The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 4: Panthers will have Young, not Dalton, facing Vikings
UPDATE: 12:36 a.m. Saturday
The Loop, for one, was all excited about the prospect of watching ancient Andy Dalton face the Vikings’ defense on Sunday in Carolina. Even made him our Deepest Sleeper. But alas, No. 1 draft pick Bryce Young has been cleared to play in Sunday’s battle of The Winless in Charlotte, N.C.
While the rookie QB is good to go, Panthers RB Miles Sanders is still considered questionable. If he cannot go, then look for more work for Chuba Hubbard. Not good work, but more work.
Two top-tier running backs are still very iffy for this week. The Chargers are listing Austin Ekeler as doubtful, while the Giants say Saquon Barkley is questionable. But with the prospect of a Monday night game against San Francisco not too appealing anyway, we’d suggest you keep Saquads on the bench.
Baltimore will be without two of its top receivers this week: former Gophers standout Rashod Bateman and former Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr.
Players listed as questionable as of this morning include New Orleans QB Derek Carr, Cleveland QB Deshaun Watson, Las Vegas QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco RB Elijah Mitchell, Niners WR Deebo Samuel and Arizona wideout Hollywood Brown.
On the plus side, Indy QB Anthony Richardson and Miami WR Jaylen Waddle are good to go.
ORIGINAL POST: 10:49 a.m. Wednesday
You know a player has had a history making performance if it leads to a postgame name change.
That’s what happened last Sunday with De’Von Achane, Miami’s rookie running back who blew through Denver’s Swiss cheese defense for 203 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the Dolphins’ startling 70-20 blowout of the Broncos.
After the game, Achane announced to reporters that they had been pronouncing his last name all wrong. It is pronounced A-CHAN, and not A-CHAIN, bringing back memories for the oldsters among us of the whole Tony Dor-SIT, Tony Dor-SETT deal in the 1970s.
Achane, who is now just five yards behind Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson in the rookie rushing race, is not the only first-year surprise so far this season. Here are a half dozen NFL freshmen who are having success, and fantasy relevancy, so far in 2023:
C.J. Stroud (Texans QB) – Far under the radar, the former Ohio State standout ranks 11th in fantasy stats. He’s averaging 302 passing yards per game with four TD passes. With the Texans’ troubles establishing a running game, Stroud will be passing early and often all season.
Sam LaPorta (Lions TE) – The former Iowa Hawkeye is the No. 2 tight end so far for the strong Detroit offense. He has 18 receptions for 186 yards and one TD through three games. More importantly, he had 11 targets last week, second on the Lions only to Amon-Ra St Brown.
Puka Nacua (Rams WR) – He set the NFL rookie record with 15 receptions in Week 2, and odds are you probably already missed your chance to claim the sensation from BYU. He has yet to score his first touchdown, but that doesn’t diminish his other totals: 25 catches for 266 yards.
Jordan Addison (Vikings WR) – The Minnesota rookie from USC has proven to be a fine counterpart to Justin Jefferson, tallying 13 catches for 185 yards and two TDs through the first three weeks. His numbers should continue to rise in the ever-more pass happy Vikings offense.
Nathaniel Dell (Texans WR) – Tank was our Deepest Sleeper last week. Now he’ll be one of the most sought-after waiver claims this week. He’s a borderline top 10 receiver after his 145-yard effort against Jacksonville. He has 15 catches for 251 yards and two TDs. Nice call on our part, don’t you think?
Marvin Mims (Broncos WR) – It’s obvious Denver is a dumpster fire that will be playing from behind, sometimes far behind, all season. So this speedster from Oklahoma will certainly add to his 195 yards receiving he has so far.
Matchup game
Our new favorite running back, Philly’s D’Andre Swift, is second in the NFL in rushing, and he could be No. 1 after running through Washington. … Tennessee’s Derrick Henry will have his first big day of the season against Cincinnati. … Same goes for New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson against the suddenly not-so-tough Cowboys. … Receivers we like this weekend include Atlanta’s Drake London vs. Jacksonville and Indy’s Michael Pittman against the Rams (especially if Gardner Minshew is QB again). … The Chargers’ Keenan Allen will get an even bigger chunk of the Chargers’ passing attempts against Las Vegas. … Chicago’s Justin Fields’ early season funk will end the moment he looks across the line of scrimmage and sees the Denver defense. … And New York QB Daniel Jones will have a similar sensation when he faces Seattle.
Sitting stars
Spoiler alert: Miami’s De’Von Achane won’t have 200 yards and 4 TDs in Sunday’s Dolphins-Bills showdown. … Houston’s Dameon Pierce is averaging only 2.5 yards per carry this season, and he won’t do much better, even against the Steelers’ meager run defense. … Arizona RB James Conner will cool off considerably against the 49ers. … There are no Green Bay running backs you should count on against Detroit. … Washington RB Brian Robinson will be the latest to be shut down by the Eagles. … Yes, Jets WR Garrett Wilson will have another frustrating day against Kansas City. … And the Browns’ defense is so tough that Lamar Jackson is the only Baltimore player you should even think about starting today.
Injury watch
The big injury last week was the season-ender for Chargers WR Mike Williams. … Two middlin’ QBs are in doubt this week because of Week 3 hits: New Orleans’ Derek Carr and Vegas’ Jimmy Garoppolo. … Both of the 49ers’ top pass catchers, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, are questionable. … And players who might, or might not, return from injury include Chargers RB Austin Ekeler, Miami WR Jaylen Waddle, Indy QB Anthony Richardson, Detroit RB David Montgomery, New Orleans RB Jamaal Williams and two Packers: RB Aaron Jones and WR Christian Watson.
The deepest sleeper
We usually don’t put people close to our own age in this spot, but we can’t resist touting Carolina backup QB Andy Dalton. With No. 1 draft pick Bryce Young very likely to miss another week, Dalton would face off against the Vikings’ mediocre excuse for a defense. It’s the Adam Thielen Revenge Game against his old team, and we expect him to connect with the Red Rocket early and often. Last week in Seattle, Dalton threw FIFTY-EIGHT passes. Tallied 361 yards and two touchdowns. Not bad for a guy so close to qualifying for Social Security. It’s going to be a high-scoring game in Charlotte between two of the NFL’s four winless teams. So Dalton could be a GREAT streaming option for this week.
The Thursday pick
Lions at Packers (pick ‘em):
Pick: Lions by 3
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.
