With so much uncertainty swirling around the start of Week 3 due to a multitude of injuries already wreaking havoc with fantasy football lineups, I was curious to see what sort of fallout would occur from a scoring standpoint. Thankfully, backup options played admirably well as a collective (currently, Marcus Mariota, Carson Wentz and Tyrod Taylor all rank inside the top 10 at quarterback, for example), and point totals didn’t dip too far away from the norm.
Injuries thrust tertiary options into the limelight at wide receiver and running back, and several low-rostered players burst forth with enormous totals, which should make this week’s waiver wire run very interesting (not to mention competitive).
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Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 3
Here is a quick rundown of Week 3’s standout performances and those that fell flat. Hopefully, you were on the correct side of the equation.
Quarterbacks
Stud: Caleb Williams (QB – CHI)
Unlike the first two weeks, where Caleb Williams came out on fire and slowly fizzled throughout the course of the game, he was able to carry his momentum for all four quarters against a hapless Dallas defense. Matching his career-high with four touchdown passes, Williams was also able to eliminate negative plays and didn’t turn the ball over once.
Taking a step back, it is crucial to determine if this is growth on Williams’ part, or another example of how horrific the Cowboys’ secondary is (or perhaps both). In my estimation, this is the latter. I have seen a good deal of progress from Williams entering his sophomore season, especially when it comes to ball control and his decisiveness.
Williams’ connection with Rome Odunze has taken a significant step forward, and considering how many alternate weapons are in this offense, I don’t see this surge in production as a mirage.
Stud: Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
Finally forced into a negative game script for the first time this season against the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia asked Jalen Hurts to throw the ball in Week 3. Took them long enough. After falling behind by 19 points in the third quarter, the Eagles adopted a pass-first mentality, with Hurts quickly finding connections to both A.J. Brown (6/109/1) and DeVonta Smith (8/60/1).
Hurts accounted for four total touchdowns, with the Rams’ defense keying in on stopping Saquon Barkley all afternoon. It was nice to see a bounce-back effort from Hurts, as he had yet to throw a touchdown pass this season before this game. I still expect Philadelphia to revert to its normal form moving forward, relying upon its ground game and defense to shorten contests in an effort to dominate the clock. Hurts remains a mid-range QB1, mainly due to the strength of his rushing ability around the goal line.
Dud: Michael Penix Jr. (QB – ATL)
Michael Penix Jr. looked sharp enough during Week 1 (298 passing yards and a touchdown) that I wasn’t overly concerned about a significant drop-off in his production. After all, with Drake London, Darnell Mooney and a fantastic run game behind him, it would be tough to randomly fall off a cliff, right? Cue in Lee Corso with the “not so fast, my friend” quote.
Penix was horrific on Sunday, and the fact that his struggles came against the formerly beleaguered Carolina Panthers defense makes it that much worse. Penix failed to eclipse 175 yards passing for the second straight week, failed to throw a touchdown and committed two egregious interceptions that contributed to the Falcons’ 30-0 shutout.
Pulled in favor of veteran Kirk Cousins late in the contest, one has to wonder how long his leash will be moving forward in difficult situations. Atlanta is at home in Week 4 against the Washington Commanders, and the team will look to avoid going 1-3 to start the season amidst a winnable NFC South division.
Dud: Joe Flacco (QB – CLE)
Even though Cleveland pulled off a surprise upset victory against the Green Bay Packers with a walk-off field goal on Sunday, their triumph wasn’t on the heels of a strong performance by Joe Flacco. With his passing totals plummeting since Week 1, Flacco completed just 21-of-36 attempts for 142 yards and an interception.
Unable to get anything established downfield with Jerry Jeudy (one catch for 17 yards on five targets) or Cedric Tillman (three catches for 26 yards on three targets), Flacco dink-and-dunked his way instead, relying upon the one-two rookie punch of Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson in the running game.
The Browns’ defense and special teams were the critical anchors that propelled Cleveland to its first win this season. Flacco has an uninspiring 2:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio to start the season. If they continue to drop games, the call for Shedeur Sanders will just become stronger.
Running Backs
Stud: Omarion Hampton (RB – LAC)
Now that is more like it. After two subpar outings to start his rookie season, Omarion Hampton exploded for nearly 130 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown on 25 touches. More importantly for his long-term value, veteran Najee Harris sustained an Achilles injury that will sideline him for the remainder of 2025, meaning Hampton now has a total stranglehold on this Los Angeles backfield.
Hampton was a bell-cow back during his days at the University of North Carolina, so handling this sort of volume shouldn’t be a foreign concept to him. Hassan Haskins and Kimani Vidal are likely to spell him here and there moving forward, but I don’t think either represents a significant threat to siphoning away any more carries than necessary. Hampton should be in the low-end RB1 discussion in Week 4 against a middling New York Giants defense on the road.
The path is cleared for Hampton to see a significant rise in touches in the future, and with the Chargers’ run-heavy approach, the sky is the limit for his production.
Stud: Cam Skattebo (RB – NYG)
The lone bright spot for New York on Sunday Night Football against Kansas City, Cam Skattebo came into Week 3 with expectations that he would handle a large share of backfield touches, spelling incumbent Tyrone Tracy Jr. That notion was put into hyperspeed, following Tracy’s departure in the first quarter with a nasty shoulder injury.
Skattebo not only dominated backfield touches from that point forward, but was also a focal point in the passing game, leading the Giants in targets, receptions and yards as a receiver. Given his success when afforded the opportunity, and without any further updates reported on the extent of Tracy’s injury, we’d anticipate Skattebo to be New York’s feature back for the time being.
The rookie’s violent running style and willingness to absorb contact make him an injury risk, but as long as he is on the field, we anticipate upside-RB2 production in an offense that will be constantly playing from behind.
Dud: Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
Cincinnati will be without the services of All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow for the time being, as he recovers from a significant turf toe injury expected to keep him sidelined until December. The hope is that his absence wouldn’t be too detrimental, but if Week 3 was any indication of how things will go, all fantasy-relevant options in this offense are in trouble. Negative game script from falling behind immediately to Minnesota hindered Chase Brown’s total rushing attempts, coupled with squaring off against one of the league’s better defensive fronts.
That said, 20 total yards on 14 touches are abysmal numbers, no matter how much we try to gloss over this performance. Brown’s fantasy managers will need to continue to be patient, as the Bengals square off against the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 4. Temper expectations for Brown moving forward, with his upside falling from a mid-tier RB1 to a low-end RB2 instead. The Bengals’ schedule for the remainder of this season is brutal — hopefully, their offense is able to get back on track soon.
Dud: Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
Ashton Jeanty entered Week 3 on the heels of a poor performance, and all media reports speculated that Las Vegas would make a concerted effort to get their first-round pick back on track, with more touches. To that end, the team was successful, as Jeanty handled 17 rushing attempts.
Unfortunately, Jeanty was unable to get anything going behind an offensive line that refuses to create holes in the running game and was constantly met in the backfield directly after being handed the ball. His 63 rushing yards represented a new career-high, but managers must begin getting concerned that they won’t be able to receive a good return on investment, considering that Jeanty was being selected towards the end of the first round less than a month ago.
The Raiders are hoping Jeanty finally experiences his breakout game at home in Week 4, against a Chicago Bears defense that is surrendering close to 140 rushing yards per game.
Wide Receivers
Stud: Tre Tucker (WR – LV)
Not only does Tre Tucker currently sit as the WR1 for the week entering Monday Night Football, but he is head and shoulders above the rest of the field in points scored. Typically slated as the third (or fourth) read in Las Vegas’ passing attack behind Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, Tucker led the team with nine targets from Geno Smith as they were in perpetual come-from-behind mode against Washington.
Tucker finished the afternoon with eight receptions for 145 yards and three touchdowns, and appears well on his way to a breakout season, with the Raiders constantly stuck in comeback mode during the second half of contests. Bowers’ health has played the most significant role in Tucker seeing 17 targets over the last two weeks, and he will surely take over as the alpha option once fully recovered.
