Throughout week 2, we got notified of injury after injury.. Cooper Kupp, AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, and other fantasy relevant players will be sidelined, in some cases for multiple games. Let’s talk about who has the chance to rise to the occasion as the next man up and help you remain alive in your fantasy leagues. Don’t forget to read Larry Vannozzi’s weekly weather report to make sure you’re prepared for last minute alerts about mother nature’s plans in NFL cities across the country. Good luck to everyone who isn’t playing against me this week!

First, a few housekeeping notes..

Q’s Quick Pick Total Record: 9-17, -8.66u

Week 1: 3-12, -8.96u; Week 2: 6-5, +0.3u

Picks: Odds are from DraftKings. Picks are for entertainment purposes only and are strictly based on vibes. Check out the Wager Pass for legit gambling talk.

Reminder: Start your studs.

Start Sit Decisions: These are yours and yours alone to make. Hopefully my previews help provide context to assist you in making an informed, matchup winning decision.

Week 3 Positional Rankings: QB’s courtesy of Jacob Dunne, RB’s courtesy of Nathan Hernandez, WR’s courtesy of Jon Mosales, TE’s courtesy of Max Silveira, and DST’s courtesy of Brandon Furtado

Matchup: New York Giants (0-2) at Cleveland Browns (1-1)

Location: Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio

Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00pm EST

Q’s Quick Pick: WR Amari Cooper Longest Reception OVER 20.5 Yards (-120)

The Quarterbacks: (NYG) Daniel Jones showed something last week on his way to a top 7 QB performance, albeit against one of the worst defenses in football. I’m not interested in starting him on the road playing against the Browns.. (CLE) Another guy who left serious concerns after week one was Deshaun Watson, and again he rebounded to deliver a QB1 finish in his second opportunity. He could repeat here against a downtrodden Giants team.

The Running Backs: (NYG) This could be a long day for the Giants, but Devin Singletary might provide some glimmer of something. The Browns aren’t as dominant against the run as you’d think. If you need a flex play, maybe Singletary can be it, but it could also be really ugly.. (CLE) On the flip side, Jerome Ford could find room against a Giants defense that has a propensity to allow big plays at times. I think he’s a tier above Singletary in that he can be trusted to not bust here and should give you RB2 productivity.

The Wide Receivers: (NYG) Malik Nabers had his first big game, putting up over 100 yards and a touchdown on a whopping 18 targets. He should continue to see a massive piece of the passing pie, but Cleveland is no joke especially at home. Still, it’s hard to ignore a near 65% (!!) target share. Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton are clearly second and third fiddle, with Robinson having some viability in deeper leagues most weeks. This probably isn’t one of them.. (CLE) Amari Cooper has yet to show up this season, but I’m willing to bet he breaks out this week against a defensive secondary that lacks true star power. Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore each have 14 targets through two games. They enter flex territory as someone to potentially replace your injured stars for a week.

The Tight Ends: (NYG) The team doesn’t have anyone who’s stepped up to be a viable option in week 3.. (CLE) If David Njoku (ankle) plays, he should be in your lineup unless there’s reports of significant snap limitations.

Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) at New Orleans Saints (2-0)

Location: Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00pm EST

Q’s Quick Pick: QB Derek Carr OVER 237.5 Passing Yards (-120)

The Quarterbacks: (NO) Derek Carr was left for dead in draft season, but has come out on absolute fire, finishing inside the top six both weeks and sits at the QB2 on the season so far. The Eagles defense has been friendly to opposing passers, so I like Carr as a streaming option. I feel better with the game being at home in Louisiana than I would have if they were playing up north in Philly.. (PHI) Jalen Hurts is one of those start-your-studs guys, but without AJ Brown there’s some concern against a good defense. Yes, Hurts was still a top 5 option last week, but the matchup was great. Still, his rushing upside is enough to ensure a safe floor in event all else fails.

The Running Backs: (NO) It’s going to be tough to get another four touchdowns this week for Alvin Kamara, but he’s still a rock solid RB2. The Eagles aren’t exactly stout against the run so far but also aren’t to be taken lightly. Pass catching always benefits running backs, and Kamara is an elite option in that realm.. (PHI) Start Saquon Barkley. He’s heading for a career year behind the best OL of his career. The Saints are currently the second hardest matchup for backs, but they’ve faced Panthers Chuba Hubbard and the Dallas duo of Zeke Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Barkley is on another planet talent wise.

