Ranking 10 crucial fantasy football winners and losers from Week 3

Whew. What a week we had in the NFL. Plenty of points, plenty of disappointments, and plenty of injuries. Whatever the results, it’s time to sift through the fantasy football winners and losers. Who’s in a better spot today than they were yesterday? Who’s in a worse spot? There’s a ton to go through, so let’s jump in!

Drake London! He couldn’t be happier that Michael Penix is back at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. London entered Week 3 with 6 catches for 80 yards. On Thursday night against the Packers, London posted 9/194/0 on a team-high 10 targets. He and the offense are completely different with Penix back under center. All arrows are pointing up for London in the passing game moving forward.

The Steelers are really willing to trust Warren with a big role. Rico Dowdle was out in Week 3, and that led to Warren having 17 carries for 127 yards, along with 3 catches for 49 yards. What’s most important is that there were just two other rush attempts by Steelers running backs, and no pass targets for running backs. Warren controlled 20 of the 22 running back total touches. Huge offensive usage for Warren when he can be the feature back; it’s that simple.

Rice looked terrible in Week 1, but that’s a distant memory at this point. Week 2 saw Rice go 4/83/0, and I was hesitant since that was a crazy high-scoring game that went to overtime versus the Indianapolis Colts. However, he followed that up with 7/88/0 on 9 targets this week. The top wide receiver for Patrick Mahomes is finding his footing and looking to be back in top form. This level of stability can make him a WR1 when the season is done.

There was a ton of debate in the offseason surrounding the Jaguars‘ running backs of Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. The proof is starting to show that the Tuten side was the right one to back. Tuten had 15 carries for 73 yards, and one touchdown on the ground with 2 receptions for 17 yards in the air. Rodridguez was held to just 8 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown. This is the third straight game Tuten has out-touched Rodriguez.

He wasn’t perfect, but Sam Darnold was legit good in his return versus the Washington Commanders. Despite the loss and the two interceptions, Darnold threw for 379 yards and 4 touchdowns. That’s the fantasy upside we want to see, especially when he can connect with Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Seattle has a tough schedule, but Darnold is a clear winner since he’s back and looks good.

Week 1: Singer Taylor Swift and actor Tom Cruise attend the “Monday Night Football” game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

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Week 1: Singer Taylor Swift and actor Tom Cruise attend the “Monday Night Football” game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

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Week 1: Fans arrive ahead of the NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (in Melbourne, Australia. The 49ers won the first NFL game played in Australia, 27-7.

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Week 1: Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam perform during halftime of the 2026 NFL Kickoff Game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Lumen Field.

Is it a Super Bowl hangover? It must be something because Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense look terrible. Another game with multiple interceptions for Maye, along with -0.44 EPA/play. The offense was elite last season, but the lack of consistent offensive talent around Maye seems to be negatively impacting him more this year. Losing A.J. Brown in Week 1 was huge, and the current group of wide receivers will continue to hold Maye back. He’s been bad on his own, but he also needs more help.

From one bad offense and quarterback with Drake Maye to another with C.J. Stroud. Through the first two weeks, the Indianapolis Colts defense was 32nd in the league with 0.27 defensive EPA per play. In Week 3, Stroud mustered 16/27 passing for 167 yards and one touchdown. Stroud was limited to a measly 5.7 yards per pass, against a defense that allowed 12.2 and 7.9 yards per pass in the first two weeks. They’re 0-3, and it’s getting late early for Stroud and the Texans.

In a game in which Bryce Young attempted 48 passes for 291 yards and saw wide receiver Jalen Coker injured and leave early, Tet McMillan managed just two catches for 17 yards on 5 targets. A truly disappointing performance for McMillan when things were essentially ideal. If Young is going to drop back 50+ times and throw for nearly 300 yards, the Panthers‘ top wide receiver needs to be involved more. McMillan will be fine, but this is discouraging given the game circumstances.

Smith was legitimately awesome with 31/37 passing for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns. So how was he a fantasy “loser”? Both Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson were hurt in Week 3. The extent of their injuries isn’t fully known, but this might be a sell-high spot on Smith if his two best offensive options are going to miss any time.

The Los Angeles Chargers are a mess on offense, and Omarion Hampton is losing touches. Hampton is seeing his usage sapped away by both Keaton Mitchell – who scored in the red zone – and Kimani Vidal. Losing touches is okay sometimes, but not when the backup is taking the high-value red zone and goal-line touches. Add in the systemic offensive issues, and it’s a recipe for disaster.