Fantasy Football Week 3: Early Waiver: Drew Brees, James Conner Substitute

When Drew Brees tried not to jam a football in Sunday's game against the Rams, we assumed the injury would cost him some time. This was confirmed Monday, as several reports indicate that Brees is expected to undergo an operation to his thumb in the coming days and that it will probably take him about six weeks to recover.

Brees still needs to determine the extent of the procedure and the timing at which it will unfold, while the saints will have to determine whether they wish to wait for Brees to be released or put into the injured reserve. If they follow this last path, they can designate him, but that will require him to stay six weeks without training, and he will not be able to return until the 12th week against the Panthers.

So we're going to call it a six to nine week schedule for Brees to get back into business. Anyway, we envision an important absence, which makes Brees impossible, making the battle impossible for the third week. And although Brees himself has not been a Fantasy superstar in the last two seasons, his impact on the Saints' general attack can not be overstated.

We might have seen a preview of this Sunday, with Teddy Bridgewater taking over for Brees. Bridgewater, who plans to start in Brees' place, has completed only 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards, a 5.5 Y / A, with no touchdown. Bridgewater should do better than that in the future – the Rams are a tough challenge in which to jump – but it's fair to wonder how good it can be; we had not seen him as a starter since 2015, and while he was a solid type of game manager, we had not seen him much since he was suffering from 39, a catastrophic knee injury.

To be fair, the Saints believe in Bridgewater because they awarded him a $ 7.5 million contract, making him the NFL's highest paid replacement for situations like this. However, he averaged only 5.7 yards per attempt this preseason. There is no evidence that Bridgewater can have an impact at this stage, although it is fair to say that a preparatory action and a handful of meaningless snapshots may not tell the whole story. 39, history here.

Nevertheless, Bridgewater believes it is at least a downgrade for Brees. We should expect to see more of Alvin Kamara and Latavius ​​Murray in the running, and Bridgewater should rely on both during the short-handed match as well. Kamara remains a number 1 safe. However, with only 11 games in two games, you will want to avoid Murray as a short-term starter.

Michael Thomas should of course remain the first target of the passing game. Although Bridgewater is not a Brees, he is a precise smuggler who should be able to maintain a relatively high volume with Thomas. Bridgewater has always watched Thomas 11 times on his 30 pass attempts Sunday. Thomas will not be as effective and the touchdowns will be harder to get, but you'll still start it in almost any circumstances. Bridgewater should be at least competent, and that should be all Thomas needs.

However, this could be the case for this offense. Jared Cook is the only player on the Saints besides Thomas and Kamara with 10 targets this season, and with Bridgewater instead of Brees, this will probably not be enough to do much more than a low-end, play coin kind of tight end. Breaking hopes for Tre & # 39; Quan Smith and Ted Ginn must also be put on hold at the moment.

The injury of Brees does not only harm the Saints' fantastic vision, of course; this also has a direct impact on the prospects of Fantasy players who used it. And, since it's debuted in 70% of leagues during week 2, that's a pretty big number of you. Here are some quarters to consider adding for week 3 and the following:

• Jimmy Garoppolo (70%), against PIT at the 3rd week – Some touchdowns recalled at the 1st week would have allowed his line to improve, and he showed this with a masterful performance in the 2nd week. The 49ers continue to think about who they trust the skill positions, but it is clear that they have talent, and Kyle Shanahan did a good job of intriguing them. This should continue.
• Josh Allen (62%), against CIN at Week 3 – Allen faces Cincy's defensive, Garoppolo, which has just been burned down. With two decisive touchdowns in as many weeks, it's clear that he's still a big threat in this part of the game. Allen will leave points on the board every week with stray throws – he could have had a massive Week 2's had not spilled John Brown with a long bomb – but he was productive enough to trust this game.
• Andy Dalton (30%), vs. BUF in Week Three – Dalton's weapons are not as bad as we thought without AJ Green, and first feedback on new coach Zac Taylor has been very promising. Buffalo can be a tough fight, but Dalton is worth a visit, especially if Green makes a faster comeback than expected.
• Jacoby Brissett (26%), versus ATL in Week 3 – The Colts would prefer that Brissett not throw a lot, and they mostly avoided that early. This may not be possible against the Falcons in Week 3 and with a body receiving better than you think, Brissett (5 TD, 1 INT this season) could be passable in a possible shootout.

Week 3

First objectives of renunciation

More names to know

• Deebo Samuel (available in 75% of CBS sports leagues): Samuel led the 49ers receivers, including George Kittle, in targets, catches and yards on Sunday with a 2-yard touchdown. He played 29 shots, less than Dante Pettis (35, no goals) and Marquise Goodwin (38, 3 goals captured for 77 yards and an open touch), but he clearly demonstrated a skill set capable that Niners could use now . Samuel could replace A.J. Brown, Danny Amendola, Donte Moncrief, Anthony Miller, James Washington or even Pettis on your bench.
• Marquise Goodwin (available in 63% of CBS sports leagues): See above.
• Terry McLaurin (available in 50% of CBS sports leagues): The rookie resembles Washington's No.1 receiver. He has scored goals in consecutive weeks and leaves with a good distance with each intensive use. Listen, there's going to be somebody catching football in Washington when he's playing from behind. This fast and tall catcher seems ready to be this guy. You might want to catch it and put it to the bench, though – the Bears are going to D.C. during the third week.
• D.J. Chark (available in 79% of CBS sports leagues): It does not matter if you did not buy Chark last week – hardly anyone did it. But that will change after he had a touchdown from Gardner Minshew late in the defeat of the Jaguars against the Texans. He also led the Jaguars with nine goals, catching seven for a modest 55 meters. He is a giant at 6 feet 4 inches and has played until now in both games. There is a lot of risk – he is not a very refined receiver, his quarterback does not have a solid pedigree, and his team could really stink. Their schedule in the future also suggests some difficulties (Tennessee this Thursday, then to Denver, then to Carolina, then home to New Orleans). It would not hurt to have it as a backup plan if you miss one of the Chiefs' waivers.
• Will Dissly (available in 94% of CBS sports leagues): It is encouraging that Dissly has caught his five targets for 50 yards and two touchdowns. That does not mean that he will do it every week. The Seahawks played well one week and fell the following week. Dissly himself has struggled to stay healthy (he started this week as a question mark to play). The saints then visit the Seahawks, which is not a favorable confrontation for Dissly.