Fantasy Football Studs and Stinkers of Week 3
Every Monday, The Fantasy Footballers release the Studs & Stinkers podcast episode. Andy, Mike, and Jason discuss the high highs and low lows from the weekend. In this Studs & Stinkers article series, you can find the full list of Studs & Stinkers from the weekend and my favorite names from Monday Pun-day. I also provide commentary on a handful of notable studs and stinkers worth highlighting. To get the full breakdown, don’t miss Week 3 Studs & Stinkers + Magically Delicious.
Monday Pun-day Power Ranking
- Drew Small-sample-size
- Flex Burkhead
- T.H. Motel 6
- Joshua Smelly
- Jonathan Taylor Touchdown
- Poo Sample
- Mitch Tru-bench-sky
- Tyler Rockett
- Kenyan Flake
- Odell Meh-ckham Jr.
- D.J. Morgue
- Ken-yawn Drake
- Magic Mike Davis
- Smell-vin Gordon
What’s your favorite Monday Pun-day? You can find us on Twitter: The Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) and me (@TheFantasyEng).
Biggest Studs
Josh Allen (QB | Bills)
Week 3 vs LAR: 24/33 for 311 passing yards, 4 TD, & 1 Int | 4 rushes for 8 yards & 1 TD
Upcoming Schedule: @LV, @TEN, KC
Josh Allen has scored over 28 fantasy points in three straight weeks. He has over 310 passing yards in every game so far this season and has two games with 4+ total touchdowns. Allen looks like a top-5 NFL quarterback through three weeks of 2020. If you’re lucky enough to roster Allen, you can approach him with a “set it and forget it” mentality.
Alvin Kamara (RB | Saints)
Week 3 vs GB: 6 rushes for 58 yards | 13 receptions (on 14 targets) for 139 yards & 2 TD
Upcoming Schedule: @DET, LAC, BYE
Kamara looks as good as ever this season, flaunting elite production as both a runner and a receiver. He appears to be the most valuable running back in fantasy football. In real life, the guy is more elusive than anyone on the field. Every time Kamara touches the ball, it’s a highlight reel. Kamara is worth his weight in gold, especially considering the scarcity at the running back position now more than ever.
James Robinson (RB | Jaguars) – rookie
Week 3 vs MIA: 11 rushes for 46 yards & 2 TD | 6 receptions (on 6 targets) for 83 yards
Upcoming Schedule: @CIN, @HOU, DET
James Robinson is averaging 18 touches for 113 total yards and one touchdown per game so far this season. It’s important to note this is an incredibly small sample size, so we shouldn’t bank on him to be a top-5 RB rest of season. That being said, Robinson looks like the real deal. It’s likely that he’ll be remembered as the best waiver wire pickup of the year. He’s a difficult player to trade for because he now has three straight productive games, but he should be valued as a solid to high-end RB2 at this point.
Biggest Stinkers
Joe Mixon (RB | Bengals)
Week 3 @ PHI: 17 rushes for 49 yards | 2 receptions (on 3 targets) for 16 yards
Upcoming Schedule: JAX, @BAL, @IND
Mixon’s 2020 season is looking like it did at this point last year. In 2019, Mixon was nearly droppable in the first half of the season because he wasn’t productive. In the back half of the season, Mixon was one of the most valuable players in fantasy. Should we expect a lopsided season again in 2020? Time will tell, but I personally find it concerning that Mixon has been unproductive while rookie QB Joe Burrow has looked very sharp. There is reason for optimism with Mixon, but he also has an incredibly low floor – as we’ve seen in large stretches of games in recent years.
Week 3 vs DET: 18 rushes for 73 yards | 1 reception (on 1 target) for 6 yards
Upcoming Schedule: @CAR, @NYJ, @DAL
Drake was an elite running back in 2019, and he produced as such in fantasy. So far this season, he’s been mediocre despite seeing 18+ touches every week. Teammate Chase Edmonds was productive in Week 1 but has been similarly disappointing despite flashing in stretches last season. The good news is that Drake is clearly a key piece of the offense. I expect better days ahead, so I think Drake is still a good trade target if you can invest at RB2 value.
D.J. Moore (WR | Panthers)
Week 3 @ LAC: 2 receptions (on 4 targets) for 65 yards
Upcoming Schedule: ARI, @ATL, CHI
D.J. Moore was drafted as the WR10 in average draft position (ADP) but has not delivered for fantasy purposes so far this season. He’s only eclipsed eight fantasy points in one of three games this year. Fortunately, he’s seen 26 targets during that time. Meanwhile, Robby Anderson has scored over 4 fantasy pts/g more than D.J. Moore so far this season. D.J. Moore will look to get things back on track against the Cardinals in Week 4.
