Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram (hamstring) @ Buffalo Bills
Date/Time: Monday, 7:30 pm Eastern
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram suffered a hamstring strain during Week 2 pre-game warmups and remains “a little further away” from returning, per head coach Doug Pederson. Fantasy managers should expect to be without Engram on Monday night and consider streaming Jacksonville’s 2023 second-round pick, tight end Brenton Strange.
Jacksonville faces a Buffalo Bills defense on Monday night, missing starting linebacker Matt Milano (injured reserve) and Terrel Bernard (pectoral) and starting slot cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm). The team is also without its long-time starting safety duo, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Poyer signed with the Miami Dolphins this offseason while Hyde remains a free agent, evidently mulling retirement.
Strange had a shockingly productive game against the Cleveland Browns’ vaunted pass defense in Week 2, tying wide receiver Gabe Davis for team-highs in both total targets (seven) and first-read targets (six), per PFF. Strange secured three passes for 65 receiving yards, averaging 2.50 yards per route run (YPRR).
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San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle (hamstring) @ Los Angeles Rams
Date/Time: Sunday, 4:25 pm Eastern
San Francisco 49ers coaches held tight end George Kittle out of practice on Thursday with what has been reported as both “hamstring tightness” and “hamstring soreness.” The ambiguity leaves room for pre-kickoff improvement, as the term “strain” has yet to be used, however, fantasy managers should prudently prepare to be without Kittle for Week 3.
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Adam Hutchison notes in his 2023 Injury Report that NFL tight ends average 3.0 games missed due to hamstring strains, though 25.0 percent of tight ends missed no time. The position averages a 15.0 percent re-injury rate.
As mentioned in the Engram section above, Strange makes for a viable Week 3 TE1 streaming option. San Francisco’s No. 2 tight end Eric Saubert is an exceptionally unappetizing fill-in option despite the Los Angeles Rams’ bottom-two ranked catch rate allowed (92.3 percent) and yards allowed per coverage snap (10.15) rates against opposing tight ends.
Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (10.0 Yahoo! rostership rate) faces a Green Bay Packers tight end coverage unit ranking 20th in catch rate allowed (80.0 percent) and 25th in yards allowed per coverage snap (8.50).
WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers @ Tennessee Titans
Date/Time: Sunday, 1:00 pm Eastern
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed appeared on the Friday, Week 2 injury report listed as being limited by “calf/shin” injuries before suiting up against the Indianapolis Colts with backup quarterback Malik Willis at the helm. Reed is now listed solely with a calf injury, logging a Did Not Participate designation on Wednesday before practicing in a limited capacity on Thursday. Fantasy managers should expect Reed to play, along with starting quarterback Jordan Love (MCL sprain) against the Tennessee Titans. Reed is startable as a WR3.
Reed logged a 71.6 percent snap rate in Week 1, was on the field for 74.4 percent of pass plays, earned six targets and received one rushing attempt. In Green Bay’s run-heavy Week 2 affair, Reed logged a 55.7 percent snap rate but remained on-field for 80.0 percent of pass plays, earned two targets and received two rushing attempts.
Per DPT Hutchison’s Injury Report, wide receivers average 1.8 games missed due to calf strains. Were this a serious strain–or even a calf strain at all–it seems likely that Green Bay’s “famously conservative” medical staff would have held Reed out for Week 2. The initial “calf/shin” designation could indicate an impact injury (ie. a contusion) is in play.
Fantasy managers should expect Love to distribute effectively, throwing from cozy pockets. Tennessee’s pass rush ranks bottom four in both pass-rush win rate (27.3 percent) and quarterback pressure rate (21.2 percent).
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp (high-ankle sprain) vs. San Francisco 49ers
Date/Time: Sunday, 4:25 pm Eastern
The Los Angeles Rams opted not to place wide receiver Cooper Kupp on injured reserve following his Week 2 high-ankle sprain, though this may be due to Los Angeles’ opportune Week 6 bye and the team’s rapidly vanishing injured reserve-return designations, as detailed by The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue.
With both Kupp and No. 2 wide receiver Puka Nacua (injured reserve) out at least through the Week 6 bye, Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay is forced to rearrange his starting three-wide receiver set. Veteran wide receiver journeyman Demarcus Robinson established himself as the team’s X-wide receiver late last year and should immediately lead the team in Week 3 first-read targets.
Offseason signee, wide receiver Tyler Johnson has already supplanted field-stretching wide receiver Tutu Atwell, logging 60 receiving snaps to Atwell’s 14 thus far. Johnson and his potentially-flex-worthy 1.71 YPRR average can be stashed on benches in 12-team leagues.
Los Angeles’ sixth-round rookie wide receiver Jordan Whittington possesses the highest upside of the team’s Weeks 3-5 wide receiver corps. Whittington’s drum beat steadily increased from May-onward crescendoing with a 2.68 preseason YPRR average on 17 targets. He logged a wide receiver-corps-high 58.3 percent pre-snap alignment slot rate with Kupp sidelined in the second half last week, notching an explosive pass play that included one missed tackle forced.
Week 3 should clarify both Whittington’s status in the pecking order and his NFL readiness. He is a priority stash in 12-team leagues.
Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (fibula fracture) @ Atlanta Falcons
Date/Time: Sunday, 4:25 pm Eastern
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco landed on injured reserve after successfully undergoing surgery on his fractured fibula. There were no complications nor any ligament damage to speak of. Patient fantasy managers with 2-0 records and bench space to burn should consider trading for Pacheco, who began his six-to-eight-week return-to-play timeline on Wednesday.
Pacheco should be fully available for the rest of the season once he returns. Kansas City’s bye week occurs in Week 6.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele can be started as an RB2 or flex option against the Atlanta Falcons this week. Kansas City currently sits as a 3.0-point road favorite and Atlanta recently lost its highest-graded run defender, per PFF, linebacker Nate Landman (85.7 PFF run-defense grade) to injured reserve with calf and quadriceps injuries. Atlanta’s run defense ranks 17th in expected points added (EPA) allowed per play (-0.096) and ties for 25th in positive EPA allowed rate (44.4 percent).
Pass-catching running back Samaje Perine is the preferred bench stash over Kareem Hunt.
Kansas City’s first-round wide receiver Xavier Worthy should be locked into lineups as a potential ground-game contributor via jet sweeps.
