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PodcastFrom The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast

1131: Week 3 Sleepers

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.

24 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 24, 2026
Published
Thu, September 24, 2026
24
Player insights
21
Players mentioned
Topics
Tony PollardTyjae SpearsXavier WorthyAJ BarnerBryce YoungDalton SchultzDenzel BostonEmmett JohnsonJordan LoveKaelon BlackKeaton MitchellKenneth Walker IIIKyler MurrayMason Taylor
Player analysis

Player insights

24

AJ Barner

PositiveSleeper22:32

AJ Barner is identified as a deep sleeper for Week 3. He ranks 16th in tight end route share and benefits from a highly favorable matchup against the Washington defense, which is the second-best matchup for tight ends by adjusted points allowed.

Insight page

Bryce Young

PositiveProjection13:52

JJ Zachariason highlights Bryce Young as a strong waiver wire add, noting he ranks 6th in EPA per dropback and 3rd in fantasy points per dropback behind only Josh Allen and Brock Purdy. The matchup against Cleveland is favorable as the Browns are 3rd worst at generating pressure.

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Dalton Schultz

PositiveUsage12:28

JJ Zachariason notes Dalton Schultz is a strong play against Indianapolis, a top-10 matchup for tight ends. Schultz saw a 28% target share last week, and if Nico Collins remains out, Schultz is expected to see significant volume again.

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Denzel Boston

PositiveRole5:30

JJ Zachariason notes that Boston has better usage as a full-time player through two weeks compared to Casey Concepcion, making him a fine sleeper play against the Carolina secondary.

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Emmett Johnson

PositiveUsage10:34

JJ Zachariason suggests leaning on Emmitt Johnson in Week 3, citing a favorable game script against Miami and coach speak indicating he could see increased work.

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Jordan Love

PositiveMatchup4:57

JJ Zachariason likes Jordan Love for Week 3, citing the Falcons' secondary injuries and their defensive vulnerability, as they have allowed the second-highest average depth of target in the league. Additionally, the Packers' struggling run game (bottom 3 in EPA per play) suggests the team may rely more on the passing attack to generate big plays.

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Kaelon Black

PositiveUsage4:43

JJ Zachariason suggests Black as a sleeper due to the 49ers being 8.5-point favorites. While his Week 1 usage was inflated by Christian McCaffrey's cramps, Black saw equal snaps to McCaffrey in the second half of the previous game, suggesting he could see significant touches in a positive game script.

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Keaton Mitchell

PositiveUsage11:24

JJ Zachariason highlights Keaton Mitchell as an intriguing sleeper, noting he has a 40% snap share when the Chargers trail by seven or more and has run nearly double the routes of Amari Hampton.

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Kenneth Walker III

PositiveProjection10:59

JJ Zachariason describes Kenneth Walker as having been unbelievable so far this season.

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Kyler Murray

PositiveProjection3:12

JJ Zachariason notes hesitation due to a recent concussion but highlights a favorable matchup against the Buccaneers, who have allowed the highest pass rate over expected and have a bottom-10 pressure rate. With his rushing ability and weapons, Murray is a viable start as the matchup ranks as the 5th best for quarterbacks.

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Mason Taylor

NegativeInjury20:45

Mason Taylor is expected to be out for Week 3 according to reports.

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Michael Penix Jr.

NegativeMatchup24:12

JJ Zachariason notes that Michael Penix returning to the lineup makes the Packers defense a scary option for Week 3, despite their high-ceiling potential.

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Pat Freiermuth

PositiveUsage23:29

Pat Friermuth is in a good spot for Week 3 against the Bengals, who struggle to defend tight ends. Friermuth has maintained a 66% route share and a 14% target share so far this season.

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Romeo Doubs

PositiveMatchup11:42

JJ Zachariason highlights Romeo Doubs for a favorable matchup against Jacksonville, which ranks 6th in air yards per attempt allowed. Doubs has a 21.6 air yards per target average and saw his target share increase to 19% in Week 2, leading all Patriots wide receivers.