Other Studs
QB
Russell Wilson vs DAL — 27/40 for 315/5/0 — 6/22/0 rushing
- @MIA, MIN, BYE
Dak Prescott @SEA — 37/57 for 472/3/2 — 6/26/0 rushing
- CLE, NYG, ARI
Jared Goff @BUF — 23/32 for 321/2/1 — 2/4/1 rushing
- NYG, @WSH, @SF
Aaron Rodgers @NO — 21/32 for 283/3/0 — 2/12/0 rushing
- ATL, BYE, @TB
Tom Brady @DEN — 25/38 for 297/3/0
- LAC, @CHI, GB
Drew Brees vs GB — 29/36 for 288/3/0
- @DET, LAC, BYE
Ryan Fitzpatrick @JAX — 18/20 for 160/2/0 — 7/38/1 rushing
- SEA, @SF, @DEN
**Honorable Mentions at QB
Kyler Murray vs DET — 23/35 for 270/2/3 — 5/29/1 rushing (costly turnovers)
- @CAR, @NYJ, @DAL
Kirk Cousins vs TEN — 16/27 for 251 for 3/2 — 2/14/0 rushing (costly turnovers)
- @HOU, @SEA, ATL
Nick Foles @ATL — 16/29 for 188/3/1 (Entered game in the 3rd quarter)
- IND, TB, @CAR
- led Chicago to three touchdown drives in the final nine minutes
RB
Alvin Kamara vs GB — 6/58/0 — 14 targets for 13/139/2
- @DET, LAC, BYE
Rex Burkhead vs LV — 6/49/2 — 10 targets for 7/49/1
- @KC, DEN, BYE
James Robinson vs MIA — 11/46/2 — 6 targets 6/83/0
- @CIN, @HOU, DET
Derrick Henry @MIN — 26/119/2 — 3 targets for 2/11/0
- PIT, BUF, HOU
Austin Ekeler vs CAR — 12/59/1 — 11 targets for 11/84/0
- @TB, @NO, NYJ
Dalvin Cook vs TEN –22/181/1 — 5 targets for 2/18/0 — 1 fumble
- @HOU, @SEA, ATL
Nick Chubb vs WAS — 19/108/2 — 1 target for 1/2/0
- @DAL, IND, @PIT
James Conner vs HOU — 18/109/1 — 5 targets for 4/40/0
- @TEN, PHI, CLE
**Honorable Mentions at RB
Jeff Wilson Jr. @NYG — 12/15/1 — 3 targets for 3/54/1
Jerick McKinnon @NYG — 14/38/1 — 4 targets for 3/39/0
- PHI, MIA, LAR
Mike Davis @LAC — 13/46/0 — 9 targets for 8/45/1
- ARI, @ATL, CHI
Darrell Henderson @BUF — 20/114/1 — 3 targets for 1/6/0
- NYG, @WSH, @SF
WR
Tyler Lockett vs DAL — 13 targets for 9/100/3
- @MIA, MIN, BYE
Justin Jefferson vs TEN — 9 targets for 7/175/1
- @HOU, @SEA, ATL
Cedrick Wilson @SEA — 7 targets for 5/107/2
- CLE, NYG, ARI
Keenan Allen vs CAR — 19 targets for 13/132/1 — 1 fumble
- @TB, @NO, NYJ
Allen Lazard @NO — 8 targets for 6/146/1
- ATL, BYE, @TB
Allen Robinson @ATL — 13 targets for 10/123/1
- IND, TB, @CAR
Michael Gallup @SEA — 9 targets for 6/138/1
- CLE, NYG, ARI
Cooper Kupp @BUF — 10 targets 9/107/1
Robert Woods @BUF — 6 targets 5/74/1
- NYG, @WSH, @SF
DeAndre Hopkins vs DET — 12 targets for 10/137/0
- @CAR, @NYJ, @DAL
**Honorable Mentions at WR
Brandon Aiyuk @NYG — 8 targets for 5/70/0 — 3/31/1 rushing
- PHI, MIA, LAR
Tee Higgins @PHI — 9 5 55.6 40 2
- JAX, @BAL, @IND
Andy Isabella vs DET — 4 targets for 4/47/2
- @CAR, @NYJ, @DAL
TE
Jimmy Graham @ATL — 10 targets for 6/60/2 – 1 fumble
- IND, TB, @CAR
Tyler Kroft vs LAR — 5 targets for 4/24/2
- @LV, @TEN, KC
**Honorable Mentions** at TE
Eric Ebron vs HOU — 7 targets for 5/52/1
- @TEN, PHI, CLE
Robert Tonyan @NO — 5 targets for 5/50/1
- ATL, BYE, @TB
Mo Alie-Cox vs NYJ — 3 targets for 3/50/1
- @CHI, @CLE, CIN
Other Stinkers
QB
Ryan Tannehill @MIN — 23/37 for 321/0/1 — 4/9/0 rushing
- PIT, BUF, HOU
Cam Newton vs LV — 17/28 for 162/1/1 — 9/27/0 rushing
- @KC, DEN, BYE
Matt Ryan vs CHI — 19/38 for 238/1/1
- @GB, CAR, @MIN
