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Texans WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) expected to make his 2025 season debut in Week 3 vs the Jaguars, per HC Demeco Ryans

• After a second straight week of getting nothing out of the passing game besides Nico Collins, news of Kirk’s return is exactly what Houston needs to hear heading into their Week 3 matchup against the Jaguars. Kirk has been sidelined for the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, and without him in the lineup, C.J. Stroud has averaged fewer than 200 passing yards through his first two starts. Of course, not all of Houston’s struggles through the air can be attributed to the absence of Kirk – but with defenses able to key in on Nico and take him away, it’s forced Houston to rely on less-experienced playmakers who aren’t quite ready to step up. Kirk can provide a veteran presence underneath for Stroud, something that should help galvanize Houston’s passing game and allow Nico Collins to get more favorable looks downfield and in general. Kirk’s potential return in Week 3 sets him up for an instant revenge game against his former team in the Jaguars, who are allowing the 7th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers so far on the young season. He can be a nice flex option with WR3 upside this week, while Nico Collins remains a must-start despite back-to-back lackluster showings to kick off the 2024 season.

Make sure to tune in to the latest episode of the Upper Hand Fantasy Podcast! Faraz talks Week 3 takeaways, waivers, and more ⬇️ Click below to get caught up on everything you missed!

Jets HC Aaron Glenn says it would be ‘hard’ to play Justin Fields (concussion) in Week 3 if he doesn’t take the practice field before Friday

• Fields suffered a concussion in what would have been a still disastrous outing in Week 2 agains the Bills had he been able to finish the game. Now, it’s a race against time to get back onto the practice field ahead of New York’s Week 3 matchup against the Buccaneers. Generally speaking, players who are able to clear the concussion protocol early in the week are able to get at least a practice or two in that same week and play on Sunday – however, it seems as though HC Aaron Glenn is determined to be more strict about whether or not Fields returns to play in Week 3 based on practice time. Glenn told reporters earlier this week that it would be difficult to give Fields the nod as the team’s starter if he weren’t able to practice before Friday, giving Fields exactly two days to clear the league’s protocol and get back into action to avoid dashing the hopes of his fantasy managers in what would be a likely high-scoring affair between Tampa Bay and New York. If Fields is unable to go, Tyrod Taylor would be worth a look in 2QB formats in Week 3, while Garrett Wilson likely remains locked in as a solid WR2 start. The next two practice reports (today and tomorrow) will provide key insights as to whether or not fantasy managers should expect to have Fields this week, so pay close attention to those as they’re made available.

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle) and RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) both ruled out for Week 3 matchup vs the Bengals

• It’s awful interesting the the Vikings would rule out McCarthy for two to four weeks after his abomination of a performance this past weekend in primetime against the Falcons – especially since he didn’t appear to be injured or dealing with any kind of pain for the entirety of the game in Week 2. Of course, it’s all just speculation regarding McCarthy’s absence; he very well may be injured and need the time to get right. Regardless of the true reason he’ll be missing the next handful games, though, the fact remains that he will, indeed, be out. Veteran journeyman Carson Wentz is set to draw the start for Minnesota against the Bengals this week, and given that the Vikings haven’t been able to push the ball downfield much with McCarthy early, the hope is that Wentz can unlock that part of Minnesota’s passing game and get Justin Jefferson involved and back to his fantasy WR1 ways. Wentz shouldn’t be started outside of the most desperate and deep 2 QB leagues, while the Vikings offense takes a slight hit overall. Meanwhile, Aaron Jones has been placed on IR with a hamstring injury, leaving the door open for Jordan Mason to take over the lion’s share of the backfield touches for the foreseeable future. Mason has been an extremely efficient and productive fantasy RB when given the workload of a real RB1, and that potential makes him an intriguing every-week RB2 start with some RB1 upside while Aaron Jones gets right.

The Rome Odunze breakout is upon us

• Odunze has become a clear focal point for the new Bears offense, leading them in target share two weeks in a row. His 37% share in Week 2 led to a 7/128/2 line on 11 targets. DJ Moore’s 16% target share in Week 1 and 20% in Week 2 puts him outside the Top-24 conversation going into Week 3, while we should treat Odunze as a solid WR2.

Russell Wilson is keeping targets tight in New York

• We expected Malik Nabers to get his, but Russell Wilson is unlocking the deep ball when he’s getting the opportunity to. He had some clutch plays towards the end of the game, not only leading Malik Nabers to a 9/167/2 line, but he’s also potentially unlocking some deep ball ability for Wan’Dale Robinson, too. 30% and 24% target shares for Robinson through two games makes him a must pick-up this week.

The Jaguars passing game is a mess

• This one’s been a little frustrating over the first two weeks for fantasy. Trevor Lawrence continues to have ball placement issues, while both Brian Thomas Jr and Travis Hunter are outside the Top-50 fantasy WRs over the first two weeks. BTJ had a game to forget on his own, but he’s still getting the type of WR usage we were hoping for - it’s just a matter of things clicking. Continuing to start him in Week 3. After a CB injury, Travis Hunter’s route participation dropped for him to play more defense, but I’d expect that to go back up next week. He’s no more than an upside flex play in Week 3 until the passing offense improves.

Danny Dimes is back with a vengeance

• After a 272 yard passing performance against Miami in Week 1, Danny Dimes passed for over 300 yards in Week 2 against a tougher Denver defense. His usage at the goal line is especially intriguing, resulting in 3 rushing TDs in 3 games. As it stands today, only Lamar Jackson has more fantasy points than Daniel Jones through two weeks. He’s now in the fantasy QB1 conversation.

Quinshon Judkins makes his Browns debut

• Judkins got the start, but both Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson saw a significant amount of snaps alongside him. However, Judkins looked good with his opportunities, and I’d imagine this consolidates into a 2-man backfield - likely between him and Ford. Ford has been the passing down back through two weeks, while Sampson has averaged only 2 YPC so far. Judkins enters the flex discussion with potential upcoming disciplinary actions clouding over him, but has several tough matchups on deck - starting with Green Bay next week.

Patriots backfield moving in wrong direction…

• …at least for TreVeyon Henderson managers. Not only did Antonio Gibson get more touches than Henderson (32% snap share), Rhamondre Stevenson had a very good game, likely furthering distance between him and Henderson. Stevenson had 16 touches, most notably 5 of which coming through the air totaling 88 yards receiving. His 142 total yards makes him a much more viable start moving forward, as the expectation of Henderson moving in sooner than later had Stevenson managers understandably hesitant. Stevenson moves into the RB2 conversation for now, while Henderson managers need to be patient with him on the bench.

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