Week 3 Rankings

Updated 9/21 at 7:15 ET. DeAngelo Williams and Jerricho Cotchery removed.

Updated 9/21 at 12:10 ET. Removed Arian Foster, Bernard Pierce and Maurice Jones-Drew. This list assumes Jamaal Charles (ankle) will be OUT, so Knile Davis ranked as if there will be no Charles. If Charles does play, he will be inserted in the 28-34 range.

Fantasy football has always been a war of attrition. This is one of the first things you learn when taking up America’s new pastime. But man. It’s hard to remember a season starting off quite like 2014. Of Rotoworld’s top 25 preseason running backs, eight have already dealt with injury or suspension. At least four aren’t suiting up for Week 3, while an additional 3-4 could be operating at well less than 100 percent. Down-ballot sleepers haven’t been any luckier, with potential mid-round steals Mark Ingram (hand) and Knowshon Moreno (elbow) disappearing practically as soon as they appeared.

The situation is no less bleak at receiver. Seven of the top 25 have been suspended or injured, with A.J. Green (foot) in danger of missing Week 3. The deeper you dig at every position, the more issues you find. Even Cam Newton — who started the first 48 games of his career — was sidelined for Week 1.

So who is the best fill-in for Week 3? No one jumps off the page quite like Knile Davis. A 2013 third-rounder, Davis has pinch hit for Jamaal Charles three times since last Week 17. He’s averaged 22.3 carries, five catches and 97 yards from scrimmage in Charles’ stead, scoring six touchdowns. Again, that’s in just three games. Davis drew nine targets in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, while only Giovani Bernard, DeMarco Murray and Arian Foster touched the ball more in Week 2.

Speaking Tuesday, coach Andy Confirmed he has no plans to stop using Davis as a Charles clone in his star back’s absence. Davis was featured every which way against the Broncos. Power runs, sweeps, slants, screens, checkdowns. He flashed toughness in the hole, and a willingness to follow his blockers. Although he’s a meaty 5-foot-10, 227 pounds, Davis is hard to catch in the open field, and a load to take down. Put simply, he’s everything you could hope for in an injury replacement, especially compared to plodders like Matt Asiata and dirty-work gurus like Donald Brown. The waiver-wire bidding for Davis has been fierce. If you won, don’t just fire him up — fire him up as an RB1.

Week 3 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: Rare is the week that Peyton Manning isn’t the No. 1 overall quarterback, but anyone who saw the Super Bowl knows why. Prior to struggling in last week’s road loss to the Chargers, the Legion of Boom had destroyed the league’s best quarterbacks, holding Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Colin Kaepernick to 95-of-149 passing for 931 yds (6.25 YPA), four touchdowns, five picks and two lost fumbles in a four-game span. The Seahawks allowed a total of 110 points at home last season (13.8 per game). You never bench Peyton Manning, but this is one of those blue-moon weeks where you can’t count on him to carry your team. … As expected, Aaron Rodgers bounced back to shred the Jets after getting stranded on Seahawks Island in Week 1. He’s going to have fun against the Lions’ typically undermanned secondary. … Drew Brees’ road “struggles” are looking as pronounced as ever this season, but now he’s heading home for two of three games, with only a visit domed JerryWorld in between. You won’t be questioning your Brees pick by the time the Saints go on bye in Week 6.

The Packers’ pass defense currently has a lofty perch on the leaderboard, but anyone who’s seen their games knows it’s an illusion. The Pack have allowed the 11th most fantasy points to quarterbacks despite facing Geno Smith and the run-heavy Seahawks, and are struggling at every level of the defense. Matthew Stafford should tee off one week after getting bottled up by the Panthers. … Let’s be clear: Nick Foles would not be the No. 6 quarterback were we ranking real-life effectiveness. Foles has completed just 58.5 percent of his passes through two games, and committed four turnovers after committing only two in all of 2013. He missed easy pass after easy pass in Monday’s win over the Colts, and couldn’t get anything going downfield. So how is he No. 6 for fantasy purposes? He’s facing the Redskins’ approximation of a defense, and dumping the ball off to LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles. Foles might keep regressing, but it’s going to be hard for his fantasy owners to care in Week 3.

