NFL Week 3 is here and with it comes the gift that keeps on giving. Stats. At the conclusion of each week for the 2019 fantasy football season, I will be sifting through all of the fantasy football stats produced. I will filter out stats I find noteworthy or valuable to pay attention to moving forward. I hope this list encourages you to stop and assess the possible impact each stat could have on fantasy values. Conversely, stats are fun. Enjoy each one for what it is and don’t overthink everything presented.
For help getting ready for NFL Week 3, check out our Week 3 Waiver Wire Recommendations and our Week 3 FAAB Guide.
12 Fantasy Football Stats to help get ready for NFL Week 3
All stats listed are based on .5 PPR.
1.) Of all positions relevant to fantasy football, The New England Patriots defense scored the most fantasy points in Week 2. Yes, it was against the Miami Dolphins but this defense is legit. The Patriots defense has given up just 6 total points since the Super Bowl. They have a pretty soft schedule for the majority of the season. I’d be targeting the Pats defense in trade offers ASAP.
2.) Lamar Jackson rushed for 120 yards in Week 2. Only Dalvin Cook (154) and Matt Breida (121) had more. Just to remind you, Lamar Jackson is a quarterback. He proved in Week 1 that he could win without using his feet but his run game is what gives him both a safe floor and incredible ceiling. If you find yourself up against Jackson in a good matchup, I’d suggest playing some boom-bust options and hope for the boom!
3.) There were 5 RBs with more than 6 targets. Some of the usual suspects include Le’Veon Bell (10), Chris Thompson (8), and Saquon Barkley (7). The other two? Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman both had 7 targets. I was on the Lindsay train in the offseason but it appears to be a split backfield in Denver. Both should be owned as one of them could earn the bulk of the work at any moment this season.
4.) Nelson Agholor was the 7th best WR in Week 2. He caught 8 of his 11 targets for 107 yards and a TD. Agholor has a great opportunity in NFL Week 3 with DeSean Jackson out and Alshon Jeffrey likely to sit as well. Grab Agholor and throw him into your starting lineups where you can this week!
5.) There were three 49ers RBs in the top 15 from Week 2 (Raheem Mostert #3, Jeffery Wilson #11, and Matt Breida #15). Although this was due to game script since the 49ers destroyed the Bengals 41-17, each of the listed RBs are worth a look and possible stash on your fantasy teams. Thanks to the dominant performance by this backfield last week, we have seen that in the right matchup, this backfield can be valuable for fantasy moving forward. I’d rank them Breida, Mostert, then Wilson until Coleman is back in the fold.
6.) Tyler Lockett caught 10 balls on 12 targets last week. This is the first time in his NFL career he had double-digit targets, let alone receptions! Somehow, he was only able to rack up 79 yards. The risk with Lockett has always been low volume, TD dependent. I wouldn’t read too much into this other than an outlier game for Lockett. It may be wise to trade him now as the risk of his boom or bust status is still valid.
7.) Joe Mixon is struggling. He had just 10 yards rushing on 6 carries in Week 2. He now has just 27 yards on 18 carries on the season. He also has just 5 receptions for 17 yards. It may not be a bad time to buy low on Mixon and stash him on your bench. I find it hard to believe he remains THIS bad.
8.) Touchdowns remain king in fantasy. There were only 2 players with more than 1 TD reception in Week 2. Demarcus Robinson and Julio Jones both had a pair of touchdowns. Shocker, they were the #1 & #2 WRs on the week.
9.) Volume is something that is very important in fantasy football but it isn’t’ always everything. A perfect example of that is the Tyler Lockett stat listed above. Another example would be Zach Ertz in Week 2. Ertz was the only TE with double-digit targets (16). In fact, he had nearly double the number of targets than any other TE. Ertz ended the day catching just 50% of his targets for 72 yards. Mark Andrews had 7 fewer targets but caught the same amount of balls for 112 yards and a TD. A difference of 8 fantasy points. Volume is great but efficiency wins.
10.) There were 9 WRs with a 50+ yard reception in Week 2. One of those WRs included Devin Smith from the Cowboys. He had a decent outing with 3 receptions for 74 yards and a TD. With Michael Gallup missing some time, Smith should take over Gallup’s routes until Gallup returns. Add Devin Smith to your roster and I would even suggest playing him in Week 3 against the Dolphins.
11.) Patrick Mahomes was the only QB in Week 2 to eclipse 400 passing yards with 443. Unbelievably, 63% of those yards came in the 2nd quarter alone. If anyone felt strongly that Mahomes would not perform as efficiently as he did in 2018, this performance alone should give you pause. He may have an even better season than last year.
12.) As mentioned in the first stat, the New England Patriots defense had the most fantasy points of any position last week. They had a total of 37 fantasy points. This was 24 more points than the second-highest defense (Browns) on the week. If you don’t have the Patriots defense, I would suggest streaming defenses based on matchups all season.
Got more questions about your prep for NFL Week 3? Let Nate know in the comments below.
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