Fantasy Overview - Week 3

Photo: Orlando Jorge Ramirez, USA Today Sports

We are two weeks into the season, and we're starting to get some clarity, which is always a good thing, no matter if it's good news or bad. It's the unknown and making important decisions involving the unknown that make this hobby a challenge. The more we know, the better off we are.

SO WHAT DO WE KNOW? A LOT, ACTUALLY

The first three weeks of the season are my favorite. So much is being learned at this time. The cream is rising to the top. Opportunities are being presented to players, and several have answered the bell with a successful first two games. Injuries are starting to mount, especially for quarterbacks. With every injury comes an opportunity for someone else to fill the void, and the cycle continues. Winning your league is about having key performers and knowing who to target before they rise to power. Although it's not a must, players on winning teams are generally more successful fantasy options.

• Teams that are 2-0: Miami, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, Dallas, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, San Francisco.
• Teams that are 0-2: New England, Cincinnati, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Chicago, Carolina, and Arizona.

WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL RUNNING BACK?

1. Opportunity - There is more of a chance to have success if the opportunity for carries is high. The following teams lead the way in running plays per game. You want to have running backs on these teams. These are also the backs you should target for proactive waiver claims, if available.

• 37.5 Cleveland (Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt, Pierre Strong)
• 37.0 Dallas (Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn)
• 36.5 Philadelphia (Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott)
• 36.5 Atlanta (Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson)
• 34.5 Baltimore (Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Melvin Gordon)
• 33.5 Tampa Bay (Sean Tucker, Chase Edmonds)
• 31.0 LA Rams (Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers)
• 31.0 San Francisco (Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason)
• 30.5 LA Chargers (Joshua Kelley, Elijah Dotson, Isaiah Spiller)
• 30.5 Detroit (Craig Reynolds)
• 30.0 New Orleans (Tony Jones, Kendre Miller)

The more plays a team runs, the greater the chance of having positive fantasy success. Understanding which teams run more plays per game and which teams run fewer will give us a better indication of which players to target when it comes to setting a lineup.

Total Plays Per Game

Teams in green run more plays per game so naturally, the chances are higher for more production. The opposite is true for teams in red.

• 78.0 LAR
• 76.5 CLE
• 75.5 HOU
• 74.5 NE
• 71.0 BUF
• 70.5 LAC
• 69.0 DAL, NO
• 68.0 TB, PHI
• 67.0 DET
• 66.5 JAC
• 66.0 NYG
• 65.5 WAS
• 64.0 CAR, BAL
• 63.0 ATL, MIA, KC
• 62.5 IND
• 61.0 TEN
• 60.5 CHI
• 60.0 SF, DEN
• 59.0 MIN, ARI
• 57.0 PIT
• 56.5 SEA
• 55.5 CIN
• 53.5 GB
• 49.5 NYJ
• 47.0 LSV

Total Plays Allowed Per Game

The teams are allowing the fewest plays per game. It would stand to reason that you would want to target your players who are playing against the teams in green and shy away from players who are playing the teams in red.

• 75.5 NYJ
• 74.0 GB, IND
• 73.5 PIT, MIA
• 71.5 MIN
• 71.0 CIN, SEA
• 69.5 SF
• 67.0 KC
• 66.5 PHI, JAC
• 66.0 LSV, ARI
• 64.5 BAL, DET, TEN
• 64.0 LAC, CHI
• 61.0 NE, CAR
• 60.5 DEN
• 60.0 WAS
• 59.5 ATL
• 57.5 NYG, NO
• 57.0 HOU, TB
• 55.5 DAL
• 53.5 CLE
• 50.0 LAR
• 46.0 BUF

Positive matchups favoring a high number of plays for Week 3 - NE at NYJ is a favorable matchup for New England. The Patriots are in the top third in total plays per game, and the Jets are in the top third in total plays allowed per game. The Chargers at Minnesota is another matchup to exploit, particularly for Los Angeles.

Negative matchups in terms of the number of plays for Week 3 - CIN vs. LAR, GB vs. NO, and ARI vs. DAL

KEY STATS FOR IDENTIFYING WIDE RECEIVER SUCCESS