Early Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings: Daniel Jones, Kenneth Walker And Brian Thomas Moving Up And Down
Ian Hartitz provides the early fantasy football rankings for Week 3, featuring players going up and down the rankings like Daniel Jones and Brian Thomas Jr.
Hide your kids, hide your wife: Week 3 is here. It's time to win another fantasy matchup, people!
What follows are my abbreviated early PPR ranks along with some key questions and answers ahead of this week's slate of action. Check out our Fantasy Life Rankings for full ranks from our squad of alleged expert rankers (code "Ian" for 20% off!).
As always: It's a great day to be great.
RELATED: For Week 3 waiver wire adds, read here!
Quarterback
Are Dak Prescott and the Cowboys a well-oiled fantasy football machine?
You could say that. The below chart denotes every team's EPA per play on offense and EPA allowed per play on defense (pre-MNF). The Cowboys standing as the league's fifth-most efficient offense … and second-LEAST efficient defense, has them looking like the 2024 Bengals—AKA a fun weekly recipe for fantasy-friendly shootouts.
Dak Prescott is leading the NFL's 10th-ranked offense in dropback rate over expected (+4.5%) and looking every bit like his peak 2023 MVP candidate self. His Week 2 passing chart reflects the reality that the 32-year-old veteran is forcing defenses to account for every blade of grass on the field (particularly seam balls no matter how tight the coverage). It's not surprising to see that only Matthew Stafford has a higher PFF pass grade through two weeks.
Up next is a Bears team that allowed J.J. McCarthy's only good quarter of professional football in Week 1 before being absolutely eviscerated by the Jared Goff-led Lions to the tune of 52 points and 8.8 yards per play in Week 2. Throw in a groin injury to No. 1 corner Jaylon Johnson that is reportedly expected to sideline him indefinitely, and I'm expecting more fireworks from both sidelines at Soldier Field. It's not surprising this matchup has the third-highest opening game total (47.5) of Week 3.
How impressive has Daniel Jones been through two weeks?
Very! Pretty much any passing efficiency stat will tell you that he's been one of the game's best QBs to start the 2025 season.
Daniel Jones among 34 QBs with 25+ dropbacks (pre-MNF):
- EPA per dropback: +0.34 (8th)
- Completion percentage over expected: +4.9% (11th)
- PFF pass grade: 77.9 (10th)
- Yards per attempt: 9.3 (3rd)
- Passer rating: 111.1 (6th)
Jones also deserves a lot of credit for not having a single turnover through two weeks and (perhaps even more impressively) only taking two total sacks. Overall, his 7.4% pressure-to-sack rate is the fifth-best mark in the league and worlds better than anything he pulled off in 2023 (31.6%) or 2024 (20%).
The much-maligned ex-Giant is avoiding negative plays and getting the ball into the hands of the offense's numerous playmakers. It was easy to chalk up Week 1's boom to the Dolphins' sad excuse for a professional football team, but dissecting Pat Surtain II and the Broncos for 316 yards and two total TDs is a whole different story. Note that Jones boasts a respectable 8.7-yard average target depth this season (13th); he's not just dinking and dunking his way down the field.
Throw in the patented rushing upside from Vanilla Vick—one of only five QBs with 20+ fantasy points from rushing through two weeks—and he's deserving of top-12 treatment ahead of Sunday's smashable spot against the Titans. What a time to be alive!
Best of the rest
QB14 Justin Fields: Came crashing back to Earth following Week 1's great performance against the Steelers. And yet, Fields' 49 rushing yards before suffering a concussion reflect the reality that he's still very capable of supplying a decent fantasy floor even during a bad real-life performance. He'll continue to hover around the QB1 borderline whenever healthy enough to suit up.
