Fantasy Overview - Week 3

Jeff Haseley's Fantasy Overview - Week 3 Jeff Haseley Published 09/20/2023

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.

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

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Analysis Rookie Davante Adams Jordan Addison Jamal Agnew Salvon Ahmed Brandon Aiyuk Keenan Allen Tyler Allgeier Mark Andrews Tutu Atwell Saquon Barkley Tank Bigsby Kendrick Bourne A.J. Brown Marquise Brown Zach Charbonnet Ja'Marr Chase Nico Collins Brandin Cooks Dalvin Cook James Cook Amari Cooper Gabe Davis Tank Dell Stefon Diggs Elijah Dotson Rico Dowdle Josh Downs Chase Edmonds Gus Edwards Ezekiel Elliott Evan Engram Zach Ertz Travis Etienne Jr. Mike Evans Zay Flowers Jerome Ford Kenneth Gainwell Michael Gallup Jahmyr Gibbs Antonio Gibson Chris Godwin Dallas Goedert Breece Hall Damien Harris Najee Harris Hunter Henry Khalil Herbert Tee Higgins Justice Hill Tyreek Hill T.J. Hockenson Mack Hollins DeAndre Hopkins Kareem Hunt Hayden Hurst Justin Jefferson Jauan Jennings Roschon Johnson Daniel Jones Travis Kelce Joshua Kelley George Kittle Cole Kmet CeeDee Lamb Sam LaPorta Tyler Lockett Drake London Jordan Mason Christian McCaffrey Terry McLaurin Jakobi Meyers Kendre Miller Jonathan Mingo Elijah Mitchell Joe Mixon Elijah Moore Raheem Mostert Latavius Murray Puka Nacua David Njoku Chris Olave K.J. Osborn Cordarrelle Patterson Rashaad Penny George Pickens Michael Pittman Jr Jayden Reed Craig Reynolds Josh Reynolds Calvin Ridley Ronnie Rivers Bijan Robinson Deebo Samuel Miles Sanders Boston Scott DeVonta Smith Isaiah Spiller Amon-Ra St. Brown Rhamondre Stevenson Courtland Sutton Adam Thielen Michael Thomas Jalen Tolbert Kadarius Toney Sean Tucker Deuce Vaughn Ken Walker III Darren Waller Jaylen Warren Rachaad White Kyren Williams Mike Williams Garrett Wilson Robert Woods
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