Gardner Minshew vs MIA — 30/42 for 275/0/1 — 3/22/0 rushing
- @CIN, @HOU, DET
RB
Joe Mixon @PHI — 17/49/0 — 3 targets for 2/16/0
- JAX, @BAL, @IND
Josh Jacobs @NE — 16/71/0 — 4 targets for 3/12/0 — 1 fumble
- BUF, @KC, BYE
Kenyan Drake vs DET — 18/73/0 — 1 target for 1/6/0
- @CAR, @NYJ, @DAL
Melvin Gordon vs TB — 8/26/0 — 6 targets for 4/12/0
- @NYJ, @NE, MIA
David Montgomery @ATL — 14/45/0 — 3 targets 2/9/0
- IND, TB, @CAR
Joshua Kelley vs CAR — 8/43/0 — 2 targets for 2/9/0 — 1 fumble
- @TB, @NO, NYJ
Leonard Fournette @DEN — 7/15/0 — 2 targets for 2/7/0
- LAC, @CHI, GB
**Honorable Mentions at RB
Dion Lewis vs SF — 1/0/0 — 3 targets for 1/10/0
- @LAR, @DAL, WSH
Kerryon Johnson @ARI — 3/16/0 — 1 target for 1/14/0
D’Andre Swift @ARI — 2 targets for 1/19/0
- NO, BYE, @JAX
WR
D.J. Moore @LAC — 4 targets for 2/65/0
- ARI, @ATL, CHI
T.Y. Hilton vs NYJ — 3 targets for 3/52/0
- @CHI, @CLE, CIN
A.J. Green @PHI — 6 targets for 5/36/0
- JAX, @BAL, @IND
Odell Beckham Jr. vs WAS — 6 targets for 4/59/0
Jarvis Landry vs WAS — 4 targets for 4/36/0
- @DAL, IND, @PIT
Julian Edelman vs LV — 6 targets for 2/23/0 — 1/-1/0 rushing
N’Keal Harry vs LV — 4 targets for 2/34/0 — 1/2/0 rushing
- @KC, DEN, BYE
Marvin Jones @ARI — 3 targets for 3/51/0
- NO, BYE, @JAX
Robby Anderson @LAC — 6 targets for 5/55/0
- ARI, @ATL, CHI
**Honorable Mentions at WR
Corey Davis @MIN — 6 targets for 5/69/0 (without A.J. Brown)
- PIT, BUF, HOU
Darius Slayton vs SF — 7 targets for 3/53/0 — 1 fumble
Golden Tate vs SF — 7 targets for 5/36/0
- @LAR, @DAL, WSH
Mike Williams vs CAR — 1 target for 1/17/0
- @TB, @NO, NYJ
Brandin Cooks @PIT — 5 targets for 3/23/0
- MIN, JAX, @TEN
TE
TE scoring was way down this week (the TE6 had 10 half PPR fantasy points).
Darren Waller @NE — 4 targets for 2/9/0
- BUF, @KC, BYE
Tyler Higbee @BUF — 2 targets for 2/40/0
- NYG, @WSH, @SF
Hunter Henry vs CAR — 7 targets 5/50/0
- @TB, @NO, NYJ
Noah Fant vs TB — 10 targets for 5/46/0
- @NYJ, @NE, MIA
Evan Engram vs SF — 5 targets for 3/22/0
- @LAR, @DAL, WSH
**Honorable Mentions** at TE
Hayden Hurst vs CHI — 3 targets for 1/1/1
- @GB, CAR, @MIN
Austin Hooper vs WAS — 4 targets for 3/25/0
- @DAL, IND, @PIT
Logan Thomas @CLE — 7 targets for 4/31/0
- BAL, LAR, @NYG
Drew Sample @PHI — 1 target for 1/1/0
- JAX, @BAL, @IND
Cheat Sheat (2019 Baseline)
Whether this is your first fantasy football season or you’re a veteran, it’s helpful to place fantasy football production in context. Before we look at both the huge performances and huge disappointments from Week 2, let’s look at what happened in 2019. Last season, there were only 11 total fantasy performances of 40+ points from quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. To put that into perspective, there were 79 such instances of 30+ points and 423 such instances of 20+ points. What does that tell us? A 40+ point game is legendary. 30+ games are great, and we should expect five or so players to reach this mark every week. And finally, we should expect about 25 players every week to eclipse the 20+ point mark. The table below summarizes the fantasy football stud games among QB, RB, WR, and TE in 2019.
