Tue Oct 6th 2026

Week Three Review

Saquon Barkley

• Barkley has been a huge disappointment to his dynasty managers this year, and it will get worse after he injured his hamstring on Sunday. Dynasty managers with Tank Bigsby can take advantage of a few weeks of increased production, though Will Shipley played a lot of downs after Barkley was down. Still, Bigsby outsnapped and outtouched him about 2-to-1 on Sunday.

Ja’Maar Chase

• Hopefully Chase will not miss a week, but he did leave the game with a likely concussion on Sunday. Tee Higgins stepped up big time in his absence, and Mike Gisecki seems to fill in the gaps whenever one of the Bengals’ starting receivers goes down. They also heavily targeted Dohnte Meyers. He had nine targets and seven receptions for 82 yards, making him a top waiver-wire target this week.

Marcus Mariota

• The Commanders’ offense stalled when they had to turn to their emergency quarterback on Sunday after Mariota hurt his ankle. As long as Jayden Daniels and Mariota are injured, dynasty managers cannot trust a single Commander in their starting lineups.  Hopefully one of the two will be back next week.

Jaylen Warren

• Warren is my most rostered dynasty player.  I have him on six of my 11 dynasty rosters. In many of those leagues, I added him off waivers after I witnessed his first preseason game as a rookie. In others, I targeted him as a late-round running back in startup drafts.  Over the last two weeks, he’s proven he’s the best running back on the Steelers and deserves the touches he’s received while Rico Dowdle has been injured. He’s excellent as a runner, receiver, and pass protector. When given the entire load, he’s combined for 176 and 126 total yards in the last two weeks. He’s the perfect RB-2, especially in PPR leagues, and will continue to give my teams a safe weekly floor. The only thing he lacks is a touchdown this season. Even so, he’s averaging more than 12 points per game. It can only go up from here if Pittsburgh’s coaches finally let him be their leading back.

MarShaw Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson

• I ranked Lloyd and Johnson far lower in their rookie classes and never drafted either of them. This year, the stars aligned for both of them, on the same team now, ironically, with opportunities to prove themselves worthy of a starting position in the NFL. Sadly, to those who still believed in them, they both played terribly last Thursday night and again this Sunday, except for one nice run by Johnson. To be fair, the Packers’ offensive line has been terrible and does them no favors. Even so, they both looked like career backups at best with their opportunities this year, and they will not break out this season or ever. I’m glad I don't own a single share of either.

Deshaun Watson

• Watson has been sporadic to start the season. He’ll look great for a few drives or even a half, then look terrible for a drive or a half.  Still, he’s done enough to win games and lead the Browns to the top of the AFC North. His last two games were vitally important in winning the starting role and turning the fanbase to his side. Wins can do that, no matter his controversial past. It’s safe to say Watson has secured the starting job and will keep it unless he has a few bad games in a row. His dynasty stock has been in limbo and hanging by a thread for a few years, but it's finally on the rise again. Shoot! I picked him up off the waiver wire this offseason in a one-quarterback league, and I drafted him in a dispersal auction after I adopted an orphan rebuilding team. He’s still on the waiver wire in another one-quarterback league. I expect that to change this week unless managers are refusing to add him on principle. If so, I understand that, too.

JK Dobbins

• I would not say I’ve gone all in on Dobbins. I drafted him late in my most recent startup and was pleased to have him on a roster I inherited this year as an orphan. Still, I pumped him up this offseason as the back I was confident would lead the backfield, even after the Broncos drafted Jonah Coleman. I put my money where my mouth is by selecting him in the Scott Fish Bowl, too. I’ll take the walk of shame and admit I was wrong. He looks like he’s lost a step and isn't putting up the explosive plays he did a year ago before getting injured.  I thought he’d get one more chance to become a weekly starter in dynasty lineups this season, but it looks like that time has passed him by, and the Broncos are better off relying on RJ Harvey and Coleman when he gets back. Shoot! Tyler Badie looked sharper than Dobbins even while they wait for Coleman to get healthy!

