Happy Thursday!

This week has been aggressively slow and for some reason, I blame the double-header on Monday night. Why did the two games overlap so much? Does the NFL hate our interest in watching as much football as we want?

Looking forward to doing it again this week.

Let’s talk some fantasy football!

In this week’s newsletter:
- What the heck happened this week?
- Week 2 takeaways
- Week 3 ranking highlights
- Survivor pool NFL picks
- Booms and Busts

📰 What the heck happened this week?

• Nick Chubb out for the season with a knee injury

  • I’m heartbroken. I loved Chubb and his potential this season, now all we can do is hope for an easy recovery

  • The Browns have now added Kareem Hunt to the roster in response to the injury

• Cam Akers is traded to the MINNESOTA VIKINGS

  • Alexander Mattison owners are in shambles (that’s me)

  • A shocking trade destination for Akers, I certainly didn’t expect it. Early reaction from me is that this is more of a backup signing for Mattison than a role-stealer.

👀 Week Two Takeaways

🔥 Puka Nacua is LEGIT
Sure, we could have known this last week, but he just had a better game against a better defense and solidified his WR1 status while Cooper Kupp is out.

🐻 The Justin Fields Experience could continue being a bumpy ride
This was a rough game for Fields and unless we see a completely different gameplan next week I’m worried it will continue. Fields only rushed the ball FOUR times for THREE yards, luckily one of those was a TD. His passing still feels lackluster and the offensive scheme feels uncomplimentary.

🐎 Zack Moss is a start until Jonathan Taylor returns
Volume is king, and Zack Moss was the only Colts RB to play an offensive snap in week two. If you have him, I’d be starting him. If you’re feeling shaky on that, try to get a trade done to the team holding on to Jonathan Taylor.

🏴‍☠️ Mike Evans could be a top-5 WR all season
I love what this season has looked like for Evans so far. On a contract year with a QB trying to prove himself, things have aligned for Evans to ball out and he shows no signs of stopping.

📊 Week Three Rankings Highlights

Every week here I’ll highlight a few players I may be ranking higher than other experts, or some players I’m just excited to see play this upcoming week.

Feel free to check out my full weekly rankings at the link below!

🦁 Jahmyr Gibbs - RB11
Is this the week?! With David Montgomery banged up and expected to miss the week, Gibbs could finally be given the full workload that we’re all actively waiting for. I’ll admit, RB11 feels high but I’l be keeping an eye on whatever Dan Campbell states for backup RB Craig Reynolds and his potential usage. But for now, we prepare for Gibbs Szn.

🐦 Zach Erts - TE9
Zach Ertz is currently the TE7 on the season in PPR formats. It is 2023. It may feel flukey, but I’m buying it. With 10 targets in week 1 and 8 more last week, Ertz is entering must-start territory in the TE realm (absolutely start him above Kyle Pitts btw).

Other things to check out:
- Trade Value Charts are updated and live on our site!
- Sign up for Rival Fantasy using this link, you'll get a first deposit match up to $200 and a FREE $25 Voucher

💸 Survivor Pool Picks

Kansas City Chiefs 1-1 (vs. Chicago Bears 0-2)

Jacksonville Jaguars 1-1 (vs. Houston Texans 0-2)

Miami Dolphins 2-0 (vs. Denver Broncos 0-2)

Dallas Cowboys 2-0 (vs. Arizona Cardinals 0-2)

❓ Advice Requests ❓

Need some start/sit help? Looking to fill a bench spot with with someone from waivers? Need a DST streamer?

Feel free to reply to this email with any questions and I’ll answer whatever you have for me. Let’s get some wins.

💥 Week Three Booms and Busts 👎

Start your studs.

That being said, let’s highlight some players I’m expecting some big weeks from and a few I’m pretty low on. This isn’t necessarily a start/sit column, but more so some players I expect a bigger week from and some players I’m not excited about.

💥 RB Alexander Mattison, Vikings (vs. Titans)
I’m calling my shot and saying that we’re in line for a bounce-back week from Mattison against a weak Titans rush defense. The Titans are the second-most fantasy-friendly defense for RBs this season and the Vikings have showed little signs of shifting these backfield touches to anyone other than Mattison. He currently gets a workhorse-level amount of usage to make me feel good about this upcoming week.***

***This was written prior to the trade and holds true if Cam Akers does not play this week

👎 RB Matt Breida, Giants (vs. 49ers)
As of this writing, he is my RB40 for the week. With the Giants having a rough start to their season (but that comeback last week was fun to watch) and the tough matchup against SF, I struggle to see Breida getting much done in this backfield.

💥 WR Zay Flowers, Ravens (vs. Colts)
Overall, a solid outing for Conner in the game against the Commanders last week. With 19 total touches, 5 of them being receptions, he fared well against a solid defense and now faces a potentially weaker one. The Giants gave up THREE rushing touchdowns to the Cowboys, so there’s certainly some rush defense deficiencies that exist there.

👎 WR Garrett Wilson, Jets (vs. Patriots)
I don’t expect you to be able to bench Garrett Wilson, so this is definitely a “temper expectations” mention than a bench. Wilson faces the Patriots who were successful in shutting down the big pass plays against the Dolphins this past week. Wilson’s 68-yard TD last week and the circus TD grab in week 1 are really what scare me about his potential because without them his performances are incredibly weak.