The third week of the 2024 NFL season is officially in progress.

The initial two weeks have been quite unusual. Surprisingly, Baker Mayfield and Derek Carr are at the top of the quarterback rankings. Players like J.K. Dobbins, Jordan Mason, Chris Godwin, Jayden Reed, Alec Pierce, and Jameson Williams are all ranked among the top six in their positions. The top two tight ends are Isaiah Likely and Brock Bowers. Interestingly, 14 fantasy defenses have outperformed the current TE7, Kyle Pitts. Quite the spectacle!

To help you tackle your toughest lineup questions, I’ve compiled my Week 3 fantasy football rankings below. You can switch between standard, half PPR (point per reception), and full PPR formats to find out where players stack up in your league.

The YSL News Sports Network team is here to support all your fantasy football inquiries. Need the latest player updates? We have you covered. Looking for the week’s best players to start or bench? We’ve got an article just for that. We even provide fantasy defense rankings, kicker rankings, and a trade value chart to assist you with all your trading needs.

Due to the unpredictability of this league and fantasy football in general, these rankings will be revised until 30 minutes before the Sunday afternoon games begin. Let’s dive in.

Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings for Week 3

Quarterbacks I Favor

• Derek Carr has been a top-seven fantasy quarterback in five out of his last six games dating back to last season. He’s finished as QB13 or better in nine of his last 14 outings. This week, he’ll compete against an Eagles defense that was second in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks last year, and they’ve already allowed Jordan Love and Kirk Cousins to finish as QB11 and QB8, respectively.
• Brock Purdy might be without three of his key players (Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey), but the upcoming game against the Rams presents an attractive opportunity. Since Week 4 of last year, only the Commanders have allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks. Over this timeframe, Los Angeles has permitted over 17 fantasy points to quarterbacks in 11 out of 16 matchups.

Quarterbacks I Disfavor

• Caleb Williams might seem like an enticing option, but this matchup is perhaps best avoided for the moment. Through two weeks, the Colts have resembled a run-funnel defense. They’ve allowed running backs to rush 76 times against them, which is 14 more than the next closest team. This trend is not new – last season, only the Cardinals faced more carries from running backs. Williams has been the QB31 and QB29 in the first two weeks, and this might not be the week for him to shine.

Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings for Week 3

Running Backs I Favor

• Tony Pollard is set to take on a Green Bay defense that has given up 132 rushing yards to Saquon Barkley and 135 yards to Jonathan Taylor in their first two games. Pollard is one of only four running backs to have received at least 30 carries and 10 targets so far. With Tyjae Spears dealing with an injury, he should receive plenty of touches this week.
• Zack Moss has been given 13 opportunities (carries + targets) in both of the first two games, and this could be advantageous against a weak Washington defense. This year, only the Cardinals have allowed more to opposing running backs than the Commanders.

Running Backs I Disfavor

• James Conner has been a top-12 running back for six consecutive games, but he may see that streak come to an end this week. He’s up against a Lions team known for allowing the fewest fantasy points to running backs last season. Through the first two games this year, Detroit is again ranked first against running backs, even after facing Kyren Williams and Rachaad White.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings for Week 3

Wide Receivers I Favor

• Amari Cooper has only 27 receiving yards, which is significantly lower than any other wideout with at least 17 targets in 2024. He currently ranks third in the league for air yards and is among the top 20 in expected fantasy points per game. Last year, 19 receivers scored over 10 half-PPR points against the Giants, making this a prime opportunity for Cooper to rebound.
• Despite being among wide receivers with over 10 targets, Diontae Johnson has only five “catchable” passes, placing him at the bottom of the rankings, per FantasyPros. Bryce Young’s performance has been lackluster. However, with Andy Dalton stepping in, Johnson could provide good value against a less daunting Raiders secondary.

Wide Receivers I Disfavor

• Jaylen Waddle has played eight games in his career without Tua Tagovailoa and has seen inconsistent results, finishing as the WR27, WR72, WR75, WR17, WR77, WR16, WR36, and WR42 in those games. Not encouraging!

Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings for Week 3

Tight Ends I Favor

• Jake Ferguson had eight appearances as the TE1 last year, with six occurring at AT&T Stadium. He will face a Ravens defense that’s allowed over 12 half-PPR points to five tight ends in their last 12 games, including 14.3 points to Brock Bowers last week.

Tight Ends I Disfavor

• Sam LaPorta has only managed seven targets over the first two weeks, down from his 2023 average of 7.1 targets per game; he didn’t have a two-game span with fewer than nine targets last season. His anticipated fantasy points per game
• His performance has significantly decreased from 14.7 last season to 8.7 this year. He will be up against a Cardinals defense that ranked as the ninth best against tight ends the previous season, and so far in 2024, they have permitted only three catches to tight ends.