The Weekly Angle || Week 3

Injuries galore! We had already seen a lot of injuries across the league before Week 3 even began, but now we leave the week with a massive wave of them hitting multiple positions across the league.

Football is such a brutal and physical sport. Injuries should be expected every year, but every time they happen we, as managers, feel it deeply as people so heavily invested in this silly game. I often have to remind myself that the players experiencing these gruesome injuries are human beings too, processing their own emotions while being sidelined and facing the physical grind of recovery.

One of my biggest pet peeves in the fantasy space are the folks who predict injuries and take victory laps when those players actually go down. They care more about being right than they do about the wellbeing of the players putting their bodies on the line for our entertainment week in and week out. And don’t even get me started on the people who take to social media to talk trash to the actual players who get hurt.

Anyways, there’s much to dive into for Week 3. Let’s get into it. 

One Takeaway from Every Game

Falcons vs. Packers — 35-14 Falcons Victory

• It turns out the Cooper Rush and Jack Strand combination really was that bad. The Falcons waltzed into Lambeau with Michael Penix healthy and back at the helm and put on a show. Drake London dominated with nine catches for 194 yards, and Bijan Robinson was electric with 29 carries for 194 yards and two TDs.
• Red alert for the Packers. The RB room combined for an embarrassing 21 total rushing yards. Jordan Love threw for 312 yards but looked atrocious doing it. The only real winners were Christian Watson, who caught seven balls for 96 yards and a TD, and Matthew Golden, who hauled in five catches on 12 targets for 100 yards and a TD.

Bills vs. Chargers — 24-16 Bills Victory

• The Chargers showed some fight with good defensive play in the first half and jumped out to an early lead. For a minute, it looked like they might pull off the upset, and then turnover after turnover happened again. Omarion Hampton finished with 56 yards on 15 carries and a 42% snap percentage. Things are not looking great for the top-12 drafted RB as the backfield usage continues to be confusing.
• Josh Allen got hurt in this game. He didn’t miss any time, but his status should be monitored. James Cook ran all over the Chargers, finishing with 24 carries, 154 yards, and a score. DJ Moore led the team in targets with 10 and hauled in 6 catches for 67 yards. Dalton Kincaid had a dud week.

Browns vs. Panthers — 21-18 Browns Victory

• Bryce Young and the Panthers came back to earth after a scorching-hot start to the season and lost in Cleveland. Young looked terrible, and both Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker had dud weeks. Chuba Hubbard had a solid week after earning 82% of the backfield workload.
• Deshaun Watson had his second straight fantasy-relevant performance. Quinshon Judkins got a massive workload, but largely disappointed by failing to find the end zone. Harold Fannin had an awesome week and led the team in receiving yards, finishing with seven catches for 51 yards and two TDs.

Lions vs. Jets — 31-24 Lions Victory

• Geno Smith was mesmerizing in this game, going 31 of 37 for 321 yards and three TDs. Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq were the main fantasy beneficiaries, with Wilson racking up 107 yards on 10 catches and a score, and Sadiq logging 105 yards on seven catches and a score. Breece Hall suffered what appears to be a fairly significant injury, and Wilson also went down late in the game. With the Jets having been a great fantasy team so far this season, Braelon Allen and Kenyon Sadiq should both be very high priority waiver adds this week.
• Jahmyr Gibbs does Jahmyr Gibbs things once again. This man is just unstoppable. Amon-Ra St. Brown had his week salvaged by a TD. Everyone else was pretty disappointing for fantasy.

Colts vs. Texans — 19-17 Colts Victory

• This game had almost no fantasy relevance. Every single Texans player was a supreme letdown. This team is bad, and the defense that looked so elite coming into the year is showing some major red flags early in the season. My preseason prediction of David Montgomery being a bust is feeling really good right now.
• The Colts snuck out the win. Keenan Allen was the most fantasy-relevant player with 18.3 points on six catches, 63 yards, and a score. Josh Downs also had a fine week, leading the team in targets with 11. Tyler Warren had a decent game as well but is not being used down the field whatsoever, finishing with nine catches for just 55 yards.

