Week 3 of the NFL season brought yet another ultra-entertaining Sunday. The 49ers, Dolphins, Packers, and Colts all won excitingly as they held off their opponents on their last drives. The Jacksonville Jaguars were the surprise team of the week as they dominated the Los Angeles Chargers from start to finish en route to a 38-10 victory. Baltimore bounced back in another high-scoring effort thanks to massive performances by Lamar Jackson (39.42 fpts) and Mark Andrews (28.9 fpts).
Next week will bring another excellent slate of games headlined by a potential AFC Championship preview in Baltimore vs Buffalo. In this article, I will try to pinpoint some of the best performances and pickups for the week to help you set your lineup.
Quarterback:
Start of the Week: Jalen Hurts PHI
Jalen Hurts has proved all doubters wrong, as some have him as an MVP candidate after a stellar first three weeks of the season. The overall QB3 has looked sharp through the air, and the Eagles have rolled to a 3-0 start. Philadelphia faces Jacksonville this week in a matchup that favors Hurts and the Eagles. If the Jaguars can put up some points, Jalen Hurts could produce the best fantasy performance of the young season.
HM: Joe Burrow CIN, Jared Goff DET
Waiver Priority: Trevor Lawrence JAC
Trevor Lawrence delivered one of the best performances of his young career on Sunday. The former Clemson standout had 262 yards and three touchdowns through the air in a blowout against one of the better teams in the league—the Los Angeles Chargers. The Jaguars will have to do a lot of passing to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles next week and then follow that up with easy matchups against the Texans, Colts, and Giants. Lawrence should have an easy four-game stretch to assist a QB-needy team over this stretch.
HM: Geno Smith SEA, Brian Hoyer NE
Running Back:
Start of the Week: Jamaal Williams DET
This name is a bit lower on many people’s rankings, but Jamaal Williams will explode this week. With DeAndre Swift likely out until after the week six bye, this is Jamaal Williams’ backfield. Detroit plays Seattle this week, who just allowed over 140 rushing yards to Cordarelle Patterson. Jamaal Williams will get over eighty percent of the snaps this week against a bad Seattle defense and needs to be in all lineups this week, regardless of league size.
HM: Austin Ekeler LAC, Rashaad Penny SEA
Waiver Priority: Khalil Herbert CHI
Against the Texans, Khalil Herbert had one of the best rushing performances by a Chicago Bears running back in recent memory. In relief of the injured David Montgomery, Herbert ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns on only 20 carries. It sounds like David Montgomery will miss a week or two with his injury, and Khalil Herbert will be an upper RB2 in those games, which should make him your top priority this week.
HM: James Cook BUF, Samaje Perine CIN
Wide Receiver:
Start of the Week: Amari Cooper CLE
Amari Cooper has quietly been a low-end WR1 so far. Despite Jacoby Brissett’s mediocrity, he has shown he can support a high-level wide receiver. The Browns play the Atlanta Falcons this week in a game that should feature a lot of points. If Amari Cooper can find the end zone again, a top twelve finish is likely, and he will become a mainstay in lineups for the rest of the season.
HM: Amon-Ra St. Brown DET, Mike Williams LAC
Waiver Priority: Mack Hollins LV
Nobody could have predicted that Mack Hollins would have the most receiving yards of anybody on the Las Vegas Raiders during the first three weeks of the season. Hollins had ten targets last week and turned that into 158 receiving yards and a touchdown. Hunter Renfrow’s injury has helped his numbers, so do not rush to the waiver wire to pick Mack Hollins up. However, if you are in a deeper league, Hollins provides intriguing value and deserves a look.
HM: Treylon Burks TEN, Richie James NYG
Tight End:
Start of the Week and Waiver Priority: Tyler Conklin NYJ
Many were curious about who the random breakout tight end would be. Tyler Conklin fits this billing as he is currently the TE3, only behind Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce. He is in both categories, as he is available in 89 percent of leagues on ESPN. Tight end is a scarce position this year, and the former Minnesota Viking is a must-add. Conklin and the Jets are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just gave up a career performance to David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns. Tyler Conklin is a must-start moving forward as he is getting major volume in the New York Jets offense.
HM Starts: Dallas Goedert PHI, TJ Hockenson DET
HM Waiver Priorities: David Njoku CLE, Jordan Akins HOU
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