Hungry For More: The Fantasy Footballers’ Predictions for Week 3
The fantasy football season has served fantasy managers two courses so far this season, and while some got a tasty treat, others are still waiting on their first delicious victory meal of the season. It’s time again for the Ballers to go looking for a snickety snack with this week’s Hungry For More presented by Uber Eats!
Each week the Ballers will pick a player who super-sized their game in the past week and decide if they’ll continue to eat at the big guy’s table or go back to the kid’s table. Of course, I’ll give you an extra side dish or two to go along with Andy, Mike, and Jason’s main course! Let me know if you think we’re cooking up a high-end meal or if it’s more like gas station sushi!
WR – Tank Dell (HOU)
| Week 2 | ||
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| 7 | 72 | 1 |
There’s been plenty of excitement around Texans WR Nico Collins’ hot start, but The Fantasy Hitman argues Houston rookie WR Tank Dell deserves mentioning as well. Dell is a bit undersized at just 5’10”, but saw a huge increase in work in Week 2 playing 79% of snaps which turned into 10 targets and a WR19 finish on the week. This high-end production is something that carries over from Dell’s college profile. In his last two seasons at Houston, he finished with 199 receptions, 2,727 receiving yards, and 29 TDs.
Overall the Texans have increased their passing attack from the run-heavy approach the previous coaching staff took in 2022. Currently, Houston is third in the league in pass attempts and fourth in passing yards. With Dell’s increase in workload in the offense, there’s a real chance he will become a proper fantasy option by the end of the season. Week 3 presents another interesting matchup for Dell and the Houston passing attack. Jacksonville has given up a top-25 WR finish in both weeks this season.
WR – Gabe Davis (BUF)
| Week 2 | ||
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| 6 | 92 | 1 |
Jason is serving up a former “My Guy” from 2022 with Gabe the Babe Davis. Davis disappointed the high aspirations of the Big Shimmy last season but still finished as the WR27. One of the biggest complaints about Davis from last season was his meager 52% catch rate. Davis has been given plenty of opportunity in one of the best offenses in the league, so his better performance in Week 2 could be a sign of things to come for the Bills’ WR. Last week showcased the best catch rate of Davis’ career whenever he received at least seven targets since his epic four TD game in the AFC Divisional Playoff Round.
Continuing Davis’ top-15 streak may be doable with the Commanders visiting Buffalo on Sunday. Washington’s defense gave up a whopping 52.9 points to the Broncos’ WRs last week, including the WR11 and WR13 finishes on the week. You read that right. Russell Wilson supported TWO top-15 WRs in the same week. If the Bills’ offense continues to look like one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league this week, Davis could be bringing the main course for a big fantasy feast.
WR – George Pickens (PIT)
| Week 2 | ||
| Receptions | Receiving Yards | TDs |
| 4 | 127 | 1 |
There haven’t been many bright spots in the Steelers’ offense through two games, but Andy thinks George Pickens may be the meal ticket to fantasy relevance in the Pittsburgh passing game. Pickens is as explosive of an athlete as you can get at WR, as we saw in his 71-yard TD Monday night against the Browns. Andy argues that QB Kenny Pickett and the Steelers’ offense need to find a way to get Pickens the ball in ways other than long throws down the field which could be something we see more of soon. Pickens has shown he is more than capable of making big plays in the passing game, with 17 receptions of 20+ air yards since 2022. That’s more than fellow 2022 draft class WRs Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave combined.
If there’s a time to exploit a secondary, Pickens will have his shot against the Raiders this week. Through their first two games, Las Vegas’ defense has given up the second most passing TDs in the league and is one of just five teams who haven’t forced an interception. Pickens should have every opportunity to lead the Steelers’ WR room with Diontae Johnson placed on IR, which could be enough time to establish himself as the WR1 in Pittsburgh.
RB – Roschon Johnson (CHI)
| Week 2 | ||
| Carries | Rushing Yards | TDs |
| 4 | 32 | 0 |
This could be a week premature, but I’m interested in seeing if Roschon Johnson can continue to work his way onto the field for the Bears and become a real option for fantasy managers. The Bears’ rookie RB started the season strong in Week 1, finishing as the RB12 behind just 12 total opportunities. Johnson took a step down in chances to make an impact in Week 2, seeing just four carries and two targets, but he’s currently averaging 5.8 yards per carry, better than starter Khalil Herbert’s 3.9 average.
While the Bears’ offense as a whole hasn’t gotten rolling, if Johnson can continue to chip away at the total workload in the Chicago backfield there’s a chance he becomes a real flex option for fantasy managers. It wouldn’t even have to be a full takeover of snaps for Johnson to move into playable consideration. Currently, we’re seeing about a 60/40 split between Herbert and Johnson. If that split ends up closer to 50/50, Johnson’s higher efficiency with his touches will show the way to tasty consistent RB plays soon enough.