Chiefs vs. Dolphins — 24-10 Chiefs Victory

• De’Von Achane went down with an ACL tear and is out for the rest of the year. There will likely be a waiver wire frenzy for backups Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright. Wright was out this week with a minor injury of his own, making Gordon the priority add, but don’t sleep on Wright. He is much closer to Achane stylistically, and is far more relevant in the passing game for a team that will likely be throwing a lot while playing from behind most weeks.
• Another great week from Kenneth Walker, who scored twice. Rashee Rice finally led the team in targets and may be getting back to 100% after his knee injury. Travis Kelce had a good week, but it was thanks to just two plays.

Giants vs. Titans — 12-7 Giants Victory

• The grossest game of the week that can be summarized with the following: bad weather and arguably even worse football. Both of these teams are just flat out bad. The Giants somehow won without scoring a touchdown. Cam Skattebo had a fine week off of sheer volume alone, finishing with 20 carries for 60 yards and three catches for 40 yards.
• Even in the midst of a brutal game, Tony Pollard, Wandale Robinson, and Carnell Tate all ended up being fantasy relevant. Pollard earned 87.5% of the RB workload and finished with 17 carries, 74 yards, and four catches for 22 yards. Robinson caught the only TD of the day for either team, and led his team in targets with 11. Tate drew nine targets that led to six catches for 58 yards.

Steelers vs. Bengals — 30-27 Steelers Victory

• We were treated to some vintage Aaron Rodgers, who was slinging the ball in this game. He threw for 292 yards and three TDs, but the only fantasy-relevant pass catcher was DK Metcalf, who had just three receptions for 31 yards. Jaylen Warren was incredible, rushing for 127 yards and adding three catches for another 49.
• I was low on the Bengals coming into this game and wasn’t surprised by the loss, but the way it happened was shocking. Burrow and the receiving corps still put up great numbers against an elite passing defense. Burrow finished with 282 yards and three TDs, and both Chase and Higgins were great for fantasy, each finishing with 20+ points.

Commanders vs. Seahawks — 33-31 Commanders Victory

• The surprise upset of the week! The Commanders got it done thanks to a strong defensive performance and wonderful game management from veteran backup Marcus Mariota. Terry McLaurin finally decided to show up this year, leading the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards while also finding the end zone for a great finish of 19.7 fantasy points. Jacory Croskey-Merritt got the bulk of the RB work but was very inefficient. Backup Rachaad White was much more efficient and added a receiving TD.
• Sam Darnold returned from injury and threw for 379 yards and four TDs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to be a top-two fantasy asset with 10 catches, 128 yards, and two scores. While the passing game is humming, this Seahawks team has got to figure out how to run the ball. Jadarian Price fumbled for the second straight week and was benched in favor of George Holani and Emmanuel Wilson, both of whom were also unreliable and inefficient. If this team can’t establish the ground game, they may be in real trouble.

49ers vs. Cardinals — 36-30 49ers Victory

• Welcome to the Fantasy Gold Game of the Week! Every fantasy-relevant player in this game had a good day. It was an offensive slugfest between division rivals. Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love showed out with 81% of the RB touches, finishing with 21 carries, 90 yards, five catches for 19 yards, and a receiving TD. He is my favorite trade target this week. Michael Wilson drew a staggering 17 targets from Jacoby Brissett and caught 11 for 89 yards and a score. Trey McBride finished with nine receptions for 75 yards.
• Brock Purdy continues his fantasy dominance despite the continued disappearance of receiving options, throwing for 297 yards and four TDs. Christian McCaffrey got the lion’s share of the backfield work and scored. George Kittle appears to be fully healthy again and led the team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and scored twice. Mike Evans took a hard hit, injured his ribs, and his status for Week 4 is in question.

Vikings vs. Buccaneers — 23-16 Vikings Victory

• It is time to officially sound the alarm for the Buccaneers. They look bad, and QB Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb and will be out for three to four weeks. The receiving options are mediocre at best, and Bucky Irving was disappointing despite the high volume. This team is in big trouble, and head coach Todd Bowles should officially be on the hot seat.
• The Vikings continued their display of utter defensive dominance. Kyler Murray wasn’t good in this game, but did enough to support a great week for Jordan Addison, who benefited from both a TD and an injury to Justin Jefferson. We are still waiting on definitive news on the severity of Jefferson’s injury, so his status for Week 4 needs to be monitored closely.

