The generational tight end falloff continues 😵‍💫

Make sure to stay tuned to our Instagram @upperhandfantasy for our full fantasy takeaways from Week 3, Underdog Pick’ems for tonight’s double-header, and more! In the meantime, a look at the top fantasy performances from Week 3 ahead of the games later on:

• Lions TE Sam Laporta hobbled by ankle injury in Week 3 vs Cardinals, suffers sprained ankle

  • The second-year tight end has been unable to get the plane off the ground so far in 2024, posting three straight weeks of sub-double digit fantasy points en route to one of many disappointing starts across the position. LaPorta had to be carted off at one point after sustaining the injury, but was able to return in bursts to action despite clearly playing through discomfort. HC Dan Campbell says it’s a sprained ankle for LaPorta, and with the Lions’ early bye week approaching in Week 5, there’s a chance we could see a multi-week absence from LaPorta in fantasy lineups. While there’s no indication on the severity of the injury nor a timetable for any potential time missed, fantasy managers would most likely be best served to pursue a backup option in the event LaPorta would be forced to miss action moving forward. With just 94 receiving yards through three games on eight catches (and only two catches for 26 yards yesterday), LaPorta has a lot of ground to cover if he hopes to come through at his ADP from earlier this summer.

• Eagles WR Devonta Smith suffers apparent concussion in Week 3 matchup vs Saints, doesn’t return

  • Smith was dominating the Eagles’ target share and production before leaving the game against the Saints, which ended up being a much lower-scoring affair than anticipated going into the game. He had been benefitting from the absence of A.J. Brown (ruled out with a hamstring injury earlier this past weekend), and with Smith out, the Eagles turned to RB Saquon Barkley and TE Dallas Goedert to shoulder the load in his stead. Barkley scored all of the Eagles’ offensive points on the day with two touchdowns, while Goedert easily led the team in receiving with 170 yards on 10 catches (11 targets). Should Smith and Brown be unable to suit up in Week 4, Dallas Goedert would be a must start after garnering a 31% target share and 24% TPRR in Week 3. Of course, there is a fair chance that Smith could clear the league’s concussion protocol in time to make a return in Week 4 vs the Buccaneers without missing any time – however, we won’t know which way he’s trending until later this week. WR Jahan Dotson would be a low-priority waiver wire pickup this week for teams needing extra depth or a spot starter at the position for next week.

• Panthers WR Adam Thielen exits Sunday’s Week 3 matchup vs Raiders with hamstring injury, doesn’t return

  • The good news for Thielen: Andy Dalton had the Panthers offense humming and his scoring upside is dramatically increased with him at quarterback. The bad news: Thielen may not be on the field a whole lot these next fews weeks to capitalize on the quarterback change. After hauling in an impressive touchdown catch down the seam, Thielen left the game with a hamstring injury. Hamstrings are one of the most finicky injuries to recover from for any NFL player, let alone a 32-year old wide receiver, and his status will bear monitoring moving forward with the new injection of life in Carolina’s offense courtesy of Andy Dalton. With Thielen out, Diontae Johnson dominated targets by a long shot, while Xavier Legette saw a boosted snap share in Thielen’s absence. Despite the increased optimism surrounding the Panthers offense, Thielen shouldn’t be prioritized as anything more than a weekly flex option as long as Dalton is starting and playing competent football. It shouldn’t be the expectation that this is the type of performance we’ll get from the Panthers week in and week out, but it’s an encouraging start and about as revitalizing a performance as we could have seen after two miserable weeks to begin the season with Bryce Young at the helm.