Week Three is in the books for the NFC West! 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.
Cam Akers Returns
Akers is working his way back into this offense. His snap share has increased weekly from 18% to 43% to 50%. He is now matching Darrel Henderson snap for snap. And we see the production increase as well. This past week against NFC West rival Arizona, he had 12 attempts for 61 yards and a touchdown. At the same time, Henderson saw only four carries. In the passing game, Akers out-targetted Henderson six to one.
If this trend continues, we could see Akers as the primary back early next week. This could indicate that he has finally fully healed from his injury. It might also mean that he has regained the trust of Sean McVay and the coaching staff. Either way, it’s wheels up for Akers in the future. If league managers fail to recognize this trend, now is the time to buy Cam Akers.
Jimmy Garoppolo Looking Average
Sunday Night Football this past week might have been one of the most average quarterback performances on both sides of the field. Garoppolo looked like a limited passer who struggled to keep the offense moving up and down the field. The only touchdown came on a four-yard “illegal” screen pass to Brandon Aiyuk. This was Garoppolo’s first complete game since shoulder surgery this past off-season.
One hopes the 49ers’ offense will improve as the season progresses. Garoppolo missed having a training camp as the starter and recently began taking first-team reps. They will also be facing teams in the future that may be better equipped than the Denver Broncos to put up some points on the opposite side of the scoreboard. If there is any dip in the fantasy value of 49ers in your dynasty leagues, now is the time to buy!
Greg Dortch Solidifies Role
One of the early season surprises this year has been Arizona Cardinal’s receiver, Dortch. He saw ten targets in a key NFC West matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. He converted those ten targets into nine receptions and 80 yards. That now gives him 20 receptions for 189 yards on the season. By the way, this past Sunday’s performance alone eclipsed his career stats through three seasons.
Due to injury, Dortch has benefited from the DeAndre Hopkins suspension and a lack of Rondale Moore. Hopkins still has five weeks until he returns, so there is no need to worry about that. As far as Rondale Moore goes, he has struggled to catch on in his rookie year and has now missed the first three games of the season. If Dortch can hold off Moore when he returns, he may have a locked-in role in this offense for the rest of the year.
Seattle Offense Opens Up
In one season’s surprises, the Seattle Seahawks offense has been looking quite good through three weeks. Not saying they are elite in any sense of the word, but they are much better than league-worst, which most people had them projected for. The best part may be that we have seen Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf be a fantasy viable so far this season. The main concern coming into the year was that Geno Smith couldn’t support pass catchers. So far, that remains true, but we are seeing the possibility of both Lockett and Metcalf being fantasy viable. Lockett is currently WR33 on the season in half PPR, and Metcalf is WR46.
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 West is home to many key fantasy 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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