Week 3 Mailbag Q&A! Start/Sit, Waivers & Questions Answered! (09/26 Fantasy Football Podcast)

This week's mailbag covers weather-driven start/sit calls for Sunday's Giants-Titans and Commanders-Seahawks games, a deep dive on whether to cut a struggling Justin Herbert, skepticism about Brock Bowers' workload coming off injury, and a notably bearish take on Devon Achane's rest-of-season outlook. Hosts Adam and Jamie ran the first half solo while Dan arrived late from a golf outing, joining for injury updates and the trade grades segment.

The arguments

Weather will suppress passing volume in the Giants-Titans and Commanders-Seahawks games, but shouldn't scare you off the backfields. Jamie noted both home teams start backup quarterbacks (Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota), so two-QB/Superflex concerns aside, most managers weren't starting those passers anyway. Adam flagged that Jaxson Dart is more interesting given his prior week's performance, but cautioned the bad-weather forecast could still cap upside even against a shaky Washington secondary; both hosts leaned toward shifting emphasis to the ground game in both matchups.

Justin Herbert owners should not panic-drop him after a bad week three, even against Buffalo. Jamie argued this isn't a blanket "cut him" situation — it depends on roster construction and whether you can stash a second quarterback through bye weeks starting in week five. He drew the direct parallel to Trevor Lawrence's 2024 struggles under a new system before a strong finish, suggesting Herbert and the Chargers' issues (an underperforming Joe Alt, an offensive line not gelling) could resolve similarly, especially if Herbert starts running more as he did last season. Adam added a schedule caveat: the "easy" Cardinals/Raiders stretch wasn't actually easy, so Herbert's poor start may be matchup-driven rather than terminal, and tougher-looking games ahead could play out better than expected due to opposing injuries.

Chuba Hubbard remains a legitimate RB1-tier asset, not just a hot streak. When a trade offer of Hubbard-plus-Kelce for Omarian Hampton came up, Jamie noted he'd already moved Hubbard up to 12th overall at the position, and both hosts agreed he's not appreciably worse than Hampton while Brooks is out — an absence expected to last up to six weeks, and even upon return, Brooks wouldn't reclaim a "huge" role. They advised against surrendering Hubbard in any deal that doesn't return equivalent value.

Devon Achane's fantasy outlook has soured, and Jamie is willing to bench him over lesser committee backs. In the "start three of four" running back question (Achane, Chuba Hubbard, Breece Hall, Hampton), Jamie surprised Adam by choosing to sit Achane, and later set his rest-of-season touchdown over/under at six or seven and said he'd take the under "by a lot," citing Miami's blocking and offensive dysfunction under the current staff. Adam pushed back that it's not a lost-season level of concern, but agreed the touchdown equity isn't there right now.

Brock Bowers' questionable practice pattern is a yellow flag, not just a green light. Despite Bowers being expected to play, Jamie voiced wariness about being "fooled" by a low snap share in his return game, drawing comparisons to George Kittle and Hunter Henry's limited workloads in their own return-from-injury openers. Adam was more inclined to trust that if Bowers plays, the Raiders will lean on him fully, creating a mild disagreement on his floor this week.

Quinshawn Judkins is a sell-high candidate whose tape hasn't matched last year's explosiveness. Dan expects a strong week three against a bad Panthers run defense (no Devin Lloyd) and floated packaging Judkins for a struggling but talented receiver like A.J. Brown or Nico Collins. Jamie agreed on the sell timing but voiced a specific tape concern: Judkins hasn't shown the same juice as his rookie season, evidenced by Cleveland leaning away from featuring him on early downs — a soft disagreement on whether the sell-high price is fully justified by current play.

What it means for your roster

• Downgrade passing volume, not full sits, for the Giants-Titans and Commanders-Seahawks games; lean into running backs in both matchups given the weather forecast.
• Do not cut Justin Herbert reflexively. Hold him if your bench and bye-week math allow it; the Lawrence 2024 comp and offensive-line uncertainty argue for patience through at least the next few weeks.
• Hold Chuba Hubbard against offers headlined by Travis Kelce — hosts called that specific package (Hubbard + Kelce for Hampton) a clear decline; he's a weekly RB1-conversation player while Brooks is out and even after Brooks returns.
• Consider selling Devon Achane now if you have any doubts, especially in shallower or dynasty-adjacent formats — Jamie's under-6-7-touchdowns call reflects real concern about Miami's blocking and scheme.
• Trust Bowers cautiously this week but monitor snap counts closely before locking him into must-start range in shallower lineups; don't assume full workload just because he's active.
• If dealing Judkins, move now while his stock is inflated by a favorable week three matchup; target buy-low, talent-rich receivers like Nico Collins or A.J. Brown in return rather than settling for consolidation value.