NFL Scores Week 3: Complete Results and Top Fantasy Performances

Fantasy football was as fickle as ever in Week 3 of the 2015 NFL season.

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who had done a whole lot of nothing in the first two weeks, broke out for three touchdowns Sunday.

In that same game, Joseph Randle broke out of the Dallas Cowboys running back committee for a bonkers game, scoring 28 fantasy points, per ESPN.com, by halftime. It was enough to make Cowboys fans forget about DeMarco Murray for a week.

And speaking of Murray, his absence from the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the New York Jets paved the way to robust fantasy games for Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, a pair of former San Diego Chargers. 

Oh, and a horde of wide receivers put up some ridiculous fantasy numbers in the early slate.

All the unexpected developments are enough to make you pull your hair out, but if fantasy football were predictable, it would be only half as fun.

Here are the Week 3 scores and top fantasy performers from each game. The top scorers come from ESPN.com's fantasy football leaderboard. Considering quarterbacks are apt to rack up big points every week, precedence is given to skill players who put up comparable point totals to those of their signal-callers in some contests:

Away	Score	Home	Notable Fantasy Performer
Washington Redskins	21-32	New York Giants	Rueben Randle (NYG): 7 receptions, 116 yards, 1 TD
Cincinnati Bengals	28-24	Baltimore Ravens	A.J. Green (CIN): 10 receptions, 227 yards, 2 TDs
Oakland Raiders	27-20	Cleveland Browns	Latavius Murray (OAK): 26 carries, 139 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 10 yards
New Orleans Saints	22-27	Carolina Panthers	Cam Newton (CAR): 20-of-31, 315 yards, 2 TDs; 7 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD
Atlanta Falcons	39-28	Dallas Cowboys	Devonta Freeman (ATL): 30 carries, 141 yards, 3 TDs; 5 receptions, 52 yards
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	9-19	Houston Texans	Alfred Blue (HOU): 31 carries, 139 yards, 1 TD
Indianapolis Colts	35-33	Tennessee Titans	Frank Gore (IND): 14 carries, 86 yards, 2 TDs; 1 reception, 8 yards
Jacksonville Jaguars	17-51	New England Patriots	LeGarrette Blount (NE): 18 carries, 78 yards, 3 TDs; 1 reception, 14 yards
San Diego Chargers	14-31	Minnesota Vikings	Keenan Allen (SD): 12 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TDs
Philadelphia Eagles	24-17	New York Jets	Ryan Mathews (PHI): 25 carries, 108 yards; 2 receptions, 20 yards, 1 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers	12-6	St. Louis Rams	Le'Veon Bell (PIT): 19 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD; 7 receptions, 70 yards
Buffalo Bills	41-14	Miami Dolphins	Tyrod Taylor (BUF): 21-of-29, 277 yards, 3 TDs; 3 carries, 12 yards
San Francisco 49ers	7-47	Arizona Cardinals	Cardinals D/ST: 4 INTs, 3 TDs, 7 points allowed
Chicago Bears	0-26	Seattle Seahawks	Steven Hauschka (SEA): 4 FGM, 2 XPM
Denver Broncos	24-12	Detroit Lions	Peyton Manning (DEN): 31-of-42, 324 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT

Standout Players from Early Slate

Joseph Randle, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Joseph Randle has been Dallas' lead back since Week 1. He hadn't done much to excite fantasy owners before Sunday, as his performances were somewhat muted with plenty of snaps going to Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar.

The latter two got their opportunities against the Falcons, but Randle made the most of his, racking up 87 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. All of his touchdowns came in the first half. He got the Cowboys off to a fine start with this awesome 37-yard scoring run, per the NFL: 

His brilliant performance was enough to keep the Brandon Weeden-led Cowboys in the game against a profoundly good Falcons offense. The Cowboys have a tough task ahead of them for the next couple of months: keeping pace in the NFC East without the services of the injured Tony Romo (collarbone) and Dez Bryant (foot).

If Randle can keep up the strong outings behind the best offensive line in the league, it would take an enormous amount of pressure off Weeden's shoulders. Cowboys fans can only hope it will be enough to keep a promising season from going off the rails.

Devonta Freeman, RB, Atlanta Falcons; Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Julio Jones did Julio Jones things again for Atlanta, but it was Freeman who racked up the most fantasy points for owners in standard leagues. He carried the ball 30 times for 141 yards and three touchdowns while tossing in 52 receiving yards for good measure.

It was the best performance by an Atlanta back in some time, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller appreciated his running style:

Freeman's breakout game presents a (good) problem for the Falcons. Tevin Coleman was the more productive back through the first two weeks, racking up 112 rushing yards and one score. Freeman couldn't gain any traction in backup duty, nor was he a productive runner last season. Then again, Coleman wasn't lighting things up, so Atlanta has no reason not to ride the hot hand this season.

According to ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure, the team expects Coleman to be out for at least another game. If Freeman can put together another impressive performance—a distinct possibility against a mediocre Houston Texans team—it could create a time-share in the Falcons backfield, something similar to the Matt Jones-Alfred Morris situation in Washington that the former's breakout game in Week 2 created.

As for Jones, well, it was another ridiculously productive day at the office. He tallied 12 receptions for 162 yards and two scores. It was a record-breaking performance as well, per ESPN Stats & Info: 

Jones is the best fantasy wide receiver in the league. His bye week is the only reason for fantasy owners to take him out of their lineups. With an aging Roddy White (33) fading quickly, quarterback Matt Ryan has no reason not to throw to Jones over and over again.

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Cincinnati Bengals star A.J. Green went off against the Baltimore Ravens, catching 10 passes for 227 yards and two trips to the end zone.

In the fourth quarter, he put three Ravens defenders in a blender on an 80-yard touchdown, per the NFL: 

This was welcome relief for fantasy owners, who saw Green pick up eight catches on just 12 targets through the first two weeks, per ESPN.com. It didn't help that head coach Marvin Lewis didn't seem overly concerned with getting Green more involved in the offense.

"Well, it's what the quarterback's supposed to do," he said prior to the game, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey. "The quarterback's got to throw the ball to the guy that coverage dictates. And if coverage rolls to what it is, you show the respect that A.J. gets. And if coverage rolls to A.J. and the ball has to go elsewhere, that's great."

Granted, quarterback Andy Dalton was doing fine while spreading the ball around with five touchdowns and no picks in the first two weeks. Green is an undeniable talent, but it seems that the Bengals offense can put up points with or without him. However, it's more fun when Green is involved.

Steve Smith Sr., WR, Baltimore Ravens

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Does this Steve Smith Sr. guy have to retire? He's the reason we talk about Joe Flacco as an elite quarterback.

Smith turned back the clock against the Bengals on Sunday, racking up 13 receptions for 186 yards and two scores. It wasn't as good as Green's performance, but it was arguably more impressive, considering his age (36) and the relative lack of talent surrounding Smith.

Sports on Earth figures he can do this for another couple of decades: 

And why not? Smith now has 25 catches in his last two games. He's always had a scorched-earth policy when it comes to exacting revenge on his foes. Maybe since Smith is putting the NFL behind him, he wants the whole league to burn in his wake. If that's the case, it will be a pleasure to watch—unless, you know, you happen to be playing against him in fantasy football that week.