News

1. Oct 5
   Fantasy football: McMillan, Lamb, Walker III among leading scorers through Sunday Night Football

   Everything that happens in the NFL has additional context when viewed from a fantasy football perspective. From position battles to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy football. Our fantasy football buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers and our NFL Nation reporters, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around the league. Oct. 4: Leading scorers through Sunday's 4 p.m. ET games Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers – 45.2 CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys – 41.3 Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams – 36.7 Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys – 31.3 Kenneth Walker III, RB, Kansas City Chiefs – 30.9 Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans – 30.8 Tyquan Thornton, WR, Kansas City Chiefs – 28.1 Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears – 28.0 Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams – 27.7 Emanuel Wilson, RB, Seattle Seahawks – 27.0 Click here for a full list of all the week's scoring leaders. Oct. 2: What to expect from Eagles without DeVonta Smith By Matt Bowen With reports that a hamstring injury will keep Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith out of the lineup this Sunday in the home matchup against the Rams, let's discuss the fantasy implications for Philadelphia. If you're a Smith manager, you can pivot to Dontayvion Wicks or Makai Lemon as streaming options, as both are available in slightly more than 50% of ESPN leagues. You can also check out the last-minute pickups column for a handful of other viable options at wide receiver. Wicks scored 12 or more points in each of his first two games, catching a touchdown in Week 1. He has a big-play element to his game (19.9 YPC), so he will see more vertical opportunities Sunday against a Rams defense that will mix man and zone coverages. He can be played as a WR3/flex with more upside due to the third-level targets (seven targets of 15 or more air yards this season). Lemon has seen only nine targets on the season, catching seven of them for 38 yards. However, the rookie has run 28 routes per game and his role should expand versus L.A. Going back to Lemon's college tape at USC, he can manipulate coverage at the top of the route, plus he accelerates thorough the ball. Those are good traits to have in this league. He should be viewed as a lower-tier WR3 for this matchup. Expect the Eagles to be more run-heavy in this game without Smith, which should put Saquon Barkley at 15-20 carries. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts — who was already outside of the top 10 QBs in our consensus ranks — will have an even lower ceiling heading into Sunday. Yes, Hurts can provide a boost to the lineup due to his running ability, as he averages 29 yards per game, but he has scored only one rushing touchdown on the season. Oct. 2: You should be paying attention to Aaron Rodgers By Adam Rank At least for one night in Cleveland, Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock. Was it the 299 passing yards? The three touchdowns? Or the fact that I really believed that his desperation heave in the waning seconds of the game was going to find its way into the mitts of a Steelers receiver who would carry it into the end zone for a walk-off touchdown? Sure, all of it. Look, I make no apologies for being the supporter of a team that was on the losing side of "Rodgers magic" way too many times. However, I'm not going to lie when I tell you I was seriously nervous on that final throw. I've seen it too many times. The point is, Rodgers was very impressive for the second consecutive week. Although, the interception at the end, we could have done without. Still, another huge performance which raises the question: What do we do with Rodgers moving forward? Patrick Mahomes and Bryce Young are on a bye next week. (Oh yeah, the bye weeks are getting ready to start!) A number of quarterbacks are missing this week and possibly next. But it goes a little bit beyond that. Like, what if some of the guys we believed in back in August continue to struggle? I'm looki

   ESPN
2. 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

   ESPN
3. Sep 28
   The Giants acquired McCarthy from the Vikings on Monday in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.

   The No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, McCarthy had fallen out of favor in Minnesota and had dropped behind both Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz on the depth chart. The 23-year-old will get a fresh opportunity in New York, where he should at least settle in as the No. 2 quarterback behind Jameis Winston while Jaxson Dart (knee) is likely out for the season. Though Winston led the Giants to a 12-7 win over the Titans in his first start this past Sunday, he's completed just 25 of 49 pass attempts for 229 yards (4.7 YPA) while playing nearly two full games. Another underwhelming performance or two from Winston could compel the Giants to give McCarthy a look in the starting role once he has time to get up to speed with the new playbook.

   RotoWire via ESPN
4. Sep 13
   McCarthy (coach's decision) is inactive but will serve as the Vikings' emergency third quarterback against the Packers on Sunday, Craig Peters of the Vikings' official site reports.

   McCarthy lost out to Kyler Murray for the starting job in training camp, and head coach Kevin O'Connell opted to go with Carson Wentz as the backup in Week 1. As the emergency third quarterback, McCarthy is not allowed to play Sunday unless both Murray and Wentz are removed from the game due to injury, illness or ejection.

   RotoWire via ESPN
5. Sep 9
   Head coach Kevin O'Connell announced Wednesday that McCarthy will serve as the Vikings' third-string quarterback for Sunday's season opener versus the Packers.

   After losing out in the battle with newcomer Kyler Murray for the starting job prior to the preseason opener, McCarthy will plummet all the way to third on the depth chart heading into Week 1, with Carson Wentz settling in as Murray's top backup. O'Connell said that he considers the No. 2 quarterback "a week-to-week thing," so McCarthy could leapfrog Wentz on the depth chart in future games depending on how he performs during practice. In any case, the fact that the 23-year-old McCarthy has to battle for the No. 2 job less than three years after being selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is an indiction Minnesota doesn't view him as its long-term solution under center.

   RotoWire via ESPN

Injury reports

No injury reports this season.

League history

Nothing yet: he hasn’t been drafted, signed, traded or cut in this league.