So much is going on in Week 3 of the NFL. What’s crazy, though, is that sports are unpredictable, just like Fantasy Football. One week, one of your players can single-handedly carry your team to victory, while another can leave fantasy managers wondering what they were doing by starting those players in the first place.
As we approach Week 3 in the NFL, so many storylines leading up to this weekend’s games. Injuries have also affected the league tremendously, opening opportunities for other players to contribute to their teams and your fantasy teams. With another week of NFL action about to be in the books, let’s look at some of the biggest boom-and-bust performances across the league.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detriot Lions: Boom
Jahmyr Gibbs keeps proving week in and week out why he was drafted No.1 overall in most fantasy leagues with his dominant performance in the Detriot Lions 31-24 win against the New York Jets.
Against the Lions’ former defensive coordinator, Gibbs totaled 164 yards and 3 TDs, scoring a game-winning 11-yard touchdown reception with less than three minutes remaining, for 41.4 PPR fantasy points. Gibbs rushed the ball 20 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns, while catching 7 of 8 targets for 65 yards and a receiving TD. His performance showed he is a true Bell-Cow of the Lions offense as he was able to handle a highly efficent workload as the Jets defense couldn’t stop him.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Lions announced that Gibbs became the first player in NFL history to produce at least 300 rushing yards, 4 rushing TD’s, 150 receiving yards and two receving TD’s through the first three games of the season.
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers: Boom
With the San Francisco 49ers off to a phenomenal start to their season, QB Brock Purdy has looked like a true franchise single-caller, as he showed in his performance against the Arizona Cardinals today. Purdy went 15/27 for 297 yards and 4 TDs with a 133.8 QB rating, along with 34 rushing yards in the 49ers’ 36-30 win over the Cardinals. His performance totaled 31.4 PPR fantasy points.
His best play came on the third play from scrimmage, when the 49ers called a Hook-and-Ladder play: he threw it to Mike Evans for 2 yards, who then tossed it to Deebo Samuel, who ran 80 yards for the TD. Even with injuries all around the 49ers offense, with Mike Evans with a rib strain and Trent Williams with a signer, Purdy still managed to operate the offense as normal with adjustments and executing chunk plays.
According to NFL Fantasy Football, Purdy was the 11th QB off the board in summer fantasy drafts. For those lucky enough to draft him, he’s put up back-to-back elite weeks, posting 28.5 PPR Points last week against Miami and 31.4 PPR points against the Cardinals.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York Jets: Boom
Heading into the New York Jets matchup against the Detroit Lions, they were decimated by injuries in their skill-position room. Injuries included TE Mason Taylor, WR AD Mitchell, WR Tim Patrick, and WR Omar Cooper Jr. With the Jets looking for the next man up, rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq proved to be that guy, delivering a dominant rookie showing today. Sadiq caught 7 passes for 105 yards and a TD, for 23.5 PPR fantasy points.
Before today’s game, the Jets were still figuring out how to incorporate Sadiq into the offense. With injuries all around, Sadiq capitalized on the opportunity and put up strong fantasy volume. Behind Garrett Wilson, Sadiq proved to be Geno Smith’s next trusted target, commanding 8 targets. He showed he can be a piece of the passing offense, not just a blocking or gadget option.
According to the New York Jets, Sadiq became the first rookie TE in franchise history to record rushing and receiving TDs in the same season. The Jets also noted an interesting fact, according to Stats Perform: On the drive in which Sadiq caught his touchdown, tight ends Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods also caught passes. It marked the first time since 1991 that three different Jets tight ends caught a pass on the same drive.
This shows the Jets are featuring the TE more in their offense, which they haven’t done much over the years.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Bust
The Indianapolis Colts got their first win of the season against the Houston Texans, 19-17. But Jonathan Taylor didn’t produce to his usual fantasy numbers. He carried the ball 23 times for 68 yards and caught 2 passes for 4 yards; ESPN projected him for 20.6 PPR points, but he produced 9.2.
It wasn’t much of Taylor’s fault; the Texans’ defensive unit dominated the trenches as the Colts couldn’t get the run game going. The Colts ran the ball 31 times, but averaged just 2.9 yards per rush. As a result, the Colts struggled to sustain drives into the red zone. Along with a rough day from Daniel Jones, who caused 3 turnovers, the offense couldn’t establish a rhythm, which kept Taylor from being used effectively.
Tetairoa McMillian, WR, Carolina Panthers: Bust
Today was not the best day for the Carolina Panthers, especially WR Tetairoa McMillian, who was projected for 14.2 PPR points but managed only 3.7 in the Panthers’ 21-18 loss to the Cleveland Browns. McMillan caught just 2 of his 5 targets for 17 yards.
The Browns completely took McMillian out of the game. At first, they were going to rely heavily on aggressive man coverage. However, with CB Tyson Campbell ruled out, the Browns had to change their whole defensive game plan so that McMillian wasn’t a factor for the Panthers. With WR Xavier Legette inactive before the game and Jalen Coker exiting early in the 3rd quarter with a quadriceps injury, the Panthers had to double-team McMillian.
Bryce Young also faced tremendous pressure from the Browns’ defense all day. He appeared injured after tweaking his ankle when Mason Graham sacked him in the 2nd quarter. A rough day for Young led to a rough day for McMillian
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers: Bust
It’s clear the Los Angeles Chargers are adjusting to Mike McDaniel’s offense, as they’ve struggled to produce early in the season. Omarion Hampton is off to a slow start adjusting to the offense, and it shows: he was projected to score 15 PPR points but put up only 5.6. Hampton rushed 15 times for 56 yards and failing to catch his only target in a 24-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
He averaged only 3.9 yards per carry, struggled to find room against the Bills’ front, and had minimal involvement in the passing game. Although Hampton is viewed as a workhorse RB, Keaton Mitchell barely edged him out in total touches (15 to 11). Two fumbles over the past two weeks raise concerns about his ball control, which helps explain why the coaches have included Mitchell more in the offense.
Hopefully, the Chargers offense gets things going for the sake of their season as they’re now 0-3 to start the season.
