Time for Week 3 of the 2021 NFL/fantasy football season! This week, John Reinhold pages through the injury report to see which backup quarterbacks are viable and which will wreck the scoring for everyone on their team. Plus: is the Pack back?

Welcome to week three of the fantasy freakout! Lots of scoring has happened, and unfortunately this was an ugly week — we’ve got injuries. Jameis Winston came back to earth, as we would expect. Its going to be the usual with him: some big games and some duds. King Henry showed up big time late in the game, for those like myself that have him it was a reminder of why he a top RB game changer. Tom Brady continues to amaze with 5 TDs. It’s of note that he really looked to Mike Evans this game. I think they want to make sure and include him in the game plan. This affected Antonio Brown, to the point where he saw only three looks. He also landed on the COVID list Wednesday, so he will need two negative tests to play the next game. Kyler Murray is on fire and leading the fantasy QBs. Dak had a slow week, but the defense was able to pull a win against a good Chargers team. 

What can I say: Lamar Jackson just willed his team to beat the Chiefs for the first time in the Mahomes area. I don’t believe there has ever been a QB quite like him. The Ravens D also came up just enough to pull the big win. That was an exciting game throughout. This year has already had a few tight classic games, it’s shaping up to be a good year early. 

The Raiders continue to play very well, with David Carr looking to have a career year [Editor’s Note: Obviously John means David’s younger brother, Derek Carr. Normally I’d just correct that mistake but it was too amusing to take out]. They remain undefeated and now face a Dolphin team that just got shut out by the Bills. 

Rodgers and the Pack must have had some kind of halftime speech. I think at half they said, “Preseason’s over, now is the time!” They looked like a new team from the half on. Aaron Jones, I believe, really lead the charge, as he was in beast mode from the first snap on. He really got the crowd involved and woke up the team. Jones looks in great form, and should continue to be a focus by the team. So now the Packers are awake again, and that sucks for me as a Bears fan. The defense still needs vast improvement, so I’m hoping it leaves the NFC North possible to take.  

Andy Dalton looked really good against the Bengals. I give him a lot of crap, but I can’t deny he was playing very well up to the knee injury. Fields looked shaky in his fill-in, perhaps it was just gettin’ in the flow. Regardless, he helped win the game, along with the Bears defense looking better than I thought they would be. Fields looks to get his first start this week.  

Injuries hit all over this week: Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz, and Tyrod Taylor were three of the big name QBs to go down with injuries that look to hold them out of a game or two. The backups on those teams are not particularly enticing, so keep a eye on the skilled-position projections to dip a little. I was totally wrong on Michael Pittman, the wideout from the Colts — I thought he would be ruled out, but he played. Weirdly enough, he played well against the Rams. He’s worth a look if available, but like I said before, keep an eye for the Wentz injury.

I don’t know what to make of this San Francisco running back injury and backfield. I am personally staying away from this mess. Rams RB Henderson missed practice, so looks like Sony Michel (I hope) gets more looks. I feel like he could really have an impact if given the opportunity.  

Lots of matchups to look at with some of these QB injuries affecting skilled players’ weekly point averages. Let’s dive into some waiver adds, matchups, streamers, and people to put on the radar.  

Waiver Wire Adds:

Rondale Moore (WR, Cardinals), Cordarrelle Patterson (WR/Rb, Falcons), KJ Osborn (WR, Vikings), Phillip Lindsay (RB, Texans), Darnell Mooney (WR, Bears), Tony Pollard (RB, Cowboys), Teddy Bridgewater (QB, Broncos), Justin Fields (QB, Bears), Hunter Henry (TE, Patriots), Carolina D, Chicago D. 

Notable Starts / Sits / Streamers: 

Play your best players. If you have to decide between a few people, here are some decent matchups on paper.  