QB20 Sam Darnold: PFF's third-highest graded QB this season has helped Jaxon Smith-Njigba post back-to-back efforts over 100 yards and looked especially comfortable during the Seahawks' Week 2 win over the Steelers on his way to averaging a robust 8.9 yards per attempt. Hell, Darnold is even doing a good job taking care of the football and has just one charged turnover-worthy play from PFF through two weeks. This offense still wants to run the ball, and the lack of true difference-making field stretcher (with all due respect to Tory Horton) makes things harder for JSN and Cooper Kupp; just realize so far Darnold is looking far closer like the ghostbuster we saw for most of 2024 as opposed to the early-career bust.
QB24 Russell Wilson: Was Week 2 probably the best performance we will see from the artist known as DangerRuss in 2025 and maybe ever again? Yeah, but hey, that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate it! The moon ball was COOKING … until it wasn't in overtime. But hey, 450 yards and 3 TDs are still pretty cool either way. It was certainly enough to quiet the cries for Jaxson Dart for at least another week or so.
QB26 Jake Browning: Joe Burrow is expected to miss three months of action while undergoing surgery for turf toe. Pain. This makes Browning the man in charge of this playmaker-filled offensive attack. The last time we saw this happen was in 2023, and Browning responded about as well as one could expect, averaging a more than solid 8 yards per attempt while clearing 320 pass yards in three of his seven starts. That's the same amount as Patrick f*cking Mahomes since 2023! The gunslinger will make some mistakes (the three INTs on Sunday were not great) BUT this sort of mindset and trust from Zac Taylor should help ease the transition for Ja'Marr Chase and company at least relative to most backup QBs.
QB28 Carson Wentz: J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is expected to miss two-to-four weeks with a high-ankle sprain. The de facto rookie has looked pretty lost in seven of his eight professional quarters. Maybe the Vikings should tell McCarthy to ask like there's only 10 seconds remaining in the half before every play? I don't know. Either way, Kevin O'Connell sure doesn't seem to trust his young QB at this point: Only the Jets (-14.7% DBOE) have been a more run-heavy offense than the Vikings (-6.5%) despite the latter squad spending the majority of the season in trailing or neutral game script.
Running Back
Does De'Von Achane have the most fantasy-friendly role in the NFL?
Pretty close! Fantasy Life's Utilization Score attempts to quantify a player's overall workload in a single number, and Achane is unsurprisingly near the top of the leaderboard.
Top RB Utilization Scores in Weeks 1-2 (pre-MNF):
- Christian McCaffrey (97)
- Bijan Robinson (93)
- Saquon Barkley (92)
- De'Von Achane (91)
- Chuba Hubbard (88)
Of course, Achane has also made plenty out of his opportunities. Only Bijan (18) has more tackles avoided than Achane (14) through two weeks, and the pass-game work in particular has been impressive: No RB has racked up more PPR points from receiving production than Achane (34.2) this season. The man nearly saved the day for the Dolphins on Sunday, but unfortunately just barely stepped out of bounds. Sheesh.
Is Javonte Williams really a must-start fantasy RB?
Pretty much! If I would've continued that Utilization Score leaderboard we would've seen the ex-Bronco veteran coming in at sixth place ahead of guys like Jonathan Taylor, Alvin Kamara and Jahmyr Gibbs! Not too shabby for someone who was essentially written off by the entire fantasy community this offseason.
Is WIlliams the world's most-explosive RB these days? No, but give him credit for averaging a career-high 4.6 yards per carry and ranking third in success rate (60.6%) among all RBs with at least 25 carries. The man is running hard out there and has top-11 numbers at the position in both explosive run rate (9.1%, 10th) and yards after contact per carry (3.36, 11th).
Honestly, my ranking still feels a bit low. How high would we have Javonte Williams if he were a no-name Day 3 rookie? After all, James Cook and CMC are the only RBs with more PPR points through two weeks. Expect the good times to keep on rolling against a Bears defense that has allowed an NFL-high 2.37 rush yards before contact per carry to opposing RBs.
Can we get back to trusting Kenneth Walker III as a weekly fantasy RB1?
