Top 5 This Week

Related Posts

Week 3 MOP Rankings for Fantasy Football

It is time for my weekly look back at the week that was in the National Football League. I am doing so through the lens of removing each player’s best play from the equation. The result is a different set of scoring leaders than you will see elsewhere. I call them MOP rankings, where MOP stands for Minus One Play. I believe it provides more context than simply looking at standard scoring leaders from the previous week.

MOP rankings are my way of rewarding volume and involvement, and removing vultured touchdowns and other plays that can be fluky. By doing this, I believe we can better identify players who can replicate their performances as the season progresses. Let’s take a look at the Week 3 MOP rankings along with some takeaways from this week’s games.


More Week 4 Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Weekly Rankings | Dynasty Risers and Fallers


Week 3 MOP Rankings

Quarterback Week 3 MOP Rankings and Takeaways

As I mentioned when I revealed my initial set of MOP rankings in Week 1, quarterbacks are the position least likely to be affected by removing their best play. Most quarterbacks account for at least one touchdown pass in a game. That means their MOP scores are broadly similar relative to their actual fantasy point output.

Such was the case again in Week 3. Of the 32 starting quarterbacks, 28 of them accounted for at least one score. Of those 28, the biggest play removed was worth 6.6 fantasy points. The big play with the lowest impact was worth 4.04 fantasy points. Because of this, the top-10 overall leaders are the same as the top-10 MOP leaders, albeit in a slightly different order. Matthew Stafford was the only quarterback inside the top-15 overall who did not finish inside the top-15 of this week’s MOP rankings.

PlayerPosTeamFPtsRankBig PlayMOP PtsMOP Rank
Jalen HurtsQBPHI29.0426.122.941
Caleb WilliamsQBCHI29.1216.622.522
Lamar JacksonQBBAL27.0235.0821.943
Geno SmithQBLV26.0646.4419.624
Josh AllenQBBUF23.0254.818.225
Drake MayeQBNE20.2274.6415.586
Marcus MariotaQBWAS20.2866.214.087
Baker MayfieldQBTB17.7284.213.528
Tyrod TaylorQBNYJ17.6894.4413.249
Sam DarnoldQBSEA16.72104.5612.1610
Daniel JonesQBIND15.82114.811.0211
Carson WentzQBMIN15.32134.4810.8412
Justin HerbertQBLAC15.6124.810.813
Mac JonesQBSF14.26154.0410.2214
Kyler MurrayQBARI14.06164.0410.0215
Dak PrescottQBDAL14.04174.089.9616
Tua TagovailoaQBMIA13.84184.29.6417
Matthew StaffordQBLAR14.84145.769.0818
Patrick Mahomes IIQBKC13.16204.28.9619
Cam WardQBTEN12.96214.328.6420
Spencer RattlerQBNO12.72224.528.221
Jordan LoveQBGB12.12264.12822
Aaron RodgersQBPIT12.66244.687.9823
Jared GoffQBDET12.68234.727.9624
Bo NixQBDEN13.42196.087.3425
Trevor LawrenceQBJAC8.78281.846.9426
C.J. StroudQBHOU12.362566.3627
Russell WilsonQBNYG7.1301.45.728
Bryce YoungQBCAR11.64276.45.2429
Michael Penix Jr.QBATL5.783114.7830
Joe FlaccoQBCLE4.68320.68431
Jake BrowningQBCIN7.9294.163.7432

Running Back Week 3 MOP Rankings and Takeaways

Do the Cleveland Browns finally have an every-week starting fantasy running back? Based on the way they deployed Quinshon Judkins in Week 3, it appears so. The volume of work the team has given Judkins, considering his lack of practice time with the team, speaks volumes.

And Judkins has performed well when given the opportunity. Cleveland has faced Baltimore and Green Bay in the rookie’s first two NFL games. He has responded with 155 rushing yards on just 28 attempts. Cleveland’s other two running backs, Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford, have carried the ball a total of 11 times in those two games. A potential suspension by the NFL looms as a factor that could impact Judkins’ availability. However, fantasy managers should treat him as an RB2 in 10- and 12-team leagues until the NFL decides on this front.

