Week 3 of the fantasy football season is upon us! You are at the perfect spot to win your week 3 matchup. Below are the FantasyProjection week 3 fantasy football rankings loaded with all of the fantasy goodness you need. This past week we saw many under-performers from OBJ to DJ I expect to see both of them get back on track in week 3 and provide at least better fantasy numbers for their owners. Please use the fantasy rankings below to make all of your start sit decisions and good luck in week 3!
Quarterbacks
- Patrick Mahomes, KC QB vs. SF
- Drew Brees, NO QB at ATL
- Ben Roethlisberger, PIT QB at TB
- Tom Brady, NE QB at DET
- Aaron Rodgers, GB QB at WAS
- Kirk Cousins, MIN QB vs. BUF
- Cam Newton, CAR QB vs. CIN
- Matt Ryan, ATL QB vs. NO
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB QB vs. PIT
- Carson Wentz, PHI QB vs. IND
- Jimmy, Garoppolo, SF QB at KC
- Matthew Stafford, DET QB vs. NE
- Deshaun Watson, HOU QB vs. NYG
- Andrew Luck, IND QB at PHI
- Alex Smith, WAS QB vs. GB
Big Ben Roethlisberger really bounced back in week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs in an absolute shoot out in Hines Field. Big Ben threw for 452 yards and 3 TDs while rushing twice for 9 yards and another TD! This was the type of performance that we have learned to expect from Big Ben at home against a weak pass defense. This game just added to his monstrous home/away splits. Unfortunately, Big Ben will be on the road at Tampa Bay in week 3… we must be concerned when Ben is not at home. I still believe in Big Ben this week especially against the Buccaneers who are allowing 377 passing yards per game (2nd worst in the NFL). When we look back on week 3 I expect to see this game as a big abnormality that contradicts Ben’s Horrible away stats. Fantasy Projection: 355 yards passing 3TD’s.
Carson Wentz is finally back in action after missing the end of 2017 including the Super Bowl and the first 2 games of 2018. Wentz was an above average QB in 2017 where he threw for and average of 246 yards and 2.5 TD’s per game. This performance did include Alshone Jeffrey for the majority of the year which he may not have for his first start in week 3. If Wentz had already had a start in 2018 and if he had back Alshon Jeffrey, he would most likely be much higher in my rankings for week 3 as he faces an average Joe Colts defense. This matchup is not scary at all and I can definitely see Wentz having a good game I just anticipate some rust as well as a lack of weapons for him to throw to. Fantasy Projection: 240 yards passing 1.5 TDs
Running Back
- Todd Gurley, LAR RB vs. LAC
- Alvin Kamara, NO RB at ATL
- Saquon Barkley, NYG RB at HOU
- Melvin Gordon, LAC RB at LAR
- James Conner, PIT RB at TB
- Ezekiel Elliott, DAL RB at SEA
- Dalvin Cook, MIN RB vs. BUF
- Kareem Hunt, KC RB vs. SF
- David Johnson, ARI RB vs. CHI
- Tevin Coleman, ATL RB vs. NO
- Jordan Howard, CHI RB at ARI
- Kenyan Drake, MIA RB vs. OAK
- Christian McCaffrey, CAR RB vs. CIN
- Lamar Miller, HOU RB vs. NYG
- Chris Thompson, WAS RB vs. GB
Melvin Gordon comes in as the FantasyProjection number 4 running back for week 3 between Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley. Gordon rushed for 28 yards and 1 TD as well as catching 6 passes for 38 yards and … 2 MORE TDs! It goes without saying that if you drafted Melivin Gordon in the late first–early second round you are an extremely happy owner and are beating owners who spent up for the likes of David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, and Zeke. Gordon is not only the product of sheer talent, but the trust of the coaching staff and the playbook relying heavily on him. This is exactly why even against a strong matchup like the the Rams in week 3, Gordon still finds himself as a top 5 RB. The Rams have only allowed 74 yards rushing per game on average and 1 TD so far in 2018. I expect Gordon will still be able to gather a significant amount of fantasy value through the air in week 3. Fantasy Projection: 55 yards rushing 7 receptions 63 yards 1.5 TDs
