FFB WEEK 3: TWELVE TAKEAWAYS

Welcome to a Wednesday edition of Twelve Takeaways.

Apologies for the tardiness.  

1. The Titans once again have a problem at quarterback. I said he was fit for a demotion last week, and I can't believe he wasn't benched in their loss to the Packers, but one thing's clear at this point: Will Levis is not the guy and he's not set up to succeed as a Titan. On Sunday, he was 26/34 for 260 yards and 2 TDs (hey, not bad!) but committed costly 3 turnovers (again? shit).  

What else is there to say? The bad has vastly outweighed the good, his ball security and inconsistency is an issue, and any time he does takes a baby step forward he finds new and inventive ways to take multiple steps back.   

I've previously referred to Levis as a "charity draft pick" and I stand by that. In the 2023 draft, the Titans front office said "Sure, why not? Could be fun!" to a career-subpar quarterback. They could've drafted ancillary pieces and planned ahead for what was objectively a far more talented class of quarterbacks to choose from the very next year (see: #5). Instead they drafted Levis and spent recklessly this offseason, so here we sit. #LetRanCook has resulted in a disastrous, inedible dish forcefully served to a fanbase that's concurrently being asked to pay for a new $2 billion stadium.

Thus, the Titans find themselves in Hell. All the way back to square one at the single most important position there is, hoping the next franchise quarterback will suddenly materialize and fall into their lap. To be clear, that's what'll have to happen, because they would almost definitely fuck up the draft pick.   

Meanwhile, Malik Willis has to feel good.  

He was forced to dry-rot on the bench in Nashville and watched a slew of other quarterbacks toil in mediocrity for two years. Two years of disrespect and doubt, never getting a proper shot to win the job, prove himself, or find any semblance of a rhythm. Then, his value to the organization was finally made known, and he was shipped off for peanuts - a 2025 7th rounder.   

So how did he respond in his first time stepping back inside Nissan Stadium? His revenge was exacted by beating the Titans 30-14, converting 13 for 19 passes for 202 yards and a TD and adding 6 carries for 73 yards with another score. Matt LaFleur was an accomplice and the revenge mission was accomplished... Retribution for the maltreatment and mishandling he endured. 

Oh, and for the ~2% of you that started him in your fantasy league, that's nearly 27 fantasy points. 2-0 as the starter for the Packers and a QB6 week... Not bad for the guy that was never good/liked enough to get a chance.  

2. The inefficiency has caught up to Rachaad White. His primary knock after a mini-breakout last season was always his efficiency at the line of scrimmage as a runner. Given what we've seen so far this season, those same issues are still a problem because he's averaging just 2.1 yards per carry and he's well on his way to losing the starting role if he hasn't already. My prediction of "CMC-Lite" and RB8 for White has sadly fallen flat and I'm here to repent.

Newcomer Bucky Irving, the rookie out of Oregon, has averaged over 6 yards per carry and might just be the new primary early down back sooner rather than later. It's worth noting that Irving was a waiver recommendation all the way back in week 1's blog, so there was at least a tiny sliver of foresight. 

Keep a close eye on the backfield situation in Tampa Bay. Maybe a wake-up call is exactly what Rachaad White needs, or perhaps he's the bonafide backup by Week 5. Either way, the Bucs came back down to earth on Sunday with a 26-7 loss to the Broncos. 

3. It's Sam Darnold Szn. 
I saw this today and it blew my mind. 

I was very mean about Sam Darnold heading into this year, I doubted him. I was convinced that he would hinder Justin Jefferson and didn't take into account that stints with the Jets and the Panthers can make a man look less than he is. 

The Vikings are 3-0! Justin Jefferson has a touchdown in each of their first three games! Darnold is leading the league with 8 TDs thrown and has just two interceptions to his name! He's currently QB4, even without Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson! 

It's been a "holy shit, Sam Darnold" start to the season and I'm not too proud to say I was wrong.

4. Patrick Mahomes is STILL not a top fantasy quarterback. 

Another week, another subpar fantasy performance from Patrick Mahomes. 

26/39 passing for 217 yards, 2 TDs and an INT. While not horrible, lots of "esteemed" outlets had him as QB4 going into this game. Why are you listening to them at this point? 

I get it! It's Patrick Mahomes, it's so tempting to throw him inside the top-5, but what has he done recently to back this up? Check the numbers. He's started the season with three straight games of less than 20 fantasy points scored, nothing better than QB12 in that stretch. 

Reminder that he averaged out as QB19 from Week 8 onward last season and had two games QB5 or better all year. 

In other news, Travis Kelce has 8 catches for 69 yards this season and has fantasy owners everywhere feeling like: 
The Chiefs can boast an undefeated, albeit unconvincing, 3-0 record by the skin of their scrotes and teams keep letting them off the hook. 

5. Jayden Daniels rocks. 

He came into the game with the most rushing yards for a rookie quarterback through two weeks with something to prove, and he did exactly that throughout the course of the game. He capped it off with a clutch TD drive to seal off the Bengals on this throw to Terry McLaurin, which was absolute perfection.
Washington fans have been waiting a long time for this and I'm happy for them. Jayden Daniels has accounted for 835 total yards and 5 total TDs through 3 games, which slots him in as QB2. I'm certain that everyone loved his college tape and his prospect potential, but I don't know that anyone foresaw him being this effective this quickly as a pro.    

6. Malik Nabers is a certified daddy.
The scenario that I mentioned where Malik Nabers makes Daniel Jones look good? That became reality this past week and he's all the way up to WR2.  

