The scoring bonanza of NFL week 3

NFL week 1 was ok. It was great to have football back and see action on the field. We had some surprising performances and revelations, but overall scoring was kind of “meh”.

Week 2 was better, we saw some more excitement and close games. Guys continued their Week 1 flashes or disappeared. Overall, not bad.

Then week 3 happened. And holy crap what a scoring bonanza it was! The Dolphins scored about every 26 seconds of game time. Chargers and Vikings totaled over 50 points. Panthers and Seahawks went for nearly 70 total points. The Chiefs and Bears scored a combined 51 points. Most of that being the Chiefs (sorry Bears fans, it was too easy). The Cardinals beat up the previously formidable Dallas defense.

We’re going to go over some of my takeaways for week 3 and a Thursday night preview. Waiver wire talk was discussed in a previous newsletter, which you can find in your inbox or by clicking here.

Week 3 Thoughts and Observations

• The Dolphins offense is the best in the league. Their weapons are fast and just really, really good. As long as Tua stays healthy, they can be a force. De’Von Achane doesn’t need a big workload in order to put up numbers. He likely won’t be in that type of game script again. Potentially never again in his career. That’s how special that particular game was. But he can still have big days. And he’s a guy I hope you have on your team.

• I’m eating my words on a couple of guys, notably Adam Thielen. He’s startable over the next few weeks and if Jonathan Mingo is out on Sunday, I’d say D.J. Chark is too. Chark saw 11 targets with Dalton at the helm, but after a bad week 1, Thielen has exploded.

• Another guy I wasn’t in on is Raheem Mostert. Injury history being a big reason. I didn’t doubt his explosiveness, just his availability. So far, so good for Mostert, who’s an automatic start with the Dolphins this hot.

• Yet another guy that is not looking good for me is DeAndre Hopkins. I never said he’d get back to his top-tier days, but I expected a WR2 status at least. And boy has that been wrong. Tennessee as a whole has taken a major step back. Treylon Burks hasn’t stepped up. Derrick Henry has seen an alarming lack of work. Tannehill is not the passer he used to be. It’s just bad.

• I like to give players time, but I think we can panic about Justin Fields. I just don’t think he’s got it in him. Which is a sad thing to see after seeing so much promise in his second year. His rushing prowess is elite but it’s been all but taken away from him. He hasn’t improved as a passer, and without his rushing numbers, his fantasy value has tanked.

• Trevor Lawrence is struggling too, but I’m less worried about him than Fields. Chris Jones has made a huge impact for the Kansas City defense and the Texans just have the Jags number. Unlike Fields, Lawrence has still been putting up decent passing numbers, and I think he will improve.

• Jerome Ford predictably struggled against the one thing the Titans are still good at, their run defense. Other than that, he did well. Solid RB2 going forward and especially this week against a Baltimore team that just let Zack Moss run all over them.

• Mike Williams is out for the season. As I said in the waiver wire newsletter, if you need some production now, it’s Josh Palmer. If you can afford to stash a guy and see what happens, it’s Quinten Johnston. But the real answer to “who benefits with Williams out?” is Keenan Allen.

• The Saints didn’t look the same without Derek Carr at QB. With a week to prepare, Jameis Winston should be able to lead the Saints to victory over his former team. I’m starting Olave in regular leagues, but I’m not so high on him for DFS in cash games despite the great matchup.

• Of the Jets and Patriots, you can start Rhamondre Stevenson, Garrett Wilson, and flex Breece Hall. That’s it. Wilson and Hall are phenomenal talents, but the offense can’t be trusted.

• It’s easy to clown on Sam Howell’s performance against Buffalo, but consider the fact that he was under duress the entire game. The poor guy was sacked 9 times. NINE. It’s a beating you hate to see for any QB. His four interceptions were not great, and he failed to throw a touchdown. But he’s 3-1 as a starter and should be given a chance to right himself. On the bright side, despite the interceptions and sacks, he completed over 65% of his passes on Sunday.

• Get Josh Downs if possible. Zack Moss is looking like a solid running back for fantasy squads after two great weeks. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Jonathan Taylor comes off the PUP.

What to do about the Taylor/Kupp situations

For those wondering, I thought I’d do a quick dive into the two burning situations we have for fantasy football. Taylor is the one who is most tricky. The Dolphins were the primary suspect to acquire Taylor, but one must wonder if they bother if they can score 70 points without him or Jaylen Waddle at their disposal. But he does not want to return to the Colts. It never hurts to have a talent like Taylor on the roster, even if you are the Dolphins. Green Bay may make another run at him. But for now, it’s a waiting game. Not the answer you want to hear, but I don’t think even Taylor knows what’s going to happen.

For Kupp, once he returns, he’s in your lineup. Plain and simple. Puka Nacua should remain relevant for fantasy and should have some pressure eased up against him with defenses having to key in on stopping Kupp. Tutu Atwell made the third-year leap it looks like, and he’s listed as a starting wideout on the outside. They might eat into each others workloads but each can be productive for fantasy.

Thursday Night Preview

The Detroit Lions face the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau, setting us up for a fun game. Detroit is the favorite to win, but the Packers could pull out some surprises in this one, especially if Christian Watson makes his season debut.

For the Lions, you’re starting Amon-Ra for sure. After that, Jahmyr Gibbs is a RB2/RB3 play. He’s not seen the workload we’d like, but he only needs one play to pay off. Josh Reynolds flopped against the Falcons, but is an ok flex play. Sam LaPorta is a fixture in your TE spot.

If Watson plays, start him. I’m a little worried about Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion, as the Lions’ defensive front is strong. But, start your pass catchers and start Jordan Love.

That will do it for this edition of the newsletter, make sure to come back for Friday’s newsletter where I dive more into week 4!