The fantasy football injury gods were relentless last week, let’s hope Week 3 fantasy football treats us a little better!
Big time QBs, Ben Roethlisberger (elbow – out for season), Drew Brees (thumb – out at least 6 weeks), and Sam Darnold (mono – out through bye) were casualties of war in Week 2. And now the Panthers are saying Cam Newton aggravated a foot injury and is questionable for Week 3, which is fitting since his play on the field has been questionable to start the season.
In the Week 3 Fantasy Football Stock Watch I’ll take a look at some QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs, and where I have them ranked compared to the Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) on FantasyPros. The theme of this weekly article is not just to provide rankings, but to also highlight the players I have ranked a bit higher or lower than the ECR.
Please keep in mind my rankings are based on Half-PPR league scoring and will constantly be adjusted throughout the week as news breaks regarding injuries, weather, and playing time.
For help setting your lineups, check out our Week 3 Waiver Wire Recommendations and our Week 3 FAAB Guide.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Bull Market 📈
Daniel Jones, New York Giants (+4 vs. ECR, No. 23 QB)
It’s the end of the Eli Manning era in New York, and what a great one it was. The man won two Super Bowl titles in 15+ years, but Giants brass deemed it time to usher in a new age.
Daniel Jones will make his first start in the NFL this Sunday, and he’ll face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have been surprising on defense under first-year DC Todd Bowles. But I’m not totally convinced they’ve done a complete 180, and I think “Danny Dimes” will breathe some new life into this sluggish Giants crew.
Jones will have Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, and potentially Sterling Shepard back, which is enough to lift him above the lower class of the QB rankings. He’s my No. 23 QB in Week 3 and there’s room to grow as well.
Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts (+6 vs. ECR, No. 7 RB)
The Colts really emphasized the run in the second half of 2018, and have become a run-first team following Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement. The team ranks third in the NFL with 33.5 rush attempts per game, and Marlon Mack has been the biggest beneficiary.
Mack, a third-year pro, has rushed for 225 yards and a TD on 45 carries (5.0 yards/carry), and should assume another healthy workload against the Falcons in Week 3. Of course, that’s if he himself is healthy, as reports surfaced Wednesday that he was dealing with a calf injury. He’s said he will play though, and Atlanta has permitted the 11th-most rushing yards in the NFL and will be playing on a slightly shorter week, having faced the Eagles on Sunday night.
David Montgomery, Chicago Bears (+6 vs. ECR, No. 15 RB)
“Finally!”, was what fantasy football owners who grabbed Montgomery with an early pick were saying following the rookie’s breakout 62-yard, 1-TD rushing performance in Week 2. Yes, the 3.44 yards per carry was awful, but the 18 carries really stands out. In just one week, he’s put separation between himself and Mike Davis, who had just three carries after totaling six to Montgomery’s five in Week 1.
The Bears’ opponents, the Washington Redskins, just allowed Ezekiel Elliott to run for 111 yards, and top safety Landon Collins continues to look like a shell of his former self.
Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens (+8 vs. ECR, No. 21 WR)
I admittedly missed on Brown’s breakout. Between his injury and the Ravens offense, I did not expect such a hot start from the rookie they call “Hollywood”.
The former Oklahoma Sooner leads all Ravens with 233 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns and is poised to put up big numbers against a mediocre Chiefs pass defense in Week 3.
What stands out the most with Hollywood, are the targets; his 18 targets are 14 more than the next receiver on the team. Brown has only Mark Andrews to compete with for Lamar Jackson’s affection, which has me way higher on Brown than the consensus.
Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles (+10 vs. ECR, No. 34 WR)
The gap in my ranking vs. the ECR has a chance to narrow as the week goes on, but for now, Nelson Agholor is getting overlooked by many.
Alshon Jeffery (day-to-day) and DeSean Jackson (out 2 weeks) both left Sunday’s game early (as did tight end Dallas Goedert, who did not practice Wednesday) and Agholor took advantage, posting an 8/107/1 line on 11 targets.
