Buccaneers 3rd-year WR Jalen McMillan reinjured his PCL and will be placed on IR and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, per Rick Stroud. This comes on the heels of QB Baker Mayfield being ruled out for at least 3 weeks with a dislocated thumb.
McMillan has shown some flashes, scoring 7 TD’s in the final 5 games of his rookie season in 2024, but between a neck injury that sidelined him for all but 4 games of the 2025 season and this year’s knee injury, he has been usurped on the depth chart due to his inability to stay healthy. This will hurt rookie QB Jalon Daniels as he prepares to start in Baker Mayfield’s absence, but rookie WR Ted Hurst should continue to see a healthy workload alongside Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin.
Cameron Ward opens the 2026 campaign struggling with efficiency, managing just 504 passing yards and two touchdowns through three games. Head coach Robert Saleh claims to have no plans to bench Ward and notes mechanical flaws with his footwork, which matches advanced metrics showing Ward ranked No. 29 in Expected Points Added Per Dropback, becomes exaggerated as the game goes along.
Saleh went on to say that dropped passes by receivers, as well as uninspired play by the Titans defense, has contributed to Ward’s eroding footwork late in games. Bench Ward in fantasy football until he either fully rectifies his sloppy footwork or Mitchell Trubisky takes over the starting role.
After Brian Thomas Jr. played just 23 snaps, John Shipley has laid out a realistic scenario where Thomas shockingly slides to the fourth WR option in Jacksonville.
With a 13.3 Average Depth of Target and 2.22 Yards Per Route Run, the talent is real, but the declining snap share puts him on the trade block radar in both real football and fantasy football. Keep him benched in shallow formats until his route participation rebounds.
Rico Dowdle missed all practice sessions before getting ruled out for Thursday night. Jaylen Warren will command another elite opportunity share after ringing up 17 carries and three catches in Week 3. Lock in Warren as a high-end RB2 against Cleveland.
Sean McVay notes that Puka Nacua will be limited in practice as he works his way back from a Week 1 groin injury.
Boasting a brilliant 3.89 Yards Per Route Run and an elite target share, Nacua operates as an automatic WR1 option whenever he steps onto the field. Fantasy managers must monitor his practice participation over the next two days to ensure he handles a full workload against the Eagles on Sunday.
Rams TE Terrance Ferguson left Sunday night’s game against the Broncos twice in the first half before being ruled OUT due to an ankle injury. Ferguson hauled in 1-of-2 targets for 9 yards before officially exiting for good with 9:36 remaining in the second quarter. The severity of the ankle sprain is still uncertain, but is “more high than low” according to Rams HC Sean McVay.
Fantasy football managers will want to monitor Ferguson closely, as he is expected to miss time. Fellow TE Colby Parkinson also suffered an AC sprain in the contest, thrusting veteran Tyler Higbee into a feature role. Higbee exploded for 8 catches, 62 yards, and a touchdown on 11 targets. Higbee is now a high-priority waiver wire addition, especially in TE-premium formats, as the Rams have run over 44% of their offensive plays out of 13 personnel. ~Jason Diaz
