Puka Nacua
Bench
Projects 17.2 - more than any receiver you are starting. Groin injury, missed Wednesday.
No games since Monday night. Week 3 opens tonight at 8:15 PM ET with the Atlanta Falcons at the Green Bay Packers, which makes this a report about decisions you can still make rather than results you cannot change.
LordHaveMRSA (0-2)
95.0
Free Jacobs (1-1)
107.4
Week 3 projections, not live scores. Nothing has been played. You are a 12-point underdog as the lineup currently sits.
Keon Coleman
DNP Wed
Your $14 waiver win rolled an ankle in Week 2 and did not practice Wednesday.
Dontayvion Wicks
15.3, 12.4
Unowned in your league. Six targets, 62 percent snap share. Bid $4.
Where the matchup stands
You are 0-2 and ninth of twelve. You have scored 183.14 points and allowed 237.18 - the most points against of any team in the league. That second number is the honest story of your season so far: your lineup has been mediocre, but your schedule has been brutal. UndisputedGiant, Gridiron Guru 23, Heisenberg and markc1281 are all 2-0 above you.
Week 3 pairs you with Free Jacobs at 1-1. He starts Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions), Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), George Pickens (Dallas Cowboys), Deebo Samuel (San Francisco 49ers), Dalton Schultz (Houston Texans) and Brian Thomas Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars). Sleeper projects that group at 107.4 against your 95.0. It is a real gap, but it is one lineup decision wide.
The call that decides the week
Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) - start him over Chris Godwin if he is cleared
Nacua projects 17.2 points, higher than any receiver currently in your lineup, and he is sitting on your bench. Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) occupies your flex spot - the extra lineup slot that can hold a running back, receiver or tight end - on the back of three targets in Week 2 and four in Week 1. Godwin is not a startable fantasy player at that volume, and no amount of name recognition changes it. Swapping Nacua in for Godwin moves your projection from 95.0 to roughly 102 and turns a 12-point deficit into a coin flip.
The catch - Nacua's groin is a real question
Nacua missed the Week 2 win over the New York Giants entirely and did not participate in Wednesday's jog-through. Head coach Sean McVay said the team will "err on the side of caution" and that "time is the best thing that allows that thing to heal." He did not rule Nacua out. The Rams play at the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 8:20 PM ET - the last kickoff window of the weekend - so you do not have to guess today. Check Thursday and Friday practice reports. If Nacua logs a full practice Friday, start him. If he is limited or out, Godwin stays in by default.
Injuries on your roster
| Player | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) | Groin - DNP Wednesday | Wait for Friday. Start him over Godwin if cleared. |
| DJ Moore (Buffalo Bills) | AC joint sprain - limited Wednesday | Keep starting him. Expected to play. |
| Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills) | Ankle - did not practice Wednesday | Bench. Hold, do not drop. |
| Brian Robinson (Atlanta Falcons) | Ankle - upgraded to full | Bench. Locks tonight at 8:15 PM ET. |
| Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) | Healthy, but downgraded | Start anyway. You have nothing better. |
DJ Moore lasted 23 of Buffalo's 74 offensive snaps in Week 2 before the shoulder went, which is how a receiver who scored 21.0 points in Week 1 finished with minus 0.1. He practiced Wednesday in a red non-contact jersey with an AC joint sprain - a stretch of the joint where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade - and is expected to play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET. Keep him in.
Keon Coleman, the $14 waiver claim you won Wednesday morning, is the one to watch. He caught six passes for 63 yards on six targets in Week 2 before rolling an ankle late in the second quarter, and he sat out Wednesday's practice entirely. Head coach Joe Brady said there would be "guys that are not gonna be out there at practice today, that still feel good about them playing in the game this week," and named Coleman. He is bench depth either way this week - hold him, do not drop him for a streaming quarterback.
New risk - the New York Giants quarterback change
Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) - quietly downgraded, still a start
Jaxson Dart is out for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury and Jameis Winston takes over. That is bad for Skattebo in two specific ways. First, game script - whether his team is ahead or behind, which drives how much they run versus pass. A worse quarterback means the Giants trail more, and trailing teams throw. Skattebo already lost six carries from Week 1 to Week 2 for exactly that reason. Second, red zone volume: fewer trips inside the 20 means fewer goal-line carries, and goal-line carries are where running backs bank points. He still gets a roughly 60 percent snap share and 16 touches against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Start him - your alternative is Braelon Allen (New York Jets) at a 5.99 projection - but expect 10 to 12, not 18.
Waivers - $80 of your $100 FAAB remains
| Player | Why | Bid |
|---|---|---|
| Dontayvion Wicks (Philadelphia Eagles) | 15.3 and 12.4 points in two weeks, six targets and a 62 percent snap share - the share of his offense's plays he was on the field for. Plays Monday night at the Chicago Bears, so he is a late-week hedge if Nacua and Coleman both sit. | $4 |
| Hunter Henry (New England Patriots) | Projects 10.3 with a 91 percent snap share. Only relevant as insurance behind Trey McBride, and you do not need it. | $0-1 |
| Tyquan Thornton (Kansas City Chiefs) | 12.6 points in Week 2 on four targets at a 59 percent snap share. Speculative, and you already own Xavier Worthy from the same passing game. | $1 |
FAAB is the $100 season-long budget you bid from to claim players off waivers. You have spent $20: $6 on Rashid Shaheed (Seattle Seahawks) and $14 on Keon Coleman. The free-agent pool in this league is thin at running back and receiver and deep at quarterback, which is a polite way of saying there is no one out there who fixes your season. There is, however, one receiver worth a small bid.
Tonight and the rest of the week
Only one of your players is involved tonight. Brian Robinson (Atlanta Falcons) was upgraded to full participation after an ankle issue and will play at the Green Bay Packers, but he is behind Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons) and took 11 carries for 51 yards on a 48 percent snap share last week. He projects 4.4. Leave him on the bench - that decision locks at 8:15 PM ET tonight and cannot be undone.
Everything else you own plays Sunday. Drake Maye (New England Patriots) at the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1:00 PM ET, Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) at the San Francisco 49ers at 4:05 PM ET, Xavier Worthy (Kansas City Chiefs) at the Miami Dolphins at 1:00 PM ET, Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams) and Nacua at the Denver Broncos at 8:20 PM ET. No byes on your roster this week.
One correction worth making from earlier in the week: Drake Maye's 9.02 points in Week 2 was not bad luck. He threw for 208 yards on 22 attempts with an interception and no touchdowns, and was sacked three times, against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that had allowed plenty. He has now gone two straight games without a passing touchdown and has four interceptions on the season. He projects 17.9 against Jacksonville, which assumes a bounce-back he has not yet earned. If he lays a third egg, Kirk Cousins (Las Vegas Raiders) and Drew Lock (Seattle Seahawks) are both unowned and both outscored him last week.