Omarion Hampton

• Thankfully, I only have two shares of Hampton, but I picked him at 1.2 in a rookie draft two years ago, and I drafted him with the first pick of the third round in my most recent superflex startup draft. I was extremely confident that he would break out this season with the healthy Chargers’ line and in the Mike McDaniels offense. He’s looked worse than I expected. I benched him in both leagues this week. For those who had to start him or still have faith in him, he saved his bacon by at least scoring a touchdown, but that’s all his dynasty value is resting on now that the Chargers’ backfield is being split three ways with Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal. I am astonished he’s looked so mediocre in this new system and that I'll let him ride my bench in favor of players I still think are far less talented but more productive and trustworthy. Take away his three touchdowns, and he’s scored just 25 total points in four games.

Justin Herbert

• For a few years, I looked very smart for drafting Herbert much earlier than other dynasty managers. He started his career on fire and was simply one of my very favorite quarterbacks to watch throw the ball. Since about his second year, his dynasty stock has been falling. As I was with Hampton, I was confident the Mike McDainels’s offense would resurrect Herbert’s dynasty value, but he’s gotten much worse!  He’s made some boneheaded mistakes this season. It’s hard to watch one of my favorite players play such ugly football. He’s kept many of my teams stuck in the middle with quarterbacks and streaming starters, but he’s not even streamable if he keeps playing like this.

Michael Penix

• Penix looked terrible at the start of Thursday night’s game, but he settled down and made every dynasty manager with Atlanta players, except Kyle Pitts, very happy. Penix is light-years ahead of anyone else on the Falcons’ roster and earned the starting role for the rest of the season in just his first outing. This year’s quarterback class is fantastic and deep, so I wouldn’t say Penix’s future in Atlanta is secure, but he has one year to secure it and won’t have any competition for playing time.  It will be fun to see if he can do it again on Monday Night Football tonight!

Chubba Hubbard

• Hubbard has completely stolen the backfield in Carolina again. I have terrible regrets for not making trade offers for him as the Jonathan Brooks hype was building this offseason. Now he’s outpriced the market, and dynasty managers would be foolish to sell him unless they were offered the bank. Carolina’s offense has radically improved this season, and Hubbard is the biggest beneficiary. He’s scored three rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns this year, and he's scored 13 or more points in each game and more than 22 in two of the four. He has one of the safest floors now that the offense is humming and he’s receiving 17.75 touches per game. He’s had an up-and-down career so far, but this is the highest he’s ever been.

Kyler Murray

• Murray looks like he can’t play any more. The Vikings’ offense has looked better with Carson Wentz this season, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Vikings turn back to Wentz to run the offense. This Sunday, it looked like the only player he could accurately target was TJ Hockenson over the middle. Hockenson received a 35% target share and caught 48% of Murray’s completions.  In his two full games, he’s led the team on eight scoring drives, but with only one touchdown compared to seven field goals.  Maybe he has Will Reichard on his fantasy team! Seriously though, he looks out of sorts in the offense and could get benched with one or two more games like this, and this could very well be his last chance to have a starting role on an NFL team.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

• Thankfully, I sold all of my shares of JCM except one. I got out early on him when his hype was building last year, even though he was one of my favorite sleepers in last year’s class. I finally started him in the one remaining league where I have him. I thought this would be his chance to break out against the Colts’ weak defense, but he had his worst game of the season on the ground with 1.7 yards per carry.  It’s unfair to judge him based on this one game since the Commanders had to turn to their emergency quarterback. Still, he hasn’t played much better with Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota this season. He’s averaging 2.8 yards per carry this season. Now the Commanders have brought back old man Austin Ekeler to help their broken backfield. When old man Ekeler is called to help, you know the writing is on the wall for your young dynasty stock.

