📝 Week 3 Key Takeaways

ATL - In what could have been a potential shootout, Michael Penix struggled in what was likely the worst NFL game of his young career. Drake London and Darnell Mooney dominated in snaps and targets but the turnovers and incompletions kept them out of the end zone. Similarly Bijan Robinson was efficient on his touches (13 carries for 72 yds and 5 for 39 in the air) but touchdowns limit this offense’s upside.

CAR - Bryce Young only threw for 121 yards in a game the offense just had to not lose. Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle had a 62-40% snap split with a similar ratio of touches. David Moore filled in for Xavier Legette and played the most snaps of the WRs, only drawing one target. This team is needing Jalen Coker to return, especially with another injury to a pass catcher (Ja’Tavion Sanders, ankle).

GB - With Jayden Reed out, we saw more clarity in the WR room with Romeo Doubs playing 89% of the offensive snaps, Matthew Golden 71%, and Dontayvion Wicks 68%. Tucker Kraft wasn’t on any pitch count after the knee injury playing 86% of the offensive snaps. The minimal success can be mostly thrown out as Cleveland has an outlier good defense.

CLE - Quinshon Judkins is the clear RB1 in Cleveland, with Jerome Ford playing the third down role and Dylan Sampson’s snaps dropping to 5 total. Theme continues of it will be difficult to trust any Browns’ pass catcher but in deeper leagues, Isaiah Bond is worth an add as his snaps have progressed to being the WR3. And more proof CLE defense is a pass-funnel, holding Josh Jacobs to just 30 yards on 16 carries.

HOU - Christian Kirk plugged immediately into the slot role and combined with Nico Collins to account for 54% of the team’s targets. The RB room gained clarity as Nick Chubb and Woody Marks were the only two backs to do anything, with a near even split in snaps and routes run, and Chubb leading the carries 9-5.

JAX - Brian Thomas Jr. once again played the most snaps and ran the most routes but finished with only 2 receptions on 6 targets for 55 yards. Travis Hunter only had 2 targets himself. For the RBs, we’re seeing a messy three-headed backfield as Travis Etienne remains the primary back (54% of the offensive snaps), LeQuint Allen Jr. the third down and two-minute drill back, and Bhayshul Tuten the change-of-pace to Etienne.

CIN - This was always going to be a difficult game for Jake Browning, going up against the Brian Flores blitz-heavy defensive scheme. That said, this went about as bad as it could. At Denver next week on MNF won’t be much easier with @GB two weeks later. You’re still starting Ja’Marr Chase and likely Chase Brown but think it’s fair to consider benching Tee Higgins those two games.

MIN - Vikings controlled this entire game, primarily on the ground with Jordan Mason rushing for 116 yds and 2 TDs on 16 carries. Carson Wentz looked solid and brought TJ Hockenson back to life with his 5/49/1 line. Jordan Addison returns next week from suspension and will likely be in your starting lineup as they play the aging Steelers defense.

PIT - Jaylen Warren is getting the most usage he’s had in his career, playing 80% of the offensive snaps and finishing with 18 carries for 47 yards and 5 receptions for 34 yards on 6 targets. He has a solid floor each game but his upside is limited by the lack of scoring and slow pace of the offense.

NE - Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled twice and as a result, played fewer snaps than 2nd-round rookie TreVeyon Henderson (not to mention Antonio Gibson also fumbled). Henderson’s rise may happen sooner than the Patriots planned. Hunter Henry had a huge game going 8/90/2 on 11 targets but in general, will be hard to trust anyone in this offense besides Drake Maye (who continues to provide a solid rushing floor each week - 7/45 this week).

LAR - The target concentration for Puka Nacua and Davante Adams remains absurd, as they combined for 74% of the team’s targets. Kyren Williams played 76% of the RB snaps, with Blake Corum looking strong in his change-of-pace role.

PHI - The Eagles were down 26-7, forcing them to play more aggressive, pass-first football. And they did with ease, leading a comeback with four straight unanswered TDs. AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert each had a TD. This type of game is unlikely to be the norm for Philadelphia but good to know it’s in their arsenal.

TB - Mike Evans left the game in the 4th quarter with an apparent hamstring injury. Given his age and history of this injury, decent likelihood he’ll miss at least the next game. Good news is Chris Godwin should be back soon. Emeka Egbuka was limited going into this game but looked great turning 64% of the snaps into a 6/85/0 line.

NYJ - Not too much of value to discern in this game as Justin Fields will hopefully be back next week. If not, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall can be trusted with Tyrod Taylor but their ceilings are capped by the offensive woes.

