Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 3 Injuries, Notes, & Waivers

by Samwise · Featured
Week 3 Fantasy Football Injuries, News

Welcome to “Fantasy Whiplash!” I’m gonna drift around the curves and floor it on the straightaways each Tuesday, with the fantasy football news and injuries that affect your team and league.

This weekly series will include a little bit of everything: Waiver advice, news & notes on upcoming (and past) games, maybe even some notable starts/sits. As it is early in the 2025 season, we’re one installment into the series after a weekly drop before the games in 2024. The information comes in a long-winded stream of consciousness rivaled only by the YouTube show of the same name (9 p.m. EDT Tuesday nights on YouTube)

Above all, the aim is to keep you informed about all the latest noteworthy developments in the NFL and how they impact you, the manager. This may include trending thoughts by industry analysts on Twitter/X and my takes on certain subjects. The aim is to benefit everyone, from casual fans to accomplished veterans.

Get it? Then get in my whip and buckle up. Let’s keep the stream of consciousness flowing and become your go-to stop as we embark on another week!

Pedal to the metal … away we go.

PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out.

Fantasy Football News

Was it all a Dream?

As is customary, Week 2 brought with it a lot of underperforming players and head-scratching moments. New faces emerged, and expectations were shattered both in good ways and bad. That’s the life of a fantasy football manager, ain’t it?

After a week of panic about Kenneth Walker III being out of shape during Week 1, many declared the job in Seattle all but Zach Charbonnet‘s. Then, in a whitewashing of Pittsburgh, Walker ran 13 times for 105 yards (8.1 YPC) and added one reception and a rushing touchdown. Charbonnet did not see the field for passing plays … and it’s probably for the best. He rushed 15 times for 10 … TEN yards (0.7 YPC). What will the Seahawks’ ground game look like in Week 3 against the Saints? It’s anyone’s guess. “You paaaaaaaaid for the entire seat! But you’ll ONLY. NEED. THE EDGE!”

Brock Purdy was out for the San Francisco 49ers, so they were doomed from the beginning. Then Mac Jones did his best, well, Renaissance Mac Jones impression, flashing back to what he did on the field with Brian Thomas Jr. last season in Jacksonville. Jones totaled nearly 28 fantasy points in six-point TD leagues, while spreading the ball around to seven different receivers, three of whom found paydirt. If Purdy misses more time, QB-needy teams could do worse than Jones at home against Arizona on Sunday.

Mile Highs and Lows in Indianapolis

It’s hard to explain what happened to the Broncos in Indiana. The vaunted defense allowed 29 points to Daniel Jones and the 2-0 Colts. It was the Indianapolis second game in a row where Rigoberto Sanchez came to my house to watch the game. Don’t know the name? Yeah, he’s the Colts’ punter, and his name hasn’t been called yet this season.

Aside from the defense, there were highs in the running game (J.K. Dobbins: 14 carries, 76 yards, TD) and lows (RJ Harvey: five carries, eight yards, one reception). Through the air, Troy Franklin looked every bit on the same page as college teammate Bo Nix as the two hooked up eight times for 89 yards and a score. That pairs nicely with Franklin’s four catches for 44 yards in the opener, and he leads all (and I do mean all, Courtland Sutton) Denver receivers in both catches and yards by a healthy margin early.

Tight End Adam Trautman caught a touchdown on Sunday. That’s significant because all we could do was laugh at “The Joker.” Evan Engram continued to look like a fish out of water, as he has since he left Jacksonville. He brought in one reception for 12 yards a week after going three for 21 in Week 1. These are not the numbers Broncos fans envisioned.

And the Colts? Jones has completed over 71% of his passes and sports a rating of 111. Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in rushing with 236 yards (5.5 YPC), over Derrick Henry (third), Bijan Robinson (fifth), and Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley (eighth and ninth, respectively).

Curses!

A wise man once said, “I’m not superstitious, but I’m a little stitious.” That sums up your scribe today, as well. I don’t necessarily believe in a “curse” that hangs over the head of any individual. However, let’s dial back the lens a little for a greater scope.

The Chicago Bears catch a lot of grief for their ineptitude under center. Why are the New York Jets of New Jersey (Central Park adjacent) left out of that conversation? Is there a team that more frequently sees its departures do well elsewhere? Constant coaching changes lead to stunted development in every way. The team that gave us the “butt fumble” has a profound effect on those who sport the colors. They have a way to make good players look bad and bad players (somehow) look worse.

Interesting factoid: It’s called “The Meadowlands” area because after the number of complete Amber Heards dropped on the turf during games, they now make the field available for sale to larger farms in need of mulch. And after being graced by the likes of Zach Wilson, Sam Darnold, Mark Sanchez, Brett Favre, Brooks Bollinger, Neil O’Donnell et al, they’ve got some premium grade fertilizer, and it will set you back more than a few “Penningtons.”

Week 1: Aaron Rodgers & Justin Fields combined for 65.18 fantasy points

Week 2: Rodgers & Fields combined for 17.8 fantasy points

Can we feasibly guess what happens next? The good news for these two victims of the Jets is that there were so many injuries last weekend that they were able to fly slightly below the radar.

Fantasy Football Injury Watch

Quarterbacks

  • Joe Burrow (CIN) is out “at least” three months with a Grade-3 turf toe injury that requires surgery. If you want Jake Browning, be prepared to spend heavily. At least a third of your FAAB, if not more (depending on the league). In 2023, Browning started seven games for the Bengals, going 4-3 while completing over 70% of his passes for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns. This time, he’ll suit up for over twice that many games as Burrow is all but done for the regular season.
  • Brock Purdy (SFO) is two or three weeks away from returning, according to NFL Insider Albert Breer. The 2-0 49ers will soldier on with McCorkle Jones a while longer. Based on his performance on Sunday, he should be a serviceable stand-in for managers, though expecting another three-touchdown performance is unlikely.
  • Josh Allen (BUF) got a booboo on his nose. He’s fine to go on Thursday night against the Dolphins.
  • J.J. McCarthy (MIN) has the dreaded high-ankle sprain. The normal timeline is two to our weeks. During that period, the Vikings play back-to-back games in Europe. McCarthy should return to action after the bye. Carson Wentz gets the start for Minnesota against Jake Browning and the Bengals on Sunday. Wentz’s last two starts came in the final week of the season in each of 2023 and 2024 in meaningless games. It’s hard to say if he still “got it.” When he did, he really did. When he didn’t, though…
  • Justin Fields (NYJ) left Sunday’s game with a concussion, and was playing like he had one even before that point. His chance of being ready this weekend is slim, putting Tyrod Taylor in line to start. The state of the Jets needs more than a game manager. Let someone else take a chance on Taylor.
  • Jayden Daniels (WAS) had an MRI on his knee, which came back with no structural damage by revealed a sprain. He is listed as day-to-day leading up to a tilt with the Raiders. If he can’t go, everyone’s favorite quacker, Marcus Maritots, gets the ball. You can pass on him unless desperate. Also noteworthy: If Daniels goes, his running will likely be limited, leading to more work for the backfield, including Jacory Croskey-Merritt (the Bill on Capitol Hill).

Running Backs

  • IR: Joe Mixon (HOU), Tyjae Spears (TEN), Will Shipley (PHI)
  • Aaron Jones (MIN) also landed on the IR today. If you have Jordan Mason, fire him up. He’s looked great so far. The Vikings also added 26-year-old journeyman Cam Akers to the roster, whose journey always seems to find its way back to the Twin Cities.
  • Austin Ekeler (WAS) landed on season-ending IR with a torn Achilles. It remains to be seen if Ekeler, who will turn 31 in the offseason, will try to make a comeback or hang it up. The Commanders signed veteran Chase Edmonds, an accomplished pass-catcher, to their practice squad. If he shows out in practice, it would not be surprising to see him elevated to the roster this Sunday. He’s worth a flier in deep leagues or if you’ve got extra room on the bench, but not worth any FAAB or high priority.

Tight Ends

  • Brock Bowers (LVR) played through a banged-up knee on Monday night and didn’t make much of an impact on the box score. Part of that can be attributed to Las Vegas’ offense as a whole. He’ll still get the start this weekend, but re-injury happens, so he’s worth monitoring. Should Bowers miss any time at all, at least one manager in 12-team leagues should have Michael Mayer stashed just in case … especially Bowers’ managers.
  • Dallas Goedert (PHI) will probably need another week to be safe, but there is a chance he could be a surprise active on Sunday. He traveled with the team for the Chiefs game and had no noticeable “hitch in his giddy-up.”
  • George Kittle (SFO) is on IR and has three more games before he’s eligible to return.

Wide Receivers

More “Whiplash!” to Come

Next Tuesday, I’ll be back with more tasty morsels of information like quick hits and waiver claims. Keep in mind, on “Fantasy Whiplash! LIVE” at 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesdays, we dig deeper into waiver wire gems, fades, and sleepers! I’ll see you back next Tuesday for all your fantasy football news needs.

Start your studs, trust your drafts, talk some smack, and get your popcorn ready. It’s time for Week 2 of the fantasy football season.

Be sure to check us out on “Fantasy Whiplash!” wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube at 9 p.m. EST every Tuesday night! It’s a completely different show from the hum-drum same-old!

For more articles from PlayerProfiler, check out the fantasy home page – NFL Fantasy | PlayerProfiler – Fantasy Football News & Media