The Dog League: Week 3 Preview(2020 Season)

 The Dog League has a new team in charge, and a whole ton of injuries to deal with heading into Week 3. (Reminder: the Dog League is a custom fantasy football league run on NFL.com)

Tug of War

Current Record: (0-2, 6th place)

Tug of War suffered a tough loss in Week 2, mostly because of the injury to Saquon Barkley, who is now out for the year. He's been dropped for Kareem Hunt, while Jared Cook was dropped for Leonard Fournette, though neither of those guys will start this week. DeVante Parker will be getting a starting spot this week, replacing Joe Mixon who struggled against Cleveland, and Miles Sanders gets his starting job back since Barkley is gone. A somewhat controversial decision sees Tug of War replace Allen Robinson with Stefon Diggs. Even though Diggs has been far better this year, he does have a tough matchup against the Rams and A-Rob has a terrific one against the Falcons, but the team wants to play the better player and right now, that's Diggs. Finally, they replaced the Saints defense with the Colts, as they are the top streaming option this week hosting the Jets. 

UPDATE: With the news that Diggs could be shadowed by Jalen Ramsey today, Tug of War have reversed their decision, bringing back Robinson to start. 

Week 3 Starting Lineup(vs Rare Woofs)

QB Aaron Rodgers

RB Miles Sanders

RB Johnathan Taylor

WR Chris Godwin

WR Allen Robinson

TE Mark Andrews

WR DeVante Parker

K Harrison Butker

DEF Indianapolis Colts

Bark Force

Current Record: (0-2, 5th place)

Bark Force didn't stand much of a chance against Rare Woofs, who scored 192 points in a decisive win. Bark Force responds by shoring up their bench, adding Cam Newton, Devonta Freeman and Jared Cook, dropping Tom Brady, Ronald Jones and Dallas Goedert. Cook is the only one of the three that could start this week, as George Kittle's status for this week's game remains uncertain. Devante Adams' status is also uncertain, which could lead to Melvin Gordon getting a start. James Conner and DK Metcalf are into the starting lineup this week, while Matt Prater was dropped for Mason Crosby. 

UPDATE: With Adams doubtful and Kittle ruled out, they have been replaced by Gordon and Cook respectively. 

Week 3 Starting Lineup(vs Ridiculous Rascals)

QB Kyler Murray

RB James Conner

RB Chris Carson

WR DeAndre Hopkins

WR DK Metcalf

TE Jared Cook

RB Melvin Gordon

K Mason Crosby

DEF San Francisco 49ers

Tailwaggerz

Current Record: (1-1, 4th place)

Tailwaggerz took a close loss to Rascal last week, mostly thanks to a poor game from Adam Thielen. This week, they brought in James Robinson for Nyheim Hines, while Robinson's teammate D.J. Chark gets a starting spot. Chark is banged up, so if he can't go, Robinson can take his place. Rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire heads to the bench, as Tailwaggerz don't trust him going against the Ravens run defense, which has proven tough thus far in the year. 

UPDATE: With Chark ruled out, Robinson fills in as anticipated. 

UPDATE(x2): Tailwaggerz will start Terry McLaurin over Adam Thielen this week, as he has a great matchup against Cleveland. 

Week 3 Starting Lineup(vs Leaping Girl)

QB Russell Wilson

RB Dalvin Cook

RB Nick Chubb

WR Amari Cooper

WR Terry McLaurin

TE Travis Kelce

RB James Robinson

K Robbie Gould

DEF Baltimore Ravens

Rare Woofs

Current Record: (1-1, 3rd place)

After that 192 point performance, Rare Woofs feel like the team that won 14 games last year again, and now set aim on a top two place in the league. They made one skill player waiver move, dropping A.J. Brown to pick up Julian Edelman, who has found his way onto the team for the third year in a row, this time taking a bench spot. They do have some concerns about the health of star tight end Darren Waller, but if he misses this week's game, Tyler Higbee would be a great replacement. Finally, they brought in the Buccaneers defense in exchange for the Bills' unit, as Tampa Bay has a juicy matchup against the Broncos and Jeff Driskel. 

Week 3 Starting Lineup(vs Tug of War)

QB Patrick Mahomes

RB Alvin Kamara

RB Kenyan Drake

WR Tyreek Hill

WR Robert Woods

TE Travis Kelce

RB Aaron Jones

K Wil Lutz

DEF Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Leaping Girl

Current Record: (2-0, 2nd place)

Leaping Girl fell out of the top spot despite winning her game against Tug of War, as Rascal has more points than her. She makes one waiver move, dropping Devin Singletary to pick up Jerick McKinnon, who could start with Josh Jacobs banged up, though David Montgomery could also be considered for that spot. Emma decided to take JuJu Smith-Schuster out of her lineup this week, as Tyler Lockett has been slightly better this year and has a good opportunity for points against Dallas. 

Week 3 Starting Lineup(vs Tailwaggerz)

QB Lamar Jackson

RB Ezekiel Elliott

RB Derrick Henry

WR Mike Evans

WR Tyler Lockett

TE Hunter Henry

RB Josh Jacobs

K Greg Zuerlein

DEF Pittsburgh Steelers

Ridiculous Rascals

Current Record: (2-0, 1st place)

Rascal may be in first, but his team has caught the injury bug, with Christian McCaffrey and Raheem Mostert out for at least this week. He's gone for a bold strategy, dropping the Chiefs defense to add Joshua Kelley, who starts next to backfield mate Austin Ekeler. The idea here is to do what has worked with Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones, as Rascal has started both on the assumption that at least one of them has to have a good game. Kelley has a magnificent 8 red zone touches this year, so this gamble by Rascal has the potential to pay off big, though who knows if it will work. He also dropped Malcolm Brown to pick up Devin Singletary after Emma dropped him, though Singletary will only be providing depth on the bench, at least for this week. Finally, he dropped Kenny Golladay to pick up Robby Anderson, who could also provide the potential for a starting duo with D.J. Moore, if Rascal wants to go that way in the future. 

UPDATE: With Jones ruled out, Rascal is indeed going for his Moore-Anderson strategy. 

Week 3 Starting Lineup(vs Bark Force)

QB Dak Prescott

RB Austin Ekeler

RB Joshua Kelley

WR Calvin Ridley

WR D.J. Moore

TE Zach Ertz

WR Robby Anderson

K Justin Tucker

DEF New England Patriots

As always, this post will be updated with any changes that are necessary to be made. I have no clue if any of what has happened in Louisville will have any effect on NFL games this week, though I would be understanding of any player that feels like taking a week off, as this situation is far bigger than football. I wish the people that inhabited this world could find a way to treat each other properly, but apparently only dogs are capable of that. 

- Henry