Hot Fire Fantasy Football Questions for Week 3
Our “Hot Fire Fantasy Questions” series examines a completely upside down Week 3 following up recent news, fantasy performances, and implications for owners moving forward. Our Hot Fire contributors from our Fantasy Footballers writing staff includes Ryan Weisse (@TheFantasyFive), Keaton Denlay (@keatondenlay), and Nate Hamilton (@DomiNateFF). Give them a follow on Twitter along with all of our Footballers accounts to get goodness like this:
The amount of Kerryon Johnson tweets in my timeline is both astounding and……. DESERVED! Give that man the rock and stop it with the Blount/Riddick nonsense!
— Jason Moore (@jasonffl) September 24, 2018
Mike McCoy should be fired in the locker room. 3rd and 2, game on the line — and you pull DJ off the field to hand it to a rookie who loses 5. Inexcusable. Unconscionable. Disgusting. Appalling. Revolting. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
— Andy Holloway (@andyholloway) September 23, 2018
1. Please explain Josh Allen & his dynasty prospects moving forward.
I’m no dynasty expert and I don’t play one on TV but I’ll say this: Allen just led one of the worst constructed offenses to ever exist to a huge win over a truly great defense. He’s a big guy who is willing to make plays with his feet and if, and this is a big if, he is able to sustain that type of play without injury, he could be a Cam Newton-light type of fantasy QB. He’s going to make bad plays and he’s going to turn the ball over, but it seems like he is willing to try just about anything to score points and that can be very valuable in fantasy football. As far as his dynasty prospects, I’m not even going to guess at that 3 weeks into his career, but he is definitely worth paying attention to in deep and/or 2 QB leagues. –Ryan Weisse (@TheFantasyFive)
Let’s start with a singular truth. In 1 QB leagues, QBs are worthless. Get one, maybe two if you’re in a crazy deep league and move on. Josh Allen isn’t worth a sandwich in those formats. However, Superflex leagues are a completely different story. In Superflex, every starting QB is worthy of a roster spot. In this augmented environment, Josh Allen is… still only taxi squad material. –Keaton Denlay (@keatondenlay)
Josh Allen’s dynasty value should skyrocket after that performance against possibly the toughest defense in the NFL. His mobility and nose for the end zone only add to his value. I do worry about him in the short term as the Buffalo Bills have not done a great job providing the rookie with viable weapons in this offense. If the Bills knock the next draft out of the park, I will feel more confident with Allen moving forward. –Nate Hamilton (@DomiNateFF)
2. Which Week 3 breakout WR matters most ROS: Mike Williams, Calvin Ridley or Tyler Boyd?
Seems like Mike Williams is the way to go here. Ridley and Boyd fit well into their complementary roles but will always be second fiddle to Julio and AJ Green for the foreseeable future. Williams, however, has a better draft pedigree and looks as talented as Keenan Allen. They play very different roles in this offense and while the Chargers lack of viable TE, Williams is going to be the red-zone darling. He is Rivers’ new Antonio Gates and we all already know how valuable that is. –Ryan Weisse (@TheFantasyFive)
Mike Williams’ performance is the most important of these three for the simple reason that it isn’t his “breakout game”. He now has 3 TDs in 3 games. This game was just further confirmation that he is the real deal and was worth every bit of the 7th overall draft pick price that the Chargers paid for him in 2017. –Keaton Denlay (@keatondenlay)
Without a doubt, it’s Mike Williams. He has 3 TDs through the first 3 games and is in the better offense of the other two mentioned above. Yes, Calvin Ridley showed us his ceiling on Sunday and it was impressive. Williams will provide a safer floor and be a more consistent option for your fantasy squads on a weekly basis. If you are a Ridley owner in re-draft leagues, I’d be selling high right now. –Nate Hamilton (@DomiNateFF)
3. Which Week 3 RB performance stood out to you the most?
It’s a toss-up between Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey. Kamara’s 15 catches on 20 targets, while awesome, isn’t all that unexpected so I’m going with CMC. After only registering 117 carries last season, some people were ready to tell you that he couldn’t shoulder a full RB workload. With this 28 for 184 performance, that nonsense has been put to bed. Not to mention it came against a defense that hadn’t allowed more than 40 yards to any other RB this season. CMC is the real deal and has a chance to be a top-5 RB when this season is over. –Ryan Weisse (@TheFantasyFive)
Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Christian McCaffrey’s performance caught my attention. I think we all appreciate the talent of CMC, but I wasn’t buying what the Panthers were selling regarding his workload. However, it is now apparent that they plan on deploying him like he’s DeAngelo Williams, if necessary. 28 carries with a ypc of 6.6 is a big boy game, from a not-so-large individual. Impressive. There’s just no other word for it. –Keaton Denlay (@keatondenlay)
Adrian Peterson. I think after this weekend’s performance, the Redskins will have to give Peterson at least 20 touches a game. Peterson has always proven he is most effective with volume and he was the A.P. of old against the Packers on Sunday. 120 yards and 2 TDs isn’t bad for the “washed up”33-year-old veteran. It appears Adrian Peterson has revitalized his career in Washington D.C. –Nate Hamilton (@DomiNateFF)
4. Give us one stat line owners need to pay attention to.
Other than the fact that Christian McCaffrey is on pace for over 350 touches??? How about this: With this latest injury, people are once again lining up to bury Devonta Freeman but in his absence, and in a very favorable matchup, Tevin Coleman only managed 33 yards on 15 carries. His fantasy day was saved by a receiving TD but crowning Coleman as the starter seems premature at the very least. If Freeman gets time to fully recover, I think he will regain this job without much problem and relegate Coleman back to the change of pace role he seems more suited for. Freeman has proven, when healthy, he is a truly elite RB in this league and is a prime buy-low candidate right now. –Ryan Weisse (@TheFantasyFive)
I think it is worth noting what Josh Rosen did with his limited attempts on Sunday in relief of Sam Bradford. 6 of his passes were credited as “targeting” receivers. Of these 6, half of them went to Christian Kirk. Of these targets, 2 were completed, which also accounts for half of Rosen’s completions. (Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once by Rosen). It is a common occurrence in the NFL that the backup QB comes in with a favorite target who is usually a fellow 2nd stringer, someone they have put in a lot of practice time with. This could be the beginning of something special between the rookies, Rosen and Kirk. –Keaton Denlay (@keatondenlay)
28 carries for 184 rushing yards and 2 receptions for 10 yards. The Panthers switched gears with CMC’s usage on Sunday and it paid off in a big way. Typically more effective in the passing game, McCaffrey was only targeted 2 times in a game where he had his first career 100+ rushing yard performance and nearly got to 200 yards! If the young RB can continue to contribute in the ground game then he is completely game script proof. As someone that predicted a negative regression for CMC this season, he is certainly causing me to re-think my stance. –Nate Hamilton (@DomiNateFF)