Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 3
SUMMARY
Welcome to the Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 3, where we separated the overreactions from the underestimations. So pull up a seat and grab a pad and a pen, because this after action report will help you see through the settling dust and give your lineup hope in week 4.
Blue chip medal
Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers- Ladies and gentlemen, the number one receiver in fantasy football. It's not close. He has 87.7 fantasy points, and the next closest, Julio Jones, has 69.5. What more does Keenan Allen have to do to prove to fantasy owners that he's a sure thing? He's got an accurate quarterback who loves him. He's insanely consistent. He can run routes, he can catch, he's a red-zone target. He's arguably the most reliable player in all of fantasy football and could very well win you your league.
Russel Wilson, QB, Seahawks- This preseason Bill Simmons went on the record saying this could "be the year that Russel Wilson ends up on the waiver wire come week 8." Well, it's week four, and Russel Wilson is the fourth-highest scoring fantasy QB. He still uses his legs to make plays. His team is playing from behind, so he's forced to throw the ball constantly, jacking his usability numbers way up. He's a plug and play.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Redskins- Congratulations to Terry McLaurin for becoming We Are the Mighty's first-ever Promotion Watch turned Blue Chip Medal winner. He is the fourth-highest scoring receiver in fantasy football. He is 110% bonafide the real deal. Mark Ingram II, RB, Ravens- Mark Ingram keeps proving himself. He did it on the Saints last year, and he's doing it this year, too. Even against a stout Chiefs defense—he put up RB1 numbers. Lamar Jackson's playmaking ability stretches defenses out and causes them to play deep and to the hash, leaving room for Ingram to gash teams for big-time gains. He's an RB1 moving forward.
Loss of rank
Stefon Diggs, WR, Vikings- Well it's week three and Diggs has six catches and 101 yards on the year. He is the 70th WR in fantasy football currently, and he couldn't seem to make anything happen against an absolutely terrible Oakland secondary. Sound the alarm on Stefon Diggs. If you can trade him for 50 cents on the dollar—go buy yourself a couple of gumballs.
Sony Michel, RB, Patriots- How many more opportunities do you give Sony Michel to prove that he is worthy of a RB2/Flex start? He has played against some of the worst competition in the NFL. Last week, after James White's absence, he was the only solid weapon in the backfield—and he still put up meager numbers. As of now, he is running back 43 in fantasy scoring. The Pats offense is electric, but Michel doesn't have the spark this year.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Browns- Baker Mayfield is perhaps the least worrisome of the Loss of Rank winners (losers?) this week. He can still make plays with his legs, he is surrounded by weapons, and he doesn't have a difficult schedule. However, there are five big problems, and they're all supposed to be blocking for him. Cleveland's offensive line is so atrocious that Baker gets jumpy within a half-second of getting the snap. He's moving out of the pocket prematurely (been there, buddy) and making short-armed throws. His fantasy value was grossly overestimated moving into the season.
OJ Howard, TE, Buccaneers- OJ Howard finally racked up a couple of catches. Then he fumbled. He has had an abysmal start. He has little to no red zone targets (which is what his supporters cite when continuing to start him). He was even called out by head coach Bruce Arians after week one. They say insanity is repeating the same action expecting a different result. So if you have OJ Howard and start him, yet again, in week 4— look forward to 13 more weeks of padded white walls, dixie cup meds, and goose eggs from your tight end.
Promotion watch
Daniel Jones, QB, Giants- Giants fans rejoice—the Eli Manning era has finally reached its end. And boy oh boy was it a coming-out party for Daniel Jones. In a poetic display of how much younger he is than Manning, Jones picked up 28 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. He was lethal in the air too, finishing with 336 passing yards and two more touchdowns. He is surely worth a waiver wire look, even with Saquon Barkley's injury.
Philip Lindsay, RB, Broncos- Well if you were anything like us, Philip Lindsay brought his A-game to your bench this week. After a fortnight of slumber, Lindsay was a man possessed in week three. He has racked up 26 fantasy points and was clearly the red zone favorite over workhorse partner Royce Freeman. Keep a very close eye on Lindsay moving into week four.
Dawson Knox, TE, Bills- The Bills are surprising everyone this year. They are the Bills, though, and will find a way to mess up this success. One undeniable bright spot that can't be buffed out is rookie tight end Dawson Knox. He finished with 67 yards (including one monster 49-yard catch and run that was a finalist for Badass hit of the week medal) and a TD. If you're in a deep league or strapped for tight ends, give Knox a waiver nod.
Taylor Gabriel, WR, Bears- File Taylor Gabriel under the same "sleepy start" tab as Philip Lindsay. The ex-Falcons receiver had an insane Monday night finishing with three touchdowns. Trubisky looked a bit sharper, too, which bodes well for any Chicago pass catcher. This was against a shaky Redskins secondary, so this promotion watch should be met with cautious vigilance.
Badass hit of the week
Jeff Heath
Well, our two-game streak of offensive lineman winning the Badass Hit of the Week Medal has come to a violent end. Jeff Heath's hit on ex-cowboys-teammate Allen Hurns can only be described as attempted gridiron murder (although it does look like he was trying to play the ball and ended up decapitating Hurns unintentionally in the process). According to multiple sources, Heath actually texted Hurns after the game and said he "hated the outcome of the play" and was "thinking about him." Damn. Us too, man.
