Week 3 Game Film Review - RB Injuries Abound!

Chris Harris runs his usual Monday tape-review format, working through nine Sunday games solo before turning the back half over to guest Jamie Eisenberg from CBS Fantasy for three more (Cowboys-Ravens, Vikings-Buccaneers, Rams-Broncos). The through-line of the episode is that running back health and role clarity broke down across the league in Week 3, while several passing games (Chargers, Patriots, Vikings) looked genuinely broken rather than just slow-starting.

The arguments

Running back committees got messier, not clearer, in Week 3. In New Orleans, Harris says Travis Etienne was clearly the lead back in game plan before suffering what looked like a serious hamstring injury; afterward, Alvin Kamara (15 snaps, 6 carries) and Kendre Miller (14 snaps, 7 touches) split work almost evenly, and Harris admits he doesn't know which Saint he'd rank higher for Week 4, though only one will be a realistic waiver add. In New York, Breece Hall was playing well by "yards over expected" feel before a thigh injury ended his day, pointing to Braelon Allen as the next-man-up in a limited, north-south role. In Tampa, Bucky Irving left the game with what looked like a back issue, with Kenneth Gainwell as the presumed replacement, though Harris and Eisenberg both say the broadcast gave no real clarity.

Volume isn't translating for two of the summer's most hyped young backs. Harris flags Ashton Jeanty's 22 touches for the Raiders as notable but unimpressive on tape — hard-nosed and sturdy, but no wiggle, and the Raiders couldn't get him into the end zone on three separate red-zone carries. Omarion Hampton fared worse: three total carries, no room, and was passed over near the goal line for Keaton Mitchell, who scored on a pop-pass touchdown. Harris says he's still waiting to see the speed Hampton was drafted for.

Drake May's rookie-year magic looks gone, and the Patriots offense is now bench-worthy. Harris says May turned in a performance bad enough that he could be droppable in some formats — multiple back-shoulder interceptions, a lost fumble, and general indecision against Jacksonville's blitz — and argues the lesson isn't which specific Patriot to start but whether to sit the whole group until things improve or A.J. Brown returns. He contrasts this directly with Trevor Lawrence, who played through heavy pressure to lead Jacksonville's win, with Bhayshul Tuten again outproducing Brian Thomas Jr. in snaps (29 to 22).

The Chargers' passing offense is a fantasy dead zone right now. Harris is unsparing on Justin Herbert, rejecting offensive-line excuses and citing three self-inflicted turnovers, including a near-pick to the fullback and a bad decision over the middle that decided the game. He singles out Quentin Johnston as no longer roster-worthy after a drop on third down, and notes Ladd McConkie's day was padded by a single 29-yard garbage-time catch. At 0-3 with this offensive environment, Harris says there's no story to tell yourself that makes these Chargers skill players good bets.

New receiving options emerged as injuries opened target shares. Garrett Wilson took over the Jets-Lions game in the second half with acrobatic, contested catches, while Kenyon Sadiq scored on an athletic red-zone grab and flashed enough big plays that Harris compares his trajectory loosely to Kyle Pitts' — worth monitoring, not yet startable. In Houston, with Nico Collins out, Xavier Hutchinson (3-51) was the only Texan worth mentioning, and Harris says there may be no real fantasy starter on that offense until Collins returns.

The Vikings' passing offense collapsed without Justin Jefferson, and the hosts disagree on whether Kyler Murray is fixable. Eisenberg says the offense has been disjointed through three different starting-quarterback situations and now a Jefferson injury, making it hard to draw conclusions yet. Harris is more pessimistic, saying Murray simply looked bad regardless of personnel and that he wouldn't trust Jordan Addison as a starter even if Jefferson sits, purely because of quarterback play; Eisenberg is more willing to play Addison given the Miami matchup.

Davante Adams is in his sell-high window before Puka Nacua returns. Eisenberg argues Adams looked like a genuinely dominant player in the Rams' expanded role but questions whether Adams or the team wants him to be the every-week focal point long-term, and recommends trading him now rather than waiting for Nacua (who may need surgery) to come back and cut into the target share.

What it means for your roster

• Saints backfield: Don't overpay in FAAB for either Kamara or Miller — the split (15/6 vs. 14/7) gives no clear signal, and Harris explicitly says he can't rank one over the other for Week 4.
• Jets backfield: Add Braelon Allen now as Breece Hall's likely next-man-up if Hall's thigh injury costs him time; expect a limited, straight-line role rather than a three-down workload.
• Fade/downgrade: Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton in redraft rankings this week — both got volume but showed nothing explosive or goal-line-reliable on tape.
• Bench or drop: Drake May in single-QB formats; the entire Patriots skill group (Stevenson, Henderson, Dobbs) is unstartable until the offense stabilizes or A.J. Brown returns.
• Avoid: Chargers passing-game pieces broadly — Quentin Johnston specifically flagged as cuttable, McConkie and Herbert both need positive regression before trusting again.
• Watch, don't start: Kenyon Sadiq and Xavier Hutchinson as streaming options if injuries (Collins, Adonai Mitchell) persist; neither is lineup-ready yet per Harris.
• Trade: Sell Davante Adams now while his role is inflated by Puka Nacua's absence, per Eisenberg's advice.