Week 3 Gold: Fantasy or Fools?

By Lamar

A player on your radar had a big game. Do you pick him up? This is where we decide whether their forecast is fantasy or fools gold.

Jerome Ford RB Cleveland Browns
16 rush att, 106 rush yards, 4 targets, 3 rec, 25 rec yards, 1 rec TD

If Ford is available go ahead and stop reading this so you can put in a claim. He takes over for the all world RB Nick Chubb who suffered a season ending injury last night. Ford is not Chubb, but he will get a run as RB1 in a run-first offense with an excellent offensive line. Ford will be fantasy gold for the remainder of the season.

Russell Wilson QB Denver Broncos
308 pass yards, 3 pass TDs, 1 int, 6 rush att, 56 rush yards, 1 fum

The Denver defense looks like a shell of its former self, so there is a chance the Broncos are playing from behind often this year. He has thrown for multiple TDs in the first two games and threw over 300 yards last week, but I still do not trust him. I need to see a few show me games out of Wilson to recommend him as a pick up. For now he remains out of the circle of trust and a clear fools gold candidate.

Josh Reynolds WR Detroit Lions
6 targets, 5 rec, 66 rec yards, 2 rec TDs

Reynolds had a great game playing second fiddle to WR Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit. He looks like the WR2 on a high performing offense and that is usually a productive spot, especially as WR1 St. Brown gets all the attention. My concern with going all out on a recommendation for Reynolds is that TE TJ Hockenson is really QB Jared Goff‘s second option and that leaves Reynolds as a boom or bust wide out moving forward. The Lion’s running back room is a little banged up at the moment, so maybe they have to start slinging the ball over the field. Until that happens I am tempering my expectations for Reynolds.

Marvin Mims Jr. WR Denver Broncos
2 rush att, 10 rush yards, 6 targets, 2 rec, 113 rec yards, 1 rec TD, 45 return yards

I am not interested in a wide out in the Broncos’ offense this week. Maybe that changes down the road. Until then there are more attractive players on the wire.

Jayden Reed WR Green Bay Packers
8 targets, 4 rec, 37 rec yards, 2 rec TDs

The Packers are young and growing towards a dynamic offense. This is an offense I want to keep an eye on in the weeks to come. Reed has a chance to carve out a role before/if WR Christian Watson returns. I want Reed on my bench as I see what happens with Green Bay’s offense over the next few weeks.