As we head into Week 3 the injuries are already mounting with the losses of Isiah Pacheco, Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown and Cooper Kupp amongst others for multiple games. At this point we’ve all likely lost at least one stud in our lineups, so the only way to make up for the situation is in the FLEX spot. In Week 2, players in this column like J.K. Dobbins (RB5), Brian Robinson Jr. (RB21), and Brock Bowers (TE3) delivered as FLEX plays, while Xavier Worthy (WR69), Adonai Mitchell (WR73), and Demarcus Robinson (WR50) didn’t get it done for us.
Let’s identify some players who can fill in for our injured stars in Week 3.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, Saints vs. Eagles
The Saints’ offense has been shot out of a cannon early this season with the team scoring 47 and 44 points in their first two games, respectively. Shaheed has been an important part of that as he’s the Saints’ leading receiver by a long shot (7-169-2). He’s caught two deep ball touchdowns en route to becoming the current WR9 in fantasy. The Eagles are still trying to figure things out on the defensive backend as they allowed Packers WR Jayden Reed to put up a WR1 performance in Week 1 and allowed two Falcons receivers (Drake London and Darnell Mooney) to finish Week 2 as top 20 receivers. The Saints are letting it fly and Shaheed should continue to fly high in a matchup with an implied game total of 47, which is one of the highest in Week 3.
Jerome Ford, RB, Browns vs. Giants
Ford’s 7.4 fantasy points (7-64-0) against the Jaguars ranked him as RB37 in Week 2. He was even out-carried by D’Onta Foreman, who went 14-42-0, but Ford was the better runner on the day. Now, Ford faces a Giants defense that allowed 215 rushing yards to Commanders RBs Brian Robinson Jr. (17-133-0) and Austin Ekeler (8-38-0) in Week 2, and 94 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries to Vikings RB Aaron Jones in Week 1. Find a way to get Ford into your lineups this week because he’s poised to have a good performance against a winless New York team that’s slowly losing its confidence.
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D’Andre Swift, RB, Bears at Colts
Swift hasn’t done well this season. In fact, no one on the Bears’ offense has. It’s been a rough start for the former Lion and Eagle, but Week 3 may provide some wiggle room as he faces a Colts defense that’s allowing the most rushing yards per game (237). Don’t gloss over this number as both Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs have run for more than 150 yards against the Colts’ defense in consecutive weeks. It’ll be hard for Swift to hit that number as both of those guys had 30 or more carries, but he and the ailing Bears’ offensive line may finally find some success. Swift is currently RB37 and hasn’t scored more than double-digit fantasy points in a game this season, but I expect that to change this week.
Justice Hill, RB, Ravens at Cowboys
Hill saw less usage in the receiving game in Week 2 (2-10-0) against the Raiders, compared to Week 1 when he caught 6-of-8 targets for 52 yards against the Chiefs. This week’s matchup against the Cowboys could be tricky, but Hill has a chance to bounce back against a team that allowed Alvin Kamara to catch two passes for 65 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 and Jerome Ford to haul in 6-of-7 targets for 25 yards in Week 1. It may be a small sample size but it appears the Cowboys’ defense can be attacked in this fashion. In a matchup with an Over/Under of 48.5 that features the reigning MVP (Lamar Jackson) and runner-up (Dak Prescott) I expect it to be a scoring fest and Hill will be there for all the action.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars at Bills
Thomas’ volume hasn’t been great as a rookie (6-141-1 on eight targets), but he’s been making the splash plays when needed. In Week 1, he finished as WR20 in fantasy and followed that up with a WR29 showing in Week 2. This week, he faces a Bills defense that just manhandled Dolphins WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, only allowing them seven receptions and 65 yards combined. While Thomas may not be a star quite yet in the NFL, he presents the Bills with a different challenge as he plays the position differently than the Dolphins’ receivers. Plus, the Jags will have to test the Bills’ new secondary to see if they overachieved in Week 2 or to see if they are actually legit. It won’t be the sexiest of plays, but plenty of fantasy managers will be without Deebo Samuel, A.J Brown or Cooper Kupp, and Thomas is a guy who can fill in with a greater probability for big plays.
Samaje Perine, RB, Chiefs at Falcons
I don’t believe Perine will be the Chiefs’ every-down back and if he was, it would be a plus, but he’ll likely be splitting time with Carson Steele (and soon to be Kareem Hunt). Perine has been a solid backup during his career and can make plays when needed. With Isiah Pacheco out six-to-eight weeks, Perine has a chance to become one of the most valuable fantasy assets for half of the season. The Falcons are the seventh-best team against running backs in fantasy this season, but they did just let up 116 scrimmage yards to Saquon Barkley in Week 2. While Perine doesn’t have that same ability, he should get a chance to at least be a factor in the passing game and when you’re attached to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense like Perine is, you’re fair game to be in the FLEX spot.
