Fantasy Football Week 3 Reaction: Russell Wilson Costs Managers
Plus: Two little-owned contributors might now be waiver adds
Fantasy football owners are flying right through the campaign with Week 3 of the NFL season now in the books. But there certainly are some owners in a more favorable position than others given a number of unsettling three-week themes.
Chief among those might be the situation with the Denver Broncos, who, despite the hype entering the season, rank 30th in points scored through three weeks and 27th in passing touchdowns. That, of course, doesn’t bode well for quarterback Russell Wilson or the complement of receivers around him.
Anyway, here are our winners, losers and surprises from Week 3 in fantasy football with stats provided by Sportradar and a reflection of full-point PPR leagues.
WINNERS
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
For everyone thinking the Bills don’t need a running game given the skill of quarterback Josh Allen, well, Week 3 indicated there’s still value in Buffalo running backs. Allen threw 17 of his 57 passes to running backs with Singletary leading the way with nine receptions on 11 targets (!) — the same as Stefon Diggs — for 78 receiving yards and one touchdown. So while Singletary’s rushing output wasn’t anything of note as he finished with nine carries for 13 yards, he still nearly doubled his point projection and finished fourth at the position in scoring with 24.10 in full-point leagues. Not bad for someone who entered the week as Yahoo’s RB38.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Andrews was the biggest beneficiary after another unbelievable day by quarterback Lamar Jackson, the highest scorer on the week. The Ravens tight end finished with eight receptions on 13 targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 3 win against the New England Patriots. He had a league-best three “explosive” receptions of 16 or more yards and his 13 targets were the most of any player at the position. Andrews, probably the second tight end off the board in fantasy drafts, finished as TE1 with 28.90 points in full-point leagues.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
“Skinny Batman,” as the team now refers to Smith, led all receivers in scoring during Week 3 after a monstrous first-half output against the Commanders. He entered the week as Yahoo’s WR39 given the previous attention to A.J. Brown. Smith finished with eight touches for 181 total yards, recording 3.86 points per touch, en route to 30.90 points in full-point leagues. He had six receptions of 10-plus yards and ranked second in total air yards with 206.
LOSERS
Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos
It might be time to sound the alarms on Wilson. The Broncos’ biggest offseason addition hasn’t looked good with first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett, and it’s costing fantasy football managers. Wilson finished as QB26 in scoring during Week 3 while tallying 9.06 points in full-point leagues. Single digits! Wilson did not finish with a single touchdown while completing 20 of his 33 attempts for 184 yards. He now has two passing touchdowns through three games.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
The same fantasy owners who won their Week 2 matchup because of Hill might have lost their Week 3 clash due to the Dolphins wideout. Hill registered just four targets, turning two touches into 33 yards of offense without a touchdown. The injury that temporararily knocked Tua Tagovailoa out of the game undoubtedly impacted Hill’s production as he finished WR68 on Sportradar, despite entering the slate ranked seventh on Yahoo.
D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers receiving corps with Moore (2.50 points) and Robby Anderson (2.40 points) failed to measure up in Carolina?s game against the Saints. But Moore, seeing how he entered the week as Yahoo?s WR23, was the biggest loser as he finished with one catch on six targets for two yards and 15 total yards of offense. He finished tied for WR89 in total scoring.
SURPRISES
Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears
There’s a very good chance the Bears running back will be a top waiver wire add this week after a Week 3 performance that granted Herbert RB1 acclaim as he finished with 30.90 points in full-point leagues. Herbert, stepping in for the injured David Montgomery, turned 22 touches into 169 yards of offense and two touchdowns. He had a league-best six runs of 10-plus yards while taking all of Montgomery’s goal-line looks. Herbert currently is owned in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues with Montgomery “day-to-day,” according to the Bears coach Matt Eberflus.
Mack Hollins, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Hollins stepped up in a big way with Hunter Renfrow sidelined, which is why it’s such a shame he’s only owned in 2% of Yahoo leagues. The six-year NFL veteran, playing in his first season in Las Vegas, turned eight touches on 10 targets into 158 yards of offense. It was a performance admirable enough to conclude WR2 in scoring with 29.96 in full-point leagues. He also might be an interesting waiver wire addition.
