Fantasy Football Week 3: Rankings, Stat Projections and Top Waiver-Wire Adds
Alas, Week 3 of the NFL fantasy football season is in our sights.
While the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears face off on Monday night, most fantasy players have already moved on to next week. Full of optimism and irrational confidence, they believe that their respective teams will bounce back and go on historic winning streaks en route to the playoffs.
But before that happens, let's take a look at next week's slate of games, followed by Yahoo Sports' projected points leaders by position for Week 3.
Note that kickers are not included (sorry), and defenses won't be given a "boom, bust or sleeper" label. After all, it's too early to start adding and dropping defenses.
| Thursday, Sept. 22 | Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots | 8:25 p.m. | CBS/NFL Network |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Arizona Cardinals vs. Buffalo Bills | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Oakland Raiders vs. Tennessee Titans | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Cleveland Browns vs. Miami Dolphins | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4:05 p.m | FOX |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks | 4:05 p.m | FOX |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | New York Jets vs. Kansas City Chiefs | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Philadelphia Eagles | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| Sunday, Sept. 25 | Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys | 8:30 p.m. | NBC |
| Monday, Sept. 26 | Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Quarterbacks
| 1 | Russell Wilson | 22.48 |
| 2 | Cam Newton | 21.87 |
| 3 | Aaron Rodgers | 21.32 |
| 4 | Andrew Luck | 21.10 |
| 5 | Ryan Tannehill | 20.16 |
| 6 | Derek Carr | 19.95 |
| 7 | Ben Roethlisberger | 19.85 |
| 8 | Drew Brees | 19.59 |
| 9 | Matt Ryan | 19.04 |
| 10 | Blake Bortles | 19.01 |
Boom: Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers
We didn't get to see the fantasy stud in Week 1, but Newton came out to play in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers, putting up 30.82 points.
Recording 353 passing yards with four touchdown passes and 37 rushing yards, Newton is back to the fantasy player we saw in 2015. While it's likely he'll face a much tougher matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, he's not going to fade into the shadows and put up zeroes across the board.
If anything, it's almost better for Newton's fantasy owners that he faces a tougher defense so that he can scramble and run for some yards and maybe even score a rushing touchdown. He's just too dangerous of a player to not have in your lineup each week, regardless of the matchup.
Bust: Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson is projected to put up the most points by a quarterback in Week 3, but don't listen to the projections this week. Just look at how Wilson and the Seahawks offense is playing so far this season.
The Seahawks offense has scored 15 points in two games against the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams. Wilson has scored 24.48 combined points in both games.
What makes you think he can put up 22.48 points against the 49ers next week? Unless he proves himself to be the fantasy player we've grown accustomed to seeing, I wouldn't risk starting him.
Sleeper: Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Flacco usually only turns up to play during the tail end of the season leading up to the playoffs, but he looked dangerous against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.
He finished with 302 passing yards and two scores, but he did throw two interceptions on the game. Despite the turnovers, Flacco put up 18.18 points this week, and those numbers should increase when the Ravens take on the Jacksonville Jaguars next weekend.
Jacksonville has surrendered six passing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks in the first two weeks of the season, and now that Flacco seems to have found a favorite red-zone target in Mike Wallace, the Ravens' passing offense could have a field day against the Jaguars and their suspect defense. Owned in just 29 percent of Yahoo leagues, he's widely attainable at the moment.
Wide Receivers
| 1 | Antonio Brown | 15.64 |
| 2 | Julio Jones | 15.59 |
| 3 | Odell Beckham Jr. | 12.31 |
| 4 | Alshon Jeffrey | 12.29 |
| 5 | Jarvis Landry | 12.15 |
| 6 | DeAndre Hopkins | 11.93 |
| 7 | A.J. Green | 11.79 |
| 8 | Allen Robinson | 11.43 |
| 9 | Dez Bryant | 11.13 |
| 10 | Amari Cooper | 11.07 |
Boom: Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens
What a start to the 2016 season for Wallace.
After struggling to find a home in the NFL after leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers a few years ago, Wallace is having a renaissance this season with the Ravens, hauling in 132 receiving yards and three touchdowns through two games.
He's the deep threat that Flacco and the Ravens have missed since Torrey Smith left for the 49ers. Going up against the Jaguars next week—for the same reasons as listed above for Flacco—you should expect to see the same type of results.
The best part? He's still available in 58 percent of Yahoo leagues, and that's after a 23 percent increase in adds over the past day.
Bust: A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Green is a phenomenal player and arguably a top-three wideout in the NFL. But the Cincinnati Bengals are facing off against an imposing defense in the Denver Broncos and cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib.
Green is Andy Dalton's favorite target by a mile for Cincinnati, but the Broncos can and will put enough pressure on the pocket to force Dalton into some bad throws and quick check-down passes instead of downfield bombs to Green.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that he belongs on the bench in Week 3, but don't expect him to score his projected 11.79 points.
Sleeper: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Sanu has been the one of the best sleepers this season and continues to impress during his first year with the Atlanta Falcons.