I wouldn't say he's locked in as a top-12 option, but at least Kenneth Walker III has seemed to separate himself from Zach Charbonnet in terms of their on-field ability: Walker (5.4 yards per carry, 4th) has easily been the more efficient option over Charb (2.1, 32nd) through two weeks of action.
Then again, this discrepancy wasn't as notable in Week 1, and the overall usage between the duo really didn't change much in Week 2 despite Walker's bigger counting numbers.
Ultimately, I'm expecting a somewhat bumpy ride here throughout the season, but am trusting Walker to (hopefully) boom again in this winnable Week 3 spot as a home favorite against a Saints defense that is tied for the sixth-worst unit in the league in RB rush yards before contact allowed per carry this season.
Best of the rest
RB25 Jaylen Warren: Joins Bijan Robinson as the league's only RBs to lead their team in total rushing and receiving yards. It remains to be seen if Kaleb Johnson will ever be allowed out of the doghouse again after his inexcusable Week 2 kick return gaffe. This isn't the world's highest-scoring group, and Kenneth Gainwell remains annoyingly involved, but don't discount Warren's ability to continue to make the most out of his opportunities.
RB26 Jacory Croskey-Merritt: Suddenly the expected lead back in Washington with Austin Ekeler (Achilles) out for the season. Still, Bill's four carries in Week 2 reflect the reality that it's tough to overly trust his role at the moment, and a severe offensive scoring environment downgrade could be on the horizon if Jayden Daniels (knee) is unable to suit up this week. Overall, things are trending up for Bill, I'd just like to see a bigger full-time role with my own two eyes before shooting him up into the position's top 20.
RB29 Cam Skattebo: May have f*cked around and taken over the backfield from Tyrone Tracy already. The Arizona State product possesses a fantasy-friendly three-down skill set, although this week's matchup against Chris Jones and the Chiefs certainly isn't ideal.
RB30 Rhamondre Stevenson and RB35 TreVeyon Henderson: Stevenson has looked good with his opportunities this season, while Henderson has perhaps inexplicably lost work because of his much-applauded pass protection. Overall, Hendo was called for not one, not two, but three holding penalties in Week 2 (one was on a kick return to be fair). Throw in a pinch of Antonio Gibson—who had a sick kick return TD on Sunday—and right now Stevenson is the clear No. 1 fantasy back in New England.
RB31 Quinshon Judkins: I doubted Judkins' ability to quickly take over this backfield after missing virtually all of training camp, but then again what the hell do I know? The rookie racked up 13 touches on 19 snaps in his NFL debut, flashing his tantalizing tackle-breaking ability along the way. Unfortunately, this week's matchup with Micah Parsons and the Packers' arguable league-best defense doesn't exactly look like the sort of spot to expect a true breakout performance.Â
RB40 RJ Harvey: This is J.K. Dobbins' backfield for the time being, and Sean Payton also remains adamant on keeping Tyler Badie involved. PLEASE don't rage drop Harvey, but the rookie joins Henderson as unfortunate early mid-round picks who must be placed on fantasy starting lineup probation for the time being.
RB41 Trey Benson: Has quietly carved into James Conner's usual every-down role, particularly stealing away pass-down work. I don't expect a takeover to occur without an assist from the injury gods, but at a minimum seeing Benson completely supplant Emari Demercado as the team's two-minute back makes him one of the more valuable handcuffs in fantasy.Â
Wide Receiver
Does Zay Flowers deserve legit top-12 treatment?
I'm giving it to him! The human joystick (s/o Dante Hall) has earned a whopping 20 targets this season despite Lamar Jackson throwing only 48 passes. That's the sort of target share that will take a lonely fantasy nerd from six to midnight in a hurry.
