In addition to a clean report on his ligaments and tendons, the MRI also revealed no fracture. This is as good of news as the Buccaneers could have hoped for, as Mayfield’s absence is expected to be on the shorter end compared to what it could have been had the MRI revealed more damage. Head coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield is looking at a minimum three-week absence, which would put him in line to return for Week 7 against the Panthers if all goes well. Rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels, who went 0-for-3 passing with an interception against the Vikings, will draw the start in the Buccaneers’ Week 4 game against the Packers.

The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the trade. McCarthy landing with John Harbaugh’s Giants feels a bit too on-the-nose given his connection with Jim Harbaugh during his days at Michigan. McCarthy was at one point competing for the Vikings’ QB1 job in camp with Kyler Murray, but was knocked all the way down to QB3 on the Vikings’ depth chart when Carson Wentz took over for Murray in Week 1 and drew the start in Week 2. Assuming Jameis Winston doesn’t suddenly exceed expectations and lead an efficient passing attack, McCarthy will probably get a shot to start at some point when he gets up to speed with the offense. McCarthy has thrown for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 career games while completing 57.6 percent of his passes. We’ll see if a change of scenery is all he needs to turn the corner and live up to the hype that made him the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Coker said after the game that he did not think his injury was too serious. He’s already been playing through an ankle injury, so we’ll assume he’ll be able to play through this based on his own estimation and the early reporting from Rapoport. Coker caught two passes for 18 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Browns, but will remain in the WR2 ranks for Week 4 if he’s able to play.

This is the “best-case” scenario, according to Rap. Mayfield will undergo an MRI to confirm the severity of his injury and could miss more time if an MRI reveals “significantly torn ligaments in his thumb,” per Rap. The Buccaneers will now pivot to rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels as their starter after Daniels won the backup job in camp. Daniels threw for 9,282 yards, 67 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions in six seasons at Kansas while also rushing for over 1,400 yards and another 23 scores. All Buccaneers pass-catchers will receive a significant downgrade heading into Week 4’s game against the Packers.

It felt like things were trending in this direction when head coach Jeff Hafley said after the game that he was not “optimistic” about Achane’s injury, but now the worst has confirmed. The 0-3 Dolphins will now be without their best playmaker for the remainder of the season, creating yet another challenge for an offense that ranks 31st in points per game (12.0 PPG) and 26th in yards per game (290.7 YPG) through the first three weeks of the season. Ollie Gordon will become a priority add off of waivers this week after he rushed for 17-41-1 in place of Achane, but his upside will be limited in what is one of the worst offenses in the league. Third-year vet Jaylen Wright could also be worth a stash. Wright missed Week 3’s game with a stringer/foot injury.

Hall exited in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Lions and did not return to the field after being ruled out quickly. Braelon Allen went on to handle backfield duties for the remainder of the game and will be a top waiver wire add this week if Hall were to miss any time. Hall has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, rushing for 51-163-1 (3.2 YPC), but has caught all 10 of his targets for 102 scoreless yards. Allen would be a fringe RB2/RB3 in Week 4 against the Bears if Hall is held out.

Chenal was carted off the field in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks. This immediately looked like a serious injury after Chenal went down in the second quarter while trying to make a tackle. Chenal has feeling in all his extremities and is expected to make a full recovery, but his 2026 season is officially over. Chenal totaled nine tackles in the three games he appeared in this season.

It’s another tough blow to the G-Men, who lost Jaxson Dart in Week 2 due to a knee injury in Week 2 against the Rams. Burns was active for Week 3 despite dealing with an ankle injury, but exited early in the fourth quarter and did not return to the field. Once the injury is confirmed, Burns’ 2026 season will officially come to an end. The 28-year-old pass-rusher tallied four tackles this season and did not record a sack.

Ekeler is fully recovered from a torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season after just two games. The 31-year-old running back returns to a familiar place in Washington and will sign to the 53-man roster, making him immediately eligible to play in Week 4. We expect him to have a bit of a ramp-up period before being active on game days, but Ekeler could end up having a meaningful role in a backfield that has struggled to get going through the first three weeks. Ekeler may be worth a stash in deeper leagues, but we’ll have to see what kind of role he has before we can consider putting him in lineups. Ekeler met last week with the Panthers about possibly joining their practice squad but a deal was never reached.

Waddle would also add a successful two-point reception in the third quarter to give him a slight boost in counting stats, although the 6.4-point effort left fantasy managers in desperate need of better production from their fourth-round selection in fantasy drafts. Waddle has now sandwiched poor fantasy outings with one usable game through three weeks. Fantasy managers are likely left to ride out the struggles of the Denver offense in hopes of greener pastures, which could come in a Week 4 showdown with the 49ers. Treat Waddle as an upside WR3, at present.