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Tank Bigsby

PositiveProjection9:55

JJ Zachariason views Tank Bigsby as a strong play against Chicago if Saquon Barkley is out, noting Bigsby's role in early-down and goal-line work makes him the preferred start over Will Shipley in this matchup.

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Tony Pollard

PositiveProjection9:38

JJ Zachariason projects Tony Pollard to provide a usable fantasy performance in Week 3, noting that the Tennessee backfield has a favorable matchup.

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PositiveMatchup15:21

JJ Zachariason expects a usable performance from Tony Pollard against the Giants, who represent the 4th best matchup for running backs by adjusted points allowed and have given up the 8th highest success rate to the position.

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Tre Tucker

PositiveUsage12:50

JJ Zachariason notes Trey Tucker has a 78% route share and 19% target share, making him relevant despite his high 17.6 ADOT.

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Tyjae Spears

PositiveUsage9:43

JJ Zachariason highlights Tajae Spears as a sleeper, citing his 35% snap rate on early downs and a 13.3% target share this season.

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PositiveUsage15:43

JJ Zachariason advises not to sleep on Tyjae Spears, who has earned a 35% snap rate on early downs and a 13.3% target share. He is considered a viable option alongside Tony Pollard in a favorable matchup against the Giants.

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Will Shipley

NegativeUsage10:10

JJ Zachariason notes Will Shipley is getting significant run in the offense due to his pass-catching work, though he remains a deep-league play compared to Tank Bigsby.

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Woody Marks

PositiveSleeper3:59

JJ Zachariason identifies Marks as a sleeper, noting his 49% early-down snap share, 34% rush share, and 8% target share. He has run as many routes as David Montgomery and faces a Colts defense that ranks 2nd worst in rushing yards allowed per game.

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Xavier Worthy

PositiveProjection6:32

JJ Zachariason notes that Xavier Worthy has had a pretty good start to the season.

Insight page
PositiveProjection10:32

JJ Zachariason notes Xavier Worthy is averaging 12 expected PPR points per game with a 19% target share. With the Chiefs holding the league's highest implied team total (29 points) against a Dolphins defense allowing the 5th most PPR points per target to wide receivers, Worthy is a viable start.

