Week 3 Fantasy Football Recap: Top 10 Takeaways
Week 3 is officially in the books, and it was a wild one. We saw a whopping nine touchdowns scored on either defense or special teams, including two blocked field goals returned for TDs and two TDs by the same guy (shoutout Isaiah Rodgers). Week 3 also featured Tre Tucker of all people providing the biggest fantasy performance of the season so far.
Of course, these stories were fun, but they might not actually have huge fantasy ramifications going forward. Defensive TDs are always flukey, and I don’t think Tre Tucker is suddenly the next coming of Jerry Rice. Instead, here are my top 10 fantasy football takeaways from Week 3’s action.
Top 10 Fantasy Football Takeaways Week 3
1. Running Back Injuries Are Back
2024 was the year of the fantasy running back, as almost no highly drafted names suffered major injuries. If the last two weeks are anything to go by, 2025 will be a year of correcting back to the mean. Austin Ekeler, Najee Harris, and James Conner are all already done for the year. Aaron Jones is on IR, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. might be joining him. Zach Charbonnet missed week three, too, although he could be back as soon as this week.
As always, every injury to a relevant running back results in another back seeing a huge boost in fantasy value. We saw Kenneth Walker, Cam Skattebo, Omarion Hampton, and Jordan Mason pop off without their respective teammates in Week 3. Outside of Walker, the other three deserve to be massively upgraded in rest-of-season rankings as well.
Trey Benson is probably the single biggest injury beneficiary, as he could be a legit RB2 as the Cardinals’ workhorse without Conner. The Commanders’ backfield without Ekeler is the lone case where there is no one clear winner … more on them later.
2. Maybe Joe Burrow Matters, Actually
Many fantasy analysts (myself included) entered Week 3 saying not to panic about the Bengals’ offense without Joe Burrow. Obviously, Jake Browning is a downgrade, but he filled in or Burrow competently enough in 2023. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown should be fine.
That prediction couldn’t be further from the truth. The Bengals’ offense looked hopeless against an admittedly tough Vikings defense, finishing with just 10 points and 171 total yards. Their big three of Chase, Higgins, and Brown finished with 12.4 Half-PPR points combined. Perhaps we should have seen this coming, given that the Bengals’ offense struggled mightily in Week 2 even with Burrow.
Going forward, all three of these players need to be downgraded. Chase’s talent and role should still make him a must-start, but he’s no longer a top-tier WR1. Higgins is more of a flex play. Brown is still seeing elite usage, but he has literally negative room to run behind Cincinnati’s O-line. He will probably be a frustrating flex play or backend RB2 — closer to Tony Pollard than the borderline RB1 he was drafted to be.
At this point, managers likely have no choice but to stick with these players and hope Browning turns it around or Burrow makes a miraculous recovery. But don’t be afraid to bench them if you have other options.
3. This Is Bucky Irving’s Floor
Three weeks into the season, Bucky Irving has arguably been a fantasy disappointment. He is just the RB16, with 13.2 Half-PPR points per game. However, those numbers vastly undersell how excellent his usage has been.
The sophomore RB has played 76% of the Buccaneers’ offensive snaps, handled 76% of their running back carries, and seen a 14% target share on a 57% route participation rate. Those are legitimately excellent numbers.
For comparison, from Week 10 through Week 18 of last season, Irving saw just an 11% target share, a 56% RB rush share, and a 37% route participation rate on a 51% snap share. He was still the RB7 over that time span with 16.8 points per game. If he can put last year’s efficiency with this year’s usage, Irving could easily be a top-five fantasy back. If you can, now might be a time to try to peel him away from a disappointed manager.
4. Woody Marks is a Running Back Reaper
In Week 1, fourth-round rookie Woody Marks saw the fourth-most snaps in the Texans’ backfield behind Nick Chubb, Dare Ogunbowale, and Dameon Pierce. In Week 2, Pierce was a health scratch — Marks moved up to third. In Week 3, Ogunbowale played only on special teams — Marks moved up to second, playing just one fewer snap than Chubb. If this trend continues, Chubb will play zero snaps next week, leaving Marks all alone.
Of course, this trend isn’t likely to continue. But it’s still very exciting that Marks, a rookie with some pass-catching ability, is trending rapidly upward in this backfield. He wasn’t a hugely exciting prospect, and he hasn’t been hugely impressive so far in the NFL (he ranks 55th of 59 qualified backs in PFF Rush grade). But the former USC Trojan definitely has more upside than Chubb if he can grab the lead role in this backfield — he should be rostered everywhere.
5. It’s Time To Worry About Travis Hunter
After Week 1, I celebrated (from a fantasy perspective) that Travis Hunter was clearly first and foremost a receiver, playing just six snaps on defense. That celebration was premature. Over the last two weeks, the Heisman winner has played 65% of the Jaguars’ defensive snaps and just 56% of their offensive snaps.
