Return of Vintage Aaron Rodgers
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade, we recap the biggest takeaways from Thursday Night Football, the Week 3 injury report, and more.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:
Three games in 11 days was no problem for the Jets. Aaron Rodgers didn’t look like a 40-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles injury, the defense suffocated the Patriots, and New York won easily, 24-3, on Thursday night.
Here is the Friday morning FAQ ...
1. Should we be worried about Garrett Wilson’s slow start?
No. If someone is willing to sell low, buy on Wilson. Many were complaining at halftime with Wilson having two catches for 15 yards. While he didn’t finish with the best line, he was targeted nine times and finished with five catches for 33 yards and a touchdown. Wilson was tackled at the two-yard line and Rodgers found him for a TD on the next play. Wilson had a 30% target share coming into the game and Rodgers spread the ball around. The stats will get better for Wilson. During a postgame interview, Rodgers even said how special it’ll be when he and No. 5 (Wilson) develop a better connection.
2. Is Aaron Rodgers back?
He sure is. He made great throws, moved well, and had total command of the offense. Rodgers went 27-for-35 for 281 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 18 yards on three carries. He’s a better real-life quarterback than fantasy, however, and is a low-end QB2.
3. Is Braelon Allen a threat to Breece Hall?
He’s not, but Allen is really good and would be a fantasy stud on another team. If Hall were to miss time, Allen would be an RB1. Allen should be on a roster and will become flex-worthy with the byes coming up. The Jets ran 70 plays and it made sense to use Allen more on a short week. Hall had 20 touches.
4. Is the Patriots offense this bad?
It is and the lone player to start most weeks is Rhamondre Stevenson, but against a tough defense like the Jets, it’s apparent the floor is very low. Stevenson had six carries for 23 yards with a lost fumble. The offensive line has injuries and there are no threats at wide receiver to keep defenses from focusing on the run. This was a short week with the Patriots coming off an overtime game against Seattle and they couldn’t sustain any offense.
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Chris Allen and Jorge Martin comb through the laundry list of injuries
- WATERCOOLER: Week 3 Love/Hate from Matthew
Fantasy Football Injury Roundup: Key Players for Week 3
- by Chris Allen and Jorge Martin
While it would be easy to declare the vast collection of injuries suffered in Week 2 as the worst weekend EVER for fantasy football, the great Matthew Berry reminded us in this week’s Love/Hate column that it’s easy to be hasty and forget what happened before. But since the present is what we’re dealing with, well, it certainly felt that any fantasy managers who had rosters unscathed by injuries should either buy a lottery ticket or take their good fortune to a local casino.
What’s left for the rest of us unlucky ones to do is pick up the pieces, remind ourselves we do love this funny game, hit the waiver wire, and follow practice reports to see if players who “could” return in Week 3 actually do so. It’s almost amazing to think that there are still 15 more weeks of the fantasy season left, that’s if we’re lucky enough to go all the way to our leagues’ title games.
This collaboration is our shared thoughts on different players, broken up by position into one big injury report. Along with timelines for return to play, we add in some analysis on how these players could perform, or how their teammates could play in their absence.
Quarterbacks
Jordan Love: The Packers’ franchise QB was thought to miss 3-4 weeks with an ankle injury he suffered at the tail end of the season opener. He did miss Week 2, but has been a limited participant in practice both days to start this week. This could be a very good development for the Green Bay pass catchers, as the team attempted just 14 passes last week vs. 53 rush attempts. If Love plays, all the wide receivers are upgraded, with Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, and even Romeo Doubs considered fantasy starters.
Running Backs
Aaron Jones: Jones played throughout the game and was talking to reporters after their win over the 49ers. So, seeing his name on the early-week injury report with a hip injury and limited tag is quite a surprise. His uncertain health raises Ty Chandler from an emergency contact on our waiver wire speed dial to a priority bench stash. Chandler went from a 32.0% rushing share in Week 1 to leading the Vikings' backfield with 10 attempts. Jones still has the pass-catching role between the two (6 targets on 18 routes), but if Jones cedes more playing time, Chandler vaults into the RB2/3 conversation in PPR leagues.
Wide Receivers
CeeDee Lamb: Lamb started and finished the Cowboys’ Week 2 blowout loss against the Saints with 37 routes. However, Dallas' WR1 missed practice with an ankle injury. Local beat reporters conveyed a lack of concern with the star's absence. Regardless, his participation on Thursday and Friday will be the subject of much scrutiny—he was limited on Thursday. But, to be fair, if I had to run 65 yards for a TD, I'd probably ask for a day off the following week, too.
RELATED CONTENT:
- Geoff Ulrich has your Week 3 DFS Primer for DraftKings and Underdog.
- Ian Hartitz breaks down two RBs that have gotten off to scorching starts to the season.
Quench Your Hard-Earned Thirst With Mike’s Hard Lemonade 🍋
Winning in fantasy football is hard work. You’ll need to replace your injured QB one day but get outbid in Free Agency. Next week you’ll need 5 points from your TE and see him deliver only 4. But, Mike’s Hard Lemonade wants to remind you that Hard Days Deserve a Hard Lemonade. So, the next time you work up a hard-earned thirst by leaving your highest-scoring player on the bench, it’s time to twist open a Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
Find Mike’s Hard Lemonade near you at www.MikesHard.com
The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
❤️ The best day of the workweek just got better … Love/Hate on a Friday.
📝 The experts got together for a Week 3 roundtable discussion … tight ends, Chiefs RBs, and more.
📊 We’ve crunched the numbers … these players are projecting well for Week 3.
📉 WHO is our consensus WR25 for Week 3? … Talk about a fall from grace.
🤝 James Odunze defends his son. Says Rome Odunze can create separation.
🤯 Shohei Ohtani had the greatest day in MLB history on the way to going 50-50. Kendall Valenzuela’s husband covered it.
👀 Robert Saleh goes in for the hug. Aaron Rodgers is not thrilled.
Premium
Go FantasyLife+
Your league is unique. Your advice should be too. Get personalized tools, rankings, and projections tailored to your fantasy football league settings.
