Welcome to Week 3! We have two weeks of game data, and that means two full data points. As they say, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern. Each week of the NFL season is a season in itself, with different ecosystems within the same week, with different combinations being that week’s “main characters” thanks to injuries, waiver wire pickups and much more that reveals itself during the week. We’ll sort through all the news from the noise and make reasonable determinations about who you should be putting in your fantasy football lineups!
- Block 1: ATL–GB (TNF), LAC–BUF, CAR–CLE, HOU–IND
- Block 2: NYJ–DET, NE–JAC, KC–MIA, TEN–NYG
- Block 3: CIN–PIT, SEA–WAS, ARI–SF, MIN–TB
- Block 4: BAL–DAL, LV–NO, LAR–DEN (SNF), PHI–CHI (MNF)
“The Outlook” will give you details, stats, angles, recommendations and everything else you need to know to help you make your fantasy football decisions. Every fantasy-relevant player on each team
playing will be profiled in this article. We want everybody reading this to bring home championships in your fantasy leagues!
I’m incredibly excited to bring this article to all of you this season and hope you all enjoy the ride. If you have any questions, feel free to find me on Bluesky (@ktompkinsii.bsky.social) and tag me in a post to ask me any lineup questions you have and I’ll do my best to get them answered for you.
Let’s get into it for Thursday night’s Falcons–Packers and through the multiple blocks of this article!
(All game/implied point totals listed were compiled via DraftKings Sportsbook on Tuesday afternoon for ATL–GB and Tuesday night for LAC–BUF, CAR–CLE and HOU–IND)
Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers – 8:15 PM ET
- Favorite: Packers –5.5
- Game Total: 43.5
- Implied Point Total: Packers 24.5, Falcons 19
Falcons Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: RB Bijan Robinson
WR Drake London
It’s been rough out there for our boy through two games. You likely drafted London in the second round of fantasy drafts and while it’s certainly not his fault that he’s played with his third– and fourth-string quarterbacks the last two games, it sure is disappointing. London has just eight targets on the season, with a 6–80 line in two games. That’s a solid game for London, but the quarterback woes have been REAL for the Falcons.
However, the Falcons are starting Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback in Week 3, breaking the cycle of horrifying starting quarterbacks and instead bringing in a below-average one. That’s a win, but especially for London. In 14 games with Penix, London averages 10.6 targets, 6.5 receptions, 91.9 yards and 19.5 fantasy points per game compared to the other 50 games without him, where his per-game stats are drastically lower.
Fantasy Advice
I’m happy that Penix is back and I’m also glad to be slotting in London as a high-end WR2 for this game. Even if we don’t get to London’s lofty ceiling, some nice floor would certainly help assuage the concerns of London’s fantasy managers over the season’s first two weeks.
TE Kyle Pitts
While the quarterback issues for the Falcons have been bad for London, it’s been downright miserable for Pitts, who has just four targets and one reception on the season through two games. He only ran 44% of routes per dropback before coming out in their blowout by the Panthers in Week 2. Penix coming back adds some stability, but Pitts is still in the danger zone for fantasy managers until he shows it or the team makes a concerted effort to feature him.
Fantasy Advice
Start him if you have to as a TE1, but he’s really more of a high-end TE2. I’d be looking for other options to start over him off of waivers, like Oronde Gadsden or Pat Freiermuth.
Packers Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: None
QB Jordan Love
The wheels came off for Love in Week 2, as he struggled a little bit with some accuracy issues (16-of-29 passing, 145 yards) despite throwing for two touchdowns and the Packers ultimately snatching victory from the jaws of defeat that they probably deserved, in all honesty. Their line play has been abysmal and hasn’t exactly helped Love to make up for not having Josh Jacobs. Honestly, it may not even matter if they have Jacobs or not. Love has been awful in the EPA charts Packers fans love to cite, as he’s 26th of 33 qualified NFL quarterbacks in EPA per play behind such luminaries as Cam Ward, C.J. Stroud and the backup the previous two seasons, Malik Willis.
In the fantasy points game, Love tumbled to QB21 in Week 2. Even against a reeling Falcons team, Love isn’t exactly the most trustworthy option heading into a short week.
Fantasy Advice
Going to hold off on recommending Love in all but two-quarterback fantasy leagues, even in a plus matchup at home against the Falcons.
