The third Sunday of the NFL season is officially in the books, and oh, what a wild day it was! The city of Los Angeles put itself on the football map in a big way. An MVP candidate returned to his dominant ways. And a record-setting field goal was made. So many great storylines saw plenty of noteworthy fantasy football performances as well. Heck, the top fantasy scoring running back in Week 3 had just 40 yards rushing! Talk about a wild and whacky week of football!
Let’s take a look at the top fantasy football performances from Week 3 of the NFL season across each position. This week’s notable top fantasy performers include Najee Harris, Peyton Barber, Mike Williams and Tyler Conklin.
Top Week 3 Fantasy Football RBs
Najee Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers
Stat Line: 14 carries, 40 yards; 14 receptions, 102 yards
PPR Fantasy Points: 28.2 (RB1)
The fact that Najee Harris finished as the top fantasy football running back for Week 3 despite averaging fewer than three yards per carry says a lot about the state of the Steelers’ offense. First and foremost, Harris deserves a ton of credit. Just three weeks into his NFL career, he has already proven himself as a dual-threat back. As to whether this kind of stat line is sustainable going forward remains to be seen.
Harris does have volume and workload working in his favor. A banged-up receiving corps and an aging QB who can’t get the ball down the field both work in his favor. However, the Steelers’ inability to run the football has this offense looking extremely one-dimensional again this season. Can Harris overcome a poor offensive line and continue to be a fantasy star going forward?
Peyton Barber | Las Vegas Raiders
Stat Line: 23 carries, 111 yards, 1 touchdown; 3 receptions, 31 yards
PPR Fantasy Points: 20.2 (RB5)
Kareem Hunt finishing as the fantasy RB2 was a surprise, but it failed to compare to the player checking in as the second-best running back in Week 3. That would be Raiders’ bruiser Peyton Barber. After being outcast from the Washington Football Team after originally topping the team’s depth chart, Barber has gotten a second chance in Las Vegas. With starter Josh Jacobs remaining sidelined, Barber was the Raiders’ lead back on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He saw a massive workload and finished with over 100 yards rushing and a score. His fantasy football production was further bolstered by a trio of receptions. The fact that Barber is the featured tailback despite the presence of Kenyan Drake on the roster is a major storyline.
James Conner | Arizona Cardinals
Stat Line: 11 carries, 43 yards, 2 touchdowns; 1 reception, 10 yards
PPR Fantasy Points: 18.3 (RB13)
All of the fantasy hype regarding the Cardinals’ backfield coming into the year revolved around Chase Edmonds. Meanwhile, veteran free-agent signee James Conner was largely being drafted outside of the first ten rounds based on the fantasy football ADP. For the record, Edmonds has yet to see more carries in any game this season than Conner. While the former is a more prolific pass-catcher, it was Conner who put together the bigger fantasy line in Week 3. A pair of rushing touchdowns buoyed the former Pittsburgh Steelers back to a top-5 finish at the RB position on the week. While his receiving upside is limited, the ineffectiveness of Edmonds on the ground (26 yards on 11 carries) will keep Conner very much in the RB3-FLEX discussion going forward.
Top Week 3 Fantasy Football WRs
Mike Williams | Los Angeles Chargers
Stat Line: 7 receptions, 122 yards, 2 touchdowns
PPR Fantasy Points: 33.2 (WR1)
Every season, a few players emerge as potential fantasy football league winners. Owners who drafted Chargers wideout Mike Williams have to be feeling pretty dang smart after three weeks. The horrendous Kansas City Chiefs secondary was no match for Williams in Week 3. The new favorite target of second-year quarterback Justin Herbert, Williams has hauled in seven receptions or more in every game thus far. His 122 yards on Sunday marked his highest total of the season to date. It was also his first multi-touchdown game. Williams is drastically performing his fantasy football ADP and there is no end in sight.
Davante Adams | Green Bay Packers
Stat Line: 12 receptions, 132 yards, 1 touchdown
PPR Fantasy Points: 31.2 (WR2)
It’s no secret at this point how talented a receiver Davante Adams is. Given the lack of offseason moves by the Packers front office again this year, Adams is easily the top target for QB Aaron Rodgers. Look no further than the box score from Green Bay’s Week 3 win over the San Francisco 49ers for evidence. While Adams went out and piled up over 130 yards on 12 catches, no other Packers receiver finished with more than three receptions. Adams is about as surefire a fantasy football stud as you’ll find going forward.
