Ten Things We Learned In Week 3 (Fantasy Football)
Week 3 is now in the books, and we were blessed with great football games, including a potential future playoff rematch featuring the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins seem to be a legit contender after they pulled off the win, and they are now one of only two teams that are 3-0. The Eagles are the other team, and the Giants have a chance to go 3-0 should they beat the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Now that we’ve discussed real football, it’s time to look at the fantasy side of things and find out what we learned in Week 3.
1. Amari Cooper Is Thriving In Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns acquired Amari Cooper this off-season for a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games, which caused Cooper’s value to plummet in fantasy drafts. Fantasy managers were uninterested in a player with a history of many ups and downs in a new offense with Jacoby Brissett as the quarterback. Despite all of the concerns Cooper has produced for those fantasy managers who took a risk on him. He has back-to-back games with at least ten targets, 101 yards, and a touchdown. Cooper had a rough Week 1 outing, so there may be more ups and downs, but he is seeing a lot of volume and is producing with the opportunities. Things may only improve as the season progresses and when he gets a quarterback upgrade in Week 13.
2. Devonta Smith Is A Solid Flex Play
After two weeks of football, Devonta Smith was raising concerns after putting up a goose egg in Week 1 and A.J. Brown taking over WR1 duties on the offense. Smith was heavily involved in Week 3, catching 8-of-12 targets for 169 yards and a touchdown. Most of that production came during the first half. While Brown is the wide receiver you would like to have in this offense, Smith should offer solid fantasy value too. He is more of a flex option going forward, but he will have a solid role in the Eagles’ offense and should see plenty of volume.
3. A Top-12 Season For DJ Moore Is Unlikely
The Carolina Panthers acquired Baker Mayfield, hoping he would improve their offense. Unfortunately, Mayfield has been unimpressive, and DJ Moore will have yet another season with subpar quarterback play. Every year, we hope that it will be the year that Moore can put together a top-12 season, but it seems that it won’t happen this year. Last year, Moore did not have a game with fewer than seven targets, and this season, he has three straight games with six targets. He also isn’t producing at the level he has in the past, with only seven receptions for 88 receiving yards and a touchdown on the season. Through three games last year, Moore had 22 receptions for 285 yards and a touchdown. Will Moore ever have the coveted WR1 season?
4. Derrick Henry Looked Better In Week 3
After a season-ending injury last year, Henry looked to pick up where he left off, but he had a slow start to the season. In Week 3, Henry looked a little more like himself and even got involved in the passing game. Henry rushed 20 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. He caught 5-of-6 targets for 58 yards too. Henry looked smooth and showed a good burst, getting to the second level and making big plays. Henry is 28 and coming off a significant injury, so there were some nerves about how he may perform this year. Hopefully, Week 3 is a sign that he still has something left in the tank for fantasy managers.
5. It’s Going To Be Hard To Trust Chase Edmonds
Through three weeks of the 2022 season, Chase Edmonds has yet to break out, and he isn’t seeing much volume on the ground or through the air. In Week 3, he rushed six times for 21 yards and two touchdowns and added a reception for six yards. Edmonds only has eight targets on the year, which is disappointing, considering pass-catching is one of his skills. It’ll be hard to trust Edmonds in your fantasy lineups as he hasn’t done much, and Raheem Mostert siphons work away from him. He should be considered an RB3 with upside for now.
6. Lamar Jackson Is Playing At An Elite Level
Lamar Jackson is back to putting up video game numbers in the NFL. Jackson threw for 218 yards and four touchdowns and added 107 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground in Week 3. He has back-to-back games with 100 rushing yards and a score and has thrown at least three touchdown passes in every game this year. Jackson may be returning to the form of his MVP season, and fantasy managers should be ecstatic with his potential this year as the Ravens offense looks to get back to what it once was.
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7. Melvin Gordon Is More Involved than We Had Hoped
Once again, Javonte Williams seems to have his ceiling capped due to Melvin Gordon. There were rumors of pitch counts and a committee approach, but even Gordon mentioned that the Broncos wanted Javonte to be the guy. However, that’s just not been the case through three weeks of the season. Melvin Gordon has 34 rushing attempts for 131 yards and a touchdown, while Javonte has 37 rushing attempts for 176 yards and no touchdowns. Javonte has been utilized through the air more, catching 15-of-21 targets for 77 yards and no touchdowns. Gordon has caught 8-of-9 targets for 49 yards and no touchdowns. The Broncos’ offense has been a disaster considering the expectations after acquiring Russell Wilson and adding in the committee approach between Williams and Gordon. Williams seems to be a bust candidate with his late second-round ADP and may have many frustrating games ahead for fantasy managers.
8. Jalen Hurts Can Still Be Great Without Rushing
Despite rushing for only 20 yards in Week 3, Jalen Hurts still scored 33.6 fantasy points and is currently the QB2 on the week. Hurts threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns. Hurts has been dynamic and is growing as a passer. Those who drafted Hurts in the middle rounds should be ecstatic, knowing he doesn’t have to rush a lot to provide excellent fantasy value. The Eagles acquired AJ Brown to team up with Devonta Smith, and if you add in Dallas Goedert, there are so many weapons on this team. Hurts is well on his way to a top-5 season among quarterbacks in fantasy.
9. Russell Gage Shows Up When Needed
In Week 3, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves without several starting wide receivers. Russell Gage filled in and delivered with the opportunity, catching a career-high 12-of-13 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. While Gage is unlikely to be someone to trust regularly in your fantasy lineup, he is worth a plug-and-play while he has the opportunity with injuries to Chris Godwin and Julio Jones. He led Tampa Bay in targets, receptions, and yards and has seemed to earn Brady’s trust for the time being.
10. Chris Olave Is A Big Part Of The Saints’ Offense
Another rookie has broken out in the 2022 season. Chris Olave caught 9-of-13 targets for 147 yards. Over the last two weeks, Olave has 26 targets and is clearly a big part of the Saints’ offense. The fact that Olave is already breaking out is a good sign, as things will only improve. Even when Michael Thomas is healthy, Olave should be a strong flex option with the potential to be a solid WR2.
Comments
Great stuff I Pacheco?????