Packers RBs
It’s been a downright mess for not just MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks but also Kaleb Johnson. The offensive line hasn’t helped for Green Bay, but this might be the worst running back room in football heading into Week 3. Green Bay is 28th in yards per carry (3.3), has run the ball a league-low 39 times and averages a league-worst 64.5 rushing yards per game. It’s not great, folks.
Fantasy Advice
It would take some DIRE circumstances (losing your top three fantasy running backs, losing a bet, rampant self-loathing, etc.) to slot one of these Packers running backs in your fantasy lineup in Week 3. I wasn’t going to include them in The Outlook this week, but I just wanted to illustrate how awful they’ve been through two games. Steer clear.
WR Christian Watson
Two things are working well in this Packers offense through two weeks and we are happy to report that Watson is one of those things. The hope with Watson coming into 2026 — after signing a big-money extension — was that he would earn targets in this offense rather than being just a deep threat downfield. The Packers let Romeo Doubs test free agency and traded Dontayvion Wicks, so there was a clear void in that department. So far so good, as Watson has averaged 9.0 targets per game in two weeks while tallying three touchdowns. Week 2 was a bit more uneven; Watson only caught 4-of-10 targets for 41 yards, but the touchdown saved things. More on the boom side than the bust side; imagine when the Packers’ offense actually gets going.
Fantasy Advice
Watson is a solid WR2 option with overall WR1 upside each week and certainly is the case in Week 3 against the Falcons, who just put cornerback A.J. Terrell on IR with a groin injury.
WR Matthew Golden
After Golden’s 12-target outburst that shut up noted Golden detractor Kevin Tompkins for a week, a more muted week was had, but not a bad one either. Golden was second on the Packers in targets (six) and put up a decent 4–58–0 line; the receiving yards led all Packers in Week 2. Given that Golden had a bunch of yards left on the field due to some miscommunication between him and Love, plus some penalties that would have been huge plays, everything was there for Golden to have a monster day. I’m about as close-lipped as a person can get now that Golden is thriving as a featured weapon in this offense.
Fantasy Advice
Consider Golden a WR3 option for fantasy. I’m growing more and more confident in him as a weapon in a theoretically good Packers offense when at full strength.
TE Tucker Kraft
Well then. After saying that we’ll get a ramp-up in workload for Kraft last week, I guess that really was just a one-week thing. Kraft was at a massive 98% snaps and 94% routes, the highest and second-highest marks respectively among all tight ends in Week 2. While the production didn’t come with it — just two catches for 14 yards on three targets — getting him on the field is half the battle. We know he can command targets, but this Packers offense is working through some offensive line issues as well as Love well off his usual efficiency.
Fantasy Advice
Kraft is plenty startable against the Falcons on a short week, but know that the floor right now is much lower given the state of the Packers’ offense. That said, we also know Kraft can blow up at any point, too.
Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills – 1:00 PM ET (Brazil)
- Favorite: Bills –7
- Game Total: 50.5
- Implied Point Total: Bills 28.75, Chargers 21.75
Chargers Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: None
QB Justin Herbert
If you drafted Herbert, you were looking forward to getting off to a fast start with matchups against the Cardinals and Raiders at home before the schedule gets brutal. Unfortunately, Herbert has looked awful; as has the entire Chargers’ offense. Finishing QB22 and QB24 in the season’s first two games, the upcoming gauntlet of games at Buffalo and Seattle, then at home vs. Denver before going to Kansas City looks like an absolute nightmare.
Fantasy Advice
Right now, you can’t put Herbert in your fantasy lineups, given how he and the Chargers’ offense under new OC Mike McDaniel have looked. Something has to give here and it may be an early exit for McDaniel.
RB Omarion Hampton
With Herbert bogged down in quicksand in the season’s first two games, Hampton has quietly been pretty solid. With the Chargers down against the Cardinals in Week 1, the volume (12 carries) wasn’t there for Hampton, but he scored at least. Against the Raiders in Week 2, Hampton took much more volume. Touching the ball 25 times, Hampton accumulated 115 total yards and a rushing touchdown in the loss. Hampton hasn’t been super efficient, with just 3.9 yards per carry while ranking 30th of 45 qualified running backs in total rush yards over expected (RYOE) with –8. However, Hampton’s success rate (percentage of runs with a positive EPA) has been solid at 46% through two games. Look for the Chargers to lean on the run a little more, as they did in Week 2 (–11.4% pass rate over expected – PROE) with a bottom-five PROE so far this season.
