Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers (@ Los Angeles Rams)
It feels like the Los Angeles Rams have about half of their roster on injured reserve, and they are now pretty depleted in the secondary. The San Francisco 49ers play the Rams in Week 3, and for the 49ers side of things, they are without RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Deebo Samuel. This is setting the stage perfectly for Brandon Aiyuk, who has yet to get going in 2024.
This could be a great break for Aiyuk, who is now getting paid $30 million per season after an offseason-long standoff with the Niners. For the LA Rams, it honestly feels like their season is already over given how many injuries they have sustained thus far.
The Niners have also been hit with the injury bug a bit but are noticeably healthier than LA. The 49ers should be able to get back on track with a win here, which would also drop the Rams to a shocking 0-3 start. Both teams figured to be the top in the NFC West this year, but you could seriously argue that the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks are both better at this very moment.
Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Through two games, Maxx Crosby already has three sacks, five tackles for loss, and five QB hits. He's been a force thus far and now gets to go up against a very poor Carolina Panthers offensive line starting Andy Dalton in Week 3. The Panthers shockingly benched Bryce Young after just two starts in 2024. He's started 18 total games for the Panthers and has gone 2-16 in those starts.
The Raiders are coming off of a major win in Baltimore against the Ravens, so you could argue that the Raiders are on upset alert. Andy Dalton is still a capable enough quarterback to put some points on the board, and perhaps this is the game that gets the Panthers on the right track to an extent. However, Dalton is not mobile, and OL in Carolina is poor, as I just noted.
Crosby's motor is better than most players in the NFL, as he just does not come off the field. I could see the Raiders pulling Crosby's snaps back a bit if this game gets out of hand early, but I would expect Mad Maxx to get in the backfield and notch multiple sacks and multiple tackles for loss in what is probably going to be a huge Raiders victory, which would get them to 2-1 on the season.