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Full transcript

Episode Transcript

277
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0:12How do you turn 16 games, injury reports, team notes, betting lines, and matchup trends into one clear weekend preview?
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0:42This is the Late-Round Podcast with your host, JJ Zacharyarysen.
0:45JJ Zacharyarysen. What's up, everyone? It's JJ Zacharyarysen, and in this episode 1131 of the Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast, thanks for tuning in.
0:53I looked over last week's picks from this show, and the results actually weren't that bad.
0:58There were definitely some bad selections in there, though.
1:01None of the deep running back sleepers did anything, and really, running back in the middle tier was bad, too.
1:07The quarterback streamers, they haven't been that good to start this season, either.
1:11And last week was no different with the picks overall.
1:15Baker wasn't good, Jordan Love wasn't very good, Malik Willis barely was usable, it was not great.
1:20With that being said, we had some hits this past week.
1:24Rashad White scored 14 PPR points, Jake Ferguson scored over 20, Dontavian Wicks, Devon Vele, Adonai Mitchell, and Rashad Bateman were all
1:31good plays, Jalen Coker was usable, and Xavier Worthy scored 13.5 points.
1:34Not terrible. I don't think it was a good week, but it was better than I remembered.
1:40With more data, with more information, hopefully the weeks just get better and better.
1:44We're on to week 3. Before we get to those sleepers, I do want to send another reminder about the Late-Round newsletter.
1:51The newsletter's absolutely free. Just head to LateRound.com and sign up.
1:55You get the data dump in your inbox every Monday morning, the 15 transactions list on Tuesday morning, an awesome matchups column
2:02from Brandon Gadula, and there's a wrap-up email from David Kitchen at the end of every week.
2:08You can sign up, again, for free by going to LateRound.com.
2:11As usual, this first tier of players consists of guys rostered in 50-80% of Yahoo leagues, and we'll start at quarterback.
2:18And we'll start with a guy who's been slinging it for fantasy purposes, and that's Tyler Shuck.
2:23I wasn't bullish enough on Shuck last week because of how he played in the first half against the Lions, but things were good in week 2.
2:32He's just 19th in fantasy points per dropback, which is somewhat of a problem, but the Saints pushed the pace.
2:38They're second in seconds per play in neutral situations.
2:41They get the Raiders this week, it's in a domed environment, and while Vegas hasn't been a great matchup so far for
2:48quarterbacks, with our adjustments, the matchup's more neutral. The Saints also have an applied team total over 23 points, so I think Tyler Shuck can be okay.
2:57I like Jordan Love a lot this week. The Falcons are a more neutral matchup on paper according to our numbers, but
3:04they're also dealing with injuries in their secondary. So far this year, the Packers have the 4th highest average up to target,
3:11and Atlanta's given up the 2nd highest mark in the league.
3:15Green Bay also hasn't gotten that much from their running backs, who rank bottom 3 in the league in EPA per play right now.
3:22So it won't surprise me if the Packers offense is able to generate some big plays on Thursday Night Football.
3:29I'm a little hesitant to throw Kyler Murray out there coming off that concussion, but the matchup is pretty nice against the Bucs.
3:36Tampa Bay has faced the highest pass rate over expected in the league this year, and they've generated a bottom 10 pressure rate.
3:44Our adjusted points allowed numbers have this matchup as the 5th best one for quarterbacks.
3:48So with Kyler's weapons, the environment, his rushing, I think you could do worse.
3:53But there's obviously some volatility there. At running back in this tier, I'm going to go back to Woody Marks.
3:59Marks has seen just over 49% of Houston's early down snaps this year, and he's run the same number of routes as David Montgomery.
4:07He's got a 34% rush share and an 8% target share.
4:11Those peripherals, they're very usable on a sleeper show like this.
4:14The Texans get the Colts. Indy has been terrible defensively this year.
4:18Their 4th worst in success rate allowed to opposing offenses, and their 2nd worst in opposing team rushing yards per game.
4:25To be fair, they face the Ravens and the Chiefs.
4:28But there's nothing pointing to them being a great defensive unit.
4:31Our adjusted points allowed numbers to running backs. It shows that they're an average opponent overall.
4:37With the Texans having a pretty healthy 23-point total in this game, and with Marks peripherals, he might work.
4:43I'll go back to Kalon Black here too. The 49ers are 8.5 point home favorites, and we've now seen it in back-to-back
4:50games where Black can get some work in this offense.
4:53Now, in week 1, I do think part of what we saw was CMC resting because he had cramps.
