the 49ers and Justin Fields is now in concussion protocol … and it’s time to find a quarterback on the waiver wire!

To try the optimistic approach, at least we are still a few weeks away from bye weeks hitting us. There should be serviceable quarterbacks available for you to start next week (check out John Laghezza's QB Streamers column) and say an extra prayer to the fantasy gods while you're at it.

Let’s get into Week 3 with Kendall Valenzuela’s top five waiver wire targets …