We haven’t done a “what I’m watching” in a couple weeks so figured we should recalibrate out football
antennas so we can get back to focusing on the right details. So, buckle in this week, tell everyone to
shut up, and let’s figure out what the heck is going on here before all our league mates do.
*All times below are Eastern Standard Time*
Jaguars @ Bengals - Thursday 8:20 PM (Recap)
Jaguars - In week 1 James O’Shaughnessy was top five in WR snaps for TEs with 32 (same as Logan
Thomas). Under Urban Meyer in 2009, Aaron Hernandez led his team with 68 catches for 850 yards and
5 touchdowns. He just traded for Dan Arnold and, even without knowing the playbook, he had two plays
drawn up for him. Get him.
Bengals - Don’t be fooled by CJ Uzomah - that only happened because Tee Higgins was out. The
concern here is for Joe Mixon and this ankle injury. Watch closely. Samaje Perine was the clear
beneficiary.
Colts @ Dolphins - Sunday 1:00 PM
Colts - The Colts finally have a worthy split end in Michael Pittman so they don’t need to use two TE sets
anymore. Last week we finally saw them role out a good amount of three WR sets with Parris Campbell
playing a pretty big snap share. With his explosive speed, he is the guy to watch.
Dolphins - This team has a new QB for the time being so everything is up in the air. Last week they ran
83 snaps so there was enough time for everyone to play but will be interesting to see what a normal
game looks like. They like Durham Smythe at in-line TE while Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker, Will
Fuller, and Mike Gesicki all played a ton of snaps at WR (93% of Gesicki’s snaps were lined up at WR
rather than in-line). Only three can really play at any given time.
Texans @ Bills - Sunday 1:00 PM
Texans - Brandin Cooks is the man of course. But Davis Mills will need to decide who his next target is
going to be. Anthony Miller would be the boring option as he’s a slot guy who doesn’t play a full snap
share. Chris Conley would be equally boring as a split end who is out there for his blocking. The real
interesting one would be Jordan Akins who ran 25 routes to only 8 for Pharaoh Brown last week. TE
eligibility is king.
Bills - There are a lot of people jumping on the Dawson Knox wagon but he’s still the 4th target on the
team. The real question is whether they use a lot of four WR sets with Gabriel Davis or if Knox has done
enough to be a full-time player with Davis rotating with Beasley. This week they probably lean into Knox
as they will be running a lot.
Panthers @ Cowboys - Sunday 1:00 PM
Panthers - Dan Arnold has been traded. The question is this - did they trade Arnold because they like
Ian Thomas or Tommy Tremble to be the pass catching tight end? Or did they trade him because they
want to use more three WR sets with Terrace Marshall, since Arnold mostly played slot? We should get
a good idea this week.
Cowboys - Another popular tight end add - Dalton Schultz. But behind the scenes, Blake Jarwin
actually ran the same exact number of routes as him (21). Has Schultz done enough to separate
himself? Or are we bound to see a Jarwin game at some point too?
Titans @ Jets - Sunday 1:00 PM
Titans - Both AJ Brown and Julio Jones might be out this week in a nightmare scenario. This is a crazy
mixed bag here because Nick Westbrook-Ikhine picked up the slack in their absence last week but both
Josh Reynold and Anthony Firkser will be active this week and ready to rock. Will be interesting to see
how it pans out but hard to trust any outside DFS.
Jets - Jamison Crowder is back but now of course Elijah Moore is out. Watch to see if Jamison Crowder
is playing all the snaps or if he’s just playing in the slot then coming out for two WR sets. If Crowder is
strictly playing slot, I’m adding Elijah Moore anywhere I can.
Browns @ Vikings - Sunday 1:00 PM
Browns - Surprisingly Odell Beckham Jr. came back to a full snap share and looked explosive out
there. He’s undoubtedly the most interesting attractive for this Browns offense in a game where they
should have to throw. The over/under is 52 points and the Browns are only 2 point favorite on the road.
Vikings - We know the deal with this team for the most part - Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson play
every snap. Dalvin does too and, when he’s out, Mattison does. The real battle now is between Tyler
Conklin and KJ Osborn for that third target on the team. In all likelihood, it’s a guessing game you don’t
want to play.
WFT @ Falcons - Sunday 1:00 PM
WFT - For a year and a half now the top two targets on Washington have been Terry McLaurin and
Logan Thomas. However, Curtis Samuel will finally enter the picture. This will be a defining week in
terms of finding out where Logan Thomas can maintain his target share or whether he falls into the
background.
Falcons - I wasn’t high on Kyle Pitts coming in. But the underlying numbers are actually really
promising. He’s playing 35+ snaps a week at WR - he’s played more WR snaps this year than Rondale
Moore and only five less than Christian Kirk. And that’s just at WR - he’s also played ~50 snaps in-line.
This guy is bound to break out at some point in a big way. Stick with him.
Chiefs @ Eagles - Sunday 1:00 PM
Chiefs - We might not get a full glimpse of him this week or even next week. But it’s all about Josh
Gordon right now. This guy has been EXPLOSIVE in the past. And we’ve seen guys like Darren Waller
and Cris Carter overcome substance abuse issues to get back out there and do big things. Don’t write
him off.
