Fantasy Football Daily Notes: Tua status uncertain; Amon-Ra injury not serious; Dak weeks away
Read ESPN’s fantasy football Daily Notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.
The news: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who is dealing with back and ankle injuries, has not been ruled out for Thursday.
What it means in fantasy: Miami isn’t conducting a normal practice week because of the Thursday night game. Head coach Mike McDaniel mentioned to reporters that if the Dolphins did have a normal practice week, Tagovailoa would have been limited in practice and would be questionable for the game. Pain tolerance and ankle and back stability will determine his availability, according to McDaniel. Fantasy managers should learn more on Wednesday. Those in need of a streamer should consider Trevor Lawrence, Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill or Jared Goff.
The news: Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters he does “not have a timeline” for when QB Dak Prescott will start throwing.
What it means in fantasy: Prescott will likely need another week or two to heal. In media interviews, he has mentioned Week 5. It will be crucial for Prescott to grip and throw the ball sufficiently within that time frame. Backup Cooper Rush led the Cowboys to a 23-16 win on Monday night over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, throwing for 215 yards and a touchdown, but has limited upside. Fantasy managers should keep Prescott on their rosters and keep streaming quarterbacks. Trevor Lawrence, Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill and Jared Goff are solid options available in most leagues.
The news: Giants head coach Brian Daboll did not sound optimistic about Kadarius Toney and Wan’Dale Robinson being close to returning to the field with their respective injuries, according to several reports.
What it means in fantasy: Robinson is dealing with a knee injury, while Toney is dealing with a hamstring injury. Having lost Sterling Shepard for the season to a torn ACL, the Giants desperately need both players back. Long-term, Toney is the one I’d prioritize in fantasy, but if Robinson or Toney is unavailable against the Bears in Week 4, Richie James would see an increased target share and be on the streaming radar for fantasy managers. Through three games, he has accumulated 146 receiving yards and 17 targets. Shepard had 20 targets over the last two games.
The news: Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that tests on Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown’s ankle “were encouraging overall.”
What it means in fantasy: It sounds like St. Brown’s ankle injury isn’t a long-term concern. The Lions have established him as an essential component of their offense and a terrific value (the WR17 in our draft trends this summer) for fantasy managers. St. Brown averaged 11 targets and 24.3 fantasy points this season. Considering that he played through the injury against the Vikings in Week 3, St. Brown is on the right side of questionable for the Lions’ Week 4 matchup against the Seahawks.
Going deeper: The success St. Brown had to close out the 2021 season has translated to the 2022 season. He averaged 11.2 targets per game over the final six games to become the focal point of the passing attack.
The news: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Chargers WR Keenan Allen is expected to practice this week.
What it means in fantasy: Allen practiced in a limited capacity last week, but was ruled out of the Chargers’ game against the Jaguars due to a hamstring injury. Joshua Palmer’s target share will be negatively affected by his return after having accumulated 17 targets over the past two games. Palmer is best viewed by fantasy managers as a WR4/flex option. Allen can be viewed as a low-end WR2.
Going deeper: Allen has averaged 9.4 targets and 16.4 fantasy points per game since 2018, while Palmer has had five career games with six or more targets. In those games he averaged 55.6 receiving yards and 15.3 fantasy points per game. It’s prudent for the Chargers to keep both involved moving forward.
The read: ESPN’s Rob Demovsky believes WR Romeo Doubs’ “combination of route running and athletic ability” make him the most likely wide receiver to break out in the Packers’ offense.
What it means in fantasy: Because of injuries to Sammy Watkins and Christian Watson, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur expected Doubs to play a bigger role in Week 3. The rookie delivered with 21.3 fantasy points. After the game, Aaron Rodgers praised Doubs. It’s only a matter of time before their chemistry improves. Doubs is firmly on the flex radar in fantasy leagues.
The read: ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported that the Vikings will continue tinkering with their offensive scheme to spring Justin Jefferson in the coming weeks.
What it means in fantasy: Jefferson opened the season with a 39.4 fantasy-point performance against the Packers but has 15.2 fantasy points in Weeks 2 and 3 combined, which has turned fantasy managers’ early euphoria into misery. Jefferson was limited by double-teams in those games, and Seifert reported that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is determined not to allow opposing defenses to dictate Jefferson’s productivity. The Vikings face the Saints, Bears and Dolphins before their Week 7 bye.
The read: ESPN’s Turron Davenport believes fantasy managers should remain patient with rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks.
What it means in fantasy: Davenport wrote that Burks has found an increasing role in the Titans’ offensive game plan, that targets will continue to come his way and that offensive coordinator Todd Downing said he is growing each week. Burks is rostered in only 58.5% of ESPN leagues. He led the Titans in routes run last week against the Raiders. Burks has the potential to be a late-season difference maker for fantasy managers. Now is a perfect time to stash him.
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Mike Clay’s Shadow Report: Wide receiver vs. defensive back matchup analysis
Seth Walder’s Next Gen Stats Advantage: Mismatches to exploit
DFS cheat sheets for DraftKings and FanDuel
• Rankings for Individual Defensive Player leagues
• Fantasy Focus podcast: Field Yates, Stephania Bell and Daniel Dopp talk injuries, what level of panic you should have on some fantasy stars and who is going to have a breakout week. Plus, Liz Loza joins to give us some players who you need to be paying attention to this week. Listen | Watch
Thursday:
Field Yates’ Fantasy Field Pass for Week 4
Mike Clay’s TNF Playbook: Dolphins vs. Bengals
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s positional Matchup Map
Matt Bowen’s fantasy film room
Al Zeidenfeld’s DFS Best Buys for Week 4
• Fantasy Focus podcast now at 10 a.m. ET
In case you missed it:
• Week 4 fantasy football rankings at every position (PPR and NPPR)
Eric Karabell’s flex and superflex rankings for Week 4
• NFL Nation’s Fantasy Fallout: beat reporters answer our most pressing fantasy questions
• Eric Karabell’s trade index and rest-of-season rankings for Week 4 and beyond
Matt Bowen’s streaming pickups: deeper picks for deeper leagues and emergency needs
• Fantasy Focus podcast: Field Yates, Stephania Bell and Daniel Dopp recap MNF — including if Saquon is an elite fantasy option going forward, give key injury updates and talk what players we need to be concerned about. Plus, Eric Moody joins to tell us who to target on the waiver wire. Listen | Watch