Week 2 was a reality check for the Falcons after Week 1’s shootout with the Saints. Matt Ryan and company crashed hard on the road against the Bengals’ elite defense, with Ryan posting a pathetic 5.25 YPA. But now he’s back home at the Georgia Dome, and facing a Bucs defense that’s coughed up 441 combined passing yards to Derek Anderson and Austin Davis. Even on a Thursday night, it’s safe to fire up Ryan as an elite QB1. … The only quarterback to throw for four scores in a game through the season’s first two weeks, Jay Cutler is tied with Peyton Manning for the league lead in touchdowns (six). That’s even with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery playing through injuries last Sunday. Venturing to the Meadowlands to take on a Rex Ryan defense is never an easy task, but Cutler has all the ammunition he needs to pick on the Jets’ shaky secondary. Cutler’s return to QB1 relevance should continue unabated.

Russell Wilson has yet to be unleashed, but with four total scores, zero turnovers and great rates (67.9 completion percentage, 7.42 YPA, 5.2 YPC) across the board, he’s on track to at least match last year’s No. 10 finish. … Cam Newton wasn’t rusty in last week’s debut, and now gets a Steelers defense that allowed a Week 1 comeback to Brian Hoyer, and Week 2 party to Joe Flacco. Newton could explode against the Pittsburgh’s average pass defense, and potentially bottom-three run unit. … Tom Brady has gotten off to his second straight slow start, but fantasy owners’ only worry for Week 3 should be the Patriots’ run game getting off to too hot of a start against the Raiders’ ragged ground unit. … The Chargers were expected to run more this season, alas, Philip Rivers checks in as fantasy’s No. 8 quarterback heading into Week 3. With Ryan Mathews (knee) now sidelined for at least a month, Rivers could keep chucking it at last year’s rate. The Bills are not an imposing matchup. … The Cowboys are easing Tony Romo along, and leaning on the run. He could spend a few more weeks outside the top 10.

Colin Kaepernick took a big step back in Sunday’s mistake-strewn loss, but his dual-threat floor keeps him on the QB1 borderline. … Ben Roethlisberger still has top-10 upside for 2014, but it’s going to be tough sledding on the road against a Panthers defense that’s allowed just 20 passing touchdowns since the start of last season. … Andy Dalton continues to defy “experts’” low expectations, but even in a good matchup, he’ll be awfully hard to trust if A.J. Green (foot) doesn’t go. … One of the reasons Dalton defied the odds in 2013? The pass-happy ways of OC Jay Gruden. Now coaching the Redskins, Gruden is going to use Kirk Cousins in much the same way. Cousins has a strong matchup in the Eagles. who have allowed a league-leading five touchdown passes despite facing just Chad Henne in addition to Andrew Luck. … It’s a good matchup for Ryan Tannehill, but he’s been unimpressive through his first two starts. … Geno Smith has made obvious strides, but he’ll be a streaming no-go if Eric Decker (hamstring) doesn’t suit up. … The Cardinals don’t know when Carson Palmer (shoulder) will be back. It could be this week, it could be next month.

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Week 3 Running Backs

RB Notes: DeMarco Murray leads the league in rushing (285 yards), and is averaging 5.58 yards per carry. The Rams are fresh off getting destroyed by No. 2 Bucs back Bobby Rainey. Sometimes math is easy. … LeSean McCoy has averaged just 3.73 yards per carry while Darren Sproles has exploded for 263 yards from scrimmage as his backup. Worrisome, right? Not really. McCoy remains every bit in his physical prime, and his 51 touches are fourth in the NFL. The Eagles’ backfield is big enough for the two of Shady and Sproles, and McCoy is primed to explode against a Redskins defense that he shredded for 339 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns last season. … So much for that. Start Alfred Blue. The Texans have talked about reducing Arian Foster’s burden after he carried the ball 55 combined times in Weeks 1-2, but it’s not as if he’ll suddenly be a part of a committee. The Texans are planning to ride their lead back until the wheels fall off, and fantasy owners should do the same. Of note, Foster was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury. It’s not a concern right now, but Foster’s durability remains a major question mark, especially on such monstrous workloads.