IND - Jonathan Taylor continues to be the big fantasy winner of Daniel Jones winning the starting QB job. He goes 17/102/3 on the ground with 3/16 in the air. Michael Pittman bounces back from a down Week 2 to reclaim his title as the WR1 in this offense. With how valuable the role is, if Jonathan Taylor were to ever go down, DJ Giddens has the potential to be a top 10 fantasy RB.

TEN - Tony Pollard maintained his high-usage role with Tyjae Spears out, hitting paydirt for the first time this year. He’s been a frustrating start but continues to have a valuable role in games the offense can sustain drives. More difficult to say about the pass catchers as Calvin Ridley and Elic Ayomanor are the top two options, but Cam Ward spreads the ball around so no one person had more than 19% of the targets.

LV - If you had Tre Tucker for 3+ TDs, congratulations on building a time machine. He finished with an 8/145/3 stat line on 9 of Geno Smith’s 27 targets. Ashton Jeanty continued to share the backfield, only playing 61% of the snaps. Brock Bowers only has a 4/38 stat line but played a season high 83% of the snaps. This is likely a result of Michael Mayer suffering a head injury but worth monitoring going forward.

WAS - The Commanders used a true committee backfield with no RB playing more than 40% of the snaps. The team also happily played a run-first style with Marcus Mariota only throwing on 36% of the plays. Terry McLaurin also suffered a quad injury that we’ll be monitoring.

DEN - J.K. Dobbins maintains his lead role, playing 67% of the snaps, and leading over R.J. Harvey in routes run (19-10) and carries (11-2). Tyler Badie took a backseat only playing 2 offensive snaps this week. Troy Franklin maintained his significant role playing just one fewer snap than Courtland Sutton, but half the targets this week (4 to 8).

LAC - Najee Harris suffered what looked to be a season-ending Achilles injury. Omarion Hampton in his absence dominated the work and his best this year going 19/70/1 on the ground and 6/59/0 in the air. This continues to be a clear three-WR room with value for all three.

SEA - With Zach Charbonnet out, Kenneth Walker played the primary back role, in on 77% of the offensive snaps prior to garbage time. He wasn’t efficient but made fantasy owners happy with 2 TDs on top of his 38 yards on 16 carries. Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s target share came back to earth as he only had 6 targets but turned it into a 5/96/1 line. Tory Horton also had a nice day, combining a 95-yard punt return for a TD with a 3/32/1 line.

NO - Chris Olave widened the gap between himself and Rashid Shaheed as the WR1, catching 10 passes on a 33% target share. Alvin Kamara went back to his week 1 minimal pass-game usage role with only 2 targets despite 31 routes run. Spencer Rattler has done a solid job this year at limiting the bad plays but eventually the Saints will be looking for more upside at the QB position and hand the reins to Tyler Shough.

CHI - Caleb Williams took advantage of the dream matchup vs Dallas, throwing for 298 yards and 4 TDs. The rushing game struggled earning only 3 ypc but the receivers shared the wealth with Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, and Cole Kmet all getting TDs. Odunze and Moore are the only pass catchers we can trust for now but worth monitoring Cole Kmet as a sneaky TE play if Colston Loveland has to miss time with a hip injury.

DAL - Remember this theme for teams playing Dallas. They go off! Cowboys have now given up 24 to the Eagles, 37 to the Giants, and 31 to the Bears. As for the offense, CeeDee Lamb left the game with an ankle injury and if he misses time, expect Jake Ferguson to continue his high usage (14 targets today!), with Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin doing what they can to replace his snaps. In the backfield, Miles Sanders ate into Javonte Williams’ role, splitting the carries despite only playing 36% of the snaps.

ARI - James Conner suffered what appears to be a season-ending injury, opening the door for Trey Benson to have immediate startable value. After James Conner left the game, Trey Benson outsnapped Emari Demarcado 21 snaps to 7. He took over Conner’s early down and short yardage role while Demarcado retook his third-down role he had last year. Will continue to track this for everyone but even against a difficult SEA match-up next week, Benson should be a consideration for your starting lineup.

SF - The 49ers continue to win despite losing key pass catchers such as George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and the extended absence of Brandon Aiyuk. No Jauan Jennings this week meant a starting WR role for Kendrick Bourne, and Ricky Pearsall leading the WRs in targets. They also let Christian McCaffrey be the driving force of the offense, with 14 targets and 17 carries.

If you want more detailed information on each game, or the full breakdown from the late night SNF snoozer game, I highly recommend Nathan Jahnke’s weekly article which is the data source for much of this information.

📊 Poll of the Day

Last Friday’s poll: Which game this weekend will bring us the most fantasy goodness?

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