Every week, NFL coaches and players provide hours and hours of interviews, generating hundreds of relevant quotes in the process. Most of these quotes are simply "coachspeak" where the coach dances around the key details of the question in an effort to not show their cards to upcoming opponents. But some of the time, these interviews provide valuable information that can be utilized to make adjustments to a player's fantasy outlook.
These quotes can have to do with injury outlooks, player usage, overall offensive tendencies and philosophy, and more. The key is to know which quotes are actionable, and which ones are just fluff that can be ignored. If you got caught up listening to Kyle Shanahan talk about Christian McCaffrey's injury, you're likely very familiar with the "fluff" side of the spectrum. Sifting through the quotes and critically thinking through each one is the best way to find meaningful takeaways from these interviews.
The vast majority of these quotes will be sourced from the interviews that beat reporters conduct with players and coaches throughout the week. The Coachspeak Index (CSI) does a phenomenal job of listening to these interviews and picking out the key nuggets. In this article, we'll be taking a look at quotes (from CSI and other sources) and analyzing their fantasy impact. Some may be more serious than others, but it's all about getting a feel for coaches and players from information that may not show up in the box score.
WEEK 3 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy Football Coachspeak Highlights: Arrow pointing up on Travis Kelce, De'Von Achane?
Don't panic about Travis Kelce just yet
Today marks the first game since September 2018 where Travis Kelce does not record at least 3 catches. It snaps a streak of 114 straight games, the longest streak by any player in NFL history. It dates back to Patrick Mahomes' second career start. @KCTV5 #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/4orUZJzQDI
— Jared Koller (@JaredKCTV5) September 16, 2024
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was discussing Travis Kelce's lack of involvement in the offense following their victory over the Bengals on Sunday. Mahomes mentions how opposing defenses have done a good job of taking Kelce away this season by regularly double-teaming him. Mahomes even says that he was looking for Kelce on the play in which Rashee Rice scored, but Kelce was double-teamed, opening the door for Rice to be found downfield.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: Even with Kelce's struggles early in the year, it's not time to panic just yet. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL and isn't going to force the ball to Kelce if he is heavily covered by multiple defenders. Kelce should see easier looks in future games, and Mahomes will be looking for his Hall of Fame tight end when the situation is more advantageous.
WEEK 3 WAIVER WIRE ADVICE
Full Waiver List | Top Players to Target | How to spend FAAB
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on track for a big-time breakout
#Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald on Jaxon Smith-Njigba:
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 15, 2024
“He’s a great player. He’s got incredible hands. All the underneath stuff. Underrated deep threat… He’s a guy that we’re gonna be relying on moving forward, and he’s a great player.” pic.twitter.com/AXimdnV1FB
Seahawks' head coach Mike Macdonald couldn't help but gush over second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba after he had one of the best games of his career in Week 2. It's great to hear that the Seahawks plan to lean on Smith-Njigba as the year goes on. Another nice tidbit from this quote is the part about JSN acting as a deep threat, as this was something that was not asked of him in his rookie year.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: It doesn't really take a quote from Mike Macdonald to understand that Smith-Njigba is on the right path in his second NFL season. He has seen spikes in his playing time and usage early in the year and even played ahead of Tyler Lockett in 2 WR sets on Sunday. The big piece from McDonald was indeed the "underrated deep threat" comment. Last season, Smith-Njigba was primarily utilized on shallow routes, leading to a 6.1-yard aDOT that ranked 96th among WRs. JSN had an aDOT of 10.6 on Sunday and led the team in air yards. His role is developing, and his fantasy value is ascending.
WEEK 3 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Buy Low, Sell High Trades | Sleepers | Busts
Braelon Allen is a premier handcuff
#Jets HC Robert Saleh on Braelon Allen:
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 16, 2024
“He’s a definite change of pace. I mean, he is a load, and a very, very dense, heavy runner… What’s really cool about him is that he’s good in the pass game, too. He’s smooth out of the backfield, he’s got really nice hands, and he’s… pic.twitter.com/2r34Wb5Se1
After scoring two touchdowns on Sunday, Jets' head coach Robert Saleh was very complimentary of rookie running back Braelon Allen. If there's a good thing you can say about a running back, Saleh said it about Allen in this press conference. Allen is just 20 years old and is already held in high regard by an NFL coaching staff; not something you see every day.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: It became clear during training camp that Allen had won the RB2 job behind Breece Hall. The question was, what would his role look like if Hall missed time? Following Sunday's game and Saleh's presser, it seems that Allen would be one of those backups that assumes a bell cow role. New York is clearly comfortable about his talent as a rusher and Saleh went out of his way to complement his pass-catching ability. Allen is a premier backup that should be stashed in deeper leagues.
Rookie Carson Steele to handle work in Kansas City
Reid on Carson Steele potentially becoming the featured back: "He's going to have to step it up in that role.''
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) September 16, 2024
With Isaiah Pacheco set to miss 6-8 weeks with a fractured fibula, the Chiefs will be forced to look elsewhere for production at the running back position. UDFA Carson Steele was already mixing in as a short-yardage specialist, and it seems that Andy Reid is expecting his role to expand in the coming weeks.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: This backfield is set up to be a mess while Pacheco is sidelined. Steele is the primary candidate to handle the rushing work while Samaje Perine will be on the field for passing downs. Former Chief Kareem Hunt, who is expected to visit with the team this week, is also lurking in the shadows. And Clyde Edwards-Helaire could muddy the waters even more when he returns from IR (eligible to return after Week 4). Steele can return value in fantasy if he dominates at the goal line, but it's unlikely that anyone consolidates the work to have a particularly valuable role.
De'Von Achane is going to be force-fed touches
#Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel thinks De’Von Achane could make a case for even more touches:
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 16, 2024
“It’s hard not to give guys opportunities that really are thirsting for the ball, they’re doing something with it… All he’s done is give us more reasons to give him the ball.” pic.twitter.com/qwMzObRwX7
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel seems very content with just feeding the ball to the players who are, "doing something with it." De'Von Achane certainly falls into this category and has been Miami's greatest offensive weapon this season.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: Achane set a career-high in touches on Thursday night with 29. This included 22 carries and seven receptions, which led to 165 yards from scrimmage. Achane has remained highly productive, particularly as a pass catcher, and as McDaniel put it, "...given us more reasons to give him the ball." Considering Raheem Mostert could miss more time, and the passing attack is less reliable with Skylar Thompson under center, this workload could be sticky.