Kyle Monangai

• Did Monangai steal the job from D’Andre Swift after his 30-carry, 146-yard, two-touchdown game? I doubt it completely, but I believe his role will increase significantly, and he will be their short-yardage and red-zone back going forward.  Plus, in games when the Bears are ahead, he will be used to spell Swift and help run out the clock. Monangai is moving up the dynasty rankings and is becoming a startable running back in deep leagues with a chance to score one or more touchdowns per week.

Woody Marks

• Is Marks simply a better running back than David Montgomery? I think so. They’ve split carries 50/50 so far this season until this week, when Montgomery received 59% of the snaps. Still, Marks looked better and scored more fantasy points for the third week in a row. It seems they each get entire possessions rather than being limited to specific roles. When they do, Marks has been more productive, and he looks like a much quicker back. I wish the Texans would let Marks have another game as the lead back, but they are committed to a split backfield. It will take an injury to free one of them up for a leading role. That stinks because I believe Marks could be a lead back in the NFL.

Kirk Cousins

• You like that? I do. I cannot believe that Cousins is handily keeping Fernando Mendoza on the bench by being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season.  Going into the Monday night game, he has the 10^th most passing yards with 256 yards per game and is tied for 1^st place with 11 touchdown passes. He’s doing all this with one of the NFL's best weapons in Brock Bowers, but the rest of his passing weapons are average at best.  The Raiders are a testament to how much coaching matters. Coach Kubiak has made the Raiders competitive immediately after they’ve been terrible for so long. He targeted Cousins in free agency because he knew his old-man strength and wisdom could run his system.  He’s been incredible this season, and if they keep winning, there’s no reason to give Mendoza playing time. They were a fumbled kickoff away from having a chance to beat the undefeated Chiefs on Sunday. I am confident he would have led the team on a go-ahead score if not for that tragic fumbled kickoff.

Romeo Doubs

• After a terrible game one with his new team in New England, Doubs has bounced back with a few consistent performances and a breakout game in week four, scoring his first two touchdowns as a Patriot. Mack Hollins was injured in the game, so all the focus shifted to Doubs, and he stepped up to help the Patriots upset the Bills. I’ve always been a fan of Doubs, and I have him on a third of my dynasty rosters. He’s mostly been a depth piece whom I have been willing to start during bye weeks when one or more of my starters was on bye. He’s been a great dynasty depth piece, and I am glad to see him prove that he can be the same with his new team. If Hollins’s injury lingers and Drake Maye can get right like he did this week, I’ll have Doubs in my lineups a lot until AJ Brown is healthy again.

Tyreek Hill

• If Hill is available, he’s the player I’ll target most this week. If he reunites with the Chiefs as has been rumored, that would be fun to see. He’s reportedly signing with one team this week either way. He could be completely a shell of his former self and not help dynasty rosters at all, but I’d still love to have him and see what he can do.

John Metchie

• Metchie’s stepped up the last two weeks in Jalen Coker’s absence and looked great. He’s still young, so he could become a core part of the Panthers’ offense in the years to come, replacing my misplaced hope in Xavier Legette.

Dohnte Meyers

• This guy has a wild story of playing in other professional football leagues after playing at a place called Delta College.  All I know is that Joe Burrow likes him and targeted him nine times on Sunday. He’d be a fun addition to have on a dynasty roster.

Will Shipley

• Shipley will split time with Bigsby while Barkey is sidelined, and he may be more involved in the passing game. He’s worth adding if Bigsby’s injuries keep him out of the lineup, or if he continues to be careless with the football.

Darius Cooper

• Cooper scored a touchdown again for Philadelphia. It’s the second time in three weeks that he’s done so.  The difference this week is that he also had 7 targets, which is a 26% target share while DeVonta Smith was out with an injury. He’s a long shot to become relevant in dynasty leagues, but adding a guy out of Tarelton State could be fun.