A week after Rhamondre Stevenson seemed to wrest control away from rookie TreVeyon Henderson in New England, Stevenson’s fumbling issues took center stage in Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Stevenson carried the ball four times and lost fumbles on two of them. Although Henderson only finished as the overall RB37 in Half-PPR leagues, his RB24 MOP ranking is encouraging.

Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II had the exact opposite rankings as Henderson did in Week 3. He finished as the overall RB24 for the week but just 37th in MOP score. I would not be in any rush to start Gordon just because he happened to score a touchdown last week. Gordon is firmly behind De’Von Achane in the pecking order in Miami. Achane has finished inside the top-13 in MOP rankings in all three of Miami’s games.

The situation that played out in Carolina is a prime example of what MOP rankings are intended to identify. If you look at standard leaders from this past week, you will see that Rico Dowdle was the overall RB21 while Chuba Hubbard was the RB29. However, the Week 3 MOP rankings indicate that Hubbard is still the better option. Hubbard was the overall RB16 in this metric, whereas Dowdle finished 31st among running backs. Dowdle may continue to have a role in the offense, but Hubbard is still the back you want in Carolina, and a solid starter.

PlayerPosTeamFPtsRankBig PlayMOP PtsMOP Rank
Jonathan TaylorRBIND31.3110.620.71
David MontgomeryRBDET28.929.119.82
Jahmyr GibbsRBDET24.436.4183
Jordan MasonRBMIN23.646.517.14
Christian McCaffreyRBSF1982.516.55
Omarion HamptonRBLAC21.956.315.66
Cam SkatteboRBNYG21.167.313.87
James Cook IIIRBBUF19.376.213.18
Kenneth Walker IIIRBSEA17.5106.311.29
Kyren WilliamsRBLAR18.297.510.710
Bijan RobinsonRBATL13.614310.611
De'Von AchaneRBMIA12.616210.612
Quinshon JudkinsRBCLE16116.19.913
Bucky IrvingRBTB11.91738.914
Jaylen WarrenRBPIT10.62028.615
Chuba HubbardRBCAR8.6290.87.816
Javonte WilliamsRBDAL9.7252.27.517
J.K. DobbinsRBDEN14.8127.96.918
Tony PollardRBTEN12.9156.16.819
Josh JacobsRBGB9.9233.66.320
Saquon BarkleyRBPHI7.5311.26.321
Miles SandersRBDAL6.8331.15.722
Breece HallRBNYJ7.2321.75.523
TreVeyon HendersonRBNE6.2371.34.924
Kareem HuntRBKC10.9196.14.825
D'Andre SwiftRBCHI9.3274.64.726
Travis Etienne Jr.RBJAC11.61874.627
Nick ChubbRBHOU5.5410.94.628
Ashton JeantyRBLV6.3361.84.529
Isiah PachecoRBKC5.34314.330
Rico DowdleRBCAR10.3216.14.231
Alvin KamaraRBNO6.1381.94.232
Blake CorumRBLAR5.3441.24.133
Braelon AllenRBNYJ5.7401.7434
James ConnerRBARI5.2451.53.735
Trey BensonRBARI6.6342.93.736
Ollie Gordon IIRBMIA9.8246.23.637
Kendre MillerRBNO4.64613.638
Tyrone Tracy Jr.RBNYG4.64713.639
Jacory Croskey-MerrittRBWAS9.6266.13.540
Kenneth GainwellRBPIT9.1286.1341
Zavier ScottRBMIN5.5422.5342
Woody MarksRBHOU4.1481.42.743
Chase BrownRBCIN4491.42.644
Chris Rodriguez Jr.RBWAS3.9501.42.545
Najee HarrisRBLAC2.8550.72.146
Bhayshul TutenRBJAC8.1306.1247
Zamir WhiteRBLV2.8560.91.948
Jeremy McNicholsRBWAS13.813121.849
Justice HillRBBAL6394.21.850
RJ HarveyRBDEN3.1521.41.751
Kyle MonangaiRBCHI2.5600.81.752
George HolaniRBSEA3.2511.61.653
Nathan CarterRBATL2.65711.654
Emanuel WilsonRBGB2.5610.91.655
Jerome FordRBCLE3541.51.556
Derrick HenryRBBAL10.2228.81.457
Ty JohnsonRBBUF2.6581.31.358
Rachaad WhiteRBTB1.9650.71.259
Jacardia WrightRBSEA2631160
Tahj BrooksRBCIN1.7660.7161
Devin SingletaryRBNYG1.1690.40.762
Cam AkersRBMIN1.9641.40.563
Brashard SmithRBKC1.3680.80.564
Tyler AllgeierRBATL0.9700.50.465
Rhamondre StevensonRBNE3.1532.80.366
Brian Robinson Jr.RBSF2.2621.90.367
Tyler GoodsonRBIND0.6720.40.268
Kyle JuszczykRBSF6.6356.6069
LeQuint Allen Jr.RBJAC1.4671.4070
DJ GiddensRBIND0.3730.3071
Dylan SampsonRBCLE0.2740.2072
Dylan LaubeRBLV0.2750.2073
Julius ChestnutRBTEN2.6592.7-0.174
Antonio GibsonRBNE0.8711.1-0.375
Samaje PerineRBCIN0.1761.2-1.176