Neither Matt Forte nor Le’Veon Bell have good matchups, but Forte proved to be matchup-proof last season, while Bell is trending that way in 2014. Forte is tied for sixth in the league in touches, while Bell is second to only Murray in yards from scrimmage. Even in tough outings, they’re the kind of backs you can lean on for big days. … Giovani Bernard’s 27 carries against the Falcons represented not only a new career high, but the first 20-tote game of his career. He rang up 169 yards from scrimmage. That’s the good news. The bad news is, he managed just 90 yards on the ground (3.33 YPC), and is averaging only 3.36 YPC for the season. Meanwhile, Bernard’s rookie power complement Jeremy Hill posted a crisp 15/74/1/4.93 line against Atlanta. Speaking Wednesday, OC Hue Jackson again hinted at a bigger workload for Hill. Bernard is obviously going to remain the leader of the Bengals’ committee, and an every-week RB2. But Hill is a legitimate threat, and why Bernard’s stay in the land of the RB1s could be short lived.

At least through two games, fears about Alfred Morris’ role under new coach Jay Gruden have proven unfounded, as Morris is amongst the league leaders in all meaningful rushing categories. Morris will be in trouble whenever the Redskins fall behind early, but has returned to the RB1 ranks on the strength of his pure-rushing ability. … Averaging just 3.08 yards per carry through his first 75 totes, Eddie Lacy gets yet another tough matchup in the Lions’ run defense. His volume keeps him in the top-12, but his Week 4 matchup with the Bears is what fantasy owners should really be looking forward to. … If you’re a Montee Ball owner worried about C.J. Anderson, don’t be. By Pro Football Focus’ count, only DeMarco Murray and Arian Foster have broken more tackles than Ball, while he’s averaging a tidy 2.6 yards after contact. The Broncos will give Anderson carries and the occasional series to keep Ball fresh, but his starting job is in no way under threat. Even against the Seahawks, Ball should get enough volume to function as an RB1.

You could be annoyed by Andre Ellington’s (foot) injury, or encouraged by the fact that he’s managed 34 touches and 181 yards while playing through it. With Jonathan Dwyer suspended indefinitely, Ellington could even start getting some goal-line looks, though Stepfan Taylor will obviously be in the mix against the 49ers. … Lamar Miller is absent from the Week 3 injury report after tweaking his ankle on Sunday, and is ready for his latest close up as a potential RB2. Although Miller couldn’t beat out Knowshon Moreno in the preseason, he has a much better chance at success than he did in 2013. New OC Bill Lazor is calling far-more sensible shots than Mike Sherman. … Terrance West will be an RB2 for as long as Ben Tate (knee) is sidelined. … Stevan Ridley’s 25 carries against the Vikings would have been his second most of 2013, and came out of nowhere after he got the rock only eight times in Week 1. The matchup is alluring in the Raiders’ pathetic defense, but we’ve all been down this road before. Ridley is a high-reward, high-risk RB2. Considering the state of Oakland’s defense, Shane Vereen is also a viable RB2 for Week 3.

Bernard Pierce has volume, but not a whole heck of a lot of skill. Justin Forsett isn’t going away. … Ahmad Bradshaw’s hostile takeover of the Colts’ backfield is well under way. Facing one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, this should be the week he puts it in writing. … Keep it locked on the Rotoworld Player News page for the latest on Doug Martin (knee) and Bobby Rainey. As of Thursday morning, it appears Martin will sit, leaving Rainey as an appetizing RB2 against the Falcons’ swiss-cheese defense. … Chris Ivory is averaging 6.3 yards per carry. The Bears’ run defense, which was historically bad in 2013, is surrendering five yards per tote. … Donald Brown is a plug-and-play FLEX option. He’s not flashy, but should get his touches and yards. … Darren Sproles won’t keep up at this rate, but what — do you want to bench him right now? Sproles’ 6.46 YPC is second only to Forsett, which says nothing of his receiving prowess. … Matt Asiata is someone you plug in praying for a touchdown. Nothing more, nothing less. … With Mark Ingram (hand) sidelined, Khiry Robinson should more or less slide into his role. Pierre Thomas’ usage is unlikely to change. … If you’re starting Darren McFadden, it’s likely already too late.