Juwan Johnson <=======> 2028 1^st round pick

• I accepted this trade in a tight-end premium league when a rebuilding team offered me, as a contending team, a starting tight end. In this league’s scoring settings, Johnson is the third-highest-scoring tight end and the 32nd-highest-scoring player overall, ahead of Christian McCaffrey, James Cook, and D’Andre Swift. I start Tucker Kraft every week and had Dallas Goedert in my starting lineup until he got injured. In a tight end premium league like this, I am pleased to start two or three tight ends every week so long as they are a top target on their team. The Saints have one of the most high-powered offenses in the league, and I am confident Johnson will benefit and hold off Oscar Delp for the years to come. Johnson for a first is a pretty big risk, but I am confident that he will be a top-twelve scoring tight end this season. I am the second-highest-scoring team in the league and wanted to add a player who could keep my team high-scoring this season.

Denzel Boston <=======> Two 2027 3^rd round picks

• Sheesh!  One manager stole Denzel Boston! Boston is worth at least a first-round pick because he was a late first-round or very early second-round pick in this year’s rookie draft, and he’s the top-scoring rookie through two weeks. I can’t imagine why a manager would ask so little for Boston. The manager who traded him has a very solid starting lineup and is a top contender.  Why not let Boston develop and help you remain a top contender for years to come? Or let him break out even more this season and sell him for a first-round pick instead?

Bucky Irving and Ladd McConkey <=======> Jalen Hurts, Dalton Kincaid, and 2027 2^nd round pick

• Last year’s champ and a top contending team needed quarterback help in this ten-team superflex league after Caleb Williams was injured, and they also needed tight end help since Brock Bowers wasn't playing yet, so they upgraded both positions and gave up two young depth pieces to do it. The other manager filled some needs since he has a much weaker lineup and needed help at running back and receiver. The trade helped both teams given their roster compositions, but the additional 2027 second-round pick puts this trade in favor of last year’s champ. I don’t understand why the other manager would give up a pick in this trade unless he thinks Knidcaid’s breakout season so far is a hoax. I don't, so I strongly favor the Kincaid side of this trade.

Jameis Winston, Rashee Rice, and a 2027 2^nd round pick <=======> Tetairoa McMillan

• Two of the league's top teams struck this even deal as they compete for the top spot. The team that acquired Winston has only two starting quarterbacks in a superflex league, so they wanted a little security at that position, even if only for this year or a short time. The crux of the trade is Rice for McMillan, and the price for McMillan was much steeper since the manager had to send a second-round pick back in the deal. Rice and McMillan are underperforming to start the year, so their managers may have gotten tired of them or wanted a change in their lineups. The strangest part of this trade is that each manager gave up a QB-WR stack. The manager who sent McMillan has Bryce Young, and the manager who sent Rice has Patrick Mahomes. I’m waiting until this week to update my dynasty rankings, but when this trade was made, McMillan was my 8^th-ranked receiver while Rice was my 16^th, so the second-round pick looks like a fair addition, especially since McMillan’s future in Carolina is far more certain than Rice’s in Kansas City, given his off-field troubles. After this week, this trade looks terribly lopsided, after McMillan had the best game of his young career and Rice was injured. Sheesh!

Brian Thomas Jr. <=======> D.K. Metcalf

• This was a curious trade between two of the league's most disappointing, stock-falling wide receivers. I messaged the manager who acquired BTJ after the trade, and he told me he’s hoping BTJ gets traded and regains his dynasty value while Metcalf’s value nears the end of its shelf life. In the coming weeks, I expect BTJ to be a player managers hope to buy cheap if they don’t have him, or to cut bait on if they do. That’s what we have here in this trade.
•  

Chig Okonkwo. <=======> 2028 3^rd round pick

• This was a curious trade between blood brothers. One brother is rebuilding and must not have valued Okonkwo in his future plans, so he took what he could get for him. The other lacks depth at tight end and does not have a top-tier starter either. Darren Waller is in his starting lineup this week. He needed another tight end with upside to keep his team competitive in a league where his roster is middle of the pack. We’ve yet to see Okonkwo with the Commanders’ offense since he’s been injured, so the manager who acquired him took a bet on the unknown. I think the price was right.

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