Ravens vs. Cowboys — 34-31 Ravens Victory

• The Ravens pulled out the victory in Rio de Janeiro thanks to complete clock mismanagement by the Cowboys at the end of the fourth quarter. Derrick Henry was dominant again, rushing for 89 yards and scoring twice. Zay Flowers returned from injury but played just 33% of snaps. Despite the low snap share, he was still fantasy relevant thanks to five catches for 84 yards.
• CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were fed like crazy, racking up seven catches for 112 yards and seven catches for 83 yards, respectively. Javonte Williams had a great week and silenced the haters, himself included, finishing with 98 rushing yards and a TD.

Raiders vs. Saints — 35-27 Raiders Victory

• Kirk Cousins is currently tied with Brock Purdy for the league lead in passing TDs, throwing three in each of the first three weeks. Now that the football robot from heaven is back, I don’t think he is going to slow down. Speaking of Brock Bowers, what a return. He came back from meniscus trim surgery, immediately played 79% of snaps, caught 10 passes for 116 yards, and scored a TD. He is a machine. Ashton Jeanty had a tough week salvaged by volume.
• Despite turning the ball over three times, Tyler Shough had a great fantasy week, throwing for 255 yards and four TDs. Chris Olave drew 13 targets and finished with nine catches for 107 yards. Juwan Johnson continues to be the best late-round TE pick of 2026, going for eight catches, 53 yards, and two TDs. While the passing game is clicking, the RB room is in shambles.. Travis Etienne re-aggravated his hamstring injury and is expected to miss time, leaving Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller to lead the backfield in his absence.

Broncos vs. Rams — 30-26 Broncos Victory

• The Rams are now 1-2, and are surely feeling the absence of injured stars Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua. They seemed in control in the first half and it looked like a blowout was brewing, but the Broncos showed discipline and confidence to battle back late and take down the preseason Super Bowl favorites. Despite the loss, Kyren Williams dominated with 88 rushing yards and 70 receiving yards on six receptions. Davante Adams had another fantastic fantasy output with seven catches for 137 yards. WR Konata Mumpfield was also heavily targeted, finishing with 93 yards and a TD. TE Tyler Higbee was second on the team in targets with 11, finishing with eight catches, 62 yards, and a TD. Mumpfield is an interesting waiver target while Puka is out, and Higbee is an appealing name depending on the severity of the injury to TE Terrance Ferguson.
• Bo Nix had just 186 passing yards, but still had a great fantasy day thanks to two passing TDs and a rushing TD. The running back room continues to be uninspiring, and Jaylen Waddle’s involvement is being called into question again after finishing with just two catches for 10 yards.

Bears vs. Eagles — 27-7 Bears Victory

• I’ve seen enough. This Eagles team is bad. The offense is completely uninspiring under OC Sean Mannion, and it was an all-around embarrassing performance from a team that couldn’t stop a 38-year-old Case Keenum, who last started a game in 2023. DeVonta Smith was the only player who escaped fantasy disappointment, finishing with six catches for 65 yards.
• Keenum dominated the porous Eagles defense and finally brought Luther Burden into fantasy relevance. Colston Loveland was somewhat involved but still had a lackluster game, finishing with just four catches for 31 yards. WR Khalif Raymond shined again in this Ben Johnson offense, and I think we are at the point where he should be rostered in 100% of leagues. Rome Odunze was flat out bad, dropping an easy TD and racking up penalties. I think the Odunze dream might be over. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 30 carries, with Swift proving to be the far more efficient of the two.

Biggest Storylines to Pay Attention to this Week

• Reports on who will lead the Dolphins backfield
• Justin Jefferson’s Injury Status
• Travis Etienne’s Injury Status & the Saints Backfield plans
• Length of Breece Hall’s Injury
• Puka Nacua’s Injury Status

Final Thoughts

With three weeks officially in the books, the picture is finally starting to become clear for so many situations around the league. Three games is still not a large enough sample size to start victory lapping, but it is enough to have a real idea of how things should go moving forward.

We also finally have a week where the waiver wire is going to be full of options. Due to the sheer number of injuries this week, you are going to want to use your FAAB liberally or make good use of that top waiver priority.

For those of you in a keeper or dynasty league, I always look at Week 4 as the week to decide whether I’m going to compete or rebuild if I find myself somewhere in the middle. It’s important not to sell too quickly, but there are also major benefits to being the first to commit to a rebuild. Think critically about your chances, be realistic about the value of your players, and be ready to attack one way or the other when the moment is right.

Thanks so much for reading and best of luck to everyone in Week 4!  Be sure to follow @SamFFB on X for more fantasy related content like this!