Fantasy football guru Matthew Berry has joined the team and his two shows have you covered all season long. Spend weekdays at noon with the Fantasy Football Happy Hour and then, every Sunday at 11am getting ready for kickoff with the Fantasy Football Pregame. Watch both shows live on Peacock and catch replays for the weekday show on the NFL on NBC YouTube channel.
Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray ranks 23rd in EPA per dropback and 25th in CPOE.
Murray has been held under six yards per pass attempt in all three games this year. Fewer than 10 percent of his passes are going 20 yards downfield and his target depth is below six. His deep throw rate is down over five percent versus 2021. He is also doing next to nothing as a runner. Excluding a kneel and a fumbled snap, he is averaging 3.3 carries for 22 yards per game. It’s hard to treat Murray as a QB1 versus the Panthers this week.
Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts topped 19 yards for the first time this year. He went for 87 yards.
It was the first sign of life we have seen from Pitts in 2022. With Marcus Mariota looking his way nine times, it was also the first week he led Atlanta in targets. The No. 1 role in Atlanta will bounce between Pitts and Drake London on a weekly basis, but the Pitts freefall has come to an end.
Baltimore Ravens
With 39.4 fantasy points in Week 3, Jackson owns the two best fantasy outings by a quarterback this year.
Jackson has topped 100 yards on the ground in consecutive weeks. He also has at least three passing scores in all three games this year. His touchdowns rate of 11.4 percent leads the NFL and his yards per attempt of 8.4 is top-three. Jackson is going full scorched-earth for the bag this season and is your new QB1 overall.
Buffalo Bills
Gabe Davis ran a route on 96 percent of Josh Allen’s dropbacks.
He ran a route on every Allen dropback in Week 1. Davis is an every-down player on one of the best passing attacks in the league. Week 3 was a down performance for him, but I’m not concerned based on his role.
Carolina Panthers
D.J. Moore caught just one pass for the first time since 2019.
With just two yards versus the Saints, it was Moore’s worst outing since the first game he played in the NFL if you throw out the nine-snap outing in 2019. Moore has been shut down by Baker Mayfield, and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. Better days will be ahead, but he’s out of the WR2 running.
Chicago Bears
Khalil Herbert handled 22-of-28 running back touches after David Montgomery went down.
Montgomery suffered knee and ankle injuries early in the game and did not return. He is considered day-to-day. The injury doesn’t sound dire, but it’s possible Montgomery misses a game or two. Herbert will be a high-end RB2 after running for 157 yards in Week 3.
Cincinnati Bengals
Samaje Perine turned 11 touches into 61 yards and a touchdown.
Perine played on 34 percent of the Bengals’ snaps. Joe Mixon was dealing with an ankle injury and didn’t appear much, if at all, in the fourth quarter. The Bengals play on Thursday this week, giving Mixon just a few days to recover. It’s likely we see less of him than usual in Week 4.
Cleveland Browns
Browns games are now 3-0 to the over.
Cleveland beat the Steelers 29-17 with the help of a defensive touchdown on the final play of the game. Their opponent this week, the Falcons, have also played all three of their games to the over. The total of their matchup has soared to 49.5 points.
Dallas Cowboys
With 12 targets in Week 3, CeeDee Lamb is up to 34 targets this year.
Cooper Rush, who is 3-0 as a starter, is averaging 7.4 adjusted yards per attempt. He doesn’t have an interception yet and is being sacked at one of the lowest rates in the league. Rush is keeping the train on the tracks, allowing him to feed Lamb along the way. Lamb posted an 8/87/1 line versus the Giants.
Denver Broncos
Javonte Williams ranks second among running backs in targets (21).
Pro Football Focus has Williams as their No. 15 back in receiving grade. We’re still stuck watching a backfield-by-committee in Denver, but Williams is making his case to be used more, especially through the air.
Detroit Lions
Jamaal Williams leads the NFL in red zone carries (11) and touchdowns (4).
Williams was splitting work with D’Andre Swift but has been a fiend at the goal-line. Swift has two red zone carries and no looks inside the five. Now Swift is dealing with a shoulder sprain that could knock him out for a few weeks.
Green Bay Packers
Romeo Doubs leads the Packers’ receivers in targets per route run.
Doubs broke out in Week 3, catching all eight of his targets for 74 yards and a touchdown. He ran a route on 94 percent of Aaron Rodgers’ dropbacks. With Sammy Watkins on injured reserve and Christian Watson banged up, Doubs could be the receiver to step up in Green Bay.
Houston Texans
Nico Collins has a 16 percent target share and a 25 percent target share.
Collins is a distant No. 2 receiver on an offense that currently ranks 23rd in passing yards per game. His market share numbers aren’t pitiful, but they aren’t good enough to make him a viable fantasy option. He can be dropped in most formats.
Indianapolis Colts
Matt Ryan is 33rd in the NFL in EPA per dropback (-.16).
Only 33 quarterbacks have thrown the ball enough to qualify, so Ryan ranks behind the likes of Davis Mills, Daniel Jones, and Justin Fields. Ryan has been a sack-taking machine this year, going down 13 times at a rate of 9.3 percent. He also has four interceptions. Michael Pittman is the only pass-catcher on this team we can trust, and even that feels shaky.
Jacksonville Jaguars
James Robinson is the only running back with a rushing touchdown in every game.
