News

1. Oct 4
   Jordan Love hits Matthew Golden for Packers TD

   Jordan Love hits Matthew Golden for Packers TD

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2. Oct 2
   Don't be surprised if … these three hot starters continue to shine all season

   Each week in the NFL is its own story — full of surprises, both positive and negative — and fantasy football managers must decide what to believe and what not to believe moving forward. Perhaps we can help. If any of these thoughts come true … don't be surprised! NOTE: All mention of fantasy points is for PPR formats, unless otherwise mentioned. Don't be surprised if … New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough leads the NFL in passing yards It is early, yes, but Shough enters Week 4 ranked first in the NFL in pass attempts and second in passing yards, behind only the Panthers' Bryce Young. Young has shown improvement so far, a formidable foe for accruing passing numbers, and we cannot forget about the Rams' Matthew Stafford, Lions' Jared Goff and Cowboys' Dak Prescott, last season's top three in passing yards. The Broncos' Bo Nix threw 612 passes! Last season, the Saints averaged 93.4 rushing yards per game, 28th in the league. This season, the Saints are faring a tad better, at 101.3 yards per game. But it may be a mirage. Offseason acquisition Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) leads the team, but he will miss at least this Monday's game with the Atlanta Falcons and perhaps multiple weeks. Pass-catching Alvin Kamara is next up, but the Saints may feature Kendre Miller on early downs and save Kamara, 31, for reception work. Shough, sturdy at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, is a factor with his legs, too, especially at the goal line, but also earning designed runs. Shough is throwing a ton, on pace for 516 completions on 748 attempts and 5,196 passing yards, along with 45 touchdown passes. Those would be historic numbers. Tom Brady holds the record for pass completions and attempts (490 for 733 with the 2022 Buccaneers), while Peyton Manning set the standard in passing yards (5,477 for the 2013 Broncos). Don't expect Shough to get quite there, but offensive-minded head coach Kellen Moore clearly trusts him, and this team appears attracted to shootouts. We like shootouts in fantasy! Shough boasts one of the league's top wide receivers in Chris Olave, who is tied for the NFL lead in receptions and second in receiving yards, while Devaughn Vele seems relevant. TE Juwan Johnson ranks third in points at his position (and No. 2 TE Noah Fant has scored three TDs). Dynamic rookie Jordyn Tyson (hamstring), the No. 8 selection in the draft from Arizona State, may return from injured reserve as soon as Week 5. It is easy to see how this passing game thrives all season, for volume and efficiency, even throwing downfield, especially with a friendly schedule. ESPN Fantasy ranks Shough favorably, for Week 4 and beyond, for good reason. Shough, who was a borderline QB1 option during his nine starts as a rookie last season, is neither young nor inexperienced. This isn't J.J. McCarthy trying to develop, you know. Shough played for three colleges over seven years, and he turned 27 years old this week. He is a week older than Jaguars starter Trevor Lawrence, now in his sixth NFL season, and three months older than the 49ers' Brock Purdy, a five-year veteran. He may be better than those fellows for fantasy, too. Don't be surprised if … the Green Bay Packers boast a pair of top-10 wide receivers in Christian Watson and Matthew Golden The 1-2 Packers aren't lacking in issues, whether it is offense, defense, injuries or a key suspension, but the good thing for fantasy managers is it looks like Watson and Golden are well on their collective way to banner seasons. The Packers probably do not want QB Jordan Love throwing 40 times per game, but the team cannot run the football sans Josh Jacobs, and the defense hasn't kept them in the two losses. The most recent Packers player to reach 1,000 receiving yards was Davante Adams, playing with QB Aaron Rodgers, back in 2021. Romeo Doubs, currently underachieving with the New England Patriots, led the team last season with 724 receiving yards. Perhaps a healthy Tucker Kraft would have gotten to 1,000 yards last season witho

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3. Oct 2
   What to know before setting your lineup for Week 4: Mariota, Tuten in store for breakout week

