Fantasy Football Week 3 Recap
Studs of the Week
Week 3 was full of big performances, with some players truly carrying their fantasy managers to victory. Here are the studs who made the biggest impact:
- Quarterbacks:
- Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills: The Buffalo Bills defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10, and Josh Allen had a fantastic fantasy game. Allen completed 22 of 28 throws for 247 yards and threw for four touchdowns, all in the first half. Because of their impressive performance, the Bills were ahead early on and Allen didn’t have to do much in the second half as they scored on their first five drives. Even though he had less work to do after halftime, he still produced an impressive fantasy performance for the game, putting up more than 30 points in most formats. Allen put on one of his better early-season efforts in this game, demonstrating both his efficiency and his capacity to generate enormous fantasy numbers.
- Jayden Daniels – Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels delivered a near-perfect fantasy football performance in the Washington Commanders’ 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The rookie quarterback completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, setting an NFL rookie record with a 91.3% completion rate. He also added 40 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground, showcasing his dual-threat capability. Daniels’ poise and accuracy were on full display, leading the Commanders to score on every drive except kneel-downs. His fantasy points for this game were exceptional, likely in the range of 30-35 points in most leagues, solidifying him as a top dual-threat option
- Running Backs:
- Saquon Barkley – Philadelphia Eagles: Against the New Orleans Saints, Barkley gave the Philadelphia Eagles an outstanding fantasy football performance. With two touchdowns and 147 yards on 17 carries, he was key key factor in the Eagles offense. One of his runs was a 65-yarder that gave the Eagles a vital lead and rejuvenated the offense as a whole as they looked like they were set to throw away another game to the NFC South. Barkley is rising up the betting lists as a potential offensive player of the year and has the potential to finish the seasons as the RB1.
- Kyren Williams – Los Angeles Rams: With the Rams offense as a whole devastated by injuries, head coach Sean McVay put on a coaching clinic on Sunday afternoon. Kyren Williams became the focal point of the Rams offense, posting over 30 fantasy points in most leagues, fueled by 24 rushing attempts for 89 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he contributed in the passing game with two receptions for 27 yards and a receiving touchdown. Williams solidified his role as a lead back for the Rams, handling the majority of the workload and excelling despite facing a strong 49ers defense. Williams was on the field for an absurd 90% of the team’s offensive snaps, and it appears that despite drafting Blake Corum, McVay is still going to ride heavily on his star back.
- Wide Receivers:
- Jauan Jennings – San Francisco 49ers: Jauan Jennings had a career game for the San Francisco 49ers on September 22, 2024, stepping up in a big way due to injuries to key players like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. Jennings exploded with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. This was his best performance in four years, setting season-highs and providing huge fantasy value for anyone who started him. Jennings scored three times, including a 15-yard go route and a 31-yard strike, showing great chemistry with quarterback Brock Purdy. He became only the third receiver in 49ers history to post 10+ catches, 175+ yards, and three touchdowns in a single game. This game solidified Jennings as a key fantasy waiver pickup moving forward, especially if the team’s injuries persist.
- Ja’Marr Chase – Cincinnati Bengals: Chase delivered a stellar fantasy football performance for the Cincinnati Bengals against the Washington Commanders. He was targeted seven times and hauled in six catches for an impressive 118 yards. Most notably, Chase found the end zone twice, once on a deep 41-yard touchdown in the first quarter and again in the fourth quarter, showcasing his ability to make game-changing plays. His performance was a bright spot for the Bengals, despite their loss. This was Chase’s breakout game of the season, rewarding fantasy managers after a couple of quieter outings in the previous weeks. His 2-touchdown night significantly boosted his fantasy value, bringing hope to those who had been patient with him. Heading into Week 4, Chase remains a must-start, as he is clearly a focal point in Cincinnati’s offense.
- Tight Ends:
- Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles: Goedert became Jalen Hurts’ main target with A.J. Brown missing the game with a hamstring injury, and DeVonta Smith leaving the game with a concussion. His fantasy value was greatly increased by this expanded position, particularly in tight-end premium formats. Despite failing to hit the end zone, Goedert was one of the team’s best pass catchers thanks to his ability to control 29% of the team’s targets, resulting in Goedert setting career high in receiving yard and receptions, finishing the game catching 10 of 11 targets for 170 yards. Goedert has notoriously been underutilized in every version of the Eagles offense for years, but if the injuries to Brown and Smith keep them out for the next couple of weeks then Goedert might be one of the few stars at tight end for the time being.
Duds of the Week
We had a hard time keeping the Dud list to just three this week, but here are players who continue to infuriate fantasy managers.
- D’Andre Swift – RB, Chicago Bears In Week 3, D’Andre Swift struggled significantly in his fantasy performance, rushing 13 times for just 20 yards against the Indianapolis Colts. He also caught two passes for 22 yards, finishing the game with a total of only 4.2 fantasy points. This disappointing outing came despite facing one of the league’s weakest run defenses, as the Colts had allowed the most rushing yards per game prior to this match-up. Swift’s lack of production was exacerbated by the performance of Roschon Johnson, who was more effective with fewer carries. Swift’s usage in the red zone was minimal, resulting in two carries that went for negative yardage. Analysts are now viewing Swift as a risky option moving forward, suggesting he may become touchdown-dependent for any fantasy value.
- Mark Andrews – TE, Baltimore Ravens Mark Andrews had yet another disappointing performance, this time against the Dallas Cowboys. He didn’t record a single catch, finishing with just one target throughout the entire game. This lack of involvement continued a quiet trend for Andrews this season, having had only 14 receiving yards in the first week and a mildly better outing with 51 yards in Week 2. The Baltimore Ravens, who won the game 28-25, leaned heavily on their running game, which resulted in Jackson completing only 12 passes to seven different players, however Andrews’s diminished role is still concerning for fantasy owners, especially with tight end Isaiah Likely starting to emerge as a potential option in the Ravens’ offense. There haven’t been any signs that would make you think that Andrews is about to break out in this offense this season, so the concern level is extremely high.
- Mike Evans – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers This is less an indictment on Mike Evans as it is an opportunity to point out that we may be at the point where we need to bench our star receivers who are going to be matched up against the Broncos star cornerback Patrick Surtain. Surtain is an eraser on defense. Baker Mayfield loves to target Evans, but against Surtain, Mayfield targeted Evans only three times for two catches and seventeen yards. So far this season, Surtain has been the primary coverage man against DK Metcalf (three receptions, four targets, twenty nine yards), George Pickens (two receptions, twenty nine yards, four targets) and now Evans. Be aware of when your stud receivers are playing against the Broncos going forward.
Fun Stat from the Weekend
The Detroit Lions had one of the most exciting plays of the weekend, executing a hook and ladder play where Jared Goff completed a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who then immediately flipped it to Jahmyr Gibbs, who took it to the end zone. Gibbs ended the day with zero targets, zero receptions, twenty receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.