Robinson has at least 60 yards on the ground in all three games as well. He’s shown the ability to break long runs, including a 50-yard score in Week 3, and is a capable receiver. He and Travis Etienne have split the routes evenly. Robinson is a strong bet for RB2 numbers going forward.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes leads all quarterbacks in EPA per play.
Despite a down game that saw him throw one touchdown and one interception, Mahomes ranked 10th in EPA per play in Week 3. The interception came with two seconds left in the game and the Chiefs had virtually no way to claw back the game. Kansas City also missed a short field and failed to convert a fake field goal on fourth-and-11 in this game. It was a poor showing from the team, but Mahomes should rebound in Week 4.
Las Vegas Raiders
Mack Hollins led the Raiders in receiving yards...again.
Hollins turned 10 targets into an 8/158/1 receiving line. Hunter Renfrow was out in Week 3, thrusting Hollins into an even larger role. If Renfrow is out again for Week 4, he deserves some looks as a FLEX option.
Los Angeles Chargers
Per Pro Football Focus, Storm Norton allowed eight pressures on 25 pass-blocking snaps.
Norton stepped in at left tackle when Rashawn Slater went down. Slater has since been ruled out for the year with a torn biceps. Norton has allowed the fourth-most pressures this year and hasn’t started a game. With Justin Herbert ailing from a rib injury, losing Slater is a disaster.
Los Angeles Rams
Cam Akers saw 75 percent of the Rams’ backfield carries.
After seeing just three carries in Week 1, Akers re-emerged to lead the team in carries in his second game. Then, in Week 3, he cemented himself as the lead back. Akers didn’t get any looks in the passing game last week, but he could push for RB2 numbers simply by earning the bulk of the between-the-tackles work for LA.
Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle rank first and second in yards per route run.
Both wideouts rank top-10 in yards after the catch as well. Everything has come together perfectly for the Dolphins’ offense and the result is a massive stack of fantasy points. Both players can be treated like WR1s going forward.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings rank seventh in pass rate over expected.
Minnesota has passed at a rate four percent higher than expected. Justin Jefferson is coming off a pair of down weeks, but he still leads the team in targets (29) and air yards (243). Don’t panic, better days are coming for Jefferson.
New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson ranks fifth in the NFL in yards after contact per attempt (4.2).
Stevenson is also eighth in missed tackles forced per carry. Stevenson looks like an elite runner and has also secured the passing-down role. He has set a career-high in routes in back-to-back weeks. Stevenson is trending toward RB2 numbers.
New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara played two snaps at receiver.
Kamara averaged over nine snaps in the slot or out wide last year. He has played four slot snaps this season. He has only run a route on 52 percent of Jameis Winston‘s dropbacks in his two active games this year.
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley leads the NFL in rushing yards over expected (112).
He also leads the NFL in carries of 15 or more yards. Barkley broke his sixth long run on Monday night, cutting the play upfield for a 36-yard score. He currently leads all running backs in PPR points and there’s a strong argument to place him at the top of the pack in the rest of season rankings.
New York Jets
Breece Hall and Michael Carter rank 5th and 14th in yards before contact per carry.
The Jets line has paved the way for both backs to be efficient on the ground. The duo has also been peppered with targets. New York’s backs have combed for a 25 percent target share. The only missing piece is red zone work, which may take a while.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have passed on 60 percent of their first and second downs.
They rank fourth in EPA per play on dropbacks on first and second down. The Eagles have given Jalen Hurts all of the talent he needs to fly, and they have designed an offense tailored to his abilities. This is a team to target in all fantasy formats,
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers’ 308 total yards was their high-water mark of the year.
That high-water mark is the second-lowest in the NFL, trailing only the Panthers, who have yet to reach 300 yards in a game this season. Pittsburgh’s offense is in shambles at nearly every turn. It won’t be long before they turn to Kenny Pickett for a spark.
San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel played eight running back snaps.
Jeff Wilson dominated the backfield snaps for San Francisco, but Deebo appears to be the RB2 for the team. He out-snapped Jordan Mason 8-4 in reps at the running back position. Luckily, Samuel still managed a 28 percent target share in Week 3. Ideally, he gets a workload of a handful of carries but plenty of targets every week.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are averaging 75 rushing yards per game.
That’s 50 yards below their mark from 2021, which was primarily fueled by an insane ending to the year. Pro Football Focus has Seattle’s line ranked as the No. 31 run-blocking unit. The Seahawks also rank 30th in plays per game. The backfield remains a fade.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady averaged 5.6 air yards per attempt.
That was Brady’s lowest aDOT since he joined the Bucs. Never throwing past the sticks made it easy for Russell Gage to rack up 13 targets. He converted on 12 of them for a 12/87/1 receiving line.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry tied his career-high in targets (six).
Henry has seen six looks in the passing game on just one other occasion. Henry ran a route on 46 percent of Ryan Tannehill‘s dropbacks. He split the passing downs with Dontrell Hilliard. Henry out-performed his role in the passing game based on his limited number of routes, but it would be nice to see more passing plays designed to get him in space.
Washington Commanders
Carson Wentz set a career-high in sacks taken (nine).
Wentz leads the NFL in sacks taken and yards lost through sacks. He ranks 21st in yards per attempt. In a fitting twist of fate, he is averaging exactly zero EPA per play. Wentz is doing just enough to keep the offense afloat and provide fantasy value for the receivers. Curtis Samuel and Terry McLaurin are worth betting on as WR2/3 options, but Wentz himself should be left out of the streaming conversation.
