Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings: Breaking Down Each Position

Remember all those 2019 fantasy football rankings you so meticulously crafted over the past couple of months?

Yeah, it might be time to dump them in the recycling bin.

The NFL season went from zero to 100 real quick—like two-weeks quick.

Drew Brees is sidelined for maybe six weeks after undergoing thumb surgery. Ben Roethlisberger is shelved for the season with an elbow injury that requires surgical attention. Antonio Brown is a pass-catching member of the New England Patriots. His former (former) club, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are the new employer of Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills are undefeated. The Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars are winless.

Just how we all envisioned it, right?

With the campaign already flipped on its head, it's time to reassess preseason values and update each position's non-PPR (points per reception) ranking for Week 3. Our top 10 lists for every spot are provided below.

Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

2. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers

3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins

4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals

6. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints

7. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos

8. Tom Brady, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

9. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Detroit Lions

10. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams

D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press

Bummed that we're going the predictable route with Patrick Mahomes at the top? Sorry, folks, but the best predictions are smart ones—not necessarily bold ones.

Mahomes, the reigning MVP, entered the season atop this position and has only solidified that standing since.

"In his 19th career NFL start on Sunday, he scored 31.6 PPR fantasy points, giving him a total of 488.4 in those 19 games. To put that into perspective, the next-closest quarterback, Cam Newton, scored only 418.4 points—or 70 fewer—in his first 19 career games," ESPN's Tristan Cockcroft noted.

If anyone is still waiting for Father Time to catch Tom Brady, consider finding a new pastime as soon as possible.

The ageless—or 42 years young—passer has 605 passing yards and five passing touchdowns through his first two outings. Oh, and he plunged in for a rushing score Sunday. If anything is off with his rating, it's probably that we aren't giving him enough credit.

Running Backs

1. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins

3. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals

4. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. Oakland Raiders

5. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns

6. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts vs. Atlanta Falcons

7. Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets at New England Patriots

8. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks

9. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

10. Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

It's tempting to put Ezekiel Elliott No. 1 here, since any matchup with the tanking Dolphins is drool-worthy, but Saquon Barkley isn't ceding that spot to anyone right now.

He has 227 rushing yards through two contests. That's an impressive number on its own, but it becomes bananas when considering his number of carries: 29. To save you from doing any calculations on your own, that's an absurd 7.8 yards per attempt average.

Sticking in the Empire State, Le'Veon Bell owners should be thrilled that the Jets' dumpster fire hasn't engulfed their star running back.

He isn't wowing anyone with efficiency, as he's averaging just 3.5 yards per carry and 5.3 per reception. But volume drives fantasy football wins, and Bell still has it. He has already totaled 38 carries and 16 receptions, and those numbers could keep climbing with second-string quarterback Trevor Siemian (ankle) joining starter Sam Darnold (mononucleosis) on the injury report.

Wide Receivers

1. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers

2. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts

3. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins

4. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns vs. Los Angeles Rams

5. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos

6. Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

7. Antonio Brown, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

8. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans

9. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks

10. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers

While the Cleveland Browns needed an extra week to find their top speed, their prized newcomer, Odell Beckham Jr., has been every bit as electric as expected.

His first game featured 11 targets, which he turned into seven receptions for 71 yards. His second saw him explode for six receptions (on 10 targets) for 161 yards and this incredible 89-yard score.

Worried about how Drew Brees' absence will impact his favorite target, Michael Thomas? 

But understand this: He'll still find ways to produce. Despite Brees exiting after only two series Sunday, Thomas still finished with 10 receptions on 13 targets—identical numbers to his Week 1 output. Now, his yardage dipped (from 123 to 89) and he's still searching for his first score, but his talent and Teddy Bridgewater's ability are enough to prevent a complete collapse for this elite wideout.

Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Detroit Lions

4. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

5. Evan Engram, New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers

7. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals

8. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants

9. Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings

10. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles

Don't expect much change at the top of this position, as Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Zach Ertz all have reasons to be considered in a tier above their tight end mates.

But a storm of production is brewing behind them, and he goes by the name of Mark Andrews.

"With his second consecutive 20-PPR-point fantasy game to start 2019, Andrews now has 50.0 PPR fantasy points through two weeks. Since 1950, that is tied for the fifth most by any tight end through his team's first two games of the season," Cockcroft noted.

Maybe regression will hit Andrews at some point—his 16 receptions have come on 17 targets—but keep him locked in your lineup for the foreseeable future, especially in this potential shootout in Kansas City.

Also, don't expect the Darren Waller hype train to slow down anytime soon. A popular preseason sleeper, he has already awakened most of the fantasy world with 13 receptions on 15 targets for 133 yards.

Kickers

1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

2. Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns

3. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

4. Wil Lutz, New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks

5. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

6. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons at Indianapolis Colts

7. Ka'imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers

8. Brett Maher, Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins

9. Joey Slye, Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals

10. Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Detroit Lions

This Chiefs-Rams clash could be a race to 50 points. Take as much of this matchup as you can get, save for the defenses, of course.

As an added bonus, Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker have two of the more reliable legs in the league. Each is a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals, and they have combined to hit all 18 of their extra-point attempts.

Defense/Special Teams

1. New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

2. Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins

3. Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins

4. Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

5. San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

6. Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints

7. Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Browns

8. Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos

9. Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals

10. Minnesota Vikings vs. Oakland Raiders

The Miami Dolphins have scored 10 points in two games. Their quarterbacks, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen, have combined for six interceptions against a single touchdown. Their rushing attack has yet to generate a 10-plus yard gain and averages an anemic 2.3 yards per carry.

It shouldn't be easy to rank any defense higher than the one they're facing.

And yet, how could the No. 1 spot go to any team other than the Patriots? They have allowed just three points—no one else has surrendered fewer than 19—while tallying eight sacks (tied for second) and an NFL-best five interceptions.