   The NFL returns to London this week when the Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts square off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Commanders and Colts are middle of the pack in terms of offensive scoring, but being "mid" is a welcome relief in Tottenham, a club that didn't score their first goals of the English Premier League season until Week 4 against Liverpool. And it didn't score at home until the following week before the international break. As we head into October, Tottenham is also still winless … wait a minute, this is supposed to be a fantasy football column. I will say this about Commanders QB Marcus Mariota, he finds a way to make Terry McLaurin more efficient. McLaurin has notched nine targets in back-to-back weeks, and he has a great matchup against the Colts, who have struggled against the pass this season. And isn't this what Sauce Gardner was supposed to prevent? McLaurin is a great WR2 start this week. On the other side, Josh Downs should have a good opportunity against the Commanders who have given up a league-leading six touchdown receptions to the position this season. I know it's tough to get up early for these games (though U.S. fans of the EPL are veterans at this), but you're going to want to see this show. And if you're a Tottenham supporter, you're going to want to see people actually scoring in your stadium. Let's look at some other notes you need to know heading into Week 4. Quarterback notes What are we doing with our Los Angeles Chargers? Sorry, don't mean "our" like a team we support. But "our" as in players we (mistakenly) drafted. Justin Herbert might still be a start for you because most of the good quarterbacks have already been streamed off waiver. Herbert has yet to top 250 passing yards in a game this season. He has gone four consecutive games with one or no touchdowns dating back to last season. I've made the decision to move on from Herbert and will start Mariota this week, which will probably mean that Herbert will have the week of his life against the Seattle Seahawks in what will be Mike Macdonald's first time facing his former head coach at Michigan. I just can't stand the thought of playing Herbert again. C.J. Stroud was another streaming option, considering the matchup against the Dallas Cowboys who just recently traded for Joey Porter Jr. The Cowboys have given up more than 27 points per game this season (25th). They have allowed a third-down conversion rate of 59%, which is the worst in the NFL. The matchup is there for Stroud, but there is just something about the Houston Texans' offense that doesn't sit right with me. The return of Nico Collins would help, but I'd rather stick with Mariota or Sam Darnold in desperate times. Kyler Murray is a top-10 quarterback this week for me, with or without Justin Jefferson. And you can almost reason that the Minnesota Vikings would be better served to just keep Jefferson on the bench because it's the Miami Dolphins. Still, Murray has a 70.6 Total QBR against AFC teams in his career, the second-highest Total QBR against AFC teams since he entered the league in 2019. I'll give you one guess who is first … and you're right, it's Patrick Mahomes. Running back notes The Dolphins' running back situation makes me sad. Ollie Gordon II was a top waiver-wire add this week, but I don't know how you can get him into your lineup. I'd start him over Isaiah Davis, Blake Corum and Woody Marks, for instance, but that's not exactly what you call a glowing recommendation. It's sort of like trying to pick out the best sushi roll at the gas station. Did the Pittsburgh Steelers expose the Cincinnati Bengals defense last week, or was that a one-week thing? I don't know, I'm kind of worried that the Bengals' defense (that looked great the first two weeks of the season) is regressing. Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and the Bengals also gave up 138 rushing yards. This feels as if we could have the Bhayshul Tuten breakout game a lot of fantasy ana

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4. Oct 1
   Fantasy football: Six players to trade for, two to pick up

