The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 3: Chargers’ Austin Ekeler won’t play against Vikings
UPDATE: 3:38 a.m. Saturday
The news regarding Sunday’s showdown of 0-2 teams in Minneapolis focuses on the running backs.
The Chargers’ Austin Ekeler has been ruled out because of his injured ankle. And new Vikings RB Cam Akers is not expected to see much action at all and could spend his first game with Minnesota on the inactive list.
We’re guessing this game will be a Justin Herbert-Kirk Cousins air battle, but the running backs that are most fantasy relevant this week are Minnesota’s Alexander Mattison and Los Angeles’ Joshua Kelley.
There will be a distinct shortage of rookie quarterbacks this week as both the Colts’ Anthony RIchardson and the Panthers’ Bryce Young have been ruled out. Of greater fantasy concern is the uncertain status of Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, who could miss Monday night’s Super Bowl LVI rematch against the Rams. You might need to make a tough decision on Burrow tomorrow morning before the early games begin.
Players ruled out for Week 3 include Baltimore RB Justice HIll and wideout Odell Beckham. And Lions RB David Montgomery is considered very doubtful.
Green Bay is still undecided on the status of RB Aaron Jones and WR Christian Watson.
And one final note: Cleveland has brought back Kareem Hunt following the season-ending injury to Nick Chubb, and coach Kevin Stefanski said he expects to play the returning Browns RB on Sunday against Tennessee. But we would not recommend using him in fantasy, as the Browns’ workload will mostly be going to Jerome Ford.
ORIGINAL POST: 12:46 p.m.. Wednesday
It’s been a rough start to the season for some of the game’s top quarterbacks.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow is playing like a dude with an injured calf. Chicago’s Justin Fields is looking like the latest Ohio State QB disappointment. The Chargers’ Justin Herbert is posting underwhelming numbers, and Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson appears to still be under suspension.
True, we’re talking a small sample size, and we wouldn’t recommend benching any of these No. 1 quarterbacks in Week 3. But this could be a good time to look at the waiver wires to see if there’s some QB help you should grab, like, RIGHT NOW.
Here are some quarterbacks that probably were left on the shelf at your fantasy draft, but have posted better than expected numbers so far this season:
Jordan Love (Packers QB) – Aaron Rodgers’ replacement is tied with Kirk Cousins for the league lead with six touchdown passes. He has only 396 yards, but he’s had limited weaponry because of the injury to Christian Watson.
Jared Goff (Lions QB) – Detroit should be a fun offense all season, and Goff is off to a strong start with 576 passing yards and four touchdowns. With top receivers such as Amon-Ra St Brown and Josh Reynolds, Goff will surely top his preseason fantasy ranking in the late teens.
Matthew Stafford (Rams QB) – The veteran is third in the league with 641 yards, boosted by the surprising skill of Cooper Kupp’s replacements: Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. With the Super Bowl LVI hero expected to return in Week 5, the Rams’ offense will be at an even higher octane.
Sam Howell (Commanders QB) – Washington appears to have found its QB after many years of trial and error. Howell has accounted for three TDs passing, one running and tallied 501 yards for the surprisingly unbeaten Commies.
Brock Purdy (49ers QB) – Purdy has shown no signs of his elbow injury that ruined the Niners’ hopes in the NFC title game. He has passed for 426 yards, with two TD passes and one scoring run. And his San Fran offense is loaded with playmakers.
Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers QB) – Nobody on the planet, including Mayfield himself, expected his sudden renaissance with the 2-0 Bucs. He has passed for 490 yards and three TDs, and he’ll continue to benefit from the career revival of star wideout Mike Evans.
Matchup game
Turns out D’Andre Swift IS ready to take over as Philadelphia’s top RB, so start him against Tampa Bay. … Backs taking advantage of weak defenses this week include Dallas’ Tony Pollard vs. Arizona, Miami’s Raheem Mostert against Denver and Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco against Chicago. … Atlanta WR Drake London finally had a good week against Green Bay and likely will again vs. Detroit. … The revival of Jacksonville WR Calvin Ridley will continue against Houston. … Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf will get his fair share of stats against Carolina. … And this would be another good week to start Vikings QB Kirk Cousins with the Chargers’ defense being so unimpressive so far.
Sitting stars
While Giants QB Daniel Jones looked much better in the second half in Arizona, he’ll be back at rock bottom Thursday night against the mighty 49ers defense. … The Steelers-Raiders game will not feature any Grade A running, so don’t expect much from Pittsburgh RB Najee Harris or Vegas’ Josh Jacobs. … The Saints’ defense should limit any great stats for Green Bay receivers. … If you’re not expecting great numbers from Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow against the Rams, the same would go for Bengals WRs Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Injury watch
It was a bad Week 2 for running backs, as Cleveland’s Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury and the Giants’ Saquon Barkley hurt his ankle. Jerome Ford will take over as the Browns’ No. 1, and if Barkley can’t go Thursday night against the 49ers, it will be veteran Matt Breida. … Indy QB Anthony Richardson has shown flashes of brilliance in his first two pro games, but he’s in the concussion protocol. So watch that situation carefully. … Players who went down in Week 2 include Detroit RB David Montgomery, Jaguars RB Travis Etienne, Las Vegas wideout Davante Adams, Miami WR Jaylen Waddle, San Fran WR Brandon Aiyuk and Baltimore WR Odell Beckham. The list of players who missed Week 2 and could return this week include Chargers RB Austin Ekeler, Green Bay RB Aaron Jones and WR Christian Watson, and Raiders wideout Jakobi Meyers.
The deepest sleeper
His name is Nathaniel Dell, but friends and fans of the Houston Texans rookie wide receiver call him “Tank.” The third-round draft pick has already emerged as the No. 3 receiving target for what will be a pass-happy offense led by fellow rookie QB C.J. Stroud. Dell has 10 catches for 106 yards in the first two weeks and scored his first NFL touchdown last Sunday against Indianapolis. As a Houston Cougar the past two years he tallied 199 receptions for 2,727 yards. That bodes well in an offense that will spend most of the next 15 games playing from behind. Sometimes way behind.
The Thursday pick
Giants at 49ers (-10½):
Pick: 49ers by 17
Breaking news
We’ll be updating our column, based on the latest injuries and innuendo, right up until Sunday’s kickoff. Go to TwinCities.com/theloop.
You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.