Quarterbacks

Start: Daniel Jones vs Atlanta, Teddy Bridgewater vs Jets, Sam Darnold vs Houston, Justin Fields vs Cleveland 

Sit: Jameis Winston vs New England, Joe Burrow vs Pittsburgh

Running Backs  

Start: Chris Carson vs Minnesota, Saquon Barkley vs Atl, Ty’Son Williams vs Detroit 

Sit: Darrell Henderson Jr. vs Tampa Bay, Myles Gaskins vs Las Vegas

Wide Recovers 

Start: Sterling Shepard Vs Atlanta, Courtland Sutton vs Jets

Sit: Brandin Cooks vs Carolina, Henry Ruggs III vs Miami

Tight Ends

Start: Jared Cook vs Kansas City, Noah Fant vs Jets, TJ Hockenson vs Baltimore 

Sit: Mike Gesicki vs Las Vegas, Anthony Firsker vs Indy

Defense

Start: Panthers vs Texans, Raiders vs Miami, New England vs New Orleans  

Sit: Washington vs Buffalo, Philly vs Dallas, 

OK, good luck again everyone. Week 3, here we go! 

With Week One of the NFL season in the books, all is chaos. John Reinhold tries to make sense of it all and find some decent matchups for Week Two in this edition of the Fantasy Freakout.

Welcome to week two of the fantasy freakout! Plenty to freak out about now. Fantasy scoring was all over the place, with a few duds and some big surprising studs. I think one of the biggest surprises has to be Jameis Winston’s big day against Green Bay. I was just lucky enough to start Green Bay’s defense (Booo), hopefully you didn’t take my advice, or anyone’s advice, on starting them. You would figure that Winston would not light it up against Green Bay, and that some kind of turnover would happen. But -5 points!! -5. Yes, negative. Thanks, Aaron Rodgers, you as usual cease to amaze me. There’s no I in team, huh? Maybe put in some work and actually lead them. I would have to imagine that this loss is going to light a fire under his ass. But I’m holding on starting Green Bay’s defense, even against the Lions, until I get a better idea of what exactly was up. 

For Chicago, we learned that Andy Dalton was exactly who we thought he was. The Justin Fields era can’t get going fast enough. Monty rumbled, however so total hope is not lost. The Eagles looked really sharp overall; Hurts looks to be a possible franchise QB against the Falcons. The much-touted tight end Kyle Pitts tanked. The Bearded One, Fitz Magic for Washington, didn’t even make it that long. I’m not sure if that affects Terry McLaurin a whole lot. In the same game, Chargers QB Herbert was on fire; 13/16 on third downs and hitting everything — except, surprisingly enough, Austin Ekeler, who didn’t even get a target. What??? Fantasy owners have to be scratching their heads on this.  

Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes were their usual brilliant selves. Mahomes is insane with some of those cross-body flicks for 50 yards while running the opposite direction. Most coaches teach you to never even try that, but this guy is an alien, I’m convinced. Speaking of insanity, did you see Kyler Murray’s game?  Look, the Titans don’t have a pass rush, but my dude balled out. Henry couldn’t get going for the Titans, but I suspect that changes. In New York, Broncos running back Melvin Gordon found the fountain of youth, while both Daniel Jones and Teddy Bridgewater looked serviceable. Sam Darnold got revenge against the Jets, as Zach Wilson was welcomed to first string pass rush for the first time. The 49s vs the Lions was crazy when it comes to fantasy implications. It’s all too much. So Raheem Mostert gets hurt, then apparently Trey Sermon is in the doghouse with the coach. Elijah Mitchell comes in and now he probably takes over, but who ever knows with that team. Brandon Aiyuk was a complete zero, nada, nothing. Lions were fighting hard in this one. Lions RB D’Andre Swift looks to be a good pick in fantasy if he’s used like this every week. TJ Hockenson is going to eat up so many targets week in and week out.  

Pittsburgh beat the Bills and Najee Harris — and only Najee — ran a lot without a lot of points. But that should change. Houston ruined Trevor Lawrence’s first chance to win a NFL game, even though overall his performance was OK. I’m pretty sure we can chalk this up to a college coach, Urban Meyer, that needs a little time to adjust. And I don’t know… maybe consider using James Robinson to run the ball? For the Texans, a lot of this was helped with Mark Ingram getting 26 carries. Didn’t see that coming, did we? Thursday seems like years ago, but Brady was the GOAT, and hit the old fellas up a lot to take the game. Cowboys’ Dak was impressive, but running game has to get going at some point. Monday night wrapped us up with the Raiders playing some gritty ball. Lamar Jackson had a few issues that led to the Raiders coming back. Also, the Ravens defense had to deal with tight end Darren Waller, who looked like a nightmare to cover. Week One is in the books, and a lot of things are still wait-and-see.  

