Week Three is in the books for the NFC East! We must focus on the top takeaways now that we have film and statistics to study. No longer can we rest on our offseason takes of who will succeed and who will fail. We now have an entire two weeks of NFL football to study. We can lead our team to a fantasy football title by focusing on weekly top takeaways! The fantasy season will move quickly, and in a dynasty, it is essential to acquire players before they break out or unload players before they falter.
Saquon Barkley RB1
There were many questions surrounding Barkley this off-season. Back-to-back season-ending injuries, a new offensive coordinator, a bunch of young players along the offensive line, and a questionable starting quarterback. In redraft leagues, we saw Saquon fall as far as the end of the second round. However, the talent was never questioned, and Monday Night Saquon reminded us of that talent.
Against NFC East division rival Dallas, Saquon had 14 carries for 81 yards and four receptions for 45 yards. The cherry on top was Barkley finding the endzone. Through three weeks of fantasy football, Barkley is the RB2 overall, but there are many questions surrounding his future. He is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the Giants have few reasons to re-sign him to the big contract he deserves. As a contender, if you can move a single 2023 first for Saquon, that is a move you should be making now.
CeeDee Lamb Reminder
Lamb was another NFC East player with many question marks coming into the 2022 NFL season. Amari Cooper left during the off-season, and now CeeDee had to take the throne as WR1 in Dallas. Additionally, the Dallas Cowboys lost Dak Prescott for several weeks due to a broken thumb. Cooper Rush will be the starter for a few weeks and thus continues the doubt of CeeDee Lamb as a fantasy WR1.
Lamb has commanded a 36% target share in two games with Cooper Rush under center in this offense. There is no doubt about his abilities to perform as the backup quarterback. Dak’s surgery was successful, and he is on track to return soon. If your league mates are sleeping on Lamb, now is a great time to buy.
Devonta Smith, Hesiman Winner
Everyone gets to feast in Philadelphia! One of the perks of being on one of the leagues’ top offenses is having multiple pass-catchers be week winners. And last week, anyone who had Smith in their lineup was sure to walk away with a victory. In an NFC East matchup against the Washington Commanders, Smith saw 12 targets which he turned into 169 yards and a touchdown, finishing as the top wide receiver of the week in half-PPR leagues.
With this one performance alone, Smith doubled his season-long totals. Many were worried about the addition of AJ Brown in the offseason, and so far, those worries were justified. However, last week has shown that both receivers can be productive in this offense, as Brown had 85 yards and a touchdown.
Antonio Gibson – Fade At Your Own Risk
The off-season narrative surrounding Gibson was not a positive one. The team spent Day Two draft capital on Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr, and during the preseason, we saw Gibson relegated to some memorable team snaps. Unfortunately, Robinson was the victim of a shooting right before the season began, which left him sidelined for several weeks. Gibson has been able to re-establish his role as a bell-cow this time.
In SundaySunday’sast matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gibson handled most of the work on the ground with 12 rush attempts. The Commanders were behind for most of the game past the second quarter, so we have to assume Gibson would see more work in a more favorable game script. Robinson has begun to practice again and could be seeing the field soon, but now will have to beat out Gibson to see some work.
Information is the most powerful tool any dynasty fantasy football manager possesses. If you can stay on top of the correct information more than your league-mates, you will come out on top. The NFC East is home to many fantasy-relevant players. Be sure to check back with us, as we will be breaking down takeaways from every division this week. And be sure to come back next week, as we will be doing the same for all 18 weeks of the 2022 NFL season!
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