I bet on De’Von Achane’s talent in summer fantasy drafts. It wasn’t going well. Things just got a whole lot worse. Achane, who managed to appear in 44 of a possible 51 games his first three years in the league despite his pint size, suffered a torn ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. It wasn’t because he was small and took a big hit. It was because he planted his right foot weird. So are the vagaries of football and the indignities of fantasy.

I was already “wrong” about Achane this season. I thought he was too good to wallow in RB2 territory despite the Dolphins’ severe offensive limitations. Wallow he very much did in Weeks 1 and 2. That didn’t feel great. This feels so much worse. Achane is an underdog story who cut against the unfounded “injury prone” concerns and played fantasy football the right way — aka lots of big plays and touchdowns. There was no scamming to his profile.

Now we don’t know if he will ever be the same. Turning 25 next month, Achane indeed wasn’t injury prone but is now very much injured. Can a player with his profile — small and explosive — survive the loss of any of his athleticism? 2-3 percent might not matter a whole lot if you’re Derrick Henry or Adrian Peterson. But 5-foot-9 and under 200 pounds?

There is some anecdotal hope in the past. 25-year-old Jamaal Charles tore his ACL in Week 2 2011. He was back the following Week 1 and rushed for a career-high 1,509 yards that season. There’s no need for things to be “over” for Achane. Just extended this offseason, his place in the Dolphins’ hierarchy is secure. He will be back. Hopefully he will be the same.

In his 2026 absence are Ollie Gordon II and Jaylen Wright, the latter of whom is currently week to week with a foot injury. Heading into the season, I thought any post-Achane committee would likely consist of Wright carrying the mail and Gordon changing the pace. Gordon briefly began the 2025 campaign ahead of Wright before the slightly older back easily overtook him. Now it’s Gordon in the driver’s seat after he handled 20 Week 3 touches in Wright’s absence.

A good start, but the Dolphins are not going to be hunting for one-back solutions. Both players will get the football. With only slim leads to go on, Gordon’s current better health and sizable Week 3 workload make him the preferred waivers option. Just be sure to get in some bids on Wright, too.

Five Week 3 Storylines

Baker Mayfield’s season goes from bad to worse with dislocated thumb. Mayfield’s third straight dud was by far his worst and most painful. Even before his end-of-game injury, Mayfield was having a miserable day at the office. Six sacks. A 50.0 completion percentage. Miscommunications with Emeka Egbuka. Just an “all of the above” rough performance. Now he’s reportedly going to have 2-4 weeks to clear his thoughts, though it could be longer with a quarterback throwing hand injury. Despite Mayfield’s cellar-dwelling play, it’s awful news for Egbuka and company. Mayfield’s backup is somehow 23-year-old rookie undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels. In other words, a move might be in order. Perhaps Jake Browning will be re-signed. With accuracy and decision-making two of Daniels’ pre-draft question marks, things probably will somehow get worse in Tampa.

Mike Evans carted off with scary rib issue. If it was a bad day for the Bucs, the same was true for one of their former pirates. Evans suffered some sort of mid-section calamity, with the team announcing it as a rib injury but saying it might be his oblique. Whatever it was required the assistance of a cart, and might finally be the ailment that costs Evans some regular season time. Already dealing with a hip problem, Evans had quad and “abductor” concerns during camp. This is a 33-year-old who missed nine games last season. Relying on him was always a bit of a long shot. Left in his wake would be one of the league’s most undermanned skill corps, with some combination of Jacob Cowing, KhaDarel Hodge and Jordan Watkins trying to help out Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.

Breece Hall part of the Week 3 injury parade. Bad: Hall injured his thigh. Worse: Head coach Aaron Glenn said he will not update the situation before Wednesday’s injury report. Hopefully the national media can fill in the blanks between now and Tuesday evening’s waivers run, but it not, fantasy managers will be left blindly bidding on Braelon Allen as either a potential league-winner or RB4 bench stash. There will probably be some in between, as Hall seems likely to miss at least a game or two. In NFL parlance, “thigh” usually means “the worst bruise you’ve ever seen,” It’s also possible Hall has some sort of quad injury. We are in an information vacuum, but proceed as if Hall will miss time.