Eagles - The tight ends are always going to get some targets here. So the real battle that has emerged
is DeVonta Smith vs. Jalen Reagor to be the top target getter at WR. They are both now playing
essentially every snap. Hard for both to be studs but that’s not out of the question either.
Lions @ Bears- Sunday 1:00 PM
Lions - Dan Campbell said himself that D’Andre Swift deserves more touches. This week could be a
defining moment - is Swift truly a top five running back in fantasy? If he’s splitting snaps the way he has
been that will be tough as they are bound to have some bad game scripts. But, if he’s the guy, then it’s
possible even on a bad team with the targets he gets.
Bears - Only one question - who is going to be the starting quarterback? Whoever it is gets a golden
opportunity to beat up on a bad team and cement himself. Each QB has targeted different players
(Dalton leaned on the TE and RB while Fields pushed the ball downfield more). Whoever the QB is
changes everything.
Giants @ Saints - Sunday 1:00 PM
Giants - With Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton banged up, all eyes are on Evan Engram. Last week
he got six targets but committed yet another error with a costly fumble. The fans have the pitchforks out
but the upside is there given his athleticism.
Saints - The game scripts have been so weird for this team we really haven’t even seen a real game.
Alvin Kamara is Alvin Kamara but are any of these pass catchers worth owning? Marquez Callaway is
the best bet as of now.
Cardinals @ Rams- Sunday 4:05 PM
Cardinals - It’s the same battle we’ve seen - Christian Kirk vs. Rondale Moore. Moore’s snaps jumped
up week 2 but then tumbled back down week 3, only running 14 routes. If Kirk once again out-snaps
him, I’m calling the fight.
Rams - The big time concern here is on Robert Woods but I’m not concerned. Cooper Kupp’s yards per
route run of 3.86 is not sustainable whatsoever. The big plays by Kupp, Van Jefferson, and DeSean
Jackson have caused abnormal game scripts - the drives are over so quickly because of the big plays.
Woods is playing ever snap and running every route so he’ll have his days too.
Seahawks @ 49ers - Sunday 4:05 PM
Seahawks - We know the deal here - Metcalf, Lockett, Carson. Which is great for fantasy football. With
D’Wayne Eskridge and Gerald Everett out, Will Dissly and Freddie Swain become interesting
DFS dart throws. This depth chart is insanely shallow.
49ers - Everyone wants to talk about the running backs, but Shanahan is going to make that a mess
regardless. I care about Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk is back to a full snap share and
Deebo has been way more efficient than he can possibly keep up. Aiyuk could turn the tables a bit but,
with Kittle there, there might only be room for one sheriff in that WR room.
Ravens @ Broncos - Sunday 4:25 PM
Ravens - What’s more exciting than the debut of a first-round wide receiver? Sammy Watkins has been
playing split end with Marquise Brown at flanker. Devin Duvernay comes in to play slot for three WR sets
but they use a second TE and fullback at times so that’s not a full-time role. Very curious to see where
Bateman fits in.
Broncos - With all the injuries, WR sorted itself out. Sutton and Patrick full time, Diontae Spencer in
slot. The real battle is in the backfield. Week 1 they split snaps. Week 2 they split carries, but Melvin got
more pass snaps. Week 3 Melvin got more carries AND pass snaps. Is Melvin running away with this
thing? Everyone expected thing to trend the OTHER way towards the rookie.
Steelers @ Packers- Sunday 4:25 PM
Steelers - Pat Freiermuth has looked damn good and he played more snaps than Ebron week 2
but in week 3 Ebron played more. Yet Freiermuth put up more fantasy points. Will they unleash the
rookie at any point or is he just a dynasty stash?
Packers - Davante Adams is the top dog but it’s wide open after that. Tonyan has been invisible.
Randall Cobb is only playing 15-20 snaps a game. Can MVS or Lazard pull away with their snap share?
Or is this just a Rodgers/Adams/Jones only offense?
Buccaneers @ Patriots - Monday 8:15 PM
Buccaneers - Don’t really need to say much. It’s all about Tom and Gronk returning to New England.
Patriots - Don’t let the GOAT returning distract you from the fact that this team has been a split
backfield for 20 years and someone needs to replace James White on passing downs - a profitable
assignment given how often Mac looked to White. My guess is JJ Taylor, but Brandon Bolden filled in
following the injury last week.
Raiders @ Chargers - Sunday 1:00 PM
Raiders - Darren Waller is the guy. That essentially leaves on chance for another fantasy relevant pass
catcher. Will it be Bryan Edwards? Will it be Henry Ruggs? Will Hunter Renfrow and his 50% snap
share continue to be annoying out of the slot so that none of them are worth starting. Stay tuned.
Chargers - Mike Williams has been ELECTRIC. We’ve seen him do it in flashes before but he’s now
strung three games together. Is this just the typical flash from Williams or is he finally emerging as a top
wideout? I think one more rock-solid game and we can officially trust it.