   Over the first couple of weeks in this space, we focused on the players failing to meet preseason expectations. Justin Herbert, Colston Loveland and Marvin Harrison Jr. have had rough starts that forced managers to make tough decisions for their lineups. So, I wanted to write something more positive heading into Week 4, looking at the fantasy targets who are playing at a higher level or showing flashes that point to potential upside. Volume receivers in the pass game, a quarterback throwing with consistency from the pocket in a big-time offense and the rookies jumping off the tape. Below are eight ascending players to consider trading for or adding to your rosters. Six players to trade for DJ Moore, WR, Buffalo Bills This is an ideal time to get Moore in a trade. He had an early shoulder injury in the Week 2 game versus Detroit that wiped out his day (minus-0.1 points), and he followed that up with six receptions for 67 yards (12.3 points) in the Bills' Week 3 win over the Chargers. But if we look deeper at the numbers, plus his route deployment, Moore has excellent value in an explosive Bills offense. In Weeks 1 and 3, when Moore played a full game, he saw at least eight targets, with a target share of 33.5%, a number that jumps to 50% on third downs. Moore is also the vertical option for Josh Allen, as he's already seen six targets of 15 or more air yards. Plus, the Bills can scheme for Moore as a motion/movement player, getting him free access off the ball to beat man coverage or targeting him on boot and screen concepts. The Bills are going to score points at a high rate, and Moore is the top target in this offense. Don't be surprised if Moore produces some WR1 weeks. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions Goff is scoring 21.2 fantasy PPG despite very limited rushing totals (15 yards) because he's one of the league's best pocket throwers. Goff has completed 70.6% of passes this season, and he has at least two touchdown throws in all three games. He's a rhythm passer in an offense scoring 31.0 PPG (third most), and that Detroit defense is really struggling to find an identity (allowing a league-worst 31.7 PPG), which can lead to more shootouts for Goff. Now, can you get Goff in a trade? The arrow is pointing up, but let's look for managers in 10- or 12-team leagues who drafted Goff as their QB2. Make a move now because Goff can be used as a matchup-based starter, and his upcoming schedule (@CAR, @ARI, BYE, GB) looks really good. He's going to get you 16 to 18 points a week, and we can win with that. Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars The value is up for Washington, as he's scoring 16.4 fantasy PPG, while seeing a target share of 30.3%. He has caught a touchdown in two of three games played. Maybe you have to offer more than you would have at the beginning of the season. I get it. However, Washington is playing in a contract year (which matters), and his deployment in Liam Coen's system — with inside/outside flex — leads to weekly production. We know Washington can uncover from slot alignments, but he also brings a vertical presence to the field. Washington currently owns a vertical route rate of 45.7%, and he's caught six of 10 targets on throws of 15 or more air yards (with two touchdowns). So, you're not making a move for just a traditional slot guy here. Instead, you're getting a glider in the route tree (at multiple levels) who will see steady volume from Trevor Lawrence. He should be locked in as a WR2. Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers Golden had 21 points in the Week 3 loss to the Falcons, and he's scoring 15.4 points a game. The volume is up, too, as Golden has seen 12 targets in two of three games played, which includes three end zone targets on the season. And the numbers fit for a team that has been more pass-heavy due to the lack of a difference-maker in the running back room with Josh Jacobs still on the commissioner exempt list. The Packers signed several free agent offensive linemen this week, which mes

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5. Sep 29
   Rest-of-season rankings: Purdy joins top five QBs, Sadiq impresses among TEs

   Each week, Eric Karabell ranks players by position based on their fantasy football value for the rest of the 2026 season. Use the information to optimize the players for their future potential and/or to gauge their value in trade. Eric's top 100 can be found below the positions in this column.  Quarterback Rankings changes: It was an odd Week 3 for quarterbacks, as stalwarts Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were not among the top 10 fantasy scorers, but Case Keenum was. Four of the top five scorers (Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, Jacoby Brissett, Keenum) did not enter the week among our top 20 in these rankings. Darnold and Brissett force their way in. The top 10 sees minimal change, although Brock Purdy rises to fourth and Matthew Stafford is thriving. Drake Maye and Justin Herbert continue to slide. Baker Mayfield (thumb) slides due to injury, though he will return soon. Now with the New York Giants, J.J. McCarthy enters the rankings, barely. Running back Rankings changes: The season is over for Dolphins star De'Von Achane (knee), so Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright (though barely) enter the rankings. Achane leaving the top 10 is the major rankings adjustment, though Jeremiyah Love and Kyren Williams pass Chase Brown to move into RB1 status, and Jaylen Warren and Quinshon Judkins look like potential RB2 options. Patriots TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, and disappointing David Montgomery, do not. Wide receiver Rankings changes: Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, averaging better than 34 points per game, takes the No. 1 overall spot. The top 10 at wide receiver sees minor adjustment, with injured Puka Nacua (hip) and Nico Collins (hamstring) falling a bit, though perhaps each will play in Week 4. Drake London looks like a WR1 again, and top Packers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden feel reliable. Tre' Harris, Kalif Raymond and Keenan Allen join the rankings. Tight end Rankings changes: Welcome back, Brock Bowers! The Las Vegas star led the position with 27.6 points, followed by George Kittle and Harold Fannin Jr. Jets rookie Kenyon Sadiq is a big riser, closing in on TE1 status. Tucker Kraft and Kyle Pitts Sr. continue to slide. Defense/special teams Overall top 100

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Injury reports

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League history

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