Tevin Coleman immediately took over as the work horse back for the Atlanta Falcons in week 2 where he rushed 16 times for 107 yards and caught 4 passes for 18 yards. Devonta Freeman was out for week 2 as he is expected to be for at least week 3 leaving Coleman as a great fantasy option. Coleman is facing the New Orleans Saints in week 3 who are in the middle of the pack as a defense against the run. The Saints are allowing an average of 102 yards and 1 TD per game on the ground which will be all Coleman’s if Freeman is again out. I expect that even if the Falcons are down and need to throw to keep up, Coleman will be heavily involved as a pass catcher which helps eliminate the concern of game flow. I expect Coleman to have another great game and he ends up as a bottom end RB1. Fantasy Projection: 65 yards rushing 5 receptions 25 yards .5 TDs
Wide Receivers
- Antonio Brown, PIT WR at TB
- Michael Thomas, NO WR at ATL
- Julio Jones, ATL WR vs. NO
- Tyreek Hill, KC WR vs. SF
- Mike Evans, TB WR vs. PIT
- DeAndre Hopkins, HOU WR vs. NYG
- Odell Beckham Jr., NYG WR at HOU
- A.J. Green, CIN WR at CAR
- Stefon Diggs, MIN WR vs. BUF
- T.Y. Hilton, IND WR at PHI
- Allen Robinson, CHI WR at ARI
- Davante Adams, GB WR at WAS
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT WR at TB
- Keenan Allen, LAC WR at LAR
- Nelson Agholor, PHI WR vs. IND
- Amari Cooper, OAK WR at MIA
- Kenny Golladay, DET WR, vs. NE
- Brandin Cooks, LAR WR vs. LAC
- Emmanuel Sanders, DEN WR at BAL
- Chris Hogan, NE WR at DET
- Jarvis Landry, CLE WR vs. NYJ
- Adam Thielen, MIN WR vs. BUF
- Quincy Enunwa, NYJ WR at CLE
- Keelan Cole, JAC WR vs. TEN
- DeSean Jackson, TB WR vs. PIT
Is Michael Thomas the best WR for fantasy in the NFL? So far in 2018 he sure is making the case. Thomas has posted 28 receptions for 269 yards receiving and 3 TDs so far in 2018 as the main passing target for the high powered Saints offense. Th Saints are taking on the Falcons this week who are 23rd best agianst the pass this year on a receiving yards per game basis and have only allowed 3TDs through the air. I don’t really care that this isn’t the best matchup… I still think Michael Thomas will get it done and will once again show up as a top 5 WR. I expect the game flow will lend itself to the Saints having to pass often also boosting Thomas’ already high value. Fantasy Projection: 12 receptions 101 yards 1.5 TDs
Oh Hello Amari! How nice of you to show up! Amari Cooper was missing in week 1 when he had 1 catch for 9 yards. This was an error by the Raiders offense which they promptly corrected in week 2 when Cooper had 10 catches for 116 yards. This is the exact kind of target share we expected to see for Cooper with Crabtree gone. It now looks like Cooper is back on track and will go on to have the kind of fantasy season we expected. Cooper will see plenty of volume against the Miami Dolphins who are the 12th worst against receivers on a receiving yards per game basis. I actually expect this game to be fairly close and the Raiders will continue to need to find Cooper throughout the game to keep up with the Dolphins. As the 16th receiver in the Fantasy Projection rankings he is mid-tier WR2 mainly due to the usage concerns from week 1 and a Dolphins defense who has only allowed 1 TD through the air this season. Fantasy Projection: 7 receptions 75 yards .25 TDs
Tight Ends
- Rob Gronkowski, NE TE at DET
- Travis Kelce, KC TE vs. SF
- Zach Ertz, PHI TE vs. IND
- George Kittle, SF TE at KC
- Jordan Reed, WAS TE vs. GB
- Kyle Rudolph, MIN vs. BUF
- Jimmy Graham, GB TE at WAS
- Evan Engram, NYG TE at HOU
- Jared Cook, OAK TE at MIA
- Trey Burton, CHI TE at ARI
- O.J. Howard, TB TE vs. PIT
- Jack Doyle, IND TE at PHI
George Kittle had a great week 1 with 9 targets leading to 5 receptions for 90 yards… In week 2 Kittle saw a major decline with only 4 targets for 2 receptions and 22 yards. I expect that Kittle will be a major piece of this offense for the remainder of the season and will end the season as a Top 6 TE for fantasy purposes. What better way to rebound from a down week than to play against the worst defense versus receivers who are allowing 438 yards per game to WR’s and 6 total TD’s on teh young season. The 49ers are playing the Chiefs in week 3 who are not only a bad defense, but have an offense that forces opposing teams to throw the ball much more than they are used to. In week 2, the 49ers defense allowed 5 receptions for 138 yards and 1 TD to Jesse James of the Steelers who is a much less talented offensive TE than George Kittle. This was a massive game for James that was a product of the game flow as well as a bad Chiefs D. I expect Kittle will take advantage of this matchup and get back to his week 1 form. Fantasy Projection: 7 receptions 77 yards 1 TD.
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