4:59Because CMC's snap share in the first half week over week rose by like 25 percentage points.
5:05With that being said, a positive game script could lead to more Kalon Black.
5:09We saw that just last week. In the second half against the Dolphins, Black played just as many snaps as Christian McCaffrey did.
5:16That was more of an 80-20 split in the first half.
5:20So if game script goes the way that we think it will, Black could get some touches.
5:25And that's all we can ask for at running back on this sleeper show.
5:30I think you can play both Casey Concepcion and Denzel Boston this week, at least as sleepers.
5:35But I actually might like Casey Concepcion just a little bit more.
5:39Boston's gotten the better usage through two weeks as more of a full-time player.
5:44And I talked about him earlier in this week for a second consecutive time on the 15 transaction show.
5:50He's fine to play against this Carolina secondary. But Concepcion has seen 58% of his routes come from the slot this year.
5:57All while leading the Browns by a healthy margin and targets per outrun at 26%.
6:02So far this season, Carolina's ranked 8th in percentage of points allowed to wide receivers going to the slot.
6:08This game's also interesting because as I've talked about this week, Carolina's been throwing the ball a lot in neutral situations, all
6:15while running at a really fast pace. Meanwhile, Cleveland's been 5th in pass rate over expected in neutral situations.
6:21And they're top half in the league in pace.
6:24So don't be surprised if there's slightly more fantasy relevance to this game than you initially think.
6:29That's what makes these Cleveland wideouts at least interesting.
6:32Xavier Worthy's had a pretty good start to the season, all things considered.
6:36He's averaging about 12 expected PPR points per game, and he has a 19% target share.
6:42The Chiefs have an implied team total of 29 points this week against Miami.
6:46That's the highest mark in the league. The Dolphins are 2nd worst so far this year in success rate against the pass,
6:53and Miami's allowing the 5th most PPR points per target to wide receivers.
6:57So I don't totally mind Xavier Worthy. The Patriots get the Jags this week.
7:02Jacksonville ranks 6th in air yards per attempt allowed, and Romeo Dobbs has a ridiculous 21.6 air yards per target this year.
7:09And he saw his target share bump up to 19% in week 2.
7:13That was easily best among Patriot wide receivers. I think he makes sense in this matchup against the Jags that's at least
7:20average on paper in a game that has an okay total.
7:24Devon Vele is now rostered in over 50% of leagues, but it's still under that 80% mark, so we can call him out once again.
7:32We like this Saints offense for volume, as I already discussed, and Vele is getting a lot of run.
7:38He's seen a route share of 88% this season.
7:41That's led to a healthy 19% target share. Until we see Jordan Tyson back on that field, Vele is going to be
7:48a decent option off of your bench. At tight end, Dalton Schultz went off last week, and I unfortunately didn't have all
7:55the Nico Collins information for this show to be able to call him out.
7:59It was a good matchup against the Bengals, though.
8:02The thing is, Houston against Indy is another good matchup.
8:05It's a top 10 one for a tight end, according to our numbers.
8:10And while it's not quite as good in terms of target share allowed, Schultz is coming off a game where he saw a 28% target share.
8:18Assuming Nico Collins is out once again, we could see a lot of looks naturally funneled towards Dalton Schultz once again this week.
8:25Moving on to the next tier, we'll look at players rostered in 20-50% of Yahoo leagues, and we'll start with quarterback.
8:32And we'll look at a guy who lit up everyone's waiver wire this week, and that's Bryce Young.
8:38I mentioned it already with that Panthers-Browns game, but there could end up being a lot more passing and a lot more
8:45plays run than what consensus is generally projecting. And let's just face it, Bryce is balling out right now.
8:51He's 6th in EPA per dropback, and he's only behind Josh Allen and Brock Purdy in fantasy points per dropback.
8:57The Panthers are also 10th best in pressures allowed per dropback this year, and Cleveland, their opponent, they're 3rd worst at generating them.
9:05So Bryce Young should be okay once again this week.
9:08Moving on to running back, I was going to talk about Jonah Coleman here, but at the time of this recording, there's
9:15so much up in the air with that backfield.
9:18I have no idea who's actually going to play.
9:21So we'll move on. We'll look at Tennessee. They play the Giants this week, and the Giants are the 4th best matchup
9:28for running backs by adjusted points allowed. They've given up the 8th highest success rate to opposing running backs.
9:34Tennessee running backs, they've actually been top 10 in success rate this year.