Justin Jefferson goes down with ankle injury. The injury news is getting better as we go. Although Jefferson never returned against the Bucs after departing in the second quarter, head coach Kevin O’Connell claimed afterward he was “close” to doing so. That leaves hope that Jefferson’s sprain is not the highest anyone has ever seen and that he might actually take the field in Week 4. If he does, it will be in a (hopefully) newly functional attack with Kyler Murray under center vs. the league’s very worst team in the Dolphins. If he doesn’t, it will be a major missed opportunity in fantasy, but likely only a 1-2 game absence.

Jeremiyah Love commences takeover of Cardinals’ backfield. Limited to just 41.6 percent of the Cardinals’ snaps through their first two games, Love saw that number shoot up to 64.4 percent in San Francisco. He out-touched Tyler Allgeier 26-6 and out-gained him 109-9 as the Cardinals mounted a furious comeback. That “furious comeback” could be why Love was so much more involved than Weeks 1 and 2, but then again, Week 2 was also comeback game script. Allgeier has not been fully mothballed or even particularly close to it — he played 31 snaps against the 49ers — but the Cardinals are finally letting logic take over after using the No. 3 overall pick on Love.

Don’t forget, for the latest on everything NFL, check out Rotoworld’s Player News, or follow @Rotoworld_FB or @RotoPat on Twitter/Bluesky.

Five More 3 Storylines

The Drake Maye situation spirals further out of control. And “situation” it is. Last year’s “MVP runner-up” is producing negative EPA per play. He has one touchdown compared to seven turnovers. He is not running effectively. He has taken at least three sacks all three starts. He is doing nothing well and the cavalry is not coming in relief. A.J. Brown is out at least two more games. This offensive line is not blocking. The offensive coordinator is not calling good plays. Quite literally nothing is going right, and until at least one thing does, fantasy managers can no longer even consider Maye in the top 12, even for dates like this week’s Bills road trip that we would typically regard as a shootout waiting to happen. That being said, for the dead-enders out there, the “bookmakers” have still somewhat improbably set the initial over/under at 48.5.

Dolphins rookie Chris Bell looks like a dude vs. the Chiefs. The news wasn’t all bad in Miami. With fellow rookie Caleb Douglas sidelined with an ankle injury, size/speed third-round prospect Bell finally got a chance to show what he could do, and boy was it something. Although he caught “just” four balls for 67 yards, he looked like a load in the open field. His breakaway speed was also on full display. Bell was separating. Now, considering the state of this offensive environment, it could be another month before Bell either matches or exceeds this performance. But it was enough to confirm his health following last year’s torn ACL, and to make him worth a waivers stab as the rare mid-season receiver addition who might actually make a difference.

Seahawks’ backfield devolves into a committee. Limited to six touches due in part to a lost first half fumble, Jadarian Price had by far the worst performance of his young career. That’s extra bad since the first two weren’t exactly good. Disappointing though they have been, they are even more concerning than you might realize. Because even though young players struggle early all the time before hitting their stride and producing in the second half of the season, Price might not have that luxury. That’s because an ACL-rehabbing Zach Charbonnet has only one more required game on injured reserve. Maybe it will be more, but Price’s first few games weren’t just about being good. They were about distancing himself from his veteran teammate. He has failed to do so, and as a result, the hoped-for RB2 returns might never really materialize.

Marvin Harrison Jr. fails in three straight different game environments. As is the case with Price, it’s not just that Harrison is struggling. It’s the context in which he has done so. The Cardinals played ball-control offense in their Week 1 upset of the Chargers. Harrison caught one pass. They gobbled up garbage time against the Seahawks in Week 2. Marv was held without a reception. They furiously tried to come back in Week 3 against the 49ers. MHJ was limited to 3/40 on five targets. That that was his good line this season also speaks volumes, but what in these first three weeks and game environments suggest a corner is about to be turned? There is always Harrison’s theoretical talent, but that’s no longer a sound bet in Year 3. This is now about production, and Harrison just hasn’t had it.