Fantasy Advice
Hampton is a fringe RB1/RB2, but plenty startable on an offense that needs some consistency on offense. The one to provide that through two games has been Hampton.
WR Ladd McConkey
Sidelined all week on the injury report with a rib injury, McConkey played just 45% of snaps and 71% of routes per dropback in the Chargers’ shocking loss to the Raiders. No Charger earned more than three targets in a matchup where Herbert threw for less than 200 yards on just 15 total completions. McConkey should be healthier leading into their matchup against the Bills, but the state of this offense right now plus the gauntlet of tough opponents downgrades the pass-catchers.
Fantasy Advice
Normally a solid WR2 with upside, McConkey’s rib injury and the current composition of the Chargers’ pass-catchers downgrade him to a mid-range fantasy WR3 with some upside if Herbert can shake off this two-game malaise to start the season.
Chargers WRs
Both Quentin Johnston and Tre Harris have run routes on at least 70%+ of dropbacks in the Chargers’ first two games, but Johnston has just three catches for 24 yards and Harris has just four receptions for 73 yards. It’s certainly not an ideal situation to start either, but I can’t imagine this Chargers’ offense is going to be stuck in the mud all season.
Fantasy Advice
Both Johnston and Harris are deeper-aDOT targets for Herbert and low-floor flex plays in Week 3, but ones you might have to plug in if other players on your roster are hurt.
TE Oronde Gadsden
Gadsden has seen his playing time fall drastically in the season’s first two games, where his routes in the opener were at a shocking 14% and then up to 48%. He earned and caught both of his targets in each game for a combined 50 yards, including Herbert’s only touchdown throw in Week 2. Both tight ends seemingly ahead of Gadsden, David Njoku (fibula) and Charlie Kolar (forearm) are expected to miss multiple games. (In Njoku’s case, he’ll miss at least four games after landing on IR earlier this week.) That should open up more opportunity for Gadsden in the short term, making him solidly viable in fantasy despite the Chargers’ offensive woes.
Fantasy Advice
Gadsden, who is more like a wide receiver than a tight end, could unlock some things downfield for the Chargers, so I’m happy to start him as a low-end TE1 or high-end TE2 with the routes he’s likely to get now with Njoku and Kolar no longer blocking his path.
Bills Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: QB Josh Allen, RB James Cook, TE Dalton Kincaid
WR DJ Moore
Moore left Thursday’s Week 2 game against Detroit with a shoulder injury after just 23 snaps and his only mark on the stat sheet for fantasy managers was –1 rushing yards and no targets. Moore’s status is “day-to-day” and he has a chance to play in Week 3 in Brazil against the Chargers. The longer rest period from a Thursday night game provides a little more cover for fantasy managers, but this is likely a situation that will have to be monitored right up until Friday’s final injury report.
Fantasy Advice
A fully healthy Moore would be a locked-in WR2, but his status is up in the air as of this writing. If he does play, I’m not sure if a full workload will be in the cards, so I’m cautiously placing him as a low-end WR3 with room to move up following any good news this week.
Bills WRs
With Moore sidelined for a good chunk of Week 2, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman took the mantle among the wide receivers to help lead the Bills’ attack. Both Shakir and Coleman earned six targets each in Week 2, with Shakir putting up a solid 3–38–0 on a bit of an inflated (for him) 9.7-yard aDOT. Coleman was much more utilized, as he was the direct Moore replacement and caught all six of his targets for 63 yards. For the second game in a row, Joshua Palmer caught a touchdown pass on his only reception; this time, a 43-yard grab. If Moore plays, this receiver room feels like it could be more rotational, but if the Bills are without Moore in Week 3, Shakir and Coleman would be at the top of the heap, but both firmly behind ascending stud Kincaid.
Fantasy Advice
Both Shakir and Coleman are mid-range flex plays, while Palmer can be left on waivers here, though he could see increased routes without Moore. If Moore does play, Shakir remains a flex, but Coleman is better left on waivers or on a fantasy bench.
Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns – 1:00 PM ET
- Favorite: Panthers –2.5
- Game Total: 42.5
- Implied Point Total: Panthers 22.5, Browns 20
Panthers Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: None
QB Bryce Young
You know what? Color me intrigued by this Young turnaround. With two straight top-seven fantasy finishes and three touchdown passes in each game, Young has been very good so far this season. Sure, we’ve been burned in the past by any signs of life from Young, but the fact that he’s got a slew of capable passing-game weapons makes it plausible that this could be more real than not. Against the Browns in Cleveland, who gave Baker Mayfield some fits, Young could be tested here.
