Week 3 Fantasy Rookie Power Rankings

Week 2 of the NFL season is in the books and it delivered us fantasy owners some much-needed clarity for some of the rookies we drafted. Bears coach, Matt Nagy, stated after their week one loss to the Packers that David Montgomery needed more touches going forward and Nagy owned up to his word. Monty logged 19 touches, 18 rushes and one reception, and seemed to have secured the role is the lead back in Chicago. We also saw Marquise Brown seemingly take over as Baltimore’s WR1. After being on the field for only 12 snaps in week one, he was on the field for 51 snaps in week two. Although he didn’t explode again, what we saw from Brown in week two, eight receptions for 86 yards, is far more promising going forward. Brown is starting to prove to be a high end WR2 across all formats.

On the other side of things, we saw T.J. Hockenson come back down to reality with a lacklustre performance and Miles Sanders struggle behind a shaky offensive line for the second week in a row. After going for 122 yards and a touchdown, Hockenson fell victim to a terrible offensive game, posting a line good for one reception for seven yards. I think it’s safe to say we just saw his worst performance of the season so we shouldn’t have to worry about another week like this from T.J. However, we could see Sanders stuck in the mud some more this fantasy season. Leading the Philadelphia backfield again, Sanders barely improves on his week one line, taking 10 carries for 28 yards. Atlanta’s defensive front bullied the Eagles’ O-line, handing LG Issac Seumalo the league’s worst PFF grade for an offensive lineman in week two, which explains Sanders’, and the rest of the Philly backfield’s, bad performance.

This week’s rankings will only see one new face slide into the fold, with A.J. Brown finding his way out. As always, TNF’s matchup between Jacksonville and Tennessee will not be taken into account on this edition.

10. Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (Previous Week: NR)

Hardman is one of the beneficiaries of Tyreek Hill’s injury, as he now finds himself as one of the deep threats in the most dynamic offense in the NFL. Hardman recorded four receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown last week against the Raiders. Hardman caught a 44-yard touchdown in a busy second quarter for Kansas City, which saw them score four touchdowns. Until Hill’s return, Hardman is a decent FLEX option with high upside. In a matchup against the Ravens this weekend which has the looks to be an early candidate for shootout of the year, Hardman has a good chance to return major value.

9. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (Previous Week: 9)

Sanders now has 25 touches on the season that have gone for a total of 64 yards. That is not good. It’s promising to see that Sanders is leading the backfield in touches, but the production is still lacking. The Philadelphia O-Line is half to blame, as their play so far this season has been subpar and have allowed pressure on too many occasions. The Eagles’ matchup this week against Detroit should be the best chance so far for Sanders to explode unless they find themselves down early again. Sanders will be a risky play in your lineup until he proves he can consistently string together a couple of decent games.

8. D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks (Previous Week: 8)

Metcalf has now opened his rookie campaign with a touchdown and at least 60 yards in both of his games. Having seemingly solidified himself as Russell Wilson’s second option on the outsides behind Tyler Lockett, Metcalf is turning to an every-down type of player. D.K’s snap share should also lead him to eventually be Seattle’s main red zone threat sooner than later. As long as Metcalf stays injury-free, he should be rostered in every league, as he’s owned in only 69.2% of ESPN leagues.

7. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions (Previous Week: 2)

After starting the season on such a high, Hockenson had as bad of a rebound performance as he could have had. In a boring 13-12 win over the Chargers, Hockenson found himself only catching one pass for seven yards. In an average Detroit offense, T.J. will find himself in some games where he won’t be utilized as much, which makes him a typical boom/bust player. His week three matchup against the Eagles doesn’t look too appealing, but in a game where many expect the Lions to be behind, Hockenson might have some chances to expose the Eagles’ weak LB core across the middle.

6. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears (Previous Week: 7)

David Montgomery found himself taking over the backfield last week with 18 rushes. Although Mike Davis is still very much still in the mix in Chicago, it looks like Nagy is already beginning to put his faith in the more talented running back in the room. On top of Montgomery taking over the reins in the backfield, he is also tied for first in the NFL in goal-to-go carries with five. Receiving good running volume, a receiving threat out of the backfield, and now the goalline back; Monty is here.

5. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals (Previous Week: 6)

Finding themselves down again, this time to the red-hot Ravens, Kyler Murray put on another fantastic passing display. The Cardinals have been having some trouble getting their run game moving in addition to constantly finding themselves in negative game scripts, which has forced Murray to have to throw. Through two weeks, Murray only has two passing touchdowns and 17 rushing yards, but does have 300+ passing yards in both games. Murray is a fringe fantasy starter until his rushing numbers improve and he starts to find the endzone.

4. Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills (Previous Week: 3)

As soon as it started to seem like the tides were shifting in Singletary’s favor, he’s been ruled out the Bills’ week three contest against Cincinnati. However, Singletary has put on a show through two weeks when given the ball. He found the endzone for the first time in his short career in addition to his 57 yards on the ground last week. Frank Gore is still the starter in Buffalo, 19 carries for 68 yards and one touchdown last week, but Singletary has by far been the more efficient back. It shouldn’t be long until Singletary takes the larger share of carries in their backfield.

3. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Redskins (Previous Week: 4)

I’m going to start this off by saying to acquire Terry McLaurin in your leagues by all means necessary. Whether its off of the waiver wire, where he is still unowned in over 35% of ESPN leagues, or trading for him, McLaurin’s value is only going to rise. McLaurin scored another touchdown last week against Dallas to go with 62 yards on five receptions. Although he faces a tough opponent in Chicago this week, this will be the last week where you can buy low on him. McLaurin has the Giants (Week 4) and Dolphins (Week 6) coming up soon, so McLaurin will soon be on everyone’s radar. It wouldn’t surprise me if McLaurin began to come into WR2 conversations within the next couple weeks.

2. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens (Previous Week: 5)

As alluded to earlier, Brown’s production last week is promising moving forward. We all saw his big play ability on display in week one against Miami, but many were questioning what his usage was going to be going forward in Harbaugh’s offense going forward. Those questions were answered last week and it showed that Brown would be the number one receiver in Baltimore for the season, and not just Lamar’s deep threat. As long as the Ravens’ offense is firing on all cylinders and Lamar Jackson is behind center, Marquise Brown is a solid WR2, and maybe a fringe WR1.

1.  Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders (Previous Week: 1)

Jacobs got rolling early against the Chiefs last week, but saw his usage drop once Kansas City scored 28 unanswered in the 2nd quarter. Nonetheless, Jacobs still finished with 12 carries for 99 yards to add to his great week one performance. Through two weeks, Jacobs has been the best player in the Raiders’ offense and should continue to receive more work as the season moves along. Jacobs will have a tough matchup against the Vikings this week, so his numbers might dip if the Raiders need to pass more often than not.

Just Missing Out: Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers; Joey Syle, K, Carolina Panthers

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