Sure, he had a poor outing in Week 2, scoring a disappointing 1.90 points after scoring 16.00 points in Week 1, but what's enticing about Sanu is the targets he gets each game from Matt Ryan.
Julio Jones will always be Ryan's go-to option on offense—and for good reason. But Sanu has seen 13 passes come his way since the start of the season and has hauled in eight of them.
Jones is seeing double coverage nearly every time he goes downfield, leaving Sanu with one-on-one matchups. Going up against the New Orleans Saints next weekend in what is destined to be a shootout, Sanu could come up big with a couple of red-zone touchdowns if Jones is locked up by the Saints secondary.
Running Backs
| 1 | DeAngelo Williams | 19.13 |
| 2 | David Johnson | 15.48 |
| 3 | Todd Gurley | 14.52 |
| 4 | Ezekiel Eilliott | 14.02 |
| 5 | Devonta Freeman | 13.81 |
| 6 | C.J. Anderson | 13.52 |
| 7 | Lamar Miller | 13.46 |
| 8 | Arian Foster | 13.31 |
| 9 | Mark Ingram | 12.88 |
| 10 | Doug Martin | 12.68 |
Boom: Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets
Forte has proved that he is the clear No. 1 back with the New York Jets, and he has been lighting up fantasy scoreboards for the past two weeks.
His most recent performance in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills was the most impressive, as he scored three rushing touchdowns while racking up 100 yards on the ground. Forte scored 28.90 points against the Bills and is trailing only DeAngelo Williams for the most points scored by a running back in fantasy through two weeks.
While Williams' production will fall once Le'Veon Bell returns from suspension, Forte offers sustained success in the backfield and can be used as a receiver to rack up all-purpose yards.
He looks every bit of the running back we all knew and respected with the Chicago Bears. Forte will look to have a big Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, who have been vulnerable in the run game, allowing the third-most points to fantasy running backs so far this season, according to Yahoo Sports.
Bust: Arian Foster, RB, Miami Dolphins
Another year, another Foster soft tissue injury.
Foster went down during Week 2's game against the New England Patriots with a groin injury and is listed as questionable going into Week 3 against the Browns. This is a dream matchup for fantasy owners, but Foster can't be trusted because of the injury.
It's likely that Miami will give the bulk of the carries to Jay Ajayi if Foster is unable to go, so there's no point in taking the risk with Foster; he's just too injury-prone.
Sleeper: Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings
This isn't even a sleeper; it's just common sense. With Adrian Peterson likely out for a while after injuring his knee against the Green Bay Packers, it's McKinnon time in Minnesota.
While no one can replace Peterson, McKinnon is a capable back who is only owned in 23 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday night. If you can, it might also be a good idea to pick up Matt Asiata as a possible handcuff to McKinnon in case the Vikings want to use a committee approach to replace Peterson.
Tight Ends
| 1 | Jordan Reed | 9.36 |
| 2 | Greg Olsen | 8.47 |
| 3 | Travis Kelce | 7.36 |
| 4 | Jason Witten | 7.15 |
| 5 | Delanie Walker | 6.98 |
| 6 | Julius Thomas | 6.76 |
| 7 | Coby Fleener | 6.71 |
| 8 | Antonio Gates | 6.71 |
| 9 | Dwayne Allen | 6.59 |
| 10 | Gary Barnidge | 6.38 |
Boom: Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers
Rob Gronkowski might be the most dominant offensive player in the NFL, but Olsen is every bit as good a tight end as Gronk.
With the return of Kelvin Benjamin this season from an ACL injury suffered in training camp last summer, my projections for Olsen this season weren't as high as they should've been. He's become a dominant tight end in his own right and is Newton's go-to option on offense.
Olsen caught five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers in Week 2 and will look to do much of the same against the Vikings next weekend. He's a must-start every week.
Bust: Dwayne Allen, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Allen has not picked up the production of former Colt Coby Fleener, who bolted for New Orleans. Instead, it's been Jack Doyle who has come up big as a red-zone target for Andrew Luck.
It's safe to assume that Allen will not become a No. 1 tight end option this season and should be dropped if you can pick up someone more capable (or consistent) on the waiver wire.
Sleeper: Vance McDonald, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Two touchdowns in two weeks. That's what you want to see out of a tight end in fantasy.
While McDonald doesn't see many targets, he makes the most out of his opportunities. Last week against the Rams, McDonald caught two passes for 14 yards with a score. Against the Panthers in Week 2, he caught one pass for 75 yards, which went for a touchdown.
He's the ultimate risk-reward option at the tight end position, and he's only owned in 21 percent of Yahoo leagues. You may not pick him up this week, but he's worth keeping an eye on just in case he continues to score on a regular basis.
Defense/Special Teams
| 1 | Denver | 9.17 |
| 2 | Carolina | 9.04 |
| 3 | Seattle | 8.60 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 8.20 |
| 5 | Kansas City | 8.10 |
| 6 | Oakland | 8.00 |
| 7 | New York Jets | 7.83 |
| 8 | Washington | 7.81 |
| 9 | New England | 7.81 |
| 10 | Green Bay | 7.65 |
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