Following the Cleveland Browns' 29-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, we head into the weekend of Week 3.
For Monday Night Football, we have another game projected for a low score in the Dallas Cowboys visiting the New York Giants. However, there were nine games in total this week with totals of 45 or less, so offense could be in a bit of demand.
Here, we preview the week from a fantasy football perspective. We look at two top plays at all positions, the top-10 defenses, and some sleepers.
Let's get to it.
Quarterback
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Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts cannot be stopped. He may only have one passing touchdown, but we all know how Hurts earns his points — running with the ball.
Hurts has 28 total rush attempts (15 designed runs) for 147 yards and three scores. Going up against the Washington Commanders this weekend, Hurts will continue his reign of rushing supremacy as the Commanders allow 157 rushing yards per game.
He could finish this week as the QB1.
Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons go on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field — an intimidating environment for visiting tems. Still, Marcus Mariota is somewhat like Hurts in that his rushing ability makes his fantasy days much more exciting.
Mariota has 18 total rush attempts on the season. While 12 of those came in Week 1, Mariota turned to the air after a rough day on the ground against the Los Angeles Rams last week, where he threw for two touchdowns and just under 200 yards.
Against the Seahawks, Mariota should be able to get those rush attempts going again, and he has excellent pass-catching weapons that can beat Seattle's weak secondary. Mariota is a candidate for 50-plus rushing yards and a touchdown while adding 200-plus passing yards and another score.
Running Back
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Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals offense has been a non-starter thus far in 2022. They have yet to surpass 20 points in a game, but this week, they get a prime bounce-back opportunity against the New York Jets.mRegardless of how the offense has performed, running back Joe Mixon has still gotten plenty of touches, averaging 28 per game.
Mixon is seeing some excellent work in the passing game, posting eight targets in Week 1, and will continue to get his carries. The Jets are also five-point home underdogs here, too, and allow over 123 yards per game on the ground.
There are too many positive elements here for Mixon to fail.
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
After scoring in Week 1, Eagles running back Miles Sanders continued to run well in Week 2 despite not finding the end zone. Sanders is averaging 15 carries a game, running for 5.9 yards per attempt.
The presence of Hurts certainly helps Sanders, who failed to score a single touchdown in 2021. However, we mentioned how porous the Commanders are against the run, and this could rear its ugly head in favor of Sanders as well as Hurts.
Sanders is a candidate for 100 total yards in this game.
Wide Receiver
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Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
We can't avoid Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. Coming off a lackluster Week 2 despite scoring a touchdown, Adams gets another incredibly beatable secondary in the form of the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were obliterated in Week 2 by the Buffalo Bills, surrendering 41 points.
Adams should see plenty of Titans cornerback Roger McCreary in this one. While he's arguably one of their best coverage players, McCreary has been targeted seven times this season, and they have all been caught by the opposing receiver. Fortunately for him, these seven catches have only gone for 55 yards.
After a 15-target Week 1, Adams saw just six in Week 2. However, the Raiders were in control of that game before blowing it at the end, so it wasn't essential to get Adams all that involved. He bounces back here for a double-digit target showing.
Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams
After scoring a touchdown in Week 2, we're back on the A-Rob train. And it's a great time to be back on it because this week, he draws the Arizona Cardinals, who are allowing over 300 passing yards per game.
Lining up on the outside, Robinson should see plenty of Byron Murphy, who was the hero in Week 2 when he scooped and scored the Hunter Renfrow fumble. However, Murphy has allowed nine catches on 13 targets and touchdowns in each game. Murphy lines up on both sides of the field, though, so A-Rob could also see a decent amount of Marco Wilson, who's been dreadful, allowing over 100 yards receiving on eight catches.
Either way, Robinson should have the upper hand here.
Tight End
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Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
You'll always start Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce no matter what, but this matchup is phenomenal. On the road as 5.5-point favorites, the Chiefs take on a Colts coverage unit that can't seem to stop anyone.
Linebacker Zaire Franklin should be the guy who primarily covers Kelce, and he's given up five catches on seven targets. However, Franklin has only matched up against Texans tight end O.J. Howard and Jaguars tight end Evan Engram — for the most part — this season.
The Colts have cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who should do well against one of the Chiefs receivers. Still, Kelce is going to dominate in this game.
Two scores are possible.
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
After missing the first two games, it's looking like 49ers tight end George Kittle could return in this one. Going up against the Denver Broncos, we'd enjoy seeing a better first matchup back. Still, Kittle has always been a favorite target of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Broncos don't allow many passing yards per game, but Kittle should be one of the two top targets for Garoppolo. So he'll be sure to get his opportunities.
D/ST
- New Orleans Saints (at Carolina Panthers)
- Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
- San Francisco 49ers (at Denver Broncos)
- Baltimore Ravens (at New England Patriots)
- Buffalo Bills (at Miami Dolphins)
- Los Angeles Rams (at Arizona Cardinals)
- Cincinnati Bengals (at New York Jets)
- Philadelphia Eagles (at Washington Commanders)
- Carolina Panthers (vs. New Orleans Saints)
- Kansas City Chiefs (at Indianapolis Colts)
Sleepers
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Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones isn't someone you'd expect to run with the ball, but so far this season, he has eight designed runs. Including scrambles, Jones has 16 carries.
The yards haven't been fantastic, but eventually, this volume of rushing yards will result in something. Even if Jones doesn't score on the ground, he could crack 40 yards, equivalent to a passing touchdown.
Further, in the passing game, Jones gets a Dallas Cowboys coverage unit with some beatable players, including cornerback Anthony Brown. Fellow Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is known for creating turnovers. Still, Brown and Diggs have surrendered a combined 22 catches on 32 targets for 258 yards and two touchdowns.
Jones may not have the most exciting options, but he has a matchup that could allow for two touchdowns while adding his rushing yards.
David Sills V, New York Giants
We just talked about Jones, and here, we're going to look at one of his receivers, former Buffalo Bill David Sills V. This is a bottom-of-the-barrel player, but Sills could be in contention for a touchdown in this one.
In Week 2, Sills had just four targets, but he led the team in passing down snaps and routes run. His average target depth of just over seven yards could somewhat limit him, but he'll see plenty of Brown in this one that has allowed 160 yards and a score this season.
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
After so much offseason hype, Week 3 is when we finally see the breakout from Texans running back Dameon Pierce. Through the first two weeks, Pierce has 26 carries for 102 yards. He's been non-existent in the passing game, though.
The Texans are a team that will be trailing most of the time in perhaps every game this season, so Pierce could be a risky week-to-week play. However, if there was a time for the Texans to get a lead and hold it, it's against the Chicago Bears. They allow a league-high 189.5 rushing yards per game. That's insane.
Get ready for Pierce to run ferociously in this one.
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
If you're someone who drafted Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet as a late-round PPR sleeper, it's time to let him go. And who should you pick up? Saints tight end Juwan Johnson.
We're looking toward the bottom of the totem pole here, but Johnson has seen a number of opportunities this year. He has yet to get in the end zone, but he's averaged six targets per game (five in Week 1; seven in Week 2) and has gone for over 40 yards in both.
Fun fact: Johnson is tied with wide receiver Jarvis Landry for the most passing down snaps and has run the fourth-most routes on the team — just 10 behind wide receiver Michael Thomas.
You could do a lot worse than Johnson. He should be in for a good week against the Carolina Panthers and linebacker Shaq Thompson, who's allowed seven catches on 11 targets for 71 yards this year.
All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Team Rankings, and Pro Football Reference.
