Week 3 Fantasy Summary: 5 Key Takeaways

The September 19-23 football week had many surprises compared to the previous two: the Saints’ loss to the Eagles, the Vikings, Steelers and Seahawks moved to 3-0 and the Bengals continued their losing streak, 0- 3. . Here are five key insights from week 3.

Josh Allen is just that good.
The rare double header on the night of September 23 turned into a blowout for the Bills Mafia, who upped the score 47-10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Quarterback Josh Allen was in the spotlight during the Bills’ demolition of the Jaguars. According to the NFL, Allen’s performance was “easily one of the most impressive individual performances and team wins for a club this young season.” The Bills offense went 70 yards in just 10 plays, with running back James Cook earning the touchdown. In the first half, Allen was 22 of 28 for 247 yards, 22 rushing yards, a 143.0 rating and four touchdowns.

The Vikings are on a roll.
The Minnesota Vikings went on a winning streak through the first two weeks – and that continued for a third. This week marks the second loss for the Vikings against the Texans, 34-7. Quarterback Sam Darnold left the game due to a knee injury, but later returned to finish regulation. An MRI was performed as a precaution, but it only revealed a bone bruise, and he is not expected to miss a game.

The Eagles outperformed the Saints offensively when they needed to.
The New Orleans Saints took their first loss of the season on September 22 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints’ defense ranked second in defense entering the game and allowed the Eagles to gain 175 yards on 25 carries. It was a battle of defense as Philadelphia held New Orleans to an “average of just 3.1 yards per carry,” according to the NFL. The Eagles’ offense put up several key points that secured their win. Running back Saquon Barkley scored on a 65-yard run and tight end Dallas Goedert caught a 61-yard reception. These plays came after star wide receiver Devonta Smith was removed from the game due to a concussion and right tackle Lane Johnson left due to a concussion in the first half.

Aaron Rogers is making a difference in the Jets offense.
The New York Jets are surprisingly 2-1 – and some credit a healthy Aaron Rogers. Rogers increased his performance against the New England Patriots on September 19, going 27-for-35 for 281 yards. He even managed to secure two touchdowns. Jets running backs Breece Hall and rookie Braelon Allen have worked well together this season, earning two and one rushing touchdowns, respectively. On defense, they were able to keep the Patriots out of the end zone, allowing one field goal.

Jayden Daniels is exactly what the commanders need.
The Washington Commanders were absolutely right when they drafted rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, and he proved it on September 22. He completed 21 of 23 passes, the “best single game by a rookie in NFL history.” ,” the NFL said. These passes were for 254 yards and two touchdowns, including his first touchdown pass to offensive tackle Trent Scott. And don’t worry, Daniels can run too. He kept several drives alive and led the Commanders in rushing with 39 yards. The most notable part of Daniels’ game was his “rainbow strike” on wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a 27-yard touchdown, which silenced the Bengals’ home crowd.

Week 4 Predictions: Who should you start and sit?

This season was surprising for a number of reasons, most notably the renewed emphasis on the run game. We’ve seen scores drop lower and lower as quarterbacks have played in slumps compared to years past. How does this impact fantasy football? Some quarterbacks who would normally be considered top options, such as the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, are off to a slow start. Wide receivers and tight ends don’t seem to be having any success, while running backs are doing better than expected, with the caveat that the 49ers’ consensus first-round pick, Christian McCaffrey, has still not played due to injury. That said, here’s a look at week 4 and predictions for who to start and sit.

Start:
Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins (WRs, HOU) (Home vs JAX)
To start this off with some honesty, the Jaguars defense looked awful against the Bills on September 23rd. It gave up 47 points, including more than 260 passing yards and four touchdowns through the air. Playing with less rest in Houston, against a wide receiver trio that is better than anyone the Bills have, feels like a must-start. Nico Collins or Stefon Diggs could reasonably score touchdowns and score more than 15 points this week. Considering that their other starting player, Tank Dell, is unlikely to play after missing practice for a midweek, Diggs and Collins could see quite a few targets and end up having great games. The Texans are looking for a win after their disappointing performance against the Vikings on September 22, and this could be the perfect opportunity to do so.

Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, NE) (Away vs. SF)
So far this season, the San Francisco 49ers have struggled to stop the run. Playing against a Los Angeles Rams team missing their top two receivers – Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua – Rams running back Kyren Williams exploded for more than 30 points. Additionally, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave appears to be out for the rest of the season, meaning San Francisco will have an even harder time stopping the streak. With the 49ers missing some of their best offensive weapons, it seems unlikely this game will succumb to a shootout. Additionally, the Patriots don’t have a great passing offense and have leaned heavily on their run game this season. There’s no reason why this should change against the 49ers, giving Stevenson an easy start.

Diontae Johnson (WR, CAR) (home vs. CIN)
The sample size is incredibly small, but the Panthers looked like a completely different animal with Andy Dalton starting at quarterback in place of Bryce Young. There was no bigger beneficiary of this than wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who had by far his best performance of the season with nearly 35 points against the Raiders last week. There’s a reason the Panthers traded for him from the Steelers; they view him as their WR1 and a potential focal point of their passing attack. More than that, they’re playing against a Bengals secondary that was sliced ​​to pieces by a less-than-stellar Commanders offense that didn’t turn the ball over or punt once in their entire game last week. Coupled with the fact that Adam Thielen was placed on injury reserve and will be out for four weeks as long as Dalton starts, Johnson is an easy player.

To sit:
JK Dobbins (RB, LAC) (home vs. KC)
This matchup does not bode well for the Chargers. They are expected to be without their two offensive tackles, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, meaning running the ball will be more difficult than usual. Los Angeles will also likely play from behind against a solid Chiefs team, leading to a game script that is likely less run-oriented. Kansas City has a pretty strong front seven and has done a great job of slowing down its opponents’ primary options this season. All of these factors ultimately add up to this not being a great game to start JK Dobbins, and he should be someone who is likely to remain on your bench.

Colts players, most notably Anthony Richardson (QB, IND) (Home vs. PIT)
After a very good first game, quarterback Anthony Richardson and the Colts’ passing attack were not looking good. Richardson is averaging less than a 50% completion percentage for the season and is making a lot of mental mistakes. Now they’re playing a Steelers team that hasn’t given up more than ten points this season and plays a run-heavy, slow-the-game style of attack. This in itself makes Richardson a risky starter, and since you can’t trust him, it’s hard to trust his pass catchers, especially Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and AD Mitchell.

Tyreek Hill (WR, MIA) (home vs. TEN)
When you have Tyreek Hill, you probably want to play against him most weeks he is active, but the fact is he doesn’t play well with quarterback Skylar Thompson. Additionally, Thompson left the game against the Seahawks early, so if third-string quarterback Tim Boyle starts, Hill’s prospects bode even worse. Tua Tagovailoa appears to be out for a significant amount of time, making Hill a player who doesn’t have the best short-term prospects. The Titans are also a team looking to settle the series, so this game will likely be slow and low-scoring, meaning Hill will get fewer opportunities than he used to.

This season has been full of surprises, with games generally lower scoring and less focused on passing than before. This has had a demonstrated impact on fantasy, with some receivers and quarterbacks becoming less valuable than before – a running back renaissance. There are still lessons to be learned from the season so far, promising players to start at each of these positions and some disappointments that may factor into fantasy benches this week.