Week 3 Receivers

WR Notes: Dez Bryant bounced back from his dehydrated Week 1, catching 10-of-14 targets for 103 yards and a score against the Titans despite racking his shoulder. He’s getting some time off in practice, but is ready to go for Week 3. … A.J. Green (foot) currently appears better than 50-50 to play, but could end up getting removed from these ranks sometime in the next 72 hours. Thankfully, the Bengals kick off at 1ET on Sunday. … Jordy Nelson has No. 1 overall upside this season. … Julio Jones gave owners the scare of a lifetime in Sunday’s loss, as he came up limping on his twice surgically-repaired foot late in the fourth quarter. Thankfully, he quickly returned, and can be started with top-five confidence against the Bucs. Jones’ six catches of 20-plus yards lead all wideouts. … Nelson took the Jets’ lunch money last weekend. Just imagine what Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery might do against a secondary rolling with Dee Milliner, Darrin Walls and S Antonio Allen as its top three corners. Even better than the matchup is the fact that Marshall (ankle) and Jeffery (hamstring) are getting an extra day of rest after playing at less than 100 percent in Week 2. Bears/Jets kicks off at 8:30 ET on Monday.

Demaryius Thomas off to a slow start and Richard Sherman getting called out after his pedestrian Week 2? Get your popcorn ready for Broncos/Seahawks. … Which brings us to Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker. Will Welker cut into Sanders’ targets and upside? For starters, Welker will almost certainly be on a snap count after missing a month with concussion/suspension issues. Secondly, hopefully fantasy owners haven’t forgotten that Peyton Manning supported three top-20 receivers in 2013. Thomas was the WR2, Eric Decker WR8 and Welker WR20. The best guess for 2014 is Thomas finishing in the top-three, Sanders the top 20 and Welker the top 35. Welker is a high-risk, high-reward WR3 for Week 3 as he gets his legs back underneath him. … Speaker of Decker (hamstring), he’s apparently going to play against the Bears. With Decker at less than 100 percent and the game coming on Monday, he’s a WR3 instead of the WR2 he’s been settling in as. … Percy Harvin’s Week 2 would have been much bigger had the Chargers not kept the ball away from the Seahawks all afternoon. Not only back to full health, but the focal point of the Seahawks’ offense, dual-threat Harvin is an every-week WR2.

Finally off Peterson and Sherman Islands, look for Keenan Allen to start making a real push for WR1 value. He’s played more snaps than any wideout in the league. … Roddy White is again showing a propensity for nicks and bruises, but it hasn’t kept him off the field. He’s played the second most snaps of any receiver. Look for him to start turning those snaps into targets. … Mike Wallace could be a WR1 before it’s all said and done. New OC Bill Lazor is treating Wallace like the elite No. 1 receiver he’s being paid as, manufacturing targets. … The Vikings were caught off guard by Adrian Peterson’s deactivation in Week 2, but that won’t be the case against the Saints. That means OC Norv Turner has had all week to dream up ways to get No. 1 weapon Cordarrelle Patterson the ball. Playing on the Superdome’s fast track, Patterson is a blow-up game waiting to happen. … Julian Edelman has remained a target sponge for 2014. He has precious-little touchdown upside, but his consistency keeps him in the WR2 ranks.

It’s been the tale of two quarterbacks for Michael Floyd. Hopefully Drew Stanton remembers to target him this weekend. Physically, Floyd is the Cardinals’ No. 1 receiver. … Golden Tate is looking like a strong bet for a weekly 6/70. Ideally, he’d be your WR3, but he can certainly be trusted in a WR2 pinch. … Expect Drew Brees to correct Marques Colston’s zero catch Week 2 in a big way. … Jeremy Maclin’s 22 targets are tied for fifth in the NFL. … Victor Cruz’s four drops lead the league. He’s been the target on two of Eli Manning’s four picks. ... Kelvin Benjamin dropped three passes against the Lions. Hopefully it’s not a problem that snowballs for a player who never had the greatest hands at Florida State. … Sammy Watkins can’t yet be trusted as a WR2 for the Bills’ unpredictable passing attack, but he’s looking a touch more effective than Tavon Austin last season, no? … DeSean Jackson has guaranteed he’ll play through his shoulder injury. … Thanks to some very shaky hands, T.Y. Hilton has hauled in just 11-of-22 targets through two games. He needs to improve his efficiency, but remains well ahead of Hakeem Nicks on the depth chart.