The Wide Receivers: (NO) Rashid Shaheed keeps on delivering big plays. The Eagles are usually a plus matchup for receivers. Shaheed leads this team in targets (9), receptions (7), yards (169) and receiving touchdowns (2) through the first two games. He’s not yet shown the consistency throughout his first two seasons fantasy managers would like to instill confidence long term, and with two nice performances to open the year, it feels like this may be a trap game for the big play threat. Chris Olave has had a poor start to the year, and Philadelphia provides a nice get right game for the talented pass catcher who’s normally been a target hog.. (PHI) AJ Brown (hamstring) is going to miss a couple weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in practice leading up to week 2. DeVonta Smith will be rising weekly rankings in the meantime, and with good reason. He’s as close to a must start as you can get. Britain Covey was the next man up last week with six targets, He didn’t do much with them, and I wouldn’t expect much out of the WR’s outside of Smith. Will we see Jahan Dotson this week?

The Tight Ends: (NO) Juwan Johnson is a touchdown dependent tight end. He found paydirt in week one en route to 10.5 points in PPR leagues. In Week 2, he got a big fat zero for you. The Taysom Hill conundrum remains, though he hasn’t produced yet.. (PHI) Dallas Goedert could stand to see more looks with Brown (hamstring) probably out of action again. He’s been a fringe TE1 thus far through two games, and looks to remain in that range up against a stingy Saints defense.

Matchup: Houston Texans (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (2-0)

Location: US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00pm EST

Q’s Quick Pick: Dalton Schultz OVER 27.5 receiving Yards (-115)

The Quarterbacks: (MIN) Sam Darnold enters week three as a top 10 quarterback on the year. Who would have guessed this back in July? He’s streamable here as long as one of Jefferson (quad) or Addison (ankle) plays.. (HOU) CJ Stroud hasn’t started the season with the same gusto he had his rookie year. The Vikings defense has shut down fantasy Quarterbacks, but that’s a bit misleading due to them facing Giants Daniel Jones in week 1. They managed to shut down 49ers Brock Purdy last week, but Stroud is a much more talented player. This probably isn’t the game he explodes, but he  should be able to take advantage of some opportunities.

The Running Backs: (HOU) Joe Mixon (ankle) is currently a top 12 running back, but this is a bit buoyed by a monster week 1. The Vikings run defense isn’t a weakness, so it might be another tough game for Mixon, though volume and his 3 down role should keep him involved enough to be a fine start if he plays. The immediate backup, Dameon Pierce (hamstring) didn’t practice Thursday, and neither did Mixon. This would leave Cam Akers as the next man up. Keep an eye out for reports over the weekend. The only one I’d trust is Mixon if he plays.. (MIN) Ty Chandler led the Vikings backfield in carries against the 49ers, and he was much more efficient with his opportunities last week than he was the week before. That cut into Aaron Jones (hip) production quite a bit, leading them to finish near back to back in week 2. Jones gets a boost in PPR leagues, out targeting Chandler 8-3 so far this year making him a low end RB2, while Chandler is firmly in the RB3/4 camp considering the Texans ability to keep opposing fantasy backs quiet. If Jones sees a setback throughout the weekend, Chandler would jump up to the RB2 range.

The Wide Receivers: (MIN) This unit could be in a lot of trouble with Justin Jefferson (quad) and Jordan Addison (ankle) questionable to play, though the former came out on Thursday and said he would be ready to go. Jalen Nailor stands as the man to see an increase in targets if one or both miss the game and would be a flex play if that were the case. If Jefferson is a go for the Vikings, he’s a go for your fantasy team too. The same could be said for Addison to a lesser extent unless you have better options.. (HOU) Nico Collins jumped out at us last week to remind everyone he’s the alpha here. Two consecutive top 13 finishes, and the current WR2 overall, remains a strong play. He’s separated himself a bit from fellow receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Diggs, for now, seems clearly ahead of Dell in terms of fantasy production, leaving the second year man teetering on relevancy early on.

The Tight Ends: (MIN) There’s still no interest here until TJ Hockenson (knee) returns to action.. (HOU) Dalton Schultz has been the odd man out so far, but I like him as a strong streaming option. The Vikings have given up the fifth most points to tight ends, albeit most of that production came from 49ers George Kittle. Regardless, Schultz is a talented player in a good offense that will have the Vikings defense focusing on the three wide receivers.

Matchup: Denver Broncos (0-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida

Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00pm EST

Q’s Quick Pick: Chris Godwin OVER 66.5 Receiving Yards (-115)

The Quarterbacks: (DEN) Bo Nix has had a tough start to his NFL career against a couple of fierce defenses in Pittsburgh and Seattle. Both rank in the bottom 7 matchup wise for QBs. Week three presents a great opportunity for Nix to jump start his career as the Bucs are fantasy friendly for quarterbacks. He’s got QB2 appeal against Tampa.. (TB) Baker Mayfield has two top five finishes in two tries, and he has a chance to make it three in a row at home against a mediocre Denver pass defense slot Mayfield in as a back end QB1.

The Running Backs: (DEN) Let’s see if this Denver running game can get something going to try and help support their rookie QB. The Bucs are allowing backs to run to the tune of 4.9 YPC while allowing four rushing touchdowns in just two games. I’d hope to see Javonte Williams take advantage and show us he’s got something to be excited about. He’s had more opportunities than Jaleel McLaughlin, but not by a wide margin (26-18). It’s enough of a split to not feel great about either, but one (or both) could produce more than anticipated.. (TB) Rachaad White has been up and down in his first two games, scoring 13.9 and 2 points respectively. The Denver run defense isn’t that much better than Tampa’s, actually allowing 10 more rushing yards thus far. White has a chance to throw it back to 2023 and give us something to cheer about.

The Wide Receivers: (DEN) Courtland Sutton has been disappointing as the only veteran with legitimate experience in this room outside of the recently added Josh Reynolds. Sutton saw his target total drop from 12 to 5, so we can’t rely on volume. The Bucs present a phenomenal matchup, but the Broncos offense isn’t inspiring, slotting him in as a low end WR3/4 who could surprise. Reynolds is likely on the outskirts of relevancy, but like Sutton, could take advantage of a good matchup if Nix is able to improve as a passer.. (TB) Mike Evans is the head honcho here, but could draw shadow duty from Broncos CB Patrick Surtain. He’s still a strong start, but be mindful. I’m thrilled about Chris Godwin this week. He’s been such a value at where you probably drafted him. He’s a must start for me.

The Tight Ends: (DEN) No thank you, Greg Dulcich.. (TB) Cade Otton is a low end streaming option. He’s attached to the current QB1 in average PPG and total points. The Broncos are a middle of the road defense vs tight ends, but he’s a low priority player on this offense.

Matchup: Green Bay Packers (1-1) at Tennessee Titans (0-2)

Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee

Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00pm EST

Q’s Quick Pick: RB Josh Jacobs OVER 77.5 Rushing Yards (-115)

The Quarterbacks: (GB) Malik Willis got a win in his Packers debut, and good for him. He found himself in the QB2 range after all was said and done last week. HC Matt LaFleur called a great game for him, prioritizing high percentage throws and allowing him to use his legs a little bit. Every starting QB in super flex has value, and that’s the only place you’re considering him. I’d think there are better options.. (TEN) Will Levis hasn’t been able to get things going in his second season. The Packers defense is tough, led by CB Jaire Alexander and S Xavier McKinney. You’d likely start Levis over Willis, but that’s the range he’s currently in.

The Running Backs: (GB) The biggest beneficiary to Willis at QB was Josh Jacobs.  Through the first two weeks Titans defensive unit is strong against every position except running back. Expect a healthy dose of Jacobs in what should be another ground and pound gameplay for the cheeseheads.. (TEN) Tony Pollard has been getting it done as the lead back, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t continue to do so against the seventh best running back matchup thus far. Tyjae Spears (ankle) hasn’t seen a lot of touches or production. Unless he breaks one with his limited opportunities, he remains a handcuff at best.

The Wide Receivers: (GB) Outside of Dontayvion Wicks making his way into the endzone, none of the pass catchers were viable. Jayden Reed remains the favorite of the bunch considering he’s probably the Packers WR1 and also has some rushing upside on jet sweeps and such, but even he’s more of a WR4 with upside. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs will need to fine the end zone, like Wicks last week, to be viable and that’s tough to predict. I’d try and shy away from all these guys if possible.. (TEN) None of the receiving options have been great. Calvin Ridley found the end zone on an end around to supplement a decent receiving day in week two. Otherwise, the position group in Tennessee has disappointed. DeAndre Hopkins (knee) is getting healthier by the week, so that’s encouraging. Still, thus probably isn’t the week we see any breakouts.

The Tight Ends: (GB) I’m not trusting Luke Musgrave or Tucker Kraft this week. It’s a bad matchup with a limited backup QB running things.. (TEN) Chig Okonkwo gets a little more love this week, but is still just a mundane streaming option with the Packers being middle of the pack matchup.

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