Week 3 gave us plenty to talk about, and the fantasy football landscape is already starting to take shape. We saw a running back make a serious case that he should have been a top-five pick, crowded backfields, and a handful of 0-3 teams suddenly staring down a much bigger problem than just a slow start. Injuries also opened the door for what could be the hottest waiver-wire pickup of the week. Here are a few Week 3 takeaways that stood out.
Takeaway: Kenneth Walker is a Monster
If you didn’t believe in Kenneth Walker III coming into this season, it’s time to start paying attention
Walker entered Week 3 coming off a 117-yard rushing performance against Indianapolis, where he also added 61 receiving yards on six catches. He followed that up Sunday against Miami with another two-touchdown performance, scoring once on the ground and once through the air on a designed play. Walker finished with 18 carries for 70 yards. The bigger takeaway for me is that Walker simply looks like a player who should have been drafted much higher than the second round. He has the explosiveness, receiving ability, and touchdown upside to be a true difference maker, and his usage in Kansas City’s offense is making it increasingly difficult to overlook him.
Andy Reid loves his RBs!
Takeaway: Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are Both Top-24 WRs ROS
I’m officially buying both Christian Watson and Matthew Golden as top-24 wide receivers for the rest of the season.
Watson has been absolutely ridiculous to start, totaling 44 catches for 282 yards and four TDs on 29 targets. Even more encouraging is the volume. Watson has seen 29 targets, just one behind Golden. And then there’s Golden. He has been quietly impressive with elite usage, snap share, and targets. Thursday night’s game has been the breakout that the entire public has seen, now posting 5 catches, 100 yards, and a touchdown on 12 targets.
If Jayden Reed is sidelined, the Packers have been able to keep the target opportunities high for Watson and Golden. This team reminds me a lot of last year’s 2025 Cardinals, as we will see lots of dropbacks for Jordan Love as this team’s run game and defense are towards the bottom of the league.
Takeaway: The Seahawks Backfield is Becoming a Problem
The Seahawks’ backfield is turning into a full-blown committee, and that’s bad news for fantasy managers-especially Jadarian Price.
Against Washington, Price received just five carries for 15 yards, while Emanuel Wilson had 9 carries for 14. Add in George Holani getting the receiving work with five receptions for 48 yards.
Price had been an intriguing fantasy option coming into the season, but this type of usage makes it difficult to project consistent volume. His fantasy stock is trending in the wrong direction, and unless Seattle eventually settles on a clear lead back, this could become a backfield I want very little exposure to.
And people forget Zach Charbonnet will be back eventually, coming off IR next week at least.
Takeaway: The Chargers are also heading toward RBBC.
The Chargers aren’t quite as extreme, but we’re seeing another backfield that could become a headache for fantasy managers.
In the 24-16 loss to Buffalo, Omarion Hampton led the Chargers with 15 carries for 56 yards, averaging 3.7 YPC, while Keaton Mitchell received 8 carries for 52 yards, averaging 6.5 YPC, with a designed red zone shuffle pass TD. Vidal also saw some more snaps than we’d like to admit. We are starting to see Mitchell get more and more involved, and if Hampton isn’t getting receiving work, his early 2nd-round price is not panning out.
That’s enough to make me cautious with Hampton moving forward. He still has the talent and opportunity to emerge, but Mitchell’s involvement is something fantasy managers need to monitor closely.
Takeaway: Texans, Chargers and Patriots Are in Deep Trouble at 0-3
We’re only three weeks into the season, but the Texans, Chargers, and Patriots are already sitting at 0-3.
For Houston, the biggest concern is how little the offense has been able to generate. The Texans lost 19-17 to Indianapolis, with David Montgomery rushing for just 33 yards on 11 carries and Woody Marks managing only 15 total yards on five carries.
The Chargers lost 24-16 to Buffalo despite forcing five turnovers. They had opportunities to take control of the game but couldn’t capitalize, particularly after getting inside the red zone.
New England’s situation wasn’t much better. The Patriots were dominated 35-6 by Jacksonville, with Drake Maye having a QB rating of 48.6, 2 interceptions, a fumble, and only 199 passing yards while trailing all game. The loss of A.J. Brown is definitely a big problem, but I expect the 2025 runner-up MVP to play better.
From a fantasy perspective, these aren’t just NFL standings problems. When offenses consistently struggle to sustain drives and score points, it puts a ceiling on the players we’re relying on every Sunday.
Dalton Shultz, David Montgomery, Patriot backfield, Romeo Doubs, Hampton, Herbert, etc are all questionable starters moving forward.
Takeaway: De’Von Achane Injury Makes Ollie Gordon the Waiver Wire Priority.
This could be the biggest fantasy storyline coming out of Sunday.
De’Von Achane left Miami’s game against Kansas City with a knee injury after an 11-yard run on the opening drive and was eventually ruled out. The Dolphins turned to second-year ma Ollie Gordon, who finished with nine carries for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley said early evaluation of Achane’s knee injury “does not sound very optimistic”. The severity of Achane’s injury is still developing, but if he misses significant time, Gordon might be the add, or maybe even Jaylen Wright. I would still temper expectations, as this Dolphins team is now 0-3 and one of the worst rosters in the league.
Takeaway: Jahmyr Gibbs Reminds Everyone Why He Was the 1.01
Jahmyr Gibbs had himself a game.
Against the Jets, Gibbs totaled 164 yards and three touchdowns, rushing 20 times for 99 yards and two scores while adding seven receptions for 65 yards and another touchdown. That gave him 27 touches in Detroit’s 31-24 victory.
The most impressive part is that this wasn’t just a touchdown-dependent fantasy performance. Gibbs gave managers production in every possible way-rushing, volume, receiving usage, etc.
Throughout three games, Gibbs has at least 113 scrimmage yards and five catches in every game, and he now has six total touchdowns on the season. This is exactly why Gibbs was in the 1.01 coming into draft season.
Brock Purdy Is a Legitimate Top-5 Fantasy QB
I’m ready to say it: Brock Purdy is a legit top-five fantasy quarterback for the rest of the season.
Purdy was outstanding in Week 3 against the Cardinals, throwing four touchdowns and almost had a 50-yard rushing TD that got called back. He connected with Mike Evans for a touchdown, found Kittle twice for scores, and also Deebo on an 80-yard play on the first drive.
The bigger takeaway is the consistency we’re seeing from Purdy. San Francisco’s offense is loaded with weapons, and Purdy is taking advantage of them. Through three weeks, he’s showing that he doesn’t need massive passing volume to produce elite fantasy numbers because of the efficiency and touchdown upside of this offense.
At this point, I’m done treating Purdy like a mid-range QB1. He belongs in the top-five fantasy QB conversation, and I’m comfortable starting him as a weekly QB1 moving forward.
Final Thoughts
There are still a lot of unknowns, but we have more and more data to go off of as we move into week 4. Tune in tomorrow morning for my panic meter article as we’ll have a new lineup to talk about.
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