Top WR target shares in Weeks 1-2 (pre-MNF):
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba (46%)
- Zay Flowers (44%)
- Garrett Wilson (41%)
- Puka Nacua (35%)
- Justin Jefferson (34%)
Talent has never been in question with Zay Flowers, the issue has more so been the crowded nature of this run-first Ravens offense. Perhaps I'm being too quick to drink the Kool Aid here, but man, we have the clear-cut No. 1 pass-game option for the two-time MVP looking at potentially more work than ever ahead of Monday night's potential shootout with the Lions. Flowers should be started in lineups of all shapes and sizes in this borderline erotic spot.
What is going on with Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter?
Nothing good, which is the main problem here. The stat you are about to see is damning. Diehard BTJ and Hunter truthers might want to take a seat.
Trevor Lawrence passer rating by target:
- Bhayshul Tuten (158.3)
- Dyami Brown (134.3)
- Travis Etienne (127.8)
- Parker Washington (118.8)
- Brenton Strange (101.9)
- Travis Hunter (32.4)
- Brian Thomas Jr. (18.3)
Reminder: If you spike the football on every play, the passer rating is 39.6. Not a great look for a pair of first-round ballers!
Assigning blame here is tricky. It has only been two weeks after all. Head coach Liam Coen mentioned BTJ has been dealing with a wrist injury … that curiously wasn't ever listed on the injury report. Hunter was also seemingly banged up on the sideline for at least a portion of Sunday's game, for what it's worth.
Is it as easy as blaming T-Law? Well, as The Ringer's Diante Lee hilariously said: The line between differentiating a hospital ball and a big-time throw can sometimes simply come down to if you like the QB or not. Personally, it did seem like BTJ displayed a case of the alligator arms on a few of the incompletions from Lawrence … who also certainly didn't seem to be leading his No. 1 WR into open areas. You can be the judge.
Ultimately, I'm sticking with BTJ as an upside WR2 based on my belief that the man is still a Grade-A baller; we can't just ignore what happened in 2024 after 120 meh minutes of football. Hunter is where there's a bit more of a near-term problem: They No. 2 overall pick is my WR45 ahead of Week 3 primarily due to a 2024 Wan'Dale Robinson-esque route tree that has resulted in a miserable 3.9 yards per target—it's worth wondering if the Jaguars should perhaps focus on the rookie mastering one side of the football before exploring the potential to be the first full-time two-way player basically ever.
Is Rome Odunze the one Bear we can really trust?
So far so good! Rome Odunze has ripped off 6-37-1 and 7-128-2 receiving lines to start the season, seemingly functioning as the only pass catcher in this Bears offense that Ben Johnson has a clear-cut plan for at the moment.
Sure, both of Odunze's TDs in Week 2 largely featured him left alone on relatively easy pitch-and-catch crossing patterns, but this route was sexy, and the overall route tree from the Bears' blowout loss against the Lions sure looked the part of a WR1.
I will be answering YES to the heavy majority of close start/sit questions featuring Odunze with the second-year talent ahead of Sunday's aforementioned potential fantasy-friendly shootout with the Cowboys.
Best of the rest
WR27 George Pickens: Has drawn 79 yards from defensive pass interference penalties through two weeks. Not only is that easily No. 1 among individual players, but the closest NFL *TEAM* as a whole is at just 56 from the Vikings through two weeks (pre-MNF). Unfortunately, that doesn't lead to extra fantasy points, but Pickens' status as Dak's clear-cut No. 2 pass-game option inside this shootout-heavy offense should lead to some big days ahead–the ex-Steeler joins Davante Adams as the only guys with at least five end zone targets this season.
WR32 Jauan Jennings and WR33 Ricky Pearsall: We can feel pretty, pretty, pretty good about starting both during Brock Purdy's (toe/shoulder) absence after Mac Jones managed to look more than fine on his way to throwing for 279 yards and 3 TDs last Sunday. I give Jennings the nod due to the reality that he has been the higher-scoring and more-efficient pass catcher during the last calendar year.