This is definitely bad, but it would be manageable if he still looked elite and racked up targets in his limited offensive action. Instead, Hunter has just four catches for 43 scoreless yards over the last two weeks. Of his 16 targets, 15 have been first-read targets. It’s certainly not a bad thing that he is getting designed looks, but it is a bad thing that he isn’t earning targets outside of those that are schemed up for him.
Three weeks into an NFL career would be too early to panic about any rookie, let alone a theoretically elite prospect who has to learn two playbooks at once. But from a redraft fantasy perspective, it’s certainly not too early to worry. Hunter is a long way from being a fantasy-relevant option at this point.
6. The Colts Are Legit
Yes, it was the Titans, but the Colts put up another elite offensive performance on Sunday. They now rank second in the league in both points and yards per game. In the passing game, Shane Steichen is scheming his weapons open, Daniel Jones is hitting them, and they are making plays. Meanwhile, their offensive line is still one of the best units in the league, and Jonathan Taylor is taking full advantage.
This success is translating to the fantasy front, too. Taylor is far and away the overall RB1, combining pristine usage with excellent efficiency. Jones had his worst outing of the season on Sunday and is still the fourth-highest-scoring QB on the season. Tyler Warren is “just” the TE9, but he leads the position with 193 receiving yards. And Michael Pittman Jr. is the WR13. One of the best ways to dominate a fantasy season is to predict the year’s breakout offense — at this point, the Colts are the runaway favorite to be that team.
7. Is Ladd McConkey the Chargers’ WR3?
Three weeks into the season, Ladd McConkey ranks third among Chargers receivers in both target share (19%) and points per game (7.9). His two teammates, Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen, are both top-seven fantasy receivers.
Of course, this probably won’t last all season. McConkey has still seen a solid seven targets per game, and he still leads the team in routes. He didn’t just lose all the talent he showed as a rookie — he’s no Brian Thomas Jr. (just kidding).
However, it would be wrong to say that we shouldn’t downgrade McConkey’s outlook going forward. He was supposed to be the clear WR1 next to a first-round bust and a washed old man. Instead, he’s competing with vintage target-hog Keenan Allen and Jerry Rice 2.0 (kidding again, although Johnston has looked legitimately excellent). Especially with how pass-happy LA’s offense has been, McConkey will have big games … but he’ll also have duds.
8. Jaylen Warren’s Role Just Gets Better
In the first two weeks of the season, Jaylen Warren’s role was surprisingly solid. With rookie Kaleb Johnson essentially a non-factor, he was only competing with Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell saw more work than we’d hope for, especially in the receiving game, but Warren was the clear lead back. He played 52% of snaps, handled 64% of the carries, and saw a 9% target share.
However, Warren’s role took another leap forward in Week 3. Gainwell, who had previously averaged a 45% route participation rate and a 48% snap share, saw his workload dramatically reduced (29% of snaps, 25% of routes). Johnson, meanwhile, didn’t play a single snap. This left Warren to dominate work in this backfield: 18 carries and six targets on a 46% route participation rate and a 78% snap share. We don’t know if this will last, but for now, Warren is a locked-in weekly RB2.
9. The Commanders’ Backfield is Somehow Messier Without Austin Ekeler
After Austin Ekeler suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 2, the fantasy community was fully expecting Week 3 to be Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s coronation as Washington’s RB1. “Bill” did lead the team in snaps … but he handled just eight carries, fewer than Chris Rodriguez Jr. And neither Croskey-Merritt nor Rodriguez led the team in rushing — Jeremy McNichols did, thanks to an impressive 60-yard TD run.
On the bright side for Bill believers, the rookie did lead the backfield in routes and targets … albeit with five and one, respectively. This is actually a great sign for his upside, as he does profile as a potential two-down-only back. Of course, this is a one-game, five-route sample, so he’s no Christian McCaffrey yet.
As for the ground game, the most likely outcome is still probably that JCM eventually consolidates work in this backfield. Rodriguez was a healthy scratch for Weeks 1 and 2, while McNichols is more of a special-teams player than anything else. However, he’s certainly not there yet. In standard-sized leagues, none of these backs is startable in Week 4.
10. Tyquan Thornton Isn’t Just a Deep Threat
The Chiefs’ offense always seems to feature one speedy X receiver whose main role is to see roughly two deep shots per game from Patrick Mahomes. In previous years, that job has belonged to guys like Marquez Valdes-Scantling. To start this season, it belongs to Tyquan Thornton, a former Patriots second-rounder with 4.2 speed.
However, Thornton has something that separates him from previous Mahomes deep threats, who were never more than boom-or-bust flex options. At least with Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy out, he’s also seeing other targets. In fact, he led the Chiefs’ offense with nine targets on Sunday night, a 24% target share. He also tied for the team lead with a 73% route participation rate, matching Marquise Brown and Travis Kelce.
Combining a couple of deep shots with even a handful of other targets is a recipe for a valuable fantasy asset. Thornton ranks second in the entire NFL with 443 air yards, behind only Malik Nabers. Of course, this probably won’t last when Worthy and/or Rice return to the field. But for now, Thornton is someone to consider as a high-ceiling flex with more of a floor than you might expect.
