Panthers WR Adam Thielen racked up an 11-145-1 receiving line in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. Carolina went surprisingly pass-heavy, attempting 58 throws (plus 3 sacks) vs. just 14 rushing attempts. Thielen drew 24.1% of fill-in QB Andy Dalton's pass attempts and produced 40.2% of the receiving yardage. Thielen now has 18 catches over the past two games after a quiet opener. Don't be surprised if he sits among the top 30 wideouts in our Week 4 rankings, for a matchup with his old team, the Vikings. WR D.J. Chark ranked second among Panthers in targets (11) and receiving yards (86) against Seattle. He managed just 4 receptions, though, and did most of his damage on a 47-yard catch-and-run TD. Terrace Marshall posted a 5-35 receiving line on 8 targets, in a game WR Jonathan Mingo left with a concussion.
Panthers RB Miles Sanders ran just nine times for 24 yards in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. He scored a TD, though, and caught five of 9 targets (for 38 yards) to save his fantasy line. Carolina went extremely pass-heavy, handing off on just 16% of offensive snaps. Sanders controlled backfield work, getting 75% of RB carries and 75% of RB targets. He should remain a decent play for a fine Week 4 matchup with the Vikings.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce delivered another classic performance with 7 catches on 8 targets for 69 yards and a TD in Week 3 vs. the Bears. This game was never close, as the Chiefs led 34-0 by halftime. It’s worth mentioning that rookie WR Rashee Rice also had some success on Sunday, with 5 catches on 7 targets for 59 yards. He logged 3 catches for 39 yards before the Chiefs rested most of their starting players by the end, so there’s some reason to be excited about this development. Kelce will look to further impress his new lady friend Taylor Swift in Week 4 vs. the Jets.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon found the end zone twice in Week 3 with 3 catches for 19 yards as a receiver. Fellow RBs Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire also had success in the blowout victory vs. the Bears, recording 15 carries apiece for a combined 117 rushing yards. Both Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire had 1 rushing TD as well. This game was a total demolition, and it’s unlikely we’ll see this many points from all three Chiefs’ backs moving forward. We’ll look forward to starting Pacheco again in Week 4 vs. the Jets.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins threw for 367 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. He has exceeded 340 yards in each of the team's first three games. Expect to find Cousins inside QB1 territory in our rankings the next three weeks -- vs. the Panthers, Chiefs and Bears -- but a Week 7 date with the 49ers might knock him down.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes completed 24 of 33 attempts for 272 yards with 3 TD in Week 3’s dominant win vs. the Bears. He also added 28 rushing yards on 3 carries in the contest. This game was already out of hand by halftime, so Mahomes was pulled before the end of regulation. Still, he posted enough production for fantasy managers to be happy. He’ll look to continue his MVP-level play in Week 4 vs. the Jets.
Bears WR D.J. Moore roped in 3 of 6 targets for 41 receiving yards and 1 TD in Week 3’s blowout loss vs. the Chiefs. No other pass-catcher exceeded 2 catches or 25 receiving yards. This 41-10 pummeling marks the lowest point of Chicago’s season to date. It’ll be difficult to start any pass-catcher in this offense besides Moore with even a little confidence in Week 4 vs. the Broncos.
Bears rookie RB Roschon Johnson tallied 8 carries for 38 rushing yards and 2 catches on as many targets for 11 yards as a receiver in Week 3 vs. the Chiefs. Neither he nor anyone on the Chicago offense were particularly effective in this poor outing, though this game is notable because Johnson ended up out-touching teammate Khalil Herbert. Herbert logged 8 total touches for 35 yards on Sunday and may have potentially lost his grip on being the lead back. This development will be worth considering ahead of Week 4 vs. the Broncos.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman dealt with hamstring trouble late in Sunday's loss to the Colts. He said afterward that the hamstring tightened up on him but that he doesn't believe it's anything serious, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. We'll look for further updates on Bateman and track his practice participation this coming week. Despite WR Odell Beckham's absence, Bateman mustered just one catch for six yards against the Colts.
The Vikings made RB Cam Akers inactive for his first game with the team. So RB Alexander Mattison continued to dominate backfield usage. He took 20 carries for 93 yards and added a 5-32 receiving line on 7 targets. Mattison benefited from facing a weak Chargers D and from Minnesota running 83 offensive plays. But we'll have to assume he retains the clear backfield lead until/unless something changes. Week 4 holds a high-upside matchup with a Panthers D that has been run over so far this season.
