Fantasy Football Week 3: Preview and Predictions

Week 3 of fantasy football begins in less than 24 hours when the Washington Redskins and New York Giants square off on Thursday Night Football. This article will preview that game—and the rest of Week 3’s slate—and make some bold predictions as well.

Tom Brady sits at No. 1 in the Week 3 quarterback rankings, as the New England Patriots host the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has 754 passing yards and seven touchdowns so far this season—higher totals than he had through two games in 2007, his record-breaking MVP season.

Fantasy’s best running back in 2014—Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell—returns from his suspension this week to find himself atop the rankings. Another elite running back who hasn’t been on the field for the first two games of the season also cracks the top 10 in Week 3.

The tight end position is stacked with fantasy options, but Detroit’s Eric Ebron managed to sneak his way into the top 10.

This is just a taste of what's inside as we check in on every position entering Week 3.

QBs: Cam Newton in the Top 5 Again

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Cam Newton

Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have been the most consistent quarterbacks in fantasy football so far this season, and those two stalwarts have been joined by a third, unexpected companion—Carson Palmer, who finds himself cracking Week 3's top-10 quarterback rankings.

Andrew Luck struggled against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, but he gets a favorable matchup against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 in what should be a bounce-back game.

Additionally, Carolina’s Cam Newton cracks the top five, thanks to a plus matchup against the New Orleans Saints, who gave up two total touchdowns (one on the ground and one through the air) to rookie Jameis Winston. Newton is in for a big game in Week 3.

Week 3’s Top 10 QBs

1. Tom Brady (vs. JAX)
2. Andrew Luck (at TEN)
3. Aaron Rodgers (vs. KC)
4. Cam Newton (vs. NO)
5. Russell Wilson (vs. CHI)
6. Peyton Manning (at DET)
7. Ben Roethlisberger (at STL)
8. Matt Ryan (at DAL)
9. Carson Palmer (vs. SF)
10. Philip Rivers (at MIN)

Breakout QB of the Week: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

It could be argued that Newton had his breakout game in Week 2, when he scored the third-most fantasy points among all quarterbacks, but he’s set for an impressive encore in Week 3.

As noted above, the Panthers play the Saints in Week 3. New Orleans gave up three passing touchdowns to Carson Palmer in Week 1 and allowed Jameis Winston to use his legs effectively in Week 2. If the rookie can produce against the Saints defense, so can Newton, who is much more dangerous on the ground.

QB Bust of the Week: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill was impressive in Week 2, turning in a top-10 performance, thanks to his 359 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

In Week 3, he won’t find life quite as easy against the Buffalo Bills, however. The Bills were, admittedly, just shredded by Tom Brady, but they also gave Andrew Luck’s Colts a hard time in Week 1.

Tannehill slides out of the QB1 conversation for Week 3 with a Rex Ryan-coached defense coming to town. Brady has historically dominated the Bills, so we're wont to consider his Week 2 outburst against Buffalo the outlier, not the norm.

RBs: Le’Veon Bell Atop the Rankings in First Game Back

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Le'Veon Bell

Two of the game’s best running backs could be returning to the field—and to fantasy lineups—in Week 3. If both play (as of publication, Arian Foster’s status is still up in the air, according to ESPN's Tania Ganguli), they occupy the top two spots in the Week 3 running back rankings.

The No. 4 running back this week—Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy—also has some question marks in the injury department. But if he’s a go, he’s a fixture in the top 10 given his role in a high-scoring offense.

Jeremy Hill also hangs on to his status as a top-10 back—at least for one more week. He lost two fumbles in Week 2 and was ultimately benched in favor of Giovani Bernard, but Hill will be back at it in Week 3. “Yeah, I'll put [Hill] back in. It's a new game," Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said, according to ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey.

Week 3’s Top 10 RBs

1. Le’Veon Bell (at STL)
2. Arian Foster (vs. TB)
3. Marshawn Lynch (vs. CHI)
4. Eddie Lacy (vs. KC)
5. Adrian Peterson (vs. SD)
6. Jamaal Charles (at GB)
7. Matt Forte (at SEA)
8. LeSean McCoy (at MIA)
9. Mark Ingram (at CAR)
10. Jeremy Hill (at BAL)

Breakout RB of the Week: Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts 

The first two games of Frank Gore’s Indianapolis Colts career have been forgettable. He has gained a total of 88 rushing yards and scored less than five fantasy points in each of those two games.

Gore gets a good chance to flip the script against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3.

The Titans gave up 72 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries to Cleveland’s Isaiah Crowell in Week 2. Duke Johnson added another 43 yards on 12 carries.

Gore hasn’t delivered yet, but he did see 15 carries in Week 2. It stands to reason that he will see at least 15 carries again in Week 3, with 20-plus within reach if the Colts are ahead late (as expected) and attempting to chew the clock.

A 75-plus-yard game with at least a score seems like a certainty for Gore in Week 3. This is the week he begins to turn it around.

RB Bust of the Week: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin faces off against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans in Week 3. Martin, who is really just a flex player at this point, is not the strongest option this week given the matchup.

The Texans kept Jonathan Stewart out of the end zone in Week 2. He gained 62 yards on 17 carries, which is slightly below-average production. The Texans were also able to keep Jamaal Charles out of the end zone (on the ground; he scored via the air) in Week 1.

Martin is not as good as either of those players, and while the Buccaneers seem intent on feeding him the ball (he had 21 carries last week), he could run into a wall against the Texans in Week 3.

WRs: Brandon Marshall Flying High with the Jets

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Brandon Marshall

The big-name wideouts came out to play in Week 2, and they should be back at it in Week 3.

Antonio Brown and Julio Jones could be copied and pasted as options 1a and 1b for each remaining week, and Odell Beckham Jr. is close behind in that No. 3 spot.

Demaryius Thomas has still not scored, but he has 15 total receptions so far this season. His teammate, Emmanuel Sanders, has 16 receptions and two touchdowns. Both wideouts are in the top 10 heading into a Week 3 matchup with the Detroit Lions, who have allowed 81.4 percent of passes attempted against them to go for completions so far this season.

Week 3’s Top 10 WRs

1. Antonio Brown (at STL)
2. Julio Jones (at DAL)
3. Odell Beckham Jr. (vs. WAS)
4. Demaryius Thomas (at DET)
5. Calvin Johnson (vs. DEN)
6. Randall Cobb (vs. KC)
7. A.J. Green (at BAL)
8. Julian Edelman (vs. JAX)
9. DeAndre Hopkins (vs. TB)
10. Emmanuel Sanders (at DET)

Breakout WR of the Week: Brandon Marshall, New York Jets

Brandon Marshall’s tenure with the New York Jets is already off to a good start. The veteran has scored a touchdown in each of the team’s first two games this season, and there’s a good chance he makes it three in a row against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3.

The Eagles got torched by Julio Jones in Week 1, and while Marshall is not as good as Jones at this point in his career, he has shown so far this season that he still has what it takes to perform at a high level. This fact, coupled with the juicy matchup against the Eagles, makes Marshall a must-start in Week 3. He is primed for a monster game.

He just missed out on making the top-10 list this week and is a fringe WR1 option.

WR Bust of the Week: Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

Amari Cooper had his coming-out party in Week 2, catching seven of 11 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown. He started the game off with a 68-yard score against cornerback Jimmy Smith.

However, Cooper draws cornerback Joe Haden of the Cleveland Brown in Week 3—a much-tougher opponent.

Cooper slides from the WR2 conversation all the way down to WR3 territory with his Week 3 matchup. He’s not being sent straight to fantasy benches, but he’s not an automatic start this week, either.

TEs: Bench Zach Ertz in Week 3

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Zach Ertz

Tight ends were not quite as dominant in Week 2 as they were in Week 1—as a unit, they caught 14 touchdowns in Week 2 compared to 22 touchdowns in Week 1—but some of the usual suspects still showed up.

Included in that group is Tyler Eifert, who now has back-to-back top-five games to begin the season, earning his spot in Week 3’s top 10.

Detroit’s Eric Ebron slides into the No. 10 spot, thanks to the fact he has now scored a touchdown in each of his first two games of the season. His inclusion means some other noteworthy tight ends—including Jordan Cameron and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, among others—are left off the Week 3 list.

Week 3’s Top 10 TEs

1. Rob Gronkowski (vs. JAX)
2. Travis Kelce (at GB)
3. Jimmy Graham (vs. CHI)
4. Jason Witten (vs. ATL)
5. Greg Olsen (vs. NO)
6. Tyler Eifert (at BAL)
7. Heath Miller (at STL)
8. Jordan Reed (at NYG)
9. Martellus Bennett (at SEA)
10. Eric Ebron (vs. DEN)

Breakout TE of the Week: Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts

Dwayne Allen is the second Indianapolis Colts player (the other being Frank Gore) who is expected to break out in Week 3. The matchup against the Tennessee Titans presents the team—and several of its individual players—with a great opportunity to right the ship.

Allen faces off against a Titans team that gave up 110 yards and two touchdowns to Tampa Bay tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins in Week 1. The Titans did not face a noteworthy tight end in Week 2, but they figure to have their hands full with Allen—a touchdown specialist—when the teams meet in the third game of the season. Allen is a good bet to score a touchdown this week, which is where nearly all of his fantasy value derives from in the first place.

TE Bust of the Week: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

Zach Ertz hasn’t started the 2015 season off on the best of terms—he has just six receptions for 63 yards in his first two games combined—and he may need to wait until Week 4 to make a strong statement.

That’s because the Philadelphia Eagles will visit the New York Jets in Week 3. The Jets have given up just 17 total points in the first two games of the season, and the Eagles have struggled to move the ball at times—especially in Week 2, when they mustered just 10 points against the Dallas Cowboys.

The overall matchup of Philadelphia’s slower-than-expected offense against New York’s revamped defense—led by Darrelle Revis—has Ertz on the outside looking in once again in Week 3.

Kickers: Buy Jacksonville’s Jason Myers This Week

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Jason Myers

Brandon McManus paced all kickers with 17 fantasy points in Week 1, and New England’s Stephen Gostkowski followed that up with his own position-high 18 fantasy points in Week 2. Those two kickers are safe bets to put up big numbers on a regular basis and occupy the first two spots of these rankings as a result.

Steven Hauschka’s Seattle Seahawks should be in scoring range often against the Chicago Bears, and the same rings true for Adam Vinatieri’s Indianapolis Colts against the Tennessee Titans.

Week 3’s Top 10 Ks

1. Stephen Gostkowski (vs. JAX)
2. Brandon McManus (at DET)
3. Justin Tucker (vs. CIN)
4. Steven Hauschka (vs. CHI)
5. Matt Bryant (at DAL)
6. Dan Bailey (vs. ATL)
7. Adam Vinatieri (at TEN)
8. Mason Crosby (vs. KC)
9. Chandler Catanzaro (vs. SF)
10. Randy Bullock (vs. TB)

Breakout K of the Week: Jason Myers, Jacksonville Jaguars

Led by wide receiver Allen Robinson, the Jacksonville offense is not nearly as bad as people believe. The team can move the ball downfield rapidly (just look at Week 2, for example) to get in scoring position.

With Jacksonville going up against New England’s “bend but don’t break” mentality on defense, this is shaping up to be a busy game for Myers (assuming the Jaguars can keep it close for at least three quarters.)

K Bust of the Week: Cody Parkey, Philadelphia Eagles

Cody Parkey has to be considered the front-runner for the most disappointing fantasy kicker through two weeks of the 2015 NFL season. With that said, the season is long, and he has more than enough time to turn it around.

Just don’t expect it in Week 3.

The Eagles will travel to New York to play the Jets, who shut down Andrew Luck and the Colts. There’s a good chance New York will do the same to Sam Bradford and the Eagles—an offense that gets in its own way (sometimes literally) a few too many times per game.

Defense and Special Teams: Seattle, Houston Are Week 3’s Top Units

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Vince Wilfork and J.J. Watt

For the most part, Week 2’s D/ST streaming options disappointed. The Miami Dolphins actually scored zero points in NFL.com fantasy leagues last week, despite facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, against whom opposing D/STs scored the most in all of 2014.

Baltimore’s defense also failed to deliver against the Oakland Raiders, as did New Orleans against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Week 2 was the hiccup, but the plan should remain intact: stream your D/STs.

The Seahawks are the top D/ST option in Week 3 given their matchup with the Jimmy Clausen-led Chicago Bears, and while Seattle isn’t likely to be available on the waiver wire, some of these other units in the top 10 could be.

Week 3’s Top 10 D/STs

1. Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears
2. Houston Texans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints
5. Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys
6. Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
7. Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets
8. Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions
9. Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers
10. Cleveland Browns vs. Oakland Raiders

Breakout D/ST of the Week: Carolina Panthers 

The Carolina D/ST was the highest-scoring unit in Week 1, so perhaps it isn't quite going to “break out” in Week 3, but the Panthers once again get a solid matchup from a fantasy perspective.

This pick assumes Drew Brees will miss some time with an injury. Without him on the field, New Orleans' offense isn’t nearly as scary.

D/ST Bust of the Week: New York Giants

The New York Giants D/ST had a decent Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys but put together a putrid performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. But those two teams (at least when the Giants played them) featured explosive offenses; the Giants D/ST unit was not an attractive play as a result.

But the Giants are playing the Washington Redskins in Week 3, which is sure to pique some interest.

Perception versus reality plays a role here, however. The Redskins have a strong tight end in Jordan Reed (Jason Witten killed the Giants in Week 1) and an enticing backfield featuring Alfred Morris and rookie Matt Jones.

The matchup looks good at first glance, but the Redskins still have a number of ways to hurt the Giants on offense, which makes New York a risky Week 3 D/ST stream option.

Bold Predictions: Blake Bortles Puts Up QB1 Numbers

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Blake Bortles

Below are five bold predictions for Week 3 of the 2015 NFL season.

• Blake Bortles is a top-12 fantasy quarterback in Week 3. Bortles will have to score a ton of real points to beat the New England Patriots on the road in Week 3. Chances are, he will be airing it out early and often in a bid to keep pace with the Tom Brady-helmed New England attack, which will give him plenty of opportunities. The Patriots have given up a ton of garbage-time fantasy points to quarterbacks, so there’s a chance Bortles will rack up points in the game’s waning minutes.

• Le’Veon Bell scores three total touchdowns in his 2015 debut. If DeAngelo Williams is capable of scoring three touchdowns as a fill-in in Pittsburgh’s high-powered offense, it’s definitely a possibility for Bell. The fact rookie Matt Jones just torched the St. Louis Rams for 123 yards rushing and two scores makes this prediction even more realistic.

• Danny Woodhead is an RB1 in Week 3. Woodhead is off to a fantastic start in 2015, so this may not be viewed as a “bold” prediction to some, but he is still underrated as a fantasy player—even in standard leagues. He was the 15th-highest-scoring running back in standard leagues in Week 2, despite only notching seven carries and failing to score. The Chargers will put him to use against the Minnesota Vikings, a team that remains a bit of an unknown (the Vikings were gashed by San Francisco’s ground game in Week 1 but stymied Detroit’s rushing attack in Week 2).

• Donte Moncrief has over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown again in Week 3. Moncrief caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 2 and was the lone bright spot for the Colts. He’ll square off against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 and look to post his second big game in a row. Moncrief is about to reward those who chased him on the waiver wire.

• Richard Rodgers catches two touchdowns in Week 3. Green Bay’s Richard Rodgers caught a touchdown in Week 2. He also hauled in a two-point conversion. Rodgers will score twice against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 3—a bold prediction that has an even better chance of coming true if Eddie Lacy isn’t able to suit up for Green Bay. The Chiefs gave up a touchdown to tight end Virgil Green in Week 2.

Fantasy scoring numbers courtesy of NFL.com.