7. The Anthony Richardson Experience continues... I imagine being a Colts fan not dissimilar to an Ayahuasca trip. You have an old shaman named Jim Irsay that's telling you everything's gonna be fine. One minute you trip balls and you're feeling happy and hopeful, then the next minute you're puking your guts out and your brain chemistry is forever altered.
Remember the accuracy issues coming out of Florida that the haters pointed out? The clip above is just one game. He's launching passes like, 8 feet over receivers' heads.

Again, Anthony Richardson is a young quarterback with a high ceiling, but holy shit that highlight reel is hilarious. After 27 fantasy points in week 1, he's tumbled down to QB14. 

There is beauty, if you look hard enough, is that there's very little in-between with the Anthony Richardson Experience. If you're an Anthony Richardson owner you might wanna install this sign in your house and live by it.

8. The Steelers are undefeated and the Bears look dumber than ever. Justin Fields is now 3-0 with the Steelers and has them moving in the right direction. He was solid again on Sunday and Russell Wilson should be a mere afterthought at this point.

Meanwhile, the Bears are doing this:

It's hard to succeed when the offensive line is belly flopping mid-play and Shane Waldron is calling dumb plays (maybe Jaxson Smith-Njigba was right?).  Caleb Williams was better on Sunday, throwing for 363 yards and 2 TDs (also 2 INTs). Things are looking up for him should he get the chance to set his feet in the pocket at any point during this season.  

9. Josh Allen was really, really fun before. That was clickbait, he's always been fun! The difference is, now he's protecting the football and the rest of the league might just be fucked (if he can keep doing it).
Monday night was as vicious and unrelenting a beatdown as I've seen in quite a while in the NFL. Typically, the NFL's parity bleeds through and blowouts are a little more rare. 

We’re once again reminded that the Jaguars are still a disaster and might be for the foreseeable future (Trevor Lawrence just got a very generous 5-year $275 million extension).
10. The tight end position is a wasteland. 


Eight. 

There’s been a total of eight double-digit games for tight ends all year. 

Congrats if you started Isaiah Likely in week 1, that was one of them. What’s he done since? 3 catches for 30 yards. 

This could be a hot take, I’ll get out in front of it. Travis Kelce looks like a man defeated. Should he retire at the end of this year it wouldn't shock me in the least. He carried a lofty preseason ADP of around 25 and it has been a DRAG. 

Other notable preseason top-5 guys include Sam LaPorta who went down on Sunday with an ankle injury and Mark Andrews who may cease to exist, I’m not sure. 

Most of the guys in the top-5 ADP have been colossal disappointments and this is a position that's been collectively horrendous through three weeks. 

11. The fetishization of analytics has broken brains across the league? 

The NFL is plagued by bad coaches making bad decisions and I'm kinda sick of it. 

We have entered a puzzling new era of pro football where coaches are borderline obsessed with “the percentages” and they’re brazenly turning down points. The analytics of football have infected their brains like an opportunistic parasite and they can’t think outside of these numbers anymore. 

How many times can Nick Sirianni forego 3 points and go for it on 4th and short when he’s in the red zone?
What's the risk vs. reward here?  

Why would the Falcons turn down points (twice) only to fail (twice) against the Chiefs with a chance to win the game? 

The line between aggressive and stupid has been blurred by the new wave of analytics that is influencing coaches and I'm here to say: STOP it. Take the points every now and then. Make your decisions of a situation-specific basis. 

12. The Dolphins without Tua, summarized in one photo:
 
Not exactly fantasy-relevant, but I'd be remiss if I didn't post it because… well, it makes me laugh. It’s not every day you see someone get pantsed on national television. Julian Hill damn near had his entire brown-eye pulled out for the whole world to see.

The Dolphins are in trouble. Tyreek Hill (WR23), De'Von Achane (RB12), and Jaylen Waddle (WR45) have been rendered mostly useless, and it's time to fade their skill players in fantasy until further notice. 

WEEK 3 WIN THE WAIVER WIRE sponsored by Olive Garden:

Thank you to our new sponsor, Olive Garden, for believing in us here at the Fantasy Football Boys Fantasy Football Department. 

"When you're here, you're family™"
Hot bread.

  • Sam Darnold or Andy Dalton - Whoever's available there if you're in need. Andy Dalton (QB8 in week 3) gives the Panthers a spark and Darnold has been lights out. No need to stay chained to Patrick Mahomes just because you overvalued him on draft night. 
  • Quentin Johnston - He is so back. Another touchdown in week 3. Just two catches, but one of those was a touchdown. He's worth the waiver bid as the potential WR1 for the Chargers. Eventually Justin Herbert will be healthy, right? 
  • Darnell Mooney - Drake London is still the primary target for Kirk Cousins, but Darnell Mooney caught all 8 passes that came his way on Sunday night and he's seen 15 targets in the last two weeks.  
  • Jauan Jennings - After his performance on Sunday, he's on everybody's radar. He's available in around 68% of leagues and if Kittle and Samuel are out for extended periods, he's an obvious FAAB priority.
  • Jalen Nailor - If Addison can't go again. 
  • Xavier Legette - We're back in on the Panthers so long as Andy Dalton is throwing passes (I can't believe I just typed that in the year 2024). Plus, Adam Thielen tweaked a hammy and is old, so Legette's value goes up even more if Thielen takes a while to heal. 
  • Cam Akers - Injury-dependent, but check on Mixon's status again.
  • Braelon Allen - Very important handcuff for Breece Hall.
  • Michael Wilson - If Trey McBride is out.
  • Tyler Allgeier - My love affair with Allgeier continues, but he's averaging 5.57 yards per carry in limited work and I can't help myself. 

Have a great week. Remember, you are baller status. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Trust in Clax, win the waiver wire, and don’t be afraid to swap Mahomes out of that starting slot. 

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