Fantasy Football Week 3 Recap: Jordan Mason's Breakout, A.J. Brown's Resurgence and More
Adam Ronis recaps the good and bad from Fantasy Football Week 3
Let's dive right in to what happened in Week 3... and what it might mean for Week 4.
The Positives From Week 3 Fantasy Football
Stars of the Slate: Jordan Mason, A.J. Brown, and More
Jordan Mason wasn’t drafted too far from Aaron Jones in fantasy football drafts. In some, Mason went ahead of Jones. Once Jones was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, it was time for Mason to take off. Mason rushed for 116 yards on 16 carries with two TDs for the Vikings in a win over the Bengals and sat in the fourth quarter. Mason will continue to get a big workload with Jones sidelined.
Hopefully, you stayed patient and didn’t bench A.J. Brown. The Eagles wide receiver had a reception of at least 15 yards in every game last season. In the first two weeks, his longest reception was eight yards. The Eagles fell behind the Rams 26-7 and were forced to pass. Brown had six catches for 109 yards with a TD on 10 targets, and DeVonta Smith had eight catches for 60 yards with a TD on nine targets.
Jonathan Taylor continued his early-season campaign for 2026 1.01, scorching the Titans defense for a trio of TDs and another 100-plus-yard effort.
Tight Ends: Jake Ferguson and T.J. Hockenson Delivered
Jake Ferguson delivered in a big way for those who started him. He had 13 catches for 82 yards on 14 targets. Ferguson has 18 targets in three games and is a TE1 with Dallas constantly playing from behind.
Speaking of tight ends, welcome back T.J. Hockenson. After two catches for 17 yards in the first two games, Carson Wentz helped Hockenson to a solid day with five catches for 49 yards with a TD. Hockenson’s six targets were second on the team to Justin Jefferson’s seven.
Add Hunter Henry to the tight ends that went off. Henry had eight catches for 90 yards with two TDs on 11 targets. Henry has 22 targets in three games and has a good rapport with Drake Maye.
Stock Up: Caleb Williams
It wasn’t shocking to see Caleb Williams carve up a putrid Dallas defense with 298 passing yards, four TDs and 12 rushing yards. It was surprising to see Luther Burden catch three passes for 101 yards with a TD. Well, it was the Cowboys defense that let receivers get behind them consistently. Burden scored on a 65-yard flea-flicker, but isn’t getting enough targets. He has six targets in three games.
ICYMI: Dwain and Ian went deep on every game. There are timestamps if you're looking for a certain game
Rookies Find Paydirt: Quinshon Judkins Has Arrived
Quinshon Judkins looked good in his debut in Week 2 despite limited time with the Browns and no training camp and he took over the backfield against Green Bay. He rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries with a TD and caught one of his two targets for one yard. The only other carry went to Dylan Sampson.
Elic Ayomanor scored for the second straight week and the rookie finished with four catches for 38 yards with a TD on five targets.
Cam Skattebo was on the verge of taking over the Giants’ backfield and a shoulder injury to Tyrone Tracy allowed him to get the big workload against the Chiefs. Skattebo rushed for 60 yards on 10 carries with a TD and caught six passes for 61 yards.
Week 3's Biggest Fantasy Football Surprise
If there was ever a big surprise, it was Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker. He led the team with nine targets, catching eight for 145 yards with three TDs. He likely won’t see three TDs combined the rest of the season.
Tucker highlights the best Week 4 Waiver Wire Adds.
The Negatives From Week 3 Fantasy Football
Trouble In Jerryworld: CeeDee Lamb Hurt
The Cowboys offense was a huge letdown going against a Bears defense littered with injuries. It was supposed to be a shootout, but Dallas didn’t play its part. It didn’t help that CeeDee Lamb left early in the game with an ankle injury, returned for one play, and realized he couldn’t play. Dak Prescott passed for 251 yards with one TD and two INTs.
Struggling Stars: Josh Jacobs, Brian Thomas Jr., and More (A Lot More)
Josh Jacobs couldn’t run the ball at all against the Browns, gaining 30 yards on 16 carries and snapping his streak of 11 consecutive games with a TD. He saved his day with five catches for 44 yards. The Browns held Chase Brown to 43 rushing yards and Derrick Henry to 23 yards on 11 carries.
While the Eagles passing game flourished, Saquon Barkley didn’t. He was held to 46 yards on 18 carries and caught four passes for nine yards. Barkley is averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
The Brian Thomas Jr. bounce-back game didn’t happen. If it wasn’t for a 46-yard reception late in the game, it would have been awful. He was third on the team with six targets, behind Parker Washington and Brenton Strange. Thomas had two catches for 55 yards. Travis Hunter was barely involved, catching one pass for 21 yards on two targets.
Ashton Jeanty looks good, but the stats aren’t there due to the offense and lack of involvement in the passing game. He rushed for 63 yards on 17 carries and didn’t catch a pass.
The competition for Ladd McConkey is real. He had seven targets and caught four passes for 41 yards. Keenan Allen had 11 targets and Quentin Johnston had 10.
Malik Nabers did play. The box score doesn’t show it, but Nabers had two catches for 13 yards on seven targets. Nabers had 14 catches for 238 yards with two TDs on 25 targets in the first two games.
Calvin Ridley had another disappointing game. He was targeted seven times and only caught one pass for 27 yards. Through three games, Ridley has eight catches for 111 yards on 21 targets.
The struggles continue for Travis Kelce. He was second on the team with seven targets and only had four catches for 26 yards. He has 10 catches for 134 yards with a TD in three games.
These Aren't Joe Burrow's Bengals
When Jake Browning filled in for Joe Burrow in 2023, he had some good games. That Browning didn’t show up against the Vikings. The Bengals offense was stymied against a good defense. Browning struggled, throwing for 140 yards with one TD and two INTs. Chase Brown had 10 carries for three yards and caught four passes for 17 yards. Ja’Marr Chase had five catches for 50 yards, and Tee Higgins had one catch for 15 yards on two targets. The Bengals play the Broncos, Lions and Packers the next three games. The struggles could continue for the offense.
Two Ambiguous Backfields With... No Clarity
Just when it appeared those with Rhamondre Stevenson got a steal in drafts, he fumbled it away. Stevenson fumbled twice, including once near the goal line. Antonio Gibson also lost a fumble and TreVeyon Henderson got more touches the rest of the way. Henderson had 11 carries for 28 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards. There’s hope for Henderson.
The Washington backfield was a mess. Chris Rodriguez was inactive in the first two games and started the game. He had 11 carries for 39 yards, Jacory Croskey-Merritt had eight carries for 26 yards with a TD and caught a five-yard pass and Jeremy McNichols rushed for 78 yards on four carries with a TD.
More Problems Out West
Bo Nix had another bad game. He missed several throws and had 153 yards with one touchdown and rushed for 33 yards. The Broncos had only 48 plays compared to 80 for the Chargers.
James Conner disappointed due to injury. He had a right ankle injury and will have season-ending surgery. Trey Benson gets a massive boost. Marvin Harrison Jr. had his second bad game in a row. He caught three passes for 44 yards on six targets and had two awful drops.
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