Injuries and Waiver Wire Post week 3 2021

WEEK 4 WAIVER WIRE BELOW!

POST WEEK 3 INJURY UPDATE:

QUARTERBACKS:

None of note.

RUNNING BACKS:

Christian McCaffrey (Hamstring): McCaffrey is expected to miss a few weeks with his hamstring injury suffered on Thursday night.
James White (Hip): White was diagnosed with a hip subluxation and is out indefinitely.

WIDE RECEIVERS:

A.J. Brown (Hamstring): Brown strained his hamstring and is considered week to week.
K.J. Hamler (Knee): Hamler was diagnosed with a torn ACL and is out for the season.
Elijah Moore (Concussion): The Jets rookie WR suffered a concussion in the second half of Sunday's game vs the Broncos.
Sterling Shepard (Hamstring): Shepard suffered a hamstring injury early in Sunday's game vs the Falcons.
Darius Slayton (Hamstring): Slayton left the game with a hamstring injury on Sunday and did not return.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (Rib): Smith-Schuster was diagnosed with a rib bruise and is considered day-to-day.

TIGHT ENDS:

None of note.

WEEK 4 WAIVER WIRE

QUARTERBACKS:

Sam Darnold (CAR): With the Panthers losing star RB Christian McCaffrey for a few weeks, Sam Darnold is going to have to step up. In week four, Darnold faces a Cowboys defense that is one of the worst in the league. Through the first two weeks, Dallas is allowing the most passing yards per game (346.0), the fifth most passing touchdowns per game (2.5 passing touchdowns allowed per game) and is forcing their opponents to pass the second most per game so far this season (45.5 pass attempts per game). This Panthers vs Cowboys game opened with a 50.0 total, and we should see plenty of offense here.

Jimmy Garoppolo (SFO): The 49ers starting QB has been average for fantasy to start the 2021 season, but there is reason for optimism in this week's matchup. In week one, Garoppolo scored 14.76 fantasy points vs the Lions. In week two, he had 19.56 fantasy points in Philadelphia. In week three, Jimmy G had 15.68 fantasy points, in a tough matchup vs the Packers. In week four, Garoppolo gets his best matchup yet, vs Seattle. Seattle has one of the worst pass defenses in the league to start the year, as they are allowing 285.3 passing yards to quarterbacks (sixth most), and 38.7 passing attempts per game ninth most) and a 70.69% completion percentage, which is the sixth highest in the league. Garoppolo is in a great spot for a QB1 performance this week.

Also Consider: Jared Goff (DET)

RUNNING BACKS:

Chuba Hubbard (CAR): As previously mentioned, the Panthers will be without RB Christian McCaffrey for a few weeks and filling in his backup, rookie Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard has a great matchup in Dallas this week and should be your top priority off the waiver wire. The Cowboys allow 4.5 rushing yards per attempt through two games (11th worst). McCaffrey's injury is not season ending, so Hubbard may only be a short-term plug and play option. Hubbard's backup is Royce Freeman, who is only an option in the deepest of leagues for now.

Kenneth Gainwell (PHI): The Eagles fifth round rookie pick has surprisingly carved out a role for himself early on in the season, even with starting RB Miles Sanders healthy. Gainwell had 11 touches in week one, and eight touches in week two. The fact that he has earned a role early on makes Gainwell worthy of a roster spot in most 12 team leagues. However, if anything were to happen to Miles Sanders, Gainwell would become a very intriguing option for fantasy.

Also Consider: Giovani Bernard (TBB), Peyton Barber (LVR)

WIDE RECEIVERS:

James Washington (PIT): With Diontae Johnson out for an unknown amount of time, and with JuJu Smith-Schuster suffering a rib injury on Sunday, the Steelers now down to Chase Claypool and James Washington as their top two receivers. Washington only had a pedestrian day on Sunday, with a five target, three reception, 20 receiving yards and no touchdown performance. Pittsburgh has an intriguing upcoming schedule, on the road at Green Bay, followed by a home matchup vs Denver. I expect there to be a lot of pass attempts in the game vs the Packers in week four. If Smith-Schuster has to miss any more time, and/or Diontae Johnson continues to miss game action, look for Washington to see more targets moving forward.

Kadarius Toney (NYG): Another team bitten by the injury bug is the New York Giants. Wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton are dealing with hamstring injuries. Kenny Golladay has been playing through a hip injury. The other options on this team are Kadarius Toney, Collin Johnson, John Ross, and C.J. Board. I'm going to keep an eye on rookie first round pick Kadarius Toney, who had three targets on Sunday. Given the investment the team has in Toney, I would not be surprised if the rookie received more targets if Shepard or Slayton were to miss time.

Toney is someone to keep on your watch list for now. You do not need to rush to the waiver wire to grab him, but he now has more of a chance to make some noise in future weeks, given the current situation. Opportunity is knocking for him. Can he carve out a role? Also, it is worth mentioning that it was Collin Johnson who saw the most targets on the team (seven) in week three. Johnson is a deep-league only speculative add at this time.

Also Consider: Bryan Edwards (LVR), Quintez Cephus (DET)

TIGHT ENDS:

Pat Freiermuth (PIT): Freiermuth was mentioned in this section of last week's article, and he came through in week three. Freiermuth had three receptions for 22 yards and a receiving touchdown this week, which was good enough for 11.20 fantasy points in a PPR league. Freiermuth has been producing way sooner than expected, which is encouraging. If you have a TE who has been underwhelming on your roster, or need a backup option, consider turning to Friermuth. He also benefits with the injuries in Pittsburgh.

Also consider: Tyler Conklin (MIN), Dawson Knox (BUF)

DEFENSE:

NOS (vs NYG)
TEN (@ NYJ)
CIN (vs JAX)

TOP PRIORITIES:
Chuba Hubbard (CAR)
James Washington (PIT)
Pat Freiermuth (PIT)