Maybe Steve Smith’s hot start will prove to be a fluke, but by Pro Football Focus’ count, he’s leading all receivers in missed tackles (10). He’s third in yards after the catch (105). You could do a lot worse for your WR3. … Brian Quick is leading the Rams in every receiving category by a mile. He needs to be 100 percent owned. … I believe in Torrey Smith. The Ravens need Torrey Smith. But four catches for 60 yards through two games? It can’t be ignored, especially in the context of Steve Smith blowing up. Smith’s talent makes him a threat to go off every week, but he’s a boom-or-bust WR3 until OC Gary Kubiak proves he knows how to use him. … Nate Washington caught 1-of-6 targets for one yard against the Cowboys. That is not a misprint. Justin Hunter’s time draws ever closer. … Andrew Hawkins is soaking up targets for the Browns, but has even less TD potential than Edelman. He’s a WR4 despite the looks. … Even with A.J. Green (foot) looking shaky, Mohamed Sanu is a dice-roll WR4. … Aaron Dobson could be knocking on the WR3 door by this time next week.

Week 3 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Julius Thomas leads all tight ends in touchdowns and fantasy points. Thomas’ Week 3 opponent, the Seahawks, surrendered three scores to Antonio Gates last week. … Rob Gronkowski is still a long ways away from vintage Gronk, but is a strong bet to overwhelm the Raiders for a score on Sunday. … Injuries and an upstart class have unsettled the tight-end position, but Greg Olsen remains one of its five most consistent players. He gets a Steelers team on Sunday that just surrendered two touchdowns to Owen Daniels. … Sixth in tight-end fantasy points through two weeks, Zach Ertz has played 67.3 percent of the Eagles’ snaps after playing 41 percent as a rookie. That’s called ascendance. … Jordan Cameron (shoulder) is trending toward suiting up against the Ravens, but his status cannot be taken for granted. Owners must keep a back-up plan in place. If Cameron can’t go, someone like Jared Cook could be a cheap alternative. The Cowboys have gotten positively smoked by Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker this season.

Davis (ankle) remained on crutches Wednesday. With Vance McDonald (knee) also sidelined, the 49ers could be forced to go with third-year undrafted free agent Derek Carrier in a dream matchup with a Cardinals D that can’t defend tight ends. … Dennis Pitta owners who watched in horror as Owen Daniels went off in Week 2 have to get back on the horse. Pitta’s 18 targets are tied for 16th in the NFL, though admitted skewed by a 14-target Week 1 he won’t match any time soon. … Antonio Gates has dispatched the Ladarius Green threat with extreme prejudice. But Gates owners may remember him getting off to a similarly hot start last season before fading. Green is worth keeping around in 12-14 team leagues if you can spare the roster spot. … Martellus Bennett remains a touchdown-dependent TE1. Although he’s scored in two straight games to begin the season, he’s a low-upside option.

Coming off one of the best games by any tight end this season, Delanie Walker has 65 yards after the catch, the majority of which came on his 61-yard touchdown against the Cowboys. Walker has speed you don’t usually see in a tight end. … Speaking of speed you don’t usually see in a tight end, Travis Kelce played 32 snaps in Week 2 after playing just 19 in Week 1, but it was largely because the Chiefs ran 28 more plays as a whole. Andy Reid has always been slow to adjust to new talents, but Kelce is already worth TE1 dice-rolls, and could soon become a weekly top-10 option. … Larry Donnell is the latest in a long line of Giants tight ends you don’t really want to be starting, but won’t hurt you if you do. … A former wide receiver, Niles Paul clearly has second-team chemistry with back-up QB Kirk Cousins, and will be a threat for TE1 blowups for as long as Jordan Reed (hamstring) is out.

Week 3 Kickers

Week 3 Defense/Special Teams