Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Top Players and Matchups for All Positions

Alright, fantasy owners; you made sure to start Matt Ryan, Matt Forte, Stefon Diggs and Martellus Bennett this week, right?

Oh...you didn't? Because those players all scored at or near the top of their positions in Week 2. 

It just goes to show that predicting who will have a big week in fantasy is always something of a crapshoot, which is why countless articles are written on the subject each week.

Obviously, very few analysts are going to recommend that you start Buffalo Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin, even if he did have 112 yards and a touchdown for 17.20 points. 

So even while most recommendations are going to err on the conservative side with more established players, you can always find a sleeper or two included. 

Here are some ideas on who to start in Week 3. These rankings are based on 12-team leagues with standard scoring. 

Quarterback 

Rank	Player	Team
1	Cam Newton	CAR
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB
3	Andrew Luck	IND
4	Drew Brees	NO
5	Carson Palmer	ARZ
6	Matt Ryan	ATL
7	Eli Manning	NYG
8	Philip Rivers	SD
9	Matthew Stafford	DET
10	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT
11	Derek Carr	OAK
12	Blake Bortles	JAX

Ben Margot/Associated Press

If Matt Ryan is your QB1, you probably didn't take him until later in your draft—most owners selected him, on average, in Round 15. 

And yet here you are, probably with some good flex depth on your bench as a result, and still holding a player who has had the performance so far to be considered a must-start in Week 3.

Ryan was the second-highest performing quarterback in fantasy in Week 2—just behind Cam Newton. His three touchdowns and 396 yards helped offset his one interception for a total of 27.84 points. 

Just imagine what Ryan's point total could have looked like had he protected the ball better. 

Ryan didn't throw any picks in Week 1, and he had two touchdowns then. With weapons such as Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu and a good matchup against the New Orleans Saints secondary, Ryan's production should remain high in Week 3. 

Running Back

Rank	Player	Team
1	David Johnson	ARZ
2	DeAngelo Williams	PIT
3	C.J. Anderson	DEN
4	Lamar Miller	HOU
5	Matt Forte	NYJ
6	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL
7	Melvin Gordon	SD
8	Todd Gurley	LA
9	LeSean McCoy	BUF
10	Spencer Ware	KC
11	LeGarrette Blount	NE
12	DeMarco Murray	TEN
13	Mark Ingram	NO
14	Jeremy Langford	CHI
15	Devonta Freeman	ATL
16	Latavius Murray	OAK
17	Ryan Mathews	PHI
18	Isaiah Crowell	CLE
19	Charles Sims	TB
20	Theo Riddick	DET
21	Eddie Lacy	GB
22	Carlos Hyde	SF
23	Tevin Coleman	ATL
24	Frank Gore	IND
25	T.J. Yeldon	JAX
26	Jeremy Hill	CIN
27	Matt Asiata	MIN
28	Rashad Jennings	NYG
29	Thomas Rawls	SEA
30	Matt Jones	WSH
31	Christine Michael	SEA
32	Giovanni Bernard	CIN

No one expected Matt Forte to be the top running back in fantasy in Week 2.

But what we can do now is try to deduce whether we can expect RB1-level production from him in the future. 

Forte shocked everyone and delighted his fantasy owners—at least, those who didn't have him on the bench—when he rushed for 100 yards and a whopping three touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football.

But can he be trusted to keep it up?

According to Forte himself, his conditioning is the secret to his success, and he has no plans of backing down anytime soon. 

"I have no doubt that I can continue to play how I’ve been playing," Forte said, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. "I do a lot of different things, whether it’s my diet or workout regimen during the week, I do a lot of things to get me prepared for Sundays so I can play at a high level."

Forte's teammates and coaches "rave about the type of shape Forte is in," Costello reports. That's good news for fantasy owners. 

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Team
1	Antonio Brown	PIT
2	Julio Jones	ATL
3	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG
4	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU
5	Alshon Jeffery	CHI
6	A.J. Green	CIN
7	Brandon Marshall	NYJ
8	Jordy Nelson	GB
9	Brandin Cooks	NO
10	Amari Cooper	OAK
11	Mike Evans	TB
12	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR
13	Larry Fitzgerald	ARZ
14	Jarvis Landry	MIA
15	Dez Bryant	DAL
16	Stefon Diggs	MIN
17	Eric Decker	NYJ
18	Allen Robinson	JAX
19	Jeremy Maclin	KC
20	Marvin Jones	DET
21	Jordan Matthews	PHI
22	T.Y. Hilton	IND
23	Sterling Shepard	NYG
24	Travis Benjamin	SD
25	Demaryius Thomas	DEN
26	Michael Floyd	ARZ
27	Will Fuller	HOU
28	Willie Snead	NO
29	Doug Baldwin	SEA
30	Mike Wallace	BAL
31	DeSean Jackson	WSH
32	Davante Parker	MIA

We need to talk about Stefon Diggs.

Granted, the Green Bay Packers had Damarious Randall shadowing Diggs as their No. 1 cornerback with veteran Sam Shields out with a concussion, but nevertheless Diggs put up a career night on the Packers secondary.

Sam Bradford connected with his top wideout for a whopping 182 yards—the most of any receiver in the league in Week 2—and a touchdown.

The score was the result of this 25-yard connection:

In standard scoring, that performance was good for 24.20 points. Is this something we can expect from Diggs every week? 

With Adrian Peterson out, the Vikings are going to see safeties kept high to discourage Bradford from getting the passing game going.

Even so, Diggs is at least a solid flex starter—if not a WR2—heading into Week 3. 

Tight End

Rank	Player	Team
1	Rob Gronkowski*	NE
2	Greg Olsen	CAR
3	Jordan Reed	WSH
4	Delanie Walker	TEN
5	Antonio Gates	SD
6	Julius Thomas	JAX
7	Travis Kelce	KC
8	Eric Ebron	DET
9	Dennis Pitta	BAL
10	Jason Witten	DAL
11	Kyle Rudolph	MIN
12	Dwayne Allen	IND

Greg Olsen didn't get a lot of fanfare prior to the start of the fantasy season, but he's doing his job for owners.

Olsen was the top-scoring tight end in Week 2, with 122 yards and a touchdown for 18.20 points.

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

He also put on a little bit of a show; his touchdown came on a 78-yard reception, which was a new career high for Olsen and also helped set a record. It was the first game in NFL history in which a tight end on both teams (Vance McDonald for the 49ers) scored on a catch of 75 yards or more.

"I wish it was just one guy. I wish it was just me, obviously," Olsen said, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. 

Fantasy owners may not feel the same way. Tight end is a position that it's always worth having two players on your roster, as you can play top players with good matchups at the flex position, too. Olsen is a no-brainer to start in Week 3, but maybe it's time to see if McDonald is available in your league, as well?

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit
1	SEA
2	MIA
3	ARZ
4	HOU
5	DEN
6	NYG
7	CAR
8	NE
9	BAL
10	TB
11	OAK
12	KC

Say what you will about the Seattle Seahawks' offensive failings in their 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but at least the defense held L.A. to three field goals. 

Silver lining?

Maybe not, but it's too early to give up on the Seattle defense, which takes on San Francisco in Week 4. The Seahawks did have three sacks in Week 2, and they had the third-fewest points allowed in the league. 

Given all the playmakers contained within that defense, Seattle is going to be a must-start even in weeks following ugly losses. 

Kicker

Rank	Player	Team
1	Stephen Gostkowski	NE
2	Dan Bailey	DAL
3	Blair Walsh	MIN
4	Justin Tucker	BAL
5	Steven Hauschka	SEA
6	Adam Vinatieri	IND
7	Matt Bryant	ATL
8	Mason Crosby	GB
9	Graham Gano	CAR
10	Josh Brown	NYG
11	Matt Prater	DET
12	Chris Boswell	PIT

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Justin Tucker might be the best kicker in football right now. Now, that doesn't necessarily translate to fantasy, because you want to start a kicker on a team that is going to both kick a lot of field goals and extra points.

But Tucker makes the field goals count; he is one of only two kickers on the season so far to drill two field goals of more than 50 yards. 

And when the other person you're sharing that distinction with is Adam Vinatieri, that's pretty good company to be in. 

There was only a three-point variation between the top seven kickers in fantasy in Week 2, so sometimes there's an advantage to going with a guy who can make the long ones. 

Rankings and scoring leaders via NFL.com and current as of Tuesday.