Week 3 Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers

Here’s a look at some of the fantasy players who had the best and worst performances of the weekend. These players are already on fantasy rosters in most leagues, so take this information into potential trade talks as you try to sell high or buy low.

Risers

Daniel Jones, QB, Giants

Jones’s stats looked bad in the first half against the Cardinals, but he rebounded to put up 30.7 fantasy points in a come-from-behind win. That’s more in line with what fantasy fans were hoping to get after he finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback last season. He does have a tough matchup against the Niners coming up on Thursday night, but for now Jones is back in our good fantasy graces.

Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Commanders

Robinson has taken hold of the top spot in the Commanders’ backfield, and it was evident against the Broncos. He rushed 18 times for 87 yards and found the end zone twice, and he even added two catches for 42 yards to boot. Robinson also saw 20 touches compared to just five from Antonio Gibson, making him a potential No. 2 fantasy runner on a weekly basis. He’ll face the Bills coming up next.

D’Andre Swift, RB, Eagles

Swift went nuclear on Thursday night, rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Vikings. This huge performance, coupled with the absence of Kenneth Gainwell, could push Swift into a bigger role in the Eagles offense moving forward. He’s clearly the team’s most explosive runner, and he reminded coach Nick Sirianni (and fantasy managers) of that fact with this enormous stat line.

Kyren Williams, RB, Rams

The Rams made Cam Akers a healthy scratch, making him not only a fantasy faller but also a candidate to be traded. On the flip side, Williams is now the clear top back in the Rams offense. After scoring a pair of touchdowns in the season opener, he put up another score this week despite a brutal matchup against the 49ers. Williams could end up being one of the top waiver adds of this fantasy season.

Nico Collins, WR, Texans

Are we finally seeing the Collins breakout season we’ve been waiting for? It sure seems like it after the first two weeks, as he’s averaged over 20 points per game. That was fueled by a massive seven-catch, 146-yards, one-touchdown stat line in a loss to the Colts. With the Texans playing from behind and C.J. Stroud throwing the ball often, Collins could very well emerge into a regular fantasy starter.

Fallers

Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals

Burrow hasn’t looked right in the first two weeks, and it appears the calf injury that dogged him in the preseason could still be an issue. While he did throw for a pair of touchdowns, Burrow also threw a pick and scored just 15.4 points in a loss to the Ravens. He’s averaging fewer than 10 points per game after two weeks, and both he and Ja’Marr Chase have cost fantasy managers dearly to this point.

Justin Fields, QB, Bears

A breakout quarterback a season ago (at least in fantasy leagues), Fields hasn’t had a great start to 2023. He’s averaged fewer than 15 points in his first two games, and that has much to do with his continued inaccuracy and turnovers. He’s completed a mere 60.6% of his passes, and has already thrown three interceptions with one lost fumble. That’s not what we expected when we drafted Fields so highly.

Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders

Jacobs led the NFL in rushing yards and was one of the top runners in fantasy last season. Through two games of 2023, however, he’s rushed for a combined 46 yards including minus-2 yards in a loss to the Bills. Overall, Jacobs is averaging a gross 1.6 yards per rush. It might be time to buy low as things should certainly get better, but Jacobs has cost fantasy managers to this point in the season.

Dameon Pierce, RB, Texans

Pierce was picked up as a No. 2 fantasy runner in most drafts, but he’s been a dud for the first two weeks. In that time, he’s scored a combined 12.2 points on a meager 69 rushing yards with a 2.7 yards per carry average. With the Texans playing from behind and his lack of involvement in the passing game, Pierce could be in for some additional bad stat lines. He’s now a risk-reward flex option at best.

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Titans

Hopkins played against the Chargers despite missing practice all week with a bum ankle. He was barely noticeable in the stat sheets, as Nuk caught just four passes and scored a mere eight fantasy points. He’s averaged just 52.5 yards in his first two games with the Titans, and the fact that he’s already dealing with an injury doesn’t create a lot of confidence. You should sell high the next time he pops.