Waiver Wire Adds:

Elijah Mitchell (RB, San Fran), Zach Pascal (WR, Colts), Carlos Hyde (RB, Jacksonville), Tim Patrick (WR, Broncos), Van Jefferson (WR, Rams), Juwan Johnson (TE, Saints), and Larry Roundtree III (RB, Chargers). 

Notable Starts / Sits / Streamers: 

Play your best players. If you have to decide between a few people, here are some decent matchups on paper.  

Quarterbacks

Start: Baker Mayfield vs Houston, Teddy Bridgewater vs Jacksonville. 

Sit: Matt Ryan vs Tampa Bay, Carson Wentz vs Rams. 

Running backs  

Start: Melvin Gordon Vs Jacksonville, David Montgomery vs Bengals. 

Sit: Mike Davis vs Rams, Saquon Barkley vs Washington. 

Wide Receivers 

Start: Antonio Brown vs Falcons, Cooper Kupp vs Colts, Mike Williams vs Dallas.

Sit: Michael Pittman vs Rams, Kenny Golladay vs Washington, Henry Ruggs vs Pitt.

Tight Ends

Start: Gronk vs Falcons, Mark Andrews vs Chiefs. 

Sit: Mike Gesiki vs The Bills, Anthony Firkser vs Seattle. 

Defense

Start: Saints vs Panthers, Washington vs Giants. 

Sit: San Fran vs Eagles, Bills vs Miami.

—

OK, good luck again, everyone. Let’s see how much more freaky things can get this week! 

Photo: My fantasy football teams are always the GOATS OF DOOM. Because goats.

The first game of the NFL season starts in a few short hours. Time to freak out about getting our fantasy football lineups set! If you’re still not sure who you’re starting in your flex position, John Reinhold has some advice in this week’s Fantasy Freakout.

Here we are finally at the start of the season. Week 1 is going to be quite different than other weeks. We don’t yet know who’s got a hot hand or who looks rusty. So we’re not going on any major rants yet. UPDATE: I lied, it appears that if your a Ravens running back your ankle is in jeopardy. And just like that opening day brings another ridicules injury to the already depleted running back room of the Ravens. Gus looks to be out all season. Luckily he was my starting running back this week! Of course the free agent pool is full of great replacements. Hello Fantasy Football nice of you to remember me.

Fine lets move on. Tonight’s matchup, and the kickoff to our fantasy season, features the Super Bowl champs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, vs Dem Hard Knock Cowboys. This matchup has some interesting fantasy implications. If you are like me and drafted Dak or Elliott, you have to wonder how this line is gonna hold up against a Bucs team that returns everyone and adds more playmakers. You drafted them, so you gotta play them, right? It’s a hard call, but I’m sticking with Dak to overcome any issues and throw a lot to keep them in the game. We are about to find out a lot tonight about this Cowboys team. It’s the kickoff, so I’m sticking with playing any and all players. But it could be a rough outing for Cowboys skilled positions.  

Some kinda odd news this past week was the Saints releasing Latavius Murray. That was surprising considering how he was a great spell for Alvin Kamara. They must believe in the rookie, Tony Jones Jr. Look, they asked him to take a pay cut, and he said no. Can’t blame the guy; he was productive when he got his shots. Saints saved against the cap, which was something they had to figure out. I just wonder how this sits in the locker room. Now Murray is on my bench, taking up a spot until I make a decision on what to do with him. I’m holding on to him for now — maybe Buffalo or the Ravens will take a look.  

Lets get to it: Below are some matchups to exploit, and streamers to use if you are still working out a lineup this week. It’s just week 1, so everything is still very much a wait and see game. I’m not freaking out quite yet.  

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins vs Cincinnati Bengals Defense: A good matchup to exploit if you’re looking for a fill-in or good start for week one. I have him on my bench and Dak starting. I could play him, but I’m sticking to my lead. 