Fantasy Advice
The Browns are a decent matchup for quarterbacks, as they gave up four touchdowns to Trevor Lawrence but held Mayfield in check last week. Young is still a high-end QB2, but could be approaching low-end QB1 territory with a good performance in Week 3 on the road.
RB Chuba Hubbard
Hubbard has been solid, not spectacular, over the season’s first two contests, while splitting rushing work with Jonathon Brooks and, to a lesser degree, AJ Dillon. Brooks injured his groin during the Week 2 game against the Falcons and is considered “week-to-week.” That could open the door for Hubbard to gain more extended run in the short term or longer depending on the severity. Hubbard has been the lead back this season for Carolina, but obviously, having no one of note to share carries with now would be great for his fantasy value. That, plus a bump up in play from Young, will only help this running game moving forward.
Fantasy Advice
Consider Hubbard a mid-range RB2 with Brooks on IR, even in a tougher matchup against the Browns, even though they have held the Jaguars and Buccaneers to a combined 12 fantasy points per game on the ground.
WR Tetairoa McMillan
With this upgrade in Young this season, half of that forefront of the passing game boom has been Tetairoa McMillan. Preferring to be called “T-Mac” over “Tet,” McMillan has averaged 8.5 targets per game so far and finished as WR16 with his first 100-yard game on five receptions against the Falcons. McMillan has been a “set-and-forget” WR2 option since his first game as a rookie and continues to produce like clockwork for the Panthers, who are only going to get better as a passing game because of the next guy we’re going to talk about.
Fantasy Advice
Lock in McMillan as a WR2 against the Browns in Week 3.
WR Jalen Coker
Perhaps no wide receiver has leveled up their game more than Coker, who looks like a damn superstar right now. Coker has earned nine targets in each game so far. After his overall WR1 game in Week 1 with an 8–138–2 line, Coker followed that up with a solid 8–66–0 stat line in Carolina’s blowout against the Falcons. Quietly, the combo of Coker and McMillan with Young at the helm has been one of the early stories of fantasy football and the NFL. Hopefully this is something that can keep going through the season, because they are so much fun to watch dice up opposing defenses.
Fantasy Advice
Coker has ascended to high-end WR3 status, where we’re hoping he stays this consistently productive.
Browns Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: None
RB Quinshon Judkins
It hasn’t been pretty or even productive, but the Browns will continue going to the well with Judkins because … well, they have to. I still think he’s pretty talented. The offensive line is clearly a mess and defenses don’t have to respect Deshaun Watson that much, so they’re able to key in more on Judkins. After two weeks, 24 carries for 54 yards just isn’t cutting it.
Fantasy Advice
As it stands, Judkins is a middling flex play, but it’s worth noting that Carolina has given up a lot in the run game against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and decent efficiency to both Robinson backs (Bijan and Brian) against the Falcons in their Week 2 blowout.
Browns WRs
For the wide receivers, it’s been all about the two rookies, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, although Boston has been excellent so far this season. Believe it or not, he’s been a top-10 fantasy wide receiver. He scored a garbage-time touchdown at the end of the Week 1 blowout against the Jaguars. In Week 2, Boston was a featured part of the game plan (94% route participation) with a team-leading seven targets, 95 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions. He’s running routes and running hot on touchdowns, but given the state of the passing game, he’s bound to cool off a little bit.
Concepcion has been more of a short-area target, hence the 1.8-yard aDOT on his six grabs for 28 yards. He got a bump up from 64% routes to 74% in Week 2, but he’s a bit behind Boston as it stands right now, despite being the first-round pick and Boston, the second-rounder.
Fantasy Advice
Boston is a flex-worthy option, hoping he can continue to run a little hot on scoring and contested catches, but Concepcion is probably better left on the bench at this moment.
TE Harold Fannin Jr.
After a three-target game in Week 1, Fannin was a bit more involved in Week 2, doubling his targets (six) and putting up a decent 5–54–0 line while getting a minor bump from 77% routes to 80%. There’s a chance that with Boston starting so fast, Fannin could be squeezed a little bit from being the top target in Cleveland. That said, it’s not like the Browns don’t know what they have in Fannin. I think that overall, Fannin may be a little more volatile in terms of week-to-week production, but he’s still going to have the target-earning spikes that see him get to double-digit targets.