9:38I think Tony Pollard could actually give us a nice usable performance this week.
9:43But don't sleep on Tajay Spears either. Spears has now seen a 35% snap rate on early downs this season.
9:49He's up to a 13.3% target share. It's a good matchup for both of these Tennessee backs.
9:55If Saquon Barkley is out, then Tank Bigsby becomes a really obvious play against Chicago.
9:59The Bears are probably starting Case Keenum, probably, so there's a chance for a positive game script.
10:05And Chicago's a top half matchup in the league by our adjusted points allowed numbers.
10:10If Caleb was healthy and starting, this would be much closer between Bigsby and Will Shipley.
10:15As we've talked about, Shipley's getting a lot of run in that offense.
10:19He's getting more run than Tank Bigsby is because of his pass catching work.
10:24But in this particular matchup, while you can use both players, Shipley's more of a deep league play.
10:29Bigsby, due to his early down work, his goal line work, he's the preferred play.
10:34Now, similar to Kalon Black, Emmitt Johnson is someone that you can maybe lean on if game script favors his offense.
10:41And this week, I think there's a very real chance that happens because the Chiefs are massive favorites against the Dolphins.
10:48Miami also is the best matchup by adjusted points allowed.
10:51There was some coach speak this week that Johnson could see a little bit more work in this offense, and I don't see why he wouldn't.
10:59Kenneth Walker has been unbelievable. But Johnson's looked the part too.
11:03So I can definitely see a scenario where both of them just have really, really good weeks.
11:08Now, I called Amari and Hampton a sell on the 15 transactions episode, and I still believe that's the case.
11:15With that being said, I do like their ground game matchup in week three.
11:19Buffalo's the 10th best matchup by adjusted points allowed to running backs, and while the Chargers have targeted their backs at the
11:26lowest rate in the league this year, teams against Buffalo, they're more middle of the pack in terms of targeting their backs.
11:33They've also just been really effective when they have.
11:36They're giving up the fourth most PPR points per target.
11:39This obviously is not about Amari and Hampton because he's rostered in way too many leagues.
11:44But keep an eye on Keaton Mitchell. When the Chargers have been down by seven or more points this year, Mitchell has a 40% snap share.
11:53He's run almost double the number of routes compared to Hampton.
11:56So at the very least, I think it's an intriguing situation for Mitchell this week.
12:01We just have to hope that the Chargers can just get their act together.
12:06Looking at wide receivers, I like Rashid Shahid's matchup this week.
12:09Washington's a great matchup for opposing perimeter wide receivers.
12:12They're just average right now in adjusted points allowed to the position in total, but they've given up the most points at
12:19the outside in the league to start the season.
12:22Rashid Shahid, he hasn't had a big performance this year, but he's being used.
12:27He's got a 74% route share. He's seen a target on 22.5% of his routes run.
12:32He's run 70% of his routes from the outside.
12:35The Seahawks also frequently feature two or fewer wide receivers on the field.
12:39And Shahid has run 35% of his routes in that scenario this season.
12:43So against Washington, he's an interesting sleeper. The Saints haven't given up a massive average up the target this year, which you'd
12:50ideally like to see for someone like Trey Tucker, because he has a 17.6 ADOT to start the year.
12:56However, New Orleans ranks fifth so far this season and fantasy points allowed to the perimeter.
13:01And Tucker, he has a 78% route share and a 19% target share this season.
13:06He's also run 47% of his routes with two or fewer wide receivers on the field.
13:11Among wideouts with 30 or more routes this year, that trails only Mike Evans.
13:16So Tucker coming off a pretty good game, he's in a really interesting spot.
13:20I'm going to go back to Dontavian Wicks this week.
13:23That makes three weeks in a row, all three weeks with Dontavian Wicks getting a shout.
13:29He's getting it done though. He's got 0.52 PPR points per route run, barely trailing Devante Smith, who's at 0.54.
13:35He's seen an 18% target share in the season and he's getting downfield with a near 15 yard ADOT.
13:41The Eagles get the Bears this week and Chicago's bottom half of the league so far this year and fantasy points per drop back allowed.
13:49And they face the top 10 air yards per target, all while giving up the 12th most points to perimeter wide receivers
13:56despite one of their games coming in the rain.
13:59So I think that Wicks works. And I love Adonai Mitchell this week.
14:03As I said in the 15 transactions episode, Mitchell has one more target than Garrett Wilson this year.
14:09He ranks first in the NFL in air yard share.
14:12The Jets get the Lions and Detroit through two games is seventh in perimeter wide receiver points allowed.