Ryan Fitzmagic vs Chargers Defense: I suspect this is a worthy spot to start Fitzpatrick, as he often can start hot. I doubt he’s your first choice, but if needed, it’s a decent fill-in. 

Jimmy G vs Lions Defense: In this article you’re often going to see people listed who play the Lions. Trey Lance is banged up a bit, and not starting, so this is a good spot for Garoppolo. He probably wants to hold onto the job this year, so I suspect he will be in good form. Also, the team’s main players are healthy. 

Baker Mayfield vs Kanas City Defense: He’s gonna have to throw a lot. So there’s that. Keeping up with the Chiefs presents opportunity. 

Trap Games/Busts: Tua Tagovailoa vs NE; Teddy Bridgewater vs Giants; Zach Wilson vs Panthers — can he defy the odds? 

Running backs 

Tevin Coleman (Jets): Jets should want to keep running, and he has the body for it. This is worth a fill if needed in week 1.

Gus Edwards (Ravens): If you are lucky, you got Gus as a backup. Now he has the main role, and it’s his to lose. I think he rolls in this game. *LIES. TOTAL LIES. Yeah well he is down and that’s that.

Raheem Mostert (49ers): This is a perfect chance for him to get a hot start. I suspect he rolls out as the main, with Trey Sermon second fiddle. Worth a flex if needed.

Trap Games/Busts: Saquon Barkley, as we don’t know his usage yet. Lions D’Andre Swift, with the injury. Josh Jacobs, with limited catching upside. And Melvin Gordon has a rookie creepin’ in on him. 

Wide Receivers

Robby Anderson (Panthers): He should be a main target for Sam Darnold. We shall see how that all works out this week. I suspect either way, he sees lots of targets this season.  

Tyler Boyd (Bengals): He sure fell in a lot of drafts — lower than I would have thought. Joe Burrow should look at him often, with his size and hands. He might fall later in the year, but this matchup has some value.

Brandin Cooks (Texans): This is a last-man-standing kinda deal. They’ve gotta score somehow. Most figure he’s gonna get the looks and chances. It could be really good for owners, as when he’s healthy, he has put up numbers. 

Trap Games/Busts: Mike Williams vs Washington. Courtland Sutton — gotta see how the knee works out. Henry Ruggs III, I just dont trust. 

Tight Ends 

Robert Troydan (Packers): I suspect Rodgers gets going with what he trusts. Should result in his big target getting a touchdown. I’m not sold on lots of targets, but for TEs, touchdowns are what I look for anyway. 

Jimmy Graham (Da Bears): Usually I’m not recommending Jimmy, but I think he can fill in this game because of the matchup. The receivers will be blanketed, so this is worth a look.  

Logan Thomas (Washington): Logan runs lots of routes and this gives him chances to score. The only issue is that we don’t know if the connection with the bearded one will develop as we would like it to. Ryan has not targeted his TEs as much, but I think that will change. He should be solid for 10 points most the time. 

Trap Games/Busts: Gerald Everett; he’s in a new system. We’ll have to wait and see. Zach Ertz; I just don’t know his usage. Jared Cook could have a decent game, but I want to wait and see.  

Defenses 

Green Bay Packers vs New Orleans Saints: They face Jameis Winston on neutral ground. This should give some interceptions, unless he’s suddenly improved drastically. I just don’t see it. I’m streaming them in my league. 

Denver Broncos vs New York Giants: They added some really stellar additions to the defense, and also have a healthy team coming into the season. I would feel good starting this squad.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Atlanta Falcons: Philly has some good parts to put pressure on Atlanta. However, the question is: what will Pitts add to ATL? Its a possible start if you have to.  

Trap Games/Busts: Chicago won’t have it easy with the Rams. The Cardinals may have issues stopping Derrick Henry. The Browns want nothing to do with the Chiefs. The Raiders pull the Ravens, and that might get nasty.  

Kickers 

Nope.

OK, that’s the freakout this week. It’s the start of the season, so nothing too crazy yet. Hope your team does well. Here we go!!!

Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash.