Fantasy football: Dre Lance injury fallout, Week 3 early waiver targets and key injury updates

Injuries have defined the first two weeks of the NFL season, and we got another notable one Sunday 49ers QB Trey Lance suffered an ankle injury that is expected to require offseason surgery. And, of course, he wasn’t the only player to sit out Sunday’s games with injuries — in addition to the number of big names already sitting out Sunday, we saw Jerry Judy, James Connor, Damien Harris and Dalton Schultz sit out Sunday’s games. .

You know how it goes — injuries are a part of life in the NFL, especially early in the season, and there’s always a high risk, but every time it happens, it’s disappointing. In Lance’s case, he gets hurt before we get a chance to see what he can do as a full-time starter, and we won’t get another chance to see him until next season.

Lance’s injury isn’t going to dominate fantasy football discussions the way some other notable injuries have, but it’s still a big blow to those of us who were expecting him to be the starter. And, of course, it has serious implications for the 49ers’ offense — thankfully, they were able to keep Jimmy Garoppolo in the end.

We’ll get into Lance’s injury, what it means for the 49ers, who you can expect to replace him in tonight’s newsletter, and what other Week 2 injuries you need to know. And here’s your early look at my top discount-wire targets for Week 3.

Week 2 injury review

Lance’s injury looks like it could be a season-ender, and after his awful Week 1 performance, we really can’t see how this poor game will play out with him at the helm. Now, we won’t until next season, Lance is third in the league. That’s a huge bummer for a player as talented as him, and if you make Lance your starter, that leaves an obvious hole on your roster — and one you can’t expect Jimmy Garoppolo to fill.

Because with Lance unproven, expectations were higher than ever for Garoppolo, and rightfully so. Garoppolo is a great player, but Lance’s upside makes him a hypothetical difference maker. Garoppolo will not be.

But maybe Tua Tagoailoa could be? The Dolphins Had a lot of fun, and we saw what that meant in Week 1 as he matched Dan Marino’s franchise record with six passing touchdowns. You might be surprised to see Tagovailoa added in the same breath as Marino, but with Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill among the league’s most electrifying playmakers, Tagovailoa doesn’t have to be incredible to etch his name on the Dolphins record. Book a few more times.

Of course, Tagoailoa is only available in 20% of CBS fantasy leagues, so he can’t be an option. Even though Justin Fields is only in 37% of leagues, he’s probably your best option if he’s out there, so that doesn’t help either. The truth of the matter is that most leagues don’t have an obvious starter on waivers. Of the quarterbacks available in more than half of CBS fantasy leagues, Marcus Mariota and Daniel Jones may have the most upside because of their rushing ability, though they have yet to put together two good games.

So, you can try to make trading as your best choice. If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t light it up this week, like Dak Prescott, he’ll be a prime buy-low candidate assuming you can live without him for a few weeks. You can stream for a few weeks – Jared Goff vs Vikings Or against Ryan Tannehill testers Week 3, and Jones vs Bears Or against Mitchell Trubisky Jets By Week 4 – At which point Prescott could be back on the right side of the ship.

But the thing is, there is no clear solution that is widely available. In fact, Garoppolo might be as good as anyone in your league. We know he doesn’t have much upside, but he’s a consistent option with great playmakers. And, if nothing else, the switch from Lance to Garoppolo makes it a little easier to front the likes of Tebow Samuel, Brandon Ayuk and George Kittle, who will be back next week.

Because Garoppolo isn’t going to run the ball himself the way Lance was. That means the 49ers should be very happy with him at QB — even though they might have one of the more run-heavy offenses in the league. We can project 30-35 pass attempts per week for the 49ers, compared to something like 20-30 most weeks for Lance. And with Garoppolo not being a factor in the red zone in a hurry, it makes it easy to see how Samuel, Iuk and Kittle could all thrive — Samuel is still a clear outsider of the trio in terms of fantasy value.

All in all, the ceiling for both your fantasy team and the 49ers is probably lower than it would have been without Lance. But at least the 49ers know what they have in Garoppolo. You may not be so lucky.

Here are the other injuries coming out of Sunday’s games:

• Jerry Judy (shoulder) — Judy went down miserably after being hit, and it looks like it might be a more serious one — and was ejected shortly after leaving the game in the first quarter. It was disappointing after his 2021 campaign was initially derailed by an ankle injury, though we don’t have any specifics at this point. Courtland Sutton finished with seven catches for 122 yards on 11 targets once Judy left the game, and that’s what he’ll have to live up to for his high price heading into the draft. Before Judy’s injury, it’s not clear that Sutton was the No. 1 option on offense, but if Judy misses significant time, there’s no other way.
• James Conner (ankle) — Conner left the game early in the third quarter and watched from the sidelines. Cardinals He came back to win in overtime. Eno was the No. 2 before Benjamin’s injury, but split the job with Darrell Williams after the injury — Williams finished with eight carries for 59 yards and a touchdown, while Benjamin was eight for 31 and had three catches for 20 yards. (Williams had two catches for 3 yards). If Conner misses time, this will be a team, and Williams gets first crack at the goal-line job, a crucial thing in this offense. I’d prefer Benjamin for Fantasy, but both could be in the RB3 range if Connor is out.
• Damian Harris (knee) — It doesn’t look like a major injury. Harris told reporters after the game, “I’m fine, dog!” He sprained his knee after a late carry, so if Harris misses time, Rhamondre Stevenson will be in line for a significant workload.
• Dalton Schultz (Foot) — Schultz left in the fourth quarter after going down in misery, and it looks like he’s clutching his knee. We don’t have any more details than that, but it’s something to keep an eye on for an offense that already misses Prescott.If Schultz is sidelined, I wouldn’t expect much from Jake Ferguson, but that could make Michael Gallup’s upcoming return even more important. Cowherd warriors crime

Here’s who I’ll be coming from Sunday’s action:

Main objectives:

1. Garrett Wilson, WR, Jets
2. Chris Olaf, WR, Saints
3. Curtis Samuel, WR, Generals
4. Raheem Mostert, RB, Dolphins
5. Eno Benjamin, RB, Cardinals

For my other top priorities and why I target them, go here.