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

When it comes to reality (or fantasy) football, matchups are paramount when figuring out how a player will do in a given week.

For example, a game against the New Orleans Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will probably end with an abundance of points. On the flip side, a matchup in snowy, windy Denver in late December might be a contest where the first team to 10 wins.

Of course, some players are nearly matchup-proof: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown managed 16 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns against the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, who had the best defense in football, in 2015.

Still, for mere mortals, their matchups and opportunities will play a large part in their success in a given week.

Here's a look at some Week 3 rankings, along with notes on a few plus matchups for a player (or team) in each category.

Top 10 Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 350 passing yards, 4 TDs, 20 rushing yards (32 points)

2. Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 325 passing yards, 3 TDs (25 points)

3. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. New York Giants: 250 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 40 rushing yards, 1 TD (23 points)

4. Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) at Detroit Lions: 300 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT (23 points)

5. Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) vs. Seattle Seahawks: 200 passing yards, 1 TD, 50 rushing yards, 1 TD (23 points)

6. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) vs. New Orleans Saints: 200 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 40 rushing yards, 1 TD (21 points)

7. Alex Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) at Los Angeles Chargers: 275 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 30 rushing yards (21 points)

8. Derek Carr (Oakland Raiders) at Washington Redskins: 325 passing yards, 2 TDs (21 points)

9. Tyrod Taylor (Buffalo Bills) vs. Denver Broncos: 150 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 50 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 1 INT (20 points)

10. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Chicago Bears: 250 passing yards, 2 TDs (18 points)

Football Outsiders rank the New Orleans Saints dead-last in pass defense.

Per ESPN.com, the Saints give up an average of 11.2 yards per attempt. For perspective, no other team allows more than 10, and only one other team is above 9.1 (the Cleveland Browns, at 9.8).

New Orleans also allows a 141.4 quarterback rating, which is also the worst mark in football by a large margin.

Although the Carolina Panthers offense will miss tight end Greg Olsen, and the Panthers have been struggling on offense to start the year, this is a clear fantastic matchup for quarterback Cam Newton at home, who should be able to have a good game against the worst defense in football.

Top 20 Running Backs

1. Jay Ajayi (Miami Dolphins) at New York Jets: 130 rushing yards, 2 TDs (25 points)

2. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Chicago Bears: 120 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards (23 points)

3. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys) at Arizona Cardinals: 120 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 40 yards (20 points)

4. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills) vs. Denver Broncos: 80 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards (19 points)

5. Ty Montgomery (Green Bay Packers) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 60 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (17 points)

6. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) at Los Angeles Chargers: 80 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 catches, 30 receiving yards (17 points)

7. Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams) at San Francisco 49ers: 60 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 40 receiving yards (16 points)

8. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 50 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (16 points)

9. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) at Detroit Lions: 60 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 receptions, 40 receiving yards (16 points)

10. Mike Gillislee (New England Patriots) vs. Houston Texans: 40 rushing yards, 2 TDs (16 points)

11. Tarik Cohen (Chicago Bears) at Pittsburgh Steelers: 30 rushing yards, 8 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 1 TD (15 points)

12. Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Los Angeles Rams: 60 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 receptions, 20 receiving yards (14 points)

13. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville Jaguars) vs. Baltimore Ravens (in London): 60 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 catches, 20 receiving yards (14 points)

14. Duke Johnson (Cleveland Browns) at Indianapolis Colts: 30 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (14 points)

15. Chris Thompson (Washington Redskins) vs. Oakland Raiders: 30 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (14 points)

16. Marshawn Lynch (Oakland Raiders) at Washington Redskins: 70 rushing yards, 1 TD (13 points)

17. Frank Gore (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Cleveland Browns: 60 rushing yards, 1 TD (12 points)

18. Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers) vs. New Orleans Saints: 60 rushing yards, 1 TD (12 points)

19. Terrance West (Baltimore Ravens) at Jacksonville Jaguars (in London): 50 rushing yards, 1 TD (11 points)

20. Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans) vs. Seattle Seahawks: 50 rushing yards, 1 TD (11 points)

Before the season, the focus regarding the New York Jets was on an offense that didn't look ready for prime time.

It still isn't (although wide receiver Jermaine Kearse has impressed in two games), but the defense has struggled even more.

Per Football Outsiders, the Jets are ranked fourth-last in pass defense and sixth-last in rush defense in the entire NFL. They've allowed a league-leading 185 rushing yards per game and are tied for second in yards per carry with 5.4, according to ESPN.com.

Now running back Jay Ajayi and the Miami Dolphins roll into town. Ajayi is the centerpiece of the Dolphins' offensive attack, and Miami is going to give him the ball 20-25 times per game at minimum. Expect that to be the case Sunday as Ajayi breaks out for a big performance.

Top 20 Wide Receivers

1. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) at Detroit Lions: 10 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TDs (25 points)

2. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) at Minnesota Vikings: 10 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD (19 points)

3. A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals) at Green Bay Packers: 9 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

4. Antonio Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Chicago Bears: 7 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD (17 points)

5. Michael Crabtree (Oakland Raiders) at Washington Redskins: 8 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD (16 points)

6. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 7 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

7. Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 8 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD (15 points)

8. Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants) at Philadelphia Eagles: 6 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

9. Golden Tate (Detroit Lions) vs. Atlanta Falcons: 7 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

10. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Cleveland Browns: 7 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

11. Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Arizona Cardinals: 6 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

12. Demaryius Thomas (Denver Broncos) at Buffalo Bills: 6 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

13. Robby Anderson (New York Jets) vs. Miami Dolphins: 4 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

14. DeVante Parker (Miami Dolphins) at New York Jets: 6 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

15. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints) at Carolina Panthers: 5 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

16. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs) at Los Angeles Chargers: 4 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

17. Randall Cobb (Green Bay Packers) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 7 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

18. Kelvin Benjamin (Carolina Panthers) vs. New Orleans Saints: 6 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

19. Martavis Bryant (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Chicago Bears: 3 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

20. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Dallas Cowboys: 7 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

Naturally, if Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has a good matchup on Sunday, then No. 1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin should as well.

Benjamin rebounded from a quiet Week 1 with a six-catch, 77-yard performance in Week 2 in a 9-3 win over the Buffalo Bills.

Normally, those numbers would seem a little pedestrian, but considering neither team could get anything going on offense, 77 yards is impressive.

Per Football Outsiders, the Saints rank third-last in the NFL against No. 1 wide receivers this season. Benjamin has a good matchup, but his problem is that the Panthers offense has a lot of mouths to feed (namely Newton, running backs Jonathan Stewart and Christian McCaffrey and wideout Devin Funchess).

Still, Benjamin should make the most of a fair share of targets.

Top 10 Tight Ends

1. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. New York Giants: 7 receptions, 100 receiving yards, 1 TD (16 points)

2. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) at Los Angeles Chargers: 7 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

3. Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins) vs. Oakland Raiders: 6 reception, 80 yards, 1 TD (14 points)

4. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) vs. Houston Texans: 5 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (13 points)

5. Evan Engram (New York Giants) at Philadelphia Eagles: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

6. Charles Clay (Buffalo Bills) vs. Denver Broncos: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

7. Hunter Henry (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

8. Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans) vs. Seattle Seahawks: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD (11 points)

9. Benjamin Watson (Baltimore Ravens) at Jacksonville Jaguars (in London): 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (11 points)

10. Jared Cook (Oakland Raiders) at Washington Redskins: 4 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD (10 points)

It's early yet, but no team has allowed more receiving yards per game to tight ends than the Washington Redskins (104-yard average), per Football Outsiders.

They will now face a formidable tight end in the Oakland Raiders' Jared Cook on Sunday. Cook isn't off to an eye-popping start, but he has still made nine catches for 81 yards in his first two games.

Expanded over the course of a 16-game season, that results in a respectable 72-catch, 648-yard campaign for a tight end.

OddsShark lists this game with the highest over/under total for the entire Week 3 slate at 54 points. If this game plays out close to (or higher than) its predictive point total, then Cook may play a big part thanks to the matchup.

Top 10 Kickers

1. Greg Zuerlein (Los Angeles Rams) at San Francisco 49ers: 2 FG (39-and-under), 1 FG (40-49), 1 FG (50-and-over), 1 PAT (16 points)

2. Matt Prater (Detroit Lions) vs. Atlanta Falcons: 2 FG (40-49), 1 FG (50-and-over), 2 PAT (15 points)

3. Dan Bailey (Dallas Cowboys) at Arizona Cardinals: 3 FG (39-and-under), 1 FG (40-49), 2 PAT (15 points)

4. Giorgio Tavecchio (Oakland Raiders) vs. Washington Redskins: 2 FG (39-and-under), 1 FG (40-49), 3 PAT (13 points)

5. Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Chicago Bears: 2 FG (40-49), 3 PAT (11 points)

6. Blair Walsh (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Tennessee Titans: 1 FG (39-and-under), 2 FG (40-49) (11 points)

7. Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Cleveland Browns: 2 FG (40-49), 2 PAT (10 points)

8. Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons) at Detroit Lions: 2 FG (39-and-under), 4 PAT (10 points)

9. Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 2 FG (39-and-under), 4 PAT (10 points)

10. Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens) at Jacksonville Jaguars in London: 1 FG (39-and-under), 1 FG (40-49), 2 PAT (9 points)

The highest-scoring team in the NFL thus far is the Oakland Raiders, who have the most balanced offensive attack in football.

The Silver and Black have scored 71 points in two games and have no real weaknesses on that side of the ball.

Therefore, expect rookie kicker Giorgio Tavecchio to be busy often. He's already had 13 attempts (five field goals, eight extra points) this season, all of which have been makes.

He'll be facing a raucous environment at FedExField on Sunday Night Football this week, but Tavecchio showed ice in his veins by knocking home two 52-yarders in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans. He's the real deal.

Top 10 Defense/Special Teams Units

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (at Chicago Bears): 3 sacks, 3 INT, 7-13 PA (16 points)

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at Minnesota Vikings): 2 sacks, 3 INT, 1-6 PA (15 points)

3. Carolina Panthers (vs. New Orleans Saints): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (11 points)

4. Minnesota Vikings (vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (11 points)

5. Baltimore Ravens (at Jacksonville Jaguars in London): 2 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (10 points)

6. Green Bay Packers (vs. Cincinnati Bengals): 2 sacks, 2 INT, 7-13 PA (10 points)

7. Buffalo Bills (vs. Denver Broncos): 4 sacks, 1 INT, 7-13 PA (10 points)

8. Tennessee Titans (vs. Seattle Seahawks): 4 sacks, 1 INT, 7-13 PA (10 points)

9. Miami Dolphins (at New York Jets): 3 sacks, 1 INT, 7-13 PA (9 points)

10. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. New York Giants): 3 sacks, 2 INT, 14-20 PA (8 points)

The Baltimore Ravens have allowed just 10 points in their first two games. They forced Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to turn the ball over five times in Week 1, and in Week 2 they picked off four Cleveland Browns passes and recovered a fumble.

For those scoring at home, the Ravens have as many turnovers (10) as points allowed (10) thus far.

Their opponent this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars, lost No. 1 wide receiver Allen Robinson to a torn ACL in Week 1. Quarterback Blake Bortles has only completed 56.4 percent of his passes and threw two picks in an ugly offensive team performance in a 37-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans last Sunday.

Furthermore, Jacksonville is at "home" in London as part of the NFL International Series, so this is more or less a neutral game.

Expect Baltimore's defense to dominate for a third straight week.