Brock Bowers is who we thought he was in season debut. Bowers’ Week 1 rug pull was amongst the most painful in recent memory. Somewhat shockingly, the damage was contained. The optimistic return timeline held. And the return actually went according to plan. A man amongst boys vs. the Saints, Bowers was also a wide receiver amongst tight ends. New coach Klint Kubiak isn’t pretending Bowers is something he’s not. He’s not griping about his run blocking. He’s just feeding him targets and Bowers is obliging with monster statlines. Not to get ahead of myself with the plural. This was one game. But that’s also how every game looks when Bowers is healthy. He never really was in 2025. Against all odds, he is now. He will carry your fantasy team for however long he can stay on the field.

Bonus Topic of the Week: The Giants acquire J.J. McCarthy for a fifth-round pick. This is the rare fantasy situation where everything speaks for itself. Jaxson Dart fill-in Jameis Winston doesn’t look like he can play anymore. McCarthy has never looked like he could play. That’s how a player just two years out from being a top-10 pick went for a fifth-rounder. McCarthy will almost certainly start for the G-Men at some point, but it will require a 3-4 week ramp-up period, and even then, the returns might not necessarily be better than Winston’s. Everyone deserves a second chance. McCarthy’s Vikings tenure had turned toxic. But with byes approaching and injuries mounting, McCarthy is not worth a speculative add in superflex leagues.

Questions

1. I don’t get it — do the Rams not have enough tight ends?

2. So yeah, for real, what was Pete Carroll doing out there in 2025?

3. Do the Cowboys ever get tired?

Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)

QB: Sam Darnold (vs. LAC), Kirk Cousins (vs. KC), Geno Smith (@CHI), Michael Penix Jr. (@NO), Marcus Mariota (vs. IND), Daniel Jones (@WAS)
RB: Braelon Allen, Ollie Gordon II, Jaylen Wright, Keaton Mitchell, Brian Robinson Jr., Tyler Allgeier, Kaleb Johnson
WR: Adonai Mitchell, Chris Bell, Malik Washington, Tre Harris, Mack Hollins, Jakobi Meyers
TE: Kenyon Sadiq, AJ Barner, T.J. Hockenson, Brenton Strange, Darren Waller
DEF: Packers (@TB), Bills (vs. NE), Cowboys (@HOU), Cardinals (@NYG)

Stats of the Week

The State of Maye, via CBS’ Doug Clawson: “Drake Maye has nine fumbles and 10 INTs since the start of last postseason. He’s the first player with nine-plus fumbles and 10-plus INTs in a seven-game span since Jameis Winston in 2019 (during his 30-TD, 30-INT season).”

Chargers stat of the week, via Dan Fetes: “The Bills have: Turned the ball over FIVE times. Committed TEN penalties. Given up FOUR sacks. And are STILL going to beat the Chargers.”

Patrick Mahomes has begun the season with three straight multi-score performances. It took him until Week 7 to accomplish that feat last season.

42.0. That was Omarion Hampton’s percent of the Chargers’ Week 3 snaps. This, in a game that was close whistle to whistle. The Bolts are desperately casting about for solutions, and it appears expanding their backfield is one of their initial gambits.

56.5. That was Oronde Gadsden’s season-high snap percentage even as he caught zero passes. The fantasy starting experiment failed miserably, but perhaps there will actually be some grabs moving forward.

Awards Section

Week 3 Fantasy All-Pro Team: QB Brock Purdy, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, RB Bijan Robinson, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR Drake London, WR Garrett Wilson, TE Brock Bowers

Week 3 All Bank Examiner Squad: QB Drake Maye, RB Omarion Hampton, RB Jadarian Price, WR Malik Nabers, WR Tetairoa McMillan, WR Jaylen Waddle, TE Dalton Kincaid

Tweet of the Week, from Jakob Sanderson: 5.5 Yards per attempt. Game losing INT negated by penalty. 16 point comeback. 25 fantasy points… it could only be one man — Bo Nix.

The There Are Eight Minutes And 47 Seconds Remaining, Maybe Just Score A Touchdown Award: Trevor Lawrence.

The Maybe We Should Get A Do-Over On All That Award: The Seahawks’ handling of Kenneth Walker.