Graphic by Audrey Kim
Miles Pearlman and Nick Gilo
Sports Reporters
With three weeks of football behind us, there have been a lot of surprises (good and bad) for almost all fantasy football players. It doesn’t matter if you’re 0-3 or 3-0—it can never hurt to keep yourself aware of what’s going on in the fantasy football world and even make a trade or two while you’re at it. We’re going to be covering the studs, duds, and everything in between. With all that said, let’s hop right into the week 3 takeaways.
Booms:
Miles’s Pick:
My boom this week is Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert put up an astounding 30.84 points against the Chiefs. After posting underwhelming numbers in weeks 1 and 2, Herbert has finally seemed to find his rhythm. Entering the game with only two touchdown passes on the season, he racked up four touchdowns, going 26-for-38 and throwing no interceptions. Herbert has a fantastic receiving corps to work with, including the WR2 on the year so far Mike Williams, along with Keenan Allen. Looking forward, I wouldn’t be surprised if Herbert continues to build off his week 3 performance.
Nick’s Pick:
My pick for this week has to be Josh Allen. Allen put up the most points of any player with 37.22 points against Washington. After last year, many expected Allen to solidify his position as a top-tier fantasy quarterback. However, Allen started the season off with a rough first two weeks. He then went on to explode for 358 passing yards and 5 total touchdowns in a Bills victory over Washington, living up to his expectations. Washington is a top defense this year, so it’s surprising that Allen had the game he did. Be on the lookout for Allen to repeat his week 3 performance as he faces two weak defenses in his next two matchups.
Busts:
Miles’s Pick:
T.J. Hockenson surprised us all in week three, and not in a good way. The tight end position as a whole has been quite disappointing this year, and it is pretty difficult to come by a great TE. For many fantasy owners, Hockenson has been a treasure, posting great numbers in weeks one and two. This was not the case in week three. Hockenson had a very poor week with a pathetic 3.0 points on only two receptions for 10 yards. To be fair, the whole Lions’ offense struggled against the tough Ravens defense. Although Hockenson’s week three performance is quite discouraging, I am not too worried about him as he’s still the best TE3 on the year and Jared Goff’s best receiving option.
Nick’s Pick:
My bust this week is none other than the Cardinal’s stud wideout, Deandre Hopkins. Deandre Hopkins is one of the best if not the best wide receivers in the league, so it’s common sense that he would torch a struggling defense like the Jaguars. Wrong. After an outstanding week one performance and average week two outing, Hopkins only managed to collect 5.1 points in that game. Some of the blame for Hopkins’s letdown may be in the hands of his young quarterback Kyler Murray, who did not throw a single touchdown against the Jaguars’ defense. If you are a Hopkins owner in your league, you may want to look elsewhere this week for your receiver position as the Cardinals face a tough Rams defense who is sure to line up Jalen Ramsey against Hopkins.
Buys:
Miles’s Pick:
I’m super excited about my buy candidate this week, and that is rookie running back Najee Harris. Most Harris owners were starting to become worried after he averaged only 12.5 points per game after week two. In week three, not only did he drop a phenomenal 28.2 points, but he did that without scoring a touchdown. This is because he had 14 receptions on 19 targets, which is almost unheard of at the running back position. Harris has only had one touchdown over three games, so his average points don’t tell the whole story. Touchdowns will come. If the Najee owner in your league isn’t as excited about him as I am, go get him because he could easily be a league winner this year.
Nick’s Pick:
Don’t sleep on Saquon Barkley. After a season-ending injury last year, Barkley has been subpar to start the season, but that’s to be expected after a torn ACL. After awful week one and two performances, Saquon showed why he is a top running back by putting up 21.4 points in week three. As the season goes on, I would say it’s safe to assume that Saquon will only get better and more involved in the Giants’ offense. I wouldn’t give up a lot for him, but I would check your leagues and see if any frustrated owner is willing to let go of him for cheap.
Sells:
Miles’s Pick:
My sell-high this week is Adam Thielen. It’s been the same story with the 31-year-old wideout for a while. The touchdowns are not sustainable. All of last season, he was a sell-high candidate due to the unsustainable touchdown rate, but he proved us all wrong. I don’t think he will prove us wrong again this year. Minus the touchdowns, the stats aren’t there. He only has 181 receiving yards through his first three games, but he is miraculously the fourth-highest scoring receiver in the league so far. He’s being valued as a WR1, but he’s not even the WR1 on his own team. Thielen might somehow prove me wrong and continue to get touchdowns at this improbable rate, but I’m betting against it and advising you to sell him now at the most valuable point he will be at all season.
Nick’s Pick:
A player I would try to get rid of is Mike Evans. Evans is on a star-studded Bucs team with a great receiving corps in Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, whom Evans has to compete with for targets. Evans has been notoriously inconsistent, which is largely because he depends heavily on touchdowns for his fantasy points. After his strong week two and three games, you might be questioning why I have him as my sell, but I think now is the best time to get rid of him. Most owners will look at his last two games and be willing to give up a great player in return for him. If you have the chance to unload Evans for a player that isn’t so touchdown-dependent, I would seriously consider it.
(All scoring is based on point per reception leagues)