14:18They've given up the 10th highest average depth of target.
14:21Mitchell has a real chance to make some big plays in this game.
14:25This is your reminder that if Zay Flowers does not go this week, Rashad Bateman would be the play.
14:32He smashed last week. 89% route share, 31% target share, 21.8 PPR points.
14:36The Ravens get an amazing matchup against the Cowboys this week.
14:39They've allowed the fourth highest catch rate over expected to wide receivers.
14:43They've given up the fourth highest adjusted target share allowed to wide receivers and they're 12th in our adjusted points allowed formula.
14:50Bateman would be a great play if Zay Flowers is out.
14:54Moving on to tight end, Minnesota has the best matchup on paper for tight ends as they face Tampa Bay.
15:00That's according to adjusted fantasy points allowed. TJ Hawkinson may be able to take advantage.
15:05On the year, he has a respectable 70% route share and he's been targeted on 24% of his routes run.
15:11He has over a 21% target share in that Minnesota offense, so I don't mind him in this spot at all.
15:18And if Puka Nakua doesn't go this week, you can definitely feel good about Terrence Ferguson.
15:23If Nakua does go, Ferguson's a lot riskier. But Ferguson finished week two with a 72% route share, a 30% target share,
15:30a target on 39% of his routes run, and he got a target in the end zone too.
15:36The Rams face the Broncos. It's not an easy matchup.
15:39But those peripherals without Puka Nakua are out of control.
15:42He operated as LA's number two wide receiver without Nakua.
15:46He had a 70% slot share too that ranked eight highest among tight ends this past week.
15:51So if Nakua is out, Ferguson can definitely be used.
15:54The final group of players consists of guys rostering in fewer than 20% of Yahoo leagues and that quarterback, let's look at Cam Ward.
16:02Do I feel good about it? Absolutely not. But the Giants are now third worst in fantasy points per drop back allowed
16:09and they're third worst in pass success rate allowed.
16:12Now, they face Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford, just to be fair.
16:16But our numbers still have the Giants as the 10th best matchup for quarterbacks on paper.
16:21It's a deeper play, but it could pay off.
16:24I do like this next quarterback more than Cam Ward though, and that's Geno Smith who gets the Lions.
16:30This game could be up-tempo given how fast the Jets have played versus how quickly offenses against the Lions have played this year.
16:37New York is throwing it 10 or more yards down the field at a top half rate, and teams against Detroit are
16:44doing so at the third highest rate in the league.
16:48And most importantly, our adjusted numbers have this comfortably as a top half matchup.
16:52The Jets are going to have to keep pace against the Lions in this domed environment.
16:57That's a good spot for a quarterback in fantasy football.
17:01Moving to running back, I don't know if Jadarian Price is going to be out this week.
17:06It sounds like he's going to try to practice, but I think Emmanuel Wilson and George Helani should at least be on your radar.
17:14Mostly, though, Emmanuel Wilson. Essentially, when you look at the data, it's very, very clear.
17:19Wilson's the early down guy, Helani's the receiving back.
17:21In week two in the fourth quarter, Wilson saw a 76% snap share that was with the lead.
17:27He had 12 rushes, but he finished that game with just a 15% route share.
17:32Helani had a 37% route share. The thing is, this game against Washington profiles as a good game script for Seattle.
17:39So if Price does miss this game, I'm more into Wilson than I am George Helani.
17:44I should call it the Vikings backfield here, too, with DJ Dallas and DeMond Claiborne.
17:49Jordan Mason's on IR. Aaron Jones is apparently not a sure thing for this weekend because of a knee injury.
17:55So this backfield, it's down to Dallas and Claiborne.
17:58Jones dominated touches in week two. He had an 80% snap share.
18:02Dallas out-snapped DeMond Claiborne, but it was only an 8-2 difference.
18:05My guess is that they're going to trust DJ Dallas more in pass protection.
18:10He'll have a higher projected snap rate. But this is one of those situations where if I'm going to start one of
18:17these players, I'd probably just go for upside and potential longer-term upside and just go with DeMond Claiborne.
18:23He's an undersized back, he's likely going to be part of a tandem, but he's incredibly fast and he's a capable pass catcher.
18:30And the matchup against Tampa Bay is technically a top-10 matchup by adjusted points allowed this season.
18:36But this recommendation, it's more about the open backfield and the potential workload than anything else.
18:41And then what about Caleb Johnson? It's a short week for the Packers and in week two, we saw a complete split
18:48in that backfield with Johnson, Lloyd, and Brooks. Brooks played the most snaps because he's deployed as their receiving back.