WR37 Wan'Dale Robinson: The WR8 in PPR points ahead of CeeDee Lamb and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Madness! Kudos to the artist formerly known as Scamdale for proving capable of winning downfield this season, although I'm hesitant to get too carried away and assuming this Giants offense will continue to look more like it did in Week 2 (awesome!) vs. Week 1 (horrible!). Still, clearly Robinson knows how to earn targets, and accordingly I have him ahead of guys like Keon Coleman, Jaylen Waddle and Jerry Jeudy, among others.
WR48 Elic Ayomanor: The rookie is responsible for the team's only TD this season and has kept things close with Calvin Ridley in terms of targets (14 vs. 13) and yards (84 vs. 69) through two weeks. I expect Ridley to distance himself over the course of an entire season, but hey, credit to the Day 3 Stanford product for quickly establishing himself as Cam Ward's clear-cut No. 2 pass-game option. That could provide some nice mid-to-late-season value if/when this offense starts to gel a bit more as the season goes on.
WR52 Matthew Golden: Maybe one day Jordan Love will save some of his best throws for the team's first-round WR. The injury to Jayden Reed (collarbone) should at least give the speedster a more consistent full-time role in the near term.
WR55 Troy Franklin: The second-year talent has parlayed a team-high 15 targets into 8-89-1 and 4-44-0 receiving lines to start the season. Courtland Sutton remains the obvious No. 1 here, but it's looking more and more likely that Franklin actually works as the second banana with neither Evan Engram nor RJ Harvey being as involved as expected. This ranking already feels low.
WR61 Hunter Renfrow: An early contender for Comeback Player of the Year, the route-running maven caught 7 of 9 targets for 48 yards and 2 scores in Week 2. Perhaps his slight stature gives Bryce Young more confidence than targeting someone like say, Xavier Legette, who just became the first player in NFL history to gain negative receiving yards with 8 or more targets in a game. Get better soon, Jalen Coker.
Tight End
Is the Tucker Kraft breakout happening?
Well, Tucker Kraft is THE TE1 in total PPR points, so I'd say so! The YAC monster has also functioned as one of the game's most-efficient targets at the position.
The only TEs I'd definitively take over Kraft the rest of the season are Brock Bowers and Trey McBride. It's close between Kraft and Tyler Warren. Not bad for a late-round TE!
Time to start Juwan Johnson even if there's a fire?
Yup! Juwan Johnson has posted 8-76-0 and 5-49-1 receiving lines while playing a near every-snap role inside of a Spencer Rattler-led offense that has exceeded expectations through two weeks of actions. Sure, the bar was low, but man, 20 targets in two weeks for a receiving-friendly option at the position is no joke!
Things could change once Foster Moreau (knee) and/or Taysom Hill (knee) are off the PUP list, but for now I'm buying all the way in on the 29-year-old talent—especially ahead of Week 3's matchup against a banged-up Seahawks secondary that was without multiple starters last week, including stud CB Devon Witherspoon.
Best of the rest
TE13 Mark Andrews: Two catches for 7 scoreless yards in two games without Isaiah Likely involved. But hey, at least Andrews also dropped a TD last week. Oh wait, that's not a good thing. The former baller will move further down the ranks if Likely manages to suit up this week.
TE14 T.J. Hockenson: 3-15-0 and 1-12-0 receiving lines during a period that was supposed to bring out the best in him with Jordan Addison suspended. Throw in the loss of J.J. McCarthy for a few weeks, and Hockenson is far from a must-start option at the position.
TE18 Evan Engram: The Joker has 6 targets through two weeks in large part because the Broncos are insisting on heavily rotating at the position despite handing Engram some serious cheddar to take his talents to Denver this offseason. Sad!
TE24 Cole Kmet and TE25 Colston Loveland: Kmet is a very solid professional TE with a top-10 fantasy season to his name. That said, I would've expected the Bears to lean on their rookie just a little bit more considering, you know, they used the 10th overall pick on him. I want to still stash Loveland and be patient, but yeah, the Michigan man is unstartable for the time being with this sort of usage.
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