Bears QB Justin Fields completed 11 of 22 attempts for 99 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Week 3’s loss vs. the Chiefs. He also added 47 rushing yards on 11 carries in the contest, but this 41-10 blowout loss is just the latest blemish on what’s been a terrible start to the season for Chicago. It’s fair to question at this point if Fields can even be trusted for fantasy purposes. Fortunately, the Bears are set to face off against the Broncos in Week 4. The Denver defense just got annihilated by the Dolphins, so maybe there’ll be some hope for Fields.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson made a team-high 8 receptions for 78 yards in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. It was his third game with 7+ catches to open the year. Hockenson drew a season-high 11 targets but has garnered 8+ in every game. He ceded a TD to TE Josh Oliver, among 2 receptions for 4 yards for the mainly blocking TE. Hockenson is a strong fantasy starter across formats.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson delivered 7 receptions for 149 yards and his first TD of the season in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. He entered the game with the league lead in receiving yards. Jefferson's receptions and yards against the Chargers actually marked season lows for him through three games. That's how good he is. K.J. Osborn ran the second-most routes among WRs but drew just 3 targets. His lone catch went for a 36-yard TD. Jordan Addison caught six of 8 targets for 52 yards. Minnesota gets non-scary matchups the next three weeks: Panthers, Chiefs, and Bears.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert went 40 for 47 passing in Sunday's win over the Vikings, racking up 405 yards and 3 TDs. (WR Keenan Allen threw for the team's other TD.) L.A. dropped back on 75.8% of offensive plays, clearly committing to the pass from the start. Herbert had 30 pass attempts by halftime, vs. seven total run plays for the team in that time. Look for this team to continue leaning pass going forward, though likely not to the degree most weeks that it did against the Vikings.
Chargers TE Gerald Everett ranked third on the team with 6 receptions in Sunday's win over the Vikings, snagging all of his targets while producing just 30 yards. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, Everett also watched TE Donald Parham steal 2 TDs. Overall, Everett played just four more snaps than Parham and beat him 24-17 in routes. But that trailed the team's top 3 WRs by 10+ routes. Everett remains a meh fantasy option. And Parham doesn't draw enough targets to be startable in most fantasy formats.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen racked up 20 targets, 18 catches, and 215 yards in Sunday's win at Minnesota. He even added a 49-yard TD pass to WR Mike Williams in the third quarter. Allen claimed 42.6% of QB Justin Herbert's pass attempts, in a game Williams left late with an injury. Allen looks like a weekly must-start as long as he remains healthy. Williams tallied 7 receptions and 121 yards on 8 targets, which ranked a distant second. WR Josh Palmer posted a 4-66-1 receiving line on 7 targets. He'll be worth claiming off the waiver wire in many fantasy football leagues this week, if Williams appears to be in danger of missing the Week 4 home date with the Raiders.
Chargers RB Joshua Kelley carried just 11 times for 12 yards in Sunday's win over the Vikings. The team went extremely pass-heavy, dropping QB Justin Herbert back on 75.8% of offensive snaps. Despite leading the backfield in routes (13), Kelley tied for just sixth on the team in that category. Kelley tripled the snap count of No. 2 RB Isaiah Spiller, with Austin Ekeler out. But he spent much of his day blocking. Even if Ekeler remains out in Week 4, Kelley will be tough to like against the Raiders after consecutive duds. This week should have been at least a decent spot for him, against a Minnesota team that D'Andre Swift and the Eagles brutalized in Week 2.
Saints QB Derek Carr is believed to have suffered an AC sprain in his throwing shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Packers, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "When he plays will be determined by the swelling and how he gains mobility," Rapoport adds. It's relatively good news after what looked like a more serious injury. We'll look for a timeline for Carr's return.
Packers RB AJ Dillon got another chance to lead the backfield Sunday, with Aaron Jones (hamstring) inactive. For the second straight week, he failed to take advantage. Dillon gained just 33 yards on 11 carries, trailing QB Jordan Love (39 yards) for the team rushing lead. Dillon also got frozen out of the passing game, watching Patrick Taylor (4) and Emanuel Wilson (1) split the backfield targets. Dillon is droppable in many fantasy football leagues. Check our updated rest-of-season rankings Tuesday, ahead of your league's waiver run.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was pulled in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Bears, with his team holding a 41-0 lead. Mahomes racked up 272 yards and three TDs on 24-of-33 passing. He tweaked his ankle near the end of the first half but didn't miss any snaps. We'll keep an eye on that situation this coming week, but Mahomes should be fine for Week 4's meeting with the Jets.
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