Agholor could see a drop in targets if Jeffery returns, but for now he’d be Carson Wentz’s top option vs. the Lions, who have given up the sixth-most yards to wide receivers this season.
Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints (+4 vs. ECR, No. 12 TE)
Cook’s season hasn’t started the way many fantasy owners had hoped. The veteran tight end has seen just 10 targets over the first two weeks and will now be without Drew Brees at quarterback. That might not be such a bad thing, though, at least according to how things played out this past Sunday. Of Cook’s seven targets, five were delivered by Teddy Bridgewater, who may use Cook as his mid-range safety valve. Seattle has allowed 16 catches, 131 yards, and 2 TDs to opposing tight ends, landing Jared Cook squarely in bounceback territory for Week 3 in fantasy football.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Bear Market 📉
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (-10 vs. ECR, No. 17 RB)
Drew Brees is out, and Teddy Bridgewater is in. Many owners might say, “Well, now he’s gonna get ALL the touches”, but this is not a good development for Alvin Kamara’s immediate fantasy value. While Brees is out, the Saints figure to slow down the pace and won’t be lighting up the scoreboard.
Kamara was shut down like a roach-infested restaurant last week in Los Angeles, with the Rams strong front seven holding him to just 60 total yards, his lowest output since Week 5 of last season. In fact, if you’re looking for rushing yards from Kamara, you’re just not going to get them, as the back has surpassed 100 rushing yards just twice in his career. His main draw is his receiving ability — and receiving volume — something that could be in question with Teddy at the helm.
The Saints will also be traveling to Seattle — always a tough assignment — to face a revamped run-stopping group that’s relented just 82 yards to RBs through the first two weeks. On top of that, hybrid QB Taysom Hill has drawn praise from coach Sean Payton, and the coach seemed to leave the door open when asked about the possibility of Hill playing QB. If Hill were to receive a lot of snaps, many would be designed runs, siphoning away some carries from Kamara.
Josh Gordon, New England Patriots (-7 vs. ECR, No. 37 WR)
Josh Gordon’s return after battling addiction and numerous suspensions has been one of the bigger stories of the early 2019 season.
Gordon made an immediate impact in Week 1, catching a touchdown pass from Tom Brady, but Week 2 wasn’t so kind, as the receiver had just 19 yards on 2 catches. Game script played a big role in Flash’s diminutive statistics, as did Antonio Brown’s debut in a Patriots uniform, and neither of those two things will change in Week 3 vs. the Jets.
Las Vegas has the Pats as 22.5-point favorites against the Luke Falk-led Jets, which means less second-half passing. Unless Gordon breaks a big one, I don’t foresee enough volume to warrant starting him in leagues with less than 14 teams.
Tyrell Williams, Oakland Raiders (-7 vs. ECR, No. 39 WR)
Williams has taken over the No. 1 role in Oakland following the Antonio Brown circus act, and he’s responded with 11 catches for 151 yards and 2 TD. Overall the touchdowns have kind of saved him though, as he’s only been targeted 14 times, not a huge number for an offense with little else in the passing game.
This week the Raiders will face a tough road test in Minneapolis, and Williams is likely to draw Xavier Rhodes’ shadow coverage. An early-week injury designation for a hip pointer probably doesn’t help either. I’m not very high on Williams in this one and he’ll probably need a score if he wants to salvage any fantasy value.
Full Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings
Seth Klein joined the FantraxHQ team in September 2018. Seth brings an extensive resume to the table, having previously written at Razzball, The Fantasy Fix, and FantasyDraft. He has also served as the editor in chief at FantasyCPR and Fake Pigskin, and can be seen and heard on many podcasts and fantasy sports radio shows. Seth was born and bred in Los Angeles, but is a lifelong New York sports fan. He currently resides in the San Fernando Valley with his wife and two young children.
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