Week 3 Flex Rankings for Fantasy Football

Many of the NFL headlines heading into Week 3 center around quarterback injuries. There are already several signal-callers from the season opener who have been ruled out for this coming week, while a couple of others are questionable. These injuries, of course, can also impact other skill positions.

That does not mean you should bench Ja’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson in the wake of their quarterback injuries. It just means I have CeeDee Lamb as my top wide receiver in this week’s rankings. Below, you will see where these wide receivers rank among my Week 3 Flex rankings. These rankings include well over 200 players. And as always, I base my rankings on Half-PPR scoring, so adjust as needed.

Running Back Notes

Running backs dominate the top of this week’s Flex rankings. There are still plenty of committees around the league. But the top 15-20 running backs are getting steady volume, which should lead to fantasy success. A few of these players may disappoint in any given week, but their workloads make them steady options. That includes Minnesota running back Jordan Mason. Mason was already positioning himself as a viable Flex option. Now, in the wake of Aaron Jones’ injury, Mason is an RB1 for me in 10- and 12-team leagues. The Cincinnati Bengals are not exactly known for their defensive prowess. And while Mason may not be the most polished receiver, Cincinnati allowed two receiving touchdowns to Jaguars running backs last week.

Steelers running back Jaylen Warren continues to perform at a high level, particularly as a receiver. Warren has scored 8.5 total fantasy points as a rusher through two weeks. He scored 9.2 fantasy points as a receiver in Week 1 and added 10.6 more last week. That is noteworthy because Pittsburgh will face New England this week.

Dolphins running back De’Von Achane had 92 receiving yards and a touchdown last week against the Patriots. Warren is a notch below Achane in terms of explosiveness out of the backfield, but I like him a lot this week. Kaleb Johnson is in the doghouse, and Kenneth Gainwell is little more than a change-of-pace back. Fantasy managers should feel confident about Warren’s chances of posting another double-digit point total in Week 3.

The season-ending injury to Austin Ekeler may offer Jacory Croskey-Merritt a chance to shine as we move forward. Croskey-Merritt’s ADP skyrocketed throughout the summer as reports of Washington moving on from Brian Robinson surfaced. Through two weeks, the results have been mixed. Croskey-Merritt (or JCM, or Bill if you prefer) had 82 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 but was an afterthought last week, touching the ball just four times in Washington’s loss in Green Bay.

For Week 3, I have him ranked somewhere in the middle of those two outcomes. The Commanders face an improved Las Vegas Raiders defense this week. Las Vegas has yet to give up a touchdown to an opposing running back while allowing the fourth-fewest total yards to the position. Croskey-Merritt is my overall RB30 and ranks 65th overall in my Week 3 Flex rankings.

Wide Receiver Notes

For the record, I still have Eagles receiver A.J. Brown as a WR1 in 12-team leagues. However, I do not feel good about it. I was very high on him this year, and have him on two of my four big money teams. So admittedly, there may be some wishful thinking on my part. The Philadelphia Eagles appear to have zero interest in throwing the ball downfield. Jalen Hurts ranks 28th in passing attempts and 32nd in average depth of target. Not great. I am still rolling him out there, but not with anywhere near the confidence level I did to start the year. The same goes for DeVonta Smith, whom I have ranked as a WR3 in 12-team leagues.

Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy may be back in action this week when Kansas City faces the New York Giants. The Giants have allowed the most fantasy points in the NFL to opposing wide receivers through two weeks, so the matchup is a good one. The question becomes how much Worthy will be involved if he does suit up. His upside is high enough to start him assuming positive health reports heading into the weekend. Worthy’s potential return does hinder Hollywood Brown a bit. However, both Kansas City receivers are viable in this matchup, depending on your other options. I rank Worthy slightly ahead of Brown, but both are well inside the top-100 overall in my Week 3 Flex rankings.

Chargers wide receivers Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston have both found the endzone in each of the team’s first two games to start the season. The issue regarding their Week 3 outlook is that this week’s matchup against Denver is not ideal. Denver ranks fourth in the NFL in fewest fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers. Cornerback Pat Surtain II is among the very best lockdown corners in the NFL, though he should cover Ladd McConkey quite a bit.

I still view McConkey as a must-start, whereas Allen and Johnston are borderline Flex plays. For what it’s worth, Quentin Johnston ranked very low in last week’s MOP rankings, which reward volume. Were it not for Johnston’s 60-yard score on Monday, he would have finished 66th among wide receivers in fantasy points last week.

Tight End Notes

I am officially buying what Colts rookie tight end Tyler Warren and Saints veteran Juwan Johnson are selling. Warren has 18 total opportunities (targets plus carries) through his first two NFL games. His 25.4 percent target share is reserved for the truly elite at the position.

Not to be outdone, Johnson has earned 25 percent of his team’s targets through two weeks. Both tight ends have solid Week 3 matchups. Indianapolis faces the Tennessee Titans, while New Orleans takes on the Seattle Seahawks. The Titans and Seahawks have already allowed three touchdowns to the tight end position. I ranked both players as starters at tight end this week. I am less bullish in terms of being standalone Flexes, but I do not hate the idea if you have either of them behind Brock Bowers or Trey McBride.

Check out all of our Week 3 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings