Fantasy Football Saturday Mailbag for Week 3 (Fantasy Football)
Good morning, FootClan, and welcome to Week 3 of The Fantasy Footballers’ Saturday Morning Mailbag! It’s the weekend, and I‘m here to select a few of your questions from The Fantasy Footballers’ Discord server and answer some of the hot topics that didn’t quite make it into that week’s edition of The Footcast. The Ballers’ Discord is home to the biggest and best online fantasy football community in the world, and it is your go-to place to talk about all things fantasy football. Head over today and get involved with thousands of members across dozens of dedicated channels for start/sit questions, trade advice, and waiver wire insights, as well as exclusive areas that are only available to members of the FootClan.
Oh FootClan, why can’t we have nice things? We are only two weeks into the new season and already the injury bug has hit, and for QBs in particular…it has hit hard. Sunday saw both Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams leave their respective games early with what looked like particularly nasty injuries – thankfully, both appear to have avoided the IR and are designated as week-to-week. Sadly, we had no such luck on Monday night as Jaxson Dart suffered what later turned out to be a torn MCL, ruling him out for the rest of the regular season (get well soon, Jaxson!).
In a particularly brutal week, WR duo Jayden Reed and Alec Pierce both look set to miss an extended period of time, as do TEs Dallas Goedert and David Njoku. It’s not all doom and gloom, however; Brock Bowers looks set to make his season debut this weekend as the Raiders travel to New Orleans to face the Saints and Tyler Shough…the latter being a particularly hot topic in this week’s mailbag. As always, we have lots to get through…so let’s dive right in!
Question #1 – Season-long Strategy (Malik Nabers Panic Special)
Good day Ballstars! What’s your temperature check on Malik Nabers for the rest of the season? – Football Ninja
Answer: Man, the New York Football Giants just cannot catch a break. Including the G-Men’s opening-day 28-20 victory over divisional rivals Dallas, the Holy Trinity of Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers, and Cam Skattebo have now been on the field at the same time in only two of the last nineteen games for Big Blue…woof. That ratio is only set to get worse with the news that franchise QB – and former 25th pick in last year’s NFL Draft – Dart looks set to miss the remainder of the regular season after suffering a torn MCL on Monday Night Football against the Rams.
With the oft-injured 23-year-old looking at a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the reins to this New York offense are being passed over to everybody’s favorite back-up and crab leg aficionado: Jameis Winston. Going by Famous Jameis’ showing in place of Dart at SoFi…we may be in for a bumpy ride with Malik Nabers for the rest of the year…but is it really time to panic?
Winston completed just 40.7% of his 27 attempts in the 28-6 defeat, connecting with his pass-catchers on only 11 occasions for 111 scoreless yards – he also threw one INT and rushed for one yard. While I can assure you that I do have other numbers on my keyboard, it is relevant to note that the Giants WR1 (who notably wears the #1 jersey) accounted for one of those completions…for one yard. Ok, that’s enough of that. Nabers was targeted on four occasions in the loss, missing a handful of snaps due to – what later turned out to be – a dislocated shoulder…and this is what concerns me way more than who happens to be throwing the former first-round pick the ball for the rest of the year.
With Dart out, you could be forgiven for proclaiming this an already lost season for John Harbaugh’s men – so would it be crazy to suggest they may just shut down their star WR to save any more damage being done for little to no gain? Despite returning to the game, logging a couple of full practices this week and “good results” from X-rays, whispers in the bushes surround the possibility of Malik needing shoulder surgery, casting a dark cloud over his potential to be a fantasy superstar for the rest of the season…and that’s without taking the QG situation into consideration.
We have seen Winston turn Jerry Jeudy into a bona fide WR1…but that was almost two years ago, and on Monday’s showing, this is not the same Jameis Winston who was on a 5,360-yard 17-game pace in his six full game starts with Cleveland in 2024. I have already tried to sell Nabers in my main League of Record but had no takers. I have him slated as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 for now…but that could change rapidly based on this weekend’s clash with Tennessee – for good or bad.
Question #2 – Season-long Strategy (Undervalued QB Special)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Where do you rank Tyler Shough for the rest of the season? Do you have him above Drake Maye or Justin Herbert? – Ya Boy Bill
Answer: As a manager who has recently acquired Shough to replace the above-mentioned IR-bound Jaxson Dart, I am praying to the Fantasy Gods that he keeps up this QB1 level of performance we have seen so far in the early parts of this season.
A second-round selection in last year’s NFL Draft, the sophomore out of Louisville stretched his run of top-10 finishes at the position to five games with a very impressive come-from-behind fourth-quarter win on the road in Baltimore last time out. Heading into the week, Shough leads the league in passing yards…perhaps unsurprising given the blistering pace Kellen Moore has this team operating at, averaging 75 plays per game in their opening two contests of the year. Don’t hear what I’m not saying; Shough is not an elite-tier QB…but his 69% completion rate (nice), coupled with his ability to run the ball, makes him an every-week starter for fantasy moving forward.
Coming out of the Saints’ Week 11 bye last season, Shough has averaged six rushes per game for over 25 yards…and a score every second week. That baseline, alongside his top-10 accuracy rating, puts him firmly in my top-10 for the rest of the year, with Mike ‘The Fantasy Hitman’ Wright being bold enough to rank him as QB5 from here on in. With Chris Olave playing like a man possessed, supported by the admirable efforts of third-year WR Devaughn Vele, and the criminally underrated Juwanson (that’s TE Juwan Johnson) – it could be argued New Orleans has one of the best receiving corps in the National Football League right now…and that’s only going to get stronger with the addition of rookie Jordyn Tyson, who will be looking to show just why the Saints spent their eighth overall picks on him back in April. Add in one of the best (albeit slightly aged) pass-catching RBs in the league in the form of Alvin Kamara, and the needle is firmly pointing up for Tyler Shough in his first full season as a starter.
The Saints currently have the fifth easiest schedule at the position rest of the season, while Drake Maye is having to choose to throw to Romeo Doubs or Mack Hollins, and Justin Herbert…well, his fiancée got a cool new Fortnite skin, so that’s nice. Shough stands above both these guys moving forward, roster him with confidence.
Question #3 – Start/Sit (Chop League Edition)
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What’s up, Ballera! Am I crazy to start Geno Smith over Bo Nix this week in a chopped league? I’m the second-lowest projected scoring team, and it’s looking ROUGH for me. – cjames5445
Answer: Questions like this, cjames5445, just highlight the overall majesty of the chopped league format, when potentially your entire season rests on the shoulders of either a guy whose stat-lines have been so putrid in the opening two weeks that he’s barely above Aaron Rodgers as the current QB30 on the year…or Geno Smith.
To say it has been a tough start to the season for Broncos’ third-year QB Nix would be an understatement. A crushing opening week defeat on the road to division mates Kansas City saw Bo throw for only 131 yards and a single TD, combined with three fumbles – last year’s overall QB6 started as the QB31…ouch. Things picked up for the Broncos in their home opener against the highly-touted Jaguars, but even after picking up the win, Nix recorded back-to-back games with only one total TD and a fantasy finish outside the top-15 at the position.
Although Geno’s performances haven’t been too much better than Nix’s, they have been better, with the former Jet/Giant/Charger/Seahawk/Raider eclipsing the 200-yard passing mark in both of Gang Green’s opening two contests. Smith seems to have found a rapport with both Garrett Wilson and the recently reborn Adonai Mitchell – the latter of whom he targeted on 12 occasions in the narrow 20-17 defeat at the hands of Green Bay. I am not for one second suggesting that Smith, Wilson and Mitchell are the new Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens…but there does appear to be a lot more hope for this Jets offense than many had given them prior to the start of the season.
Looking at the Ballers’ weekly rankings at the QB position, Geno is the consensus QB15 on the week, with Nix right behind him at the overall QB16. When it’s that tight, I personally like to use the matchup as a tie-breaker, and with Geno heading to Detroit to face a Lions defense that has allowed over 70 combined points in their opening two games…that is how I’m leaning. Both the Jets and Broncos have implied team totals of 21 points…but with Denver welcoming the fearsome Rams defense, I would take my chances that Geno and the Jets get involved in a shootout and hope for some delicious garbage.
Good luck in avoiding the chop, and if you survive…maybe spend a little money on an upgrade at QB so you don’t have to face this dilemma every week.
Question #4 – Season-long Strategy (High-T TE Special)
Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Who do you like more rest-of-season in a 10-Team Half-PPR league: Tucker Kraft or Travis Kelce? – Kittle Buff Boys
Answer: Like ships in the night, these two TEs are slowly passing each other in my season-long rankings, with pre-draft consensus top five Tucker Kraft now just marginally ahead of the eternal Travis Kelce as my TE8 and TE9 respectively.
I am writing this column late Friday afternoon, so I have had time to take in and digest Green Bay’s Thursday Night Football defeat at home to the Falcons, and my expert analysis is that they…aaah suck. Through three weeks, Kraft has a stat line of 9/106/0…Travis Kelce managed to eclipse that in just one game last time out against the Colts, and now he gets to take on Miami…sign me up. It feels as if pre-season analysis couldn’t have been more wrong on these two offenses, with many panelists worrying about Patrick Mahomes’ health after the ACL/LCL surgery that ended his 2025 season, while at the same time waxing lyrical about the Packers’ potential to lead the NFC North in scoring this season. Well…don’t we all look silly?
With Christian Watson and Matthew Golden dominating targets from Jordan Love – the pair have accounted for 50% of team targets at all positions – it is hardly surprising that Kraft has been left to pick up scraps as the clear third option in this Green Bay passing game. Sure, he may still be recovering from that torn ACL…but all reports heading into the season were that he was 100% good-to-go; so I am not buying it. Contrast this with Kelce and his almost sickening chemistry with Mahomes, and it looks as if Zeus could once again be near the summit of the TE mountain come the fantasy playoffs.
The Chiefs may be a run-first team with Kenneth Walker III getting around 400 touches per game, but it appears there is still plenty of work headed Mr. Taylor Swift’s way on a week-to-week basis. I still prefer Kraft right now…but ask me again in a week, and I may have a different answer for you.
It’s time for Rapid Round…
Heya, Ballers! Has the Strength of Schedule tool on the Ultimate Dashboard been updated? P.S. FootClan: coming from someone who dropped him, it’s totally okay to let go of Marvin Harrison Jr. – McLovelan’
Answer: You better believe it has McLovelan’ – it may only be two weeks’ worth of data, but the Ultimate Dashboard Strength of Schedule tool is bang up-to-date to help you make those all-important decisions on early-season QB, TE, and DST streamers. Remember, as an Ultimate FootClan Member, you don’t only get access to the Ultimate Dashboard, but also Premium Rankings, Rest of Season Rankings, and (my favorite) the Trade Analyzer amongst other goodies. Be sure to re-sync all your teams and make waiver day stress-free!
Who’s the better rest of season option: Brock Purdy or Tyler Shough? – BurdenHand
Answer: This is a great follow-on from our Shough question above. As much as I rate the Saints’ sophomore, I am absolutely in love with Purdy and the 49ers offense. He may go down in the history books as a former Mr. Irrelevant, but with his league-leading accuracy (80.4%) he is the key piece of that San Francisco attack and a top-5 QB rest-of-season for me…that is, unless a particular league mate of mine is reading this, then he is absolutely trash, and you should accept any trade offer you get for him.
Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
With Jaxson Dart out indefinitely, would you try and trade a Parker Washington tier player for Malik Nabers? – Gmuhler
Answer: As a Malik Nabers manager who frantically tried to offload him on Tuesday morning (and failed miserably), I think you would actually be better holding on to Washington in the long run…or at least until we know how this Giants offense is going to look for the rest of the year. Will it be Jameis? Will the G-Men trade for a starter? Or will Nabers take the year off to rehab any issues with his shoulder? If you really believe in Malik and want him on your team, offer less than Parker, or ask for more in return.
Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Who put out better film, Daejon Love or Marvin Harrison Jr.? – Oops! All Lefties
Answer: Haha! Congratulations, you get the first and only Listener of the Week (well, Discorder of the Week?) for that one. The real question is, who has more trade value at this point out of the two?
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
D’Andre Swift or TreVeyon Henderson in a Half-PPR? – crazymoneyboi
Answer: King Swift then, King Swift now, King Swift always.
That will do it for this week, FootClan – good luck for Week 3!