Emmanuel Sanders | Buffalo Bills
Stat Line: 5 receptions, 94 yards, 2 touchdowns
PPR Fantasy Points: 26.4 (WR5)
After having one of the best passing offenses in the NFL a season ago, the Bills only made it better by signing veteran wideout Emmanuel Sanders in the offseason. Some critics were curious as to how things would look given Buffalo already had a slot receiver in place in Cole Beasley. Well, both players went off and finished as top-10 fantasy football wideouts in a Week 3 blowout of the Washington Football Team. The 34-year-old Sanders had the slightly better fantasy line thanks to his finding the end zone twice. With at least six targets in each of the first three games, it is clear he has found a solid role in the Bills’ offense.
Beasley also deserves to have his performance shouted out here. He led the team in both receptions (11) and yards (98) on Sunday to finish with 20.8 fantasy points. That performance saw him finish as the WR10 in PPR scoring for Week 3. A man of principle and sticking to his guns off the field, Beasley continues to get it done on the gridiron as well at age 32.
Top Week 3 Fantasy Football TEs
Tyler Conklin | Minnesota Vikings
Stat Line: 7 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown
PPR Fantasy Points: 20.0 (TE1)
In another big game for the Vikings’ passing attack, tight end Tyler Conklin came up huge. He couldn’t quite keep up with star wideout Justin Jefferson (9 catches for 118 yards and a score), but Conklin is more than just hovering around the fantasy football radar after his Week 3 performance. His 70 yards receiving combined along with his first touchdown of the season propelled him to the TE1 spot in fantasy on the week. For managers who are worried this performance might only be a flash in the pan, Conklin’s 16 targets over the first three games suggest otherwise. Expect the former Central Michigan Chippewa to be owned in far more than 2.6% of ESPN leagues after waivers process this week.
Mike Gesicki | Miami Dolphins
Stat Line: 10 receptions, 86 yards
PPR Fantasy Points: 18.6 (TE2)
Hot take time: the Dolphins offense is better off with Jacoby Brissett under center going forward than Tua Tagovailoa. Too soon Miami fans? Honestly, I’m not really sorry about it. Against a Las Vegas Raiders defense that has looked much improved from a season ago, Brissett more than held his own. Tight end Mike Gesicki quickly became one of his go-to targets. He and rookie wideout Jaylen Waddle combined for 22 of the Dolphins’ 32 receptions on Sunday. If Gesicki is going to have a similar target share going forward, he can be a top-5 fantasy football tight end on a weekly basis given the shallow state of the position.
Top Week 3 Fantasy Football QB
Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills
Stat Line: 32/43 passing, 358 yards, 4 touchdowns; 4 carries, 9 yards, 1 touchdown
PPR Fantasy Points: 37.22 (QB1)
After his top two targets from Sunday’s win got love earlier in this column, it’s time to pay Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen his dues. He received a lot of flack from fantasy football owners after two sub-par games to begin the year. Allen responded in a big way against a highly-regarded Washington Football Team defense in Week 3. He was nearly flawless in passing for over 350 yards and finishing with five total touchdowns on the day. Allen reminded us all of why his fantasy ADP was so high coming into the year. He is a threat to be the top quarterback on a weekly basis thanks to his dual-threat ability.
Top Week 3 Fantasy Football D/ST
Denver Broncos
Stat Line: 5 sacks, 2 interceptions; 162 yards allowed, 0 points allowed
PPR Fantasy Points: 37.22 (QB1)
Here’s a fantasy football revelation for you: any defense playing the New York Jets is worthy of streamer consideration for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, this strategy likely wasn’t an option in the majority of leagues for Week 3 given that the Broncos are one of the top defenses in the NFL. The star-studded unit was no match for the hapless Jets offense on Sunday. Denver destroyed an overmatched offensive line recorded five total sacks, including two by A.J. Johnson. Justin Simmons and Caden Sterns also came up with interceptions of rookie QB Zach Wilson. As if the positive stats weren’t enough, the Broncos also pitched a shutout.
Top Week 3 Fantasy Football K
Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens
Stat Line: 1-1 PAT; 4-5 FG, 1 from 20-29, 1 from 40-49, 2 from 50+
PPR Fantasy Points: 17.0 (K2)
Okay, so technically, Chase McLaughlin was the top-scoring kicker in fantasy football this week. The Cleveland Browns’ placekicker hit all four of his field-goal attempts, including two from beyond 50 yards, to finish with 18 fantasy points.
That being said, Justin Tucker was THE kicker of the week in the NFL. Like McLaughlin, he hit four field goals. While one miss saw him finish one point below in fantasy football, Tucker’s 66-yard game-winner broke the NFL record for the longest made field goal in history. The fact that it literally won the game for the Ravens only adds to perhaps the greatest moment from Week 3. As perhaps the greatest kicker to ever play the game, it was an incredible moment for Tucker.
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