Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings Positional Breakdown for Flex and PPR

Week 3 got off to a thrilling start with a back-and-forth battle between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. With players like Josh Allen, Tyreek Hill, James Cook and De'Von Achane racking up the fantasy points on Thursday, some managers will be playing catch-up over the weekend.

With injuries significantly impacting the fantasy landscape, managers may have to turn to a few sleepers this week as well.

Finding the best matchups will be key. Here, you'll find our top remaining flex plays of Week 3, along with some sleepers to consider.

All rankings and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Running Back

AP Photo/Butch Dill

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
3. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
4. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
5. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
7. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
8. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
9. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
10. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
11. Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
12. Javote Williams, Dallas Cowboys
13. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
14. Breece Hall, New York Jets
15. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders
16. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
17. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
18. Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
19. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
20. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

Things are looking fairly straightforward this week at running back. High-volume backs like Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor and Jahmyr Gibbs are poised to be top performers, and with Mac Jones set to start for the San Francisco 49ers again, Christian McCaffrey could top them all.

McCaffrey caught six passes for 52 yards and a touchdown as Jones' outlet receiver in Week 2.

One thing to note is that the Minnesota Vikings placed Aaron Jones on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. This will mean an increased workload for backup Jordan Mason. Against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that has surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing RBs, Mason is set to shine.

The 2025 season hasn't provided many running back sleepers, but managers should check to see if Bhayshul Tuten is available. The Jacksonville Jaguars running back is rostered in 63 percent of Yahoo leagues and 44 percent of Yahoo leagues and is a fine sleeper play this week.

Tuten logged 74 scrimmage yards and a touchdown last week and will face a Houston Texans defense that broke against the run on Monday night.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb

1. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
2. Malik Nabers, New York Giants
3. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
5. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
6. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
7. Trey Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
8. Dake London, Atlanta Falcons
9. Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
10. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
11. Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
12. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13. Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Rams
14. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
15. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
16. Emeka Egbuka Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17. DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers
18. Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders
19. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
20. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
21. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
22. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
23. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
24. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
25. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
26. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
27. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers
28. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
29. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
30. Jakobi Meters, Las Vegas Raiders

Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb has an excellent chance to be this week's top receiver. He'll face a suspect Chicago Bears secondary, while Dallas' own underwhelming defense will likely lead to a high-scoring game.

New York Giants wideout Malik Nabers will likely be in a similar situation against the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the Cincinnati Bengals won't have Burrow for the foreseeable future, managers shouldn't downgrade wideouts Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins much, if at all. Jake Browning knows how to lean on his top pass-catchers and will do so early and often.

Chase and Higgins combined for 17 receptions, 221 yards and two touchdowns last week and could see similar numbers against the Minnesota Vikings this week. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, meanwhile, may actually get a bit of a boost from backup quarterback Carson Wentz.

Jefferson has largely disappointed with rookie J.J. McCarthy behind center. He should return to being a top-10 scorer this week.

On the sleeper front, managers might want to consider Cowboys wideout KaVontae Turpin. Brian Schottenheimer has worked to get Turpin involved in the offense, and he logged four receptions, two carries, 53 yards and a touchdown last week.

Tight End

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Cardinals TE Trey McBride

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
2. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
4. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
5. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
6. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
7. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
8. Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders
9. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
10. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
11. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
12. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
13. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
14. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
15. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

The biggest thing to note at tight end—aside from George Kittle being on IR—is Tucker Kraft's knee injury. Kraft suffered it in practice this week and while he's not expected to miss significant time, he could be limited this week against the Cleveland Browns.

"Just like we do with all these guys, we'll give him up to gametime," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

We're leaving Kraft out of our rankings for now, but managers will have to decide for themselves whether they're willing to gamble on his availability. A banged-up tight end against a defense that has surrendered the eighth-fewest fantasy points to the position, however, is risky.

Managers willing to bet on Kraft will want to have an alternative on standby before the early afternoon slate. Harold Fannin Jr. would be an easy swap and may be available on the waiver wire.

Fannin has caught 12 passes for 111 yards through two weeks. He's rostered in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues and one percent of ESPN leagues.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros