The NFL season is off to an exciting start, and we’re starting to get an idea of which teams will be great sources of fantasy production and which offenses we should avoid. The fantasy football rankings for all the positions are extremely fluid this early in the season. Players rise and fall quickly based on their performance and who they’ll face in the upcoming Week 3.
Before the new week kicks off with the Jets and Patriots meeting at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, let’s take a look at some of the biggest risers and fallers in my Week 3 fantasy football rankings.
QB Risers and Fallers
After making a head coaching change this offseason, the Cardinals have been very exciting in their first two games under Head Coach Jonathan Gannon and Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing. Kyler Murray has been making plays on the ground and through the air. He led all quarterbacks in fantasy points in Week 2, and he is expected to be in a high-scoring game this week against the Lions. He jumps all the way up to No. 4 in my rankings after being unranked coming into Week 2.
Aside from Tua Tagovailoa dropping out of the rankings due to his head injury, Matthew Stafford is also sliding out of the top 10 since the Rams are dealing with multiple wide receiver issues and have a tough matchup with the 49ers.
Check out my full QB rankings for Week 3.
RB Risers and Fallers
Week 2 was the Alvin Kamara revival week. Kamara hung four touchdowns on the Cowboys and his revitalized Saints got a huge road win. Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak is getting plenty of fantasy owners excited for the Saints’ offense moving forward. I bumped Kamara up from No. 21 in Week 2 up to No. 10 for this week’s matchup against the Eagles. After seeing the Eagles on Monday Night Football, I’m moving Kamara even higher, slotting him in at No. 6 just behind Josh Jacobs.
In San Francisco, Jordan Mason has stepped in almost seamlessly for Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles), who landed on IR and will miss extended time. My Week 2 rankings came out when CMC was expected to play. He sat atop my rankings, and Mason wasn’t included. By the time I made my Week 3 rankings, Mason had two games with 100+ rushing yards and a touchdown. As a result, he debuts at the No. 3 spot this week.
Kenneth Walker and Joe Mixon dropped out of my rankings due to their injuries. As a result, Zach Charbonnet moves into the No. 21 slot in my rankings. I’m not sold on Dameon Pierce or Cam Akers as Mixon’s replacement. The biggest non-injury-related faller this week is J.K. Dobbins, who dropped from No. 9 to No. 20. His drop is completely due to a matchup with the Steelers in week 3 instead of the Panthers in Week 2.
Check out my full RB rankings for Week 3.
WR Risers and Fallers
After his breakout performance in Week 2, Marvin Harrison Jr. is a top-five option this week against the Lions. He was barely part of the Week 1 gameplan, but suddenly, he and Kyler are now one of the hottest duos in the NFL after tearing up the Rams. They seem poised for another monster week vs. the Lions.
My rankings first came out before news of the Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) injury. With him out of my rankings, Brandon Aiyuk jumps to around No. 15. In other injury news, both Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown are on track to play, which would solidify their spots in my top five.
The biggest ranking drops at receiver are the Dolphins’ duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Downgrading from Tua to Skylar Thompson and facing a Seahawks secondary that has looked very good makes them very tough to play with confidence.
Check out my full WR rankings for Week 3.
TE Risers and Fallers
Harrison wasn’t the only rookie who had a monster Week 2, as Brock Bowers posted the third-highest fantasy output of all tight ends despite not finding the end zone. He jumped from No. 9 to No. 5 this week after his breakout performance in Week 2. Another riser was Pariots tight end Hunter Henry, who had the biggest Week 2 of any tight end and moved to No. 7 in my rankings for this Thursday’s matchup with the Jets.
Without Deebo, I’d bump George Kittle up to No. 2 in my rankings behind only Travis Kelce. Kittle had a big Week 2 and should get more targets in a favorable matchup against the Rams as one of the Niners’ top weapons.
I still believe enough in Sam LaPorta to keep him high in my rankings despite his slow start, but I am starting to lose faith in Mark Andrews, who dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 this week. He has only had seven targets in his first two games and is losing playing time to Isaiah Likely. The Ravens’ offense needs to find some big plays to avoid a 0-3 start, but the Cowboys’ defense will also be looking to make a statement after last week’s letdown vs. the Saints.
Check out my full TE rankings for Week 3.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