Fantasy Advice
Carolina has defended Colston Loveland and Kyle Pitts pretty well, so Fannin is still a low-end TE1, although with a bit of a lower floor in Week 3.
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – 1:00 PM ET
- Favorite: Texans –3
- Game Total: 42.5
- Implied Point Total: Texans 22.75, Colts 19.75
Texans Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: WR Nico Collins (if active)
QB C.J. Stroud
After a solid Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, Stroud attempted 55 passes and passed for 353 yards and added another 29 yards on the ground. Great day at the office, right? Well, try zero touchdown passes off that opportunity for a team that scored SIX POINTS. Stroud only finished as QB14 last week on that without Nico Collins and likely won’t have him this week in Indianapolis either. It didn’t matter much last week, as Stroud just hyper-targeted Dalton Schultz.
Fantasy Advice
Stroud is barely relevant outside of two-quarterback leagues. In single-quarterback leagues, where maybe you lost Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels, Stroud is at least a floor play. Other than that, I’m not going out of my way to stream him at quarterback.
Texans RBs
It was not a David Montgomery day on the ground against Cincinnati. It certainly was not a Woody Marks day. It was just not a day for the running game at all for the Texans, with 15 total carries for 31 yards; one carry and 13 of those yards coming from wide receiver Jaylin Noel. So, for the running backs, that’s 14 carries for 18 yards. Seems bad! Maybe Dexter Lawrence is making a difference on the Bengals’ interior?
Fantasy Advice
If the Texans are without Collins for another week, it could be a “we’ve got to establish the HELL out of the run” game. Regardless, Montgomery is a low-end, volume-based RB2 and Marks is a low-end flex that gets enough opportunity to provide standalone value for your fantasy lineups if you need running back points in a pinch.
TE Dalton Schultz
Last week, Schultz was absolutely sublime. Schultz tied for the Week 2 high with 13 targets, had the most receptions (12) and had the fifth-most yards (140) as fantasy’s TE1. On a team that scored just six points, the Texans racked up yardage and Schultz grabbed a ton of underneath work late in the game. Catches are catches and yards are yards. We can’t turn our nose up at it!
Fantasy Advice
Schultz may be a bit of a boring option, but on a team without Collins and with Jayden Higgins lost for the season, Schultz is going to have a ton of opportunity. Think of him as a low-end TE1 with a ton of volume available to him.
Colts Fantasy Notes
Must-Start Players: RB Jonathan Taylor
QB Daniel Jones
With QB28 and QB23 finishes in the past two weeks and just 14 yards rushing, Jones is merely a caretaker of the offense who isn’t going to win you games like he did last season. I think that part of the thesis for Jones is not something we can expect until he gets a bit more comfortable with his Achilles injury. As long as he can hand the ball off to Taylor and get the ball to Josh Downs and Tyler Warren, we’ll take it.
Fantasy Advice
Jones is a middling QB2 right now and an uninspiring second quarterback in multiple-quarterback leagues.
WR Josh Downs
The top target in one of the better games of Week 2, Downs was a huge factor in the Colts forcing the Kansas City Chiefs into overtime. Downs (7–72–0) led the Colts with nine targets and six of his seven receptions went for a first down. He also ran routes on a team-leading 91% of dropbacks, so it seems like he’s getting a REAL chance to be the top guy in Indianapolis for now while Alec Pierce is out after aggravating his foot/ankle injury from the end of last season. While the aDOT was a tad low at 7.6 yards, we’ll still take it.
Fantasy Advice
In Week 3 against a tough Texans defense, consider Downs a mid-range WR3 with some target-earning upside.
TE Tyler Warren
Warren finished Week 2 with the second-most targets on the Colts (seven), but they were mostly underneath, line-of-scrimmage stuff. The –1.0 aDOT and –7 air yards gave that away, but his 6–21 still plays, as does his touchdown early on in the game. The intent behind getting Warren involved was great; let’s make that clear.
Fantasy Advice
Warren deserves mid-range TE1 treatment, as it’ll be Downs and Warren carrying the bulk of the volume in the passing game for the foreseeable future. The duo combined for over 53% of the team’s targets in Week 2.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: The Outlook - Week 3 (ATL-GB, LAC-BUF, CAR-CLE, HOU-IND)
