What’s up, Props fam!

This has been one of the most brutal beginnings to any football season I can remember from an injury perspective.

We’re not even in October, and we’ve lost a host of top fantasy football contributors.

Odds are, if you’re reading this newsletter, you’ve been hit by the injury bug to some extent.

It’s crazy to look at all of these household names who have either been out or will miss an extended period of time:

Let’s dive into some numbers and possible waiver wire adds for this week.

Deep League Flyers and Speculative Adds

George Pickens dominated in that wild game against Green Bay, but don't sleep on Jalen Tolbert’s involvement if you need deep league or bye-week replacement options.

He posted a 31% air yard share with 15% target share while running routes on 78% of the team's dropbacks, according to Fantasy Points. Last year, without Lamb, he rarely came off the field and was heavily targeted.

Tolbert is available in over 97% of ESPN leagues right now.

If Bucky Irving misses multiple weeks, consider Rachaad White as the primary beneficiary, though Sean Tucker represents an intriguing dart throw.

Tucker showed sneaky involvement last season for Tampa Bay, and while everyone assumes White gets the workload, Tucker's worth monitoring.

White is available in over 50% of ESPN leagues, while Tucker is available in almost every single league.

As for Miami's post-Tyreek landscape, it might be a complete mess.

Jaylen Waddle is rostered everywhere, but in deeper formats, Malik Washington presents interesting upside.

He handles punt return duties and possesses legitimate speed with the ball in his hands - exactly the type of player McDaniel can scheme creative touches for.

He'll likely be boom-or-bust, but in 14 or 16-team leagues, he could serve as a desperation flex play.

Last week, he ran routes on 55% of dropbacks with just three targets, but his role could expand significantly with Hill sidelined for the season.

Washington can be had in about 98% of ESPN leagues.

The Ayomanor Situation

Calvin Ridley’s injury designation and snap-count limitations were strange and unexpected. I’m getting 2024 D-Hop trade vibes.

Ridley has been downright surprisingly terrible this year.

Elic Ayomanor continues to be one of the few bright spots for the Titans, which might be the worst team in football right now. He posted a 50% air yard share last week with a 19% target share.

Across the entire season, he leads the Titans with a 37% air yard share and ranks second, barely behind Ridley with an 18% target share.

The problem? Everything else about this situation is a disaster.

Their offensive line is absolutely horrendous, the play calling resembles organized chaos, and their head coach somehow remains employed despite overwhelming evidence suggesting otherwise.

That said, they should be trailing in virtually every game, and if Ridley continues dealing with injury issues or gets traded, Ayomanor could transform into a massive target hog down the stretch.

Ayomanor is available in almost 70% of ESPN leagues.

The Chargers' Evolving Passing Attack

Quentin Johnston remains a legitimate factor in this offense, notching another impressive week with a 59% air yard share and 31% target share.

Meanwhile, Keenan Allen and Ladd McConkey appear headed toward cannibalizing each other's production, but Johnston has carved out a sustainable role.

According to Fantasy Points, the Chargers are passing at the highest rate in neutral situations in the league.

You can see in the above graph that the target share is pretty spread out between the three main weapons, but Johnston’s massive edge in air yards makes him the big-play machine.

Xavier Worthy wasted zero time contributing at an elite level for Kansas City. He ran routes on just 62% of dropbacks but commanded a massive 59% air yard share when he was out there.

The Chiefs have no running game and rank just behind the Chargers in passing rate in neutral situations. Once Patty gets Rice back, look out!

The Breakout Watch List

Jameson Williams continues building toward an inevitable explosion, commanding a massive 71% air yard share with a 29% target share in Week 4. When a receiver owns that much of the deep passing attack, it's not a matter of if but when he posts a monster performance.

AJ Brown's situation remains fascinating - the Eagles are clearly trying to feed him, evidenced by his 69% air yard share and 33% target share this week.

That didn't stop him from firing off cryptic tweets, though, and we all knew this drama would surface eventually with this guy. He doesn't seem particularly invested in winning when the ball's not coming his way.

However, a 33% target share isn’t as sexy when your fantasy asset plays for a team that passes as one of the lowest neutral rates in the NFL.

Stefon Diggs finally looked healthier and more involved, posting a 69% air yard share with a robust 38% target share. Sure, they played Carolina, but those usage numbers represent encouraging signs for what's ahead.

We had our fourth Prime Time Props football show last Friday!

Catch us live each Friday from 4-5 EST to talk all things Sunday NFL main slate.

Give our Props YouTube channel a follow and pop in to chat!

You can also catch our downloadable podcast version of each show by late Friday afternoon on most major networks:

Listen & Follow Prime Time Props on:

Keep an eye on your inbox later this week for early Sunday player prop bets from Keith Eyster!

- Justin Carlucci, Props Editorial

💸 Explore Props.com

🏈 NFL Homepage: props.com/league/nfl/

🏀 NBA Homepage: props.com/league/nba

⚾ MLB Homepage: props.com/league/mlb/

📰 Content Feed: props.com/news/

💰 Daily Promo Roundup: props.com/best-dfs-promos-today/

🤑 Sign-Up Offers: props.com/bonus-offers/