Trusting downfield/speedster threats is difficult from a long-term viewpoint, as their boom-or-bust nature and lack of consistency can be maddening.
Stud: Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN)
Courtland Sutton experienced a good deal of preseason hype from analysts, pegging him as a sleeper selection in the early rounds, who had a chance of returning WR1 value at a discount. So far? So good. Sutton led all Denver receivers with eight targets on Sunday (the next closest were Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr. with four). He was the clear preferred option for quarterback Bo Nix all over the field.
Sutton enters Week 4 with a highly favorable matchup against a leaky Cincinnati Bengals secondary that has surrendered the seventh-most passing yards this season (nearly 360 per contest). The 1-2 Denver Broncos are in desperate need of victories to stay afloat in the competitive AFC West division, and Sutton will be one of the main reasons they remain in contention.
Dud: Stefon Diggs (WR – NE)
Stefon Diggs was one of New England’s biggest free-agent acquisitions and was expected to serve as the focal point in the Patriots’ passing attack for 2025. That hasn’t been the case. Instead, Kayshon Boutte has clearly become a favored option for quarterback Drake Maye as a more explosive downfield threat.
This past week, Diggs saw just three targets in a game where Maye had nearly 40 pass attempts, and his totals have steadily declined since Week 1’s 6/57/0 effort. Missing a portion of the offseason was clearly more detrimental than we anticipated, and we would do well to remember that Diggs is coming off a torn ACL suffered back in late October of last year.
Clearly a step slower at 31 years old and not the same magnetic talent he once was, Diggs’ fantasy managers will have to keep their collective fingers crossed for a resurgence in the second half of 2025’s schedule.
Dud: Calvin Ridley (WR – TEN)
Calvin Ridley could have headlined this list the first two weeks of the season as well, but now, having three subpar performances under his belt, I decided enough was enough. This past Sunday against Indianapolis, Ridley caught just one pass for 27 yards, on seven targets. One can’t fault Tennessee for trying to get him involved and initiate a spark — Ridley has 21 looks over the first three games. He just isn’t generating much separation or doing anything with them.
The emergence of rookie wideout Elic Ayomanor and tight end Chig Okonkwo as viable options for quarterback Cam Ward to utilize muddies the waters even further. Drafted as a low-end WR2, Ridley has failed to come through for his managers for the first quarter of the season.
Tight Ends
Stud: Hunter Henry (TE – NE)
Doesn’t it feel like we’ve seen this script before with Hunter Henry? Prone to the occasional breakout performance early each season, Henry has these sorts of games every so often, causing managers to flock to the waiver wire in a desperate attempt to shore up an otherwise top-heavy position.
Following a disappointing Week 2 against Miami, where he caught just one reception for nine yards, Henry led all New England receiving options on Sunday with 11 targets, catching eight passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Ordinarily, I’d be more optimistic to endorse Henry as a waiver wire add, but at this point, I’m considering myself once-bitten, twice-shy.
Still, New England’s lack of a running game is placing more of an emphasis on quarterback Drake Maye to carry them down the field than I expected, and I don’t envision that changing any time soon.
Dud: Travis Kelce (TE – KC)
On his “New Heights” podcast that he hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce mentioned he does not really care about what his final statistics are, if Kansas City comes away with a victory. We shall see how long that remains the case. During Sunday Night Football, the New York Giants made it a point to limit Kelce, holding him to just four receptions for 26 yards on seven targets.
Visibly frustrated after the first half, Kelce was seen arguing with head coach Andy Reid on the sidelines — a scenario that would become commonplace later in his career. There is a chance that the squeaky wheel will get greased moving forward, but we saw a similar situation take place last season, when Kelce was off to a horribly slow start early on before finally kicking it into gear. Even with his struggles, Kelce still ranks as the current TE10, but his managers have to be hoping for more production moving forward.
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