Admin September 19, 2024
Ravens struggle against Raiders, Vikings get win over 49ers
Prince Grimes breaks down all the ups and downs of NFL week 2 of the 2024 season.
Sports Seriously
Week 2 was one of the most devastating weeks of all-time for fantasy football players. Injuries came in left and right. Players have been placed on IR. Full teams have found that bothersome ‘O’ next to their names. Players like AJ Brown, Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, and Isiah Pacheco are suddenly not available and everyone who owns them is panicking, scrambling to find replacements, but even those players might be dealing with injuries as well.
Here are the latest updates to help you know who to start in your fantasy lineup for Week 3.
Fantasy football rankings for Week 3: Recovering from the injury bug
49ers to be without stars next few weeks
The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday to move to 1-1 on the season. Things are only getting worse too as star running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on IR, while wide receiver Deebo Samuel is dealing with a calf injury that is expected to sideline him a few weeks.
The latter was confirmed Monday when 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan said as much, but the question now is who stands to benefit the most? The obvious answer is Jordan Mason. With McCaffrey headed to IR, Mason will be the team’s lead back through at least the first six weeks of the season, and it could be longer.
The other player that stands to benefit the most is Jauan Jennings, who came into the season, arguably as the team’s No. 4 receiver, but after Samuel’s injury and rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall’s unfortunate situation. He’s the true WR2 on this team, behind Brandon Aiyuk, and Aiyuk has struggled to get going after missing all of training camp during a contract dispute. Aiyuk figures to get a massive workload when he gets back into shape, but until then, Jennings has everything to gain and nothing to lose.
AJ Brown to miss multiple games
After AJ Brown missed Monday Night Football, Nick Sirianni refused to answer any questions concerning the length of time that Brown would miss. However, he’s not as slick as he’d like us to believe. AJ Brown himself told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he “expects to miss a couple weeks,” and given that the Eagles have not moved Brown to IR, that means the team likely expects him to miss 2-3 weeks.
Obviously, circumstances can change. Look no further than Christian McCaffrey who got moved to IR after avoiding those dreaded two letters for two weeks. Until then though, fantasy owners should operate under the assumption that Brown could return around Week 5.
Rams’ Nacua, Kupp both to miss extended time
We knew that Nacua was going to miss some time, but after Kupp’s injury against the Arizona Cardinals, fans were worried that Kupp too could miss more than a month of the season. As it stands right now, that doesn’t appear to be the case. While Kupp is still expected to miss some time, he has avoided IR.
On Monday, Rams’ head coach Sean McVay said “[Kupp]’s going to do everything in his power to get back, whenever that is.” That’s actually a bit more concerning. While Kupp did avoid IR, this statement seems very open-ended, implying that while Kupp could return in 2-3 weeks, Kupp’s injury history and the Rams’ reliance on him may force him to miss more time than originally expected.
Is Amon-Ra St. Brown in danger of missing Week 3?
After sustaining a quad injury in Week 2, Amon-Ra St. Brown appears to be good to go in Week 3. St. Brown practiced fully on Wednesday, and it was revealed that when St. Brown was handled by trainers twice against Tampa Bay, he was likely just dealing with contusions and cramping rather than anything serious.
Justin Jefferson on track to play Sunday
After a quad injury forced Jefferson out of Minnesota’s Week 2 win over San Francisco, many thought Jefferson would miss time. Fortunately, Jefferson appears to be alright. Jefferson was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell sounded very optimistic about Jefferson’s availability for Week 3’s contest against Houston during a radio interview earlier this week.
With Jordan Addison dealing with injuries as well and tight end T.J. Hockenson still out for several weeks, a hobbled Jefferson would open the door for Jalen Nailor to earn a bulk of the targets in a game where Minnesota will likely be trailing for a majority of the contest.
What’s the deal with Rachaad White?
Bucs’ running back Rachaad White (groin) was a limited participant during Tampa Bay’s walkthrough on Wednesday. This was actually a positive development for White, who suffered the injury on Sunday. However, there is still a possibility that White gets downgraded throughout the week.
The expectation right now is that White will be available to play in Week 3, but given rookie Bucky Irving’s explosiveness and White’s injury, it wouldn’t be shocking to see White’s backup get a larger role against the Denver Broncos. This could end up incredibly well or horribly for White. Should Irving prove just as efficient as he’s been all year despite a larger workload and against a solid Denver defense, White could start losing much of his early-down work. White is averaging just two yards a carry through two weeks, and his groin injury certainly won’t help.
Joe Mixon yet to practice
Texans’ running back Joe Mixon was a non-participant during the team’s practice Wednesday. While Mixon did avoid serious injury, reports indicate that Mixon will likely need to sit out a game or two to really put this injury behind him. With Dameon Pierce also dealing with his own injuries, the Texans’ backfield will fall to Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale yet again.
Kenneth Walker not practicing
Kenneth Walker (oblique) remains day-to-day as we approach Week 3. Given that Walker did not practice a single time before being ruled out of Week 2’s contest, this is not a good sign for Walker’s chances of playing on Sunday. Walker would need to ramp up his activity before the end of the week before you could confidently start him in your lineups. As of right now, Charbonnet is expected to be the lead back against Miami.
Nico Collins missing practice should not matter
Dealing with hip and foot injuries, Texans’ receiver Nico Collins missed practice Wednesday. However, this should not affect his status for Sunday. While fantasy owners should keep a watchful eye over Collins’ status throughout the week, reports indicate that Collins is still expected to play on Sunday.
Jordan Love could play Week 3
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that there is a possibility Love could play Week 3 after suffering a brutal ankle injury in Week 1.
Love was a limited participant during Wednesday’s walkthrough. Given the low intensity of Wednesday’s practice, and the severity of Love’s injury, Love would likely need to work up to full participation before the Packers feel good about starting him.
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