Early-game headlines: Daniel Jones delivers again; Pats can't hold onto ball

Everything that happens in the NFL has some 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 NFL.

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Sept. 21: Early-game headlines: Daniel Jones delivers again; Pats can't hold onto ball

Notebook by Liz Loza

Sunday's first slate of action was fraught with inefficient play and sloppy surprises. Still, fantasy managers received a handful of confirmations.

Daniel Jones' redemption season continues: Despite a reputation for being turnover prone, Jones sewed together a third straight effort sans an INT. The former Giant completed 18 of 25 passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. He additionally continued to demonstrate his mobility, taking off four times for 27 rushing yards. The effort marked a third consecutive win for the Indianapolis Colts and yet another strong fantasy finish for the Colts' improbable hero under center. He remains a top-10 fantasy option at the position when the Colts travel to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4.

Bhayshul Tuten's shadow continues to loom large: The Jacksonville Jaguars rookie's involvement surged on the heels of Tank Bigsby's absence in Week 2. That trend continued in Week 3, as the rookie matched Travis Etienne Jr. with 3.5 yards per carry. Tuten scored for the second week in a row, this time via the ground. While Etienne received more opportunities, Tuten has earned a sizable role within in the Jaguars' backfield rotation. He's currently still available in over 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Emeka Egbuka stays productive despite injury: Egbuka was held out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a pair of lower body issues. Yet, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie remained productive Sunday, converting six of eight targets for a team-high 85 receiving yards. The effort resulted in a third consecutive double-digit fantasy effort for the former Ohio State standout. It's worth nothing that Mike Evans (4-33-1) left the contest early with a hamstring injury. Were the alpha wideout to miss time, Egubka's stock would receive a significant boost. Regardless, he's making a case to leapfrog Chris Godwin Jr. when the veteran slot receiver eventually makes his season debut.

Patriots backfield remains murky: TreVeyon Henderson entered the season a fantasy darling, as virtual investors expected him to immediately command the New England Patriots backfield. But after two weeks of action, he had been significantly out-touched by his veteran counterparts. Undisciplined play and a pair of fumbles, however, appear to have, once again, upset New England's tote-based apple cart. Rhamondre Stevenson coughed up the ball, allowing room for Antonio Gibson to join the rotation while also gifting Henderson with a handful renewed opportunities. Game flow stifled the run game, but it was heartening to see Henderson lead the team in totes with 11. He also converted all three of his targets for 19 receiving yards. Still, this situation is giving stay away. Managers will need more clarity before starting any of the aforementioned RBs.

Looking ahead: Judkins' stock climbing

Selected 36th overall, Quinshon Judkins made his NFL debut in Week 2. The rookie recorded a snap share of 27% in his initial effort. That percentage surged to above 70% in Week 3. Judkins showed off his power and punishing running style, registering 94 yards on 18 attempts, while also finding the end zone in the fourth quarter. He looks to be the Cleveland Browns' undisputed RB1. While he is a decent pass-catcher, he has yet to be deployed as such in Cleveland. That'll lower his fantasy ceiling. Regardless, Judkins figures to garner RB2 fantasy interest moving forward. The Browns will travel to Detroit in Week 4.

Sept. 20: Packers TE Kraft (knee) expected to play Sunday

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft suffered an injury scare in Thursday's practice, which resulted in him being listed as a limited participant. The team offered no details as to his injury and Kraft did not speak to reporters Friday. He did not participate in practice Friday, either, making it appear as if his status might be in doubt. The team may have been proactively resting him after the events of Thursday, however, given that he was seen rehabbing to the side on Friday (if the injury were serious, he would not likely be doing work the next day at the start of practice within visibility of reporters). Per NFL Network, Kraft is expected to play Sunday. -- Stephania Bell

Sept. 19: Bucs expect to have Egbuka; Charbonnet doubtful for Sunday

Injury notebook by Stephania Bell

Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (hip/groin): Egbuka suffered an injury during Monday night's game which became apparent when the broadcast showed him getting wrapped with a large ace bandage around the hips and his left inner thigh (called a hip spica wrap). He returned to the game shortly thereafter but appeared a bit restricted when trying to run. After not practicing Wednesday or Thursday, Egbuka returned to the practice field Friday for a limited session. Coach Todd Bowles told reporters after practice that he was pleased with what he saw from Egbuka "in a limited role" and that he will be listed as questionable with his final status to be determined based on how he feels Sunday morning. (9/20 update: Egbuka is expected to play Sunday.)

The main concern is worsening of the injury if he does play, as is the case with any soft tissue injury. All teams fear a scenario where a minor problem becomes a major one, especially as a player moves at game speed and maximum effort. The Buccaneers witnessed this exact situation just last year when Mike Evans attempted to play with a minor hamstring strain, then pulled up during the game. Not only was he forced to exit, but he missed the next three games (four weeks total with the bye included) with a more severe hamstring injury.

It's possible the team could utilize Egbuka in shorter yardage situations so as to minimize the risk of him trying to stretch the field. Unfortunately, it is hard to know just how he will perform until he sees game action; even then it could be a case of seeing how he tolerates the work that ultimately determines his involvement. First things first, he needs to warm up Sunday and assess how he feels, but it appears he is at least trending in a positive direction.

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks (foot): Charbonnet is listed as doubtful heading into Sunday's game against the Saints, making it unlikely he plays. While there have been no specifics revealed about his injury, the doubtful tag (versus ruling him out) is interesting. Why? Because it suggests there is a chance he could play, even if that chance is very small, unlikely even. BUT...the Seahawks play their Week 4 game on Thursday night, just four days after facing the Saints. It at least presents more optimism that his status could change for Thursday even if he sits this one out. In the meantime, this Sunday should be a very good day for Kenneth Walker III, because even if Charbonnet is upgraded and active, it is unlikely he would see significant playing time.

Sept. 19: Lots of mouths to feed in Bills' 'everybody eats' offense

Eric Moody: James Cook has 20-plus fantasy points in three straight games, running behind a Bills offensive line that ranks fourth in run block win rate. For the season, 85% of his 284 rushing yards have come on inside-the-tackle runs. Against the Dolphins, he set season highs in snap share (65%), rushing attempt share (70%), and target share (11%). This is exactly the kind of usage and efficiency you want to see. Cook remains a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside. However, beyond Cook and Josh Allen, it's becoming difficult to trust anyone else in this offense. The announcing crew spent a considerable amount of the game talking about the Bills' offensive mantra being "everybody eats."

This is the second straight game the Bills have rotated at wide receiver, with Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore and Tyrell Shavers all seeing snaps against the Dolphins. Coleman (75%) and Shakir (72%) led in route participation, yet both finished with the same 15% target share.

Dalton Kincaid caught five of six targets for 66 yards and a touchdown, not bad on a night when Allen didn't complete a single pass thrown more than 10 yards downfield. But the Bills continue to use a rotation at the TE position. Kincaid played 31 snaps and ran 17 routes, while Dawson Knox played 29 snaps, ran 12 routes, and had zero targets.

One Dolphins note: There's good and bad news with De'Von Achane. The good: He handled 19 touches and scored 16.1 fantasy points against the Bills. Achane played 78% of the snaps, saw 48% of the rushing attempts, and posted a 27% target share. The bad: Ollie Gordon II logged three red zone rushing attempts after having just one in the first two games combined. Gordon also played 40% of the red zone snaps compared to just 20% outside of the red zone.

Sept. 17: Justin Fields ruled Out, Tyrod Taylor will start Sunday

The Jets have ruled out Justin Fields (concussion protocol) and will start Tyrod Taylor against the Buccaneers. Taylor, who replaced Fields late in Week 2, went seven for 11 for 56 yards and a touchdown in that game. He clearly trusts WR Garrett Wilson, who caught four of eight targets for 50 yards in Week 2, including three catches for 33 yards when Taylor was under center. Wilson remains a low-end WR1 if Taylor starts. Breece Hall is still a mid-range RB2 for the week.

Sept. 17: Vikings D is streamable with Browning under center for Bengals

Tristan H. Cockcroft: The mounting number of injuries to quarterbacks doesn't only shuffle up the rankings at that specific position. The longer-term absences of Joe Burrow and J.J. McCarthy, and the potential for Jayden Daniels and Justin Fields to miss this week (and maybe beyond?) can have a dramatic impact upon fantasy strategy for those who stream D/STs.

Jake Browning's installation as the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback significantly increases the chances for sacks and turnovers for his opponents' defenses, even if he's taking the helm of one of the more potent offenses in the league. In Browning's seven career starts and two relief appearances in which he played more than half the team's offensive snaps, Bengals opponents averaged 7.11 fantasy points, fueled by averages of 3.22 sacks and 1.22 interceptions. To put those numbers into perspective, the league-average D/ST, since the beginning of last season, has averaged 5.54 fantasy points, 2.41 sacks and 0.70 interceptions per game.

The Bengals were among the top 10 offenses to avoid in my preseason D/ST Road Map column, but now they are more of a middling, if not beneficial, offense to exploit with Browning under center.

Taking stats from only their past 17 NFL starts, here's how defenses have fared against the three other prospective QB fill-ins on a per-game basis in fantasy:

Carson Wentz (Minnesota Vikings): 7.35 FPTS, 2.82 sacks, 0.82 INTs
Marcus Mariota (Washington Commanders): 7.24 FPTS, 2.18 sacks, 0.71 INTs
Tyrod Taylor (New York Jets): 6.59 FPTS, 3.59 sacks, 0.59 INTs

While each of their teams' circumstances are different today than when and where those quarterbacks last played, it's illustrative that each will now start for an offense that is significantly more attractive as a D/ST matchup. In the case of the Vikings, who have also lost starting running back Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring) for at least the next four weeks, they might have the receiving firepower to benefit Wentz, but his track record of turnovers makes them substantially more appealing as an opposing matchup.

The Vikings and Miami Dolphins, whose opposing D/STs scored 14 and 12 fantasy points the first two weeks, now join my updated top 10 offenses to exploit, replacing the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks.

The Bengals and, if Daniels is indeed sidelined, the Commanders are out of my top 10 offenses to avoid, with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys entering.

What that means for Week 3 is that the Bengals-Vikings game, which certainly looked like a high-scoring, bench-the-D/STs affair in advance of the season, is now one of the better games to exploit for streaming purposes on either side. The game's 41.5 over/under (which ties for lowest on the slate) supports that. It also means that, in Week 4, the Denver Broncos' defense no longer needs to be avoided for their "Monday Night Football" home game against the Bengals.

Look for a full update of the team rankings and specific October D/ST matchups to exploit following Week 4.

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