18:54But Johnson and Lloyd played the same number of snaps.
18:57And this wasn't just because of Marshawn Lloyd's fumble.
19:00Up until that point in the game, the two players had the same rush share and Lloyd had played just two more snaps than Caleb Johnson.
19:09It's a backfield mess, but what if they give Johnson a little bit more run this week?
19:14It's the right matchup to do so because the Packers are five and a half point home favorites.
19:20At wide receiver, Keon Coleman played a lot last Thursday, but it wasn't even just because DJ Moore was hurt.
19:26Yes, his route share jumped without DJ Moore in that game, but his route share before the DJ Moore injury was 65%, and week one, it was 53%.
19:35The Bills get the Chargers this week, LA's given up the third most points to perimeter wide receivers to start the season,
19:42and it's not like they've faced super amazing offenses.
19:45Coleman's pretty much exclusively an outside guy, so the matchup is there for him to be a sneaky play this week.
19:52And then an even sneakier play is Jalen Knoll.
19:55I'm expecting Nico Collins to be out one more week for the Texans.
19:59In week two, Xavier Hutchinson led the way with an 82% route share, and 41% of his routes came out of the slot.
20:07Hutchinson is technically the safer, more predictable play, but his career per route run numbers are legitimately horrific.
20:12I've talked about that before on the show. I want more of a ceiling when I'm talking about a deep sleeper.
20:19So let's talk about Jalen Knoll. Knoll did see a 60% route share last week, with almost 70% of his routes coming out of the slot.
20:27The Texans get the Colts this week, and they've given up by far, by far, the most fantasy production to slot receivers this year.
20:35The defense is playing poorly altogether. It's obviously a small sample size, and matchups come into play here.
20:41It's a two-game sample, but it does make Jalen Knoll kind of intriguing.
20:45At tight end, Mason Taylor is likely out week three, according to reports.
20:49If there's ever a time for a Kenyan-Sadiq breakout, it would be right now.
20:54The Jets get a Lions team where we could see New York force into a more pass-heavy script.
21:00Sadiq has seen a target on almost 20% of his routes run to start the year.
21:05And for what it's worth, in a very, very limited sample, Sadiq had a 67% route share without Mason Taylor last week.
21:12And it gets better. The Lions are the third best matchup for tight ends, by adjusted points allowed.
21:18So maybe that breakout, maybe it happens this week.
21:20Arande Gadsden's going to operate as the Chargers' top tight end this week.
21:25We'll see how that goes. They obviously have been concerned about his blocking, but they don't have much of a choice.
21:31Charlie Kolar's hurt, David Njoku's on IR. Gadsden had a 71% route share in the second half against Vegas in week two.
21:38And Buffalo's been a favorable matchup so far this year, and adjusted points allowed to tight ends.
21:44Gadsden did it at times last year, his rookie season.
21:47Let's hope that he can show off his pass-catching ability here in week three.
21:52I feel like we're probably going to target the Washington defense every single week in general, but especially with tight ends.
21:58They're the second best matchup right now by adjusted points allowed to the position.
22:03They've given up the fifth highest yards per route run to the position, and teams are targeting tight ends at a higher
22:10than average rate when they face Washington. And this is all similar to what we saw last year.
22:16That leads me to AJ Barner. He's 16th in the NFL and tight end route share.
22:21He hasn't been used that much, so this is definitely a deep sleeper, but the matchup calls for it because the route share is not terrible.
22:29And then lastly, there's Pat Friermuth. The Bengals were just torched by Dalton Schultz, and they were bad at defending tight ends last year too.
22:37Friermuth's getting okay run in the Steelers offense. He's got a 66% route share so far this year and a 14% target share.
22:45It's a good spot for Friermuth overall. Now at defense, very quickly, I love the Chiefs against the Dolphins for obvious reasons.
22:52The Packers do kind of scare me given it's Thursday night and Michael Penix is back, but they're a low floor high ceiling option.
22:59The Bills, you could play them against the struggling Chargers, the Panthers against the Browns, and then the Bengals against the Steelers.
23:06They're all reasonable streaming options. That's it for today's show though.
23:10Thanks to all of you for listening. If you yet subscribed to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast, make sure you are messaging for it.
23:18Pretty much anywhere podcasts can be found. And just follow me on Twitter and on Blue Sky at LateRoundQB.
23:24Thanks for listening everyone. I'll be back in your ears tomorrow with the weekly Mailbag Show.
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