Check out all of our Week 4 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings


Wide Receiver Week 3 MOP Rankings and Takeaways

Historically, Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker is the type of player MOP rankings are supposed to filter out. Through 35 career NFL games before last week, Tucker had recorded more than three receptions just four times. When he does score the occasional touchdown or catch a long pass, MOP rankings can usually negate it. That means we don’t overpay for this type of player when using FAAB money or identifying potential trade targets. So what do we make then of Tucker’s Week 3 performance? To Tucker’s credit, it certainly didn’t look fluky. He caught eight of nine targets and scored three touchdowns. While it is safe to say that it will end up being the best game of his career, maybe there is something here. Tucker is currently rostered in 36 percent of Fantrax leagues. That number will likely double between now and Thursday.

The biggest winner when comparing Week 3 MOP rankings to regular rankings is Saints wide receiver Chris Olave. He finished 30th in Half-PPR scoring, but seventh in MOP score. That is a clear trend we have seen to start the season.

Week 1: WR32 in Half-PPR, WR19 in MOP rankings
Week 2: WR46 in Half-PPR, WR24 in MOP rankings
Week 3: WR30 in Half-PPR, WR7 in MOP rankings

These numbers indicate that Olave is a solid buy-low candidate. He has earned double-digit targets and has recorded at least 50 yards in each game. In my view, Olave’s issues are twofold. Regarding his overall year-to-date ranking, he has yet to score a touchdown.  Had he scored a touchdown in any of those games, his normal ranking would have landed right around his MOP ranking. That is the good news. The bad news is that quarterback Spencer Rattler is allergic to throwing the ball downfield. Olave’s longest reception among his 23 catches this season is 14 yards. Keep in mind that Olave averaged 14.5 yards per catch on 72 grabs in his rookie campaign. I would still be interested in buying low, but Olave is looking more like a PPR stud than anything.

PlayerPosTeamFPtsRankBig PlayMOP PtsMOP Rank
Tre TuckerWRLV36.9112.624.31
Puka NacuaWRLAR17.382.514.82
A.J. BrownWRPHI19.937.412.53
Garrett WilsonWRNYJ19.447.611.84
Ricky PearsallWRSF15.7143.911.85
Jaxon Smith-NjigbaWRSEA18.177.710.46
Chris OlaveWRNO10.7301.49.37
Courtland SuttonWRDEN20.8211.79.18
DeVonta SmithWRPHI16136.99.19
Amon-Ra St. BrownWRDET17.298.38.910
Tory HortonWRSEA16.7107.98.811
George PickensWRDAL15.3166.78.612
Tyquan ThorntonWRKC15.61578.613
Rashod BatemanWRBAL14.8176.8814
Emeka EgbukaWRTB11.5263.5815
Michael Pittman Jr.WRIND16.3118.57.816
Quentin JohnstonWRLAC11.9244.27.717
Keenan AllenWRLAC16128.57.518
Sterling ShepardWRTB10332.97.119
Nico CollinsWRHOU18.4511.56.920
Tyreek HillWRMIA13.41976.421
Alec PierceWRIND8.7352.46.322
Justin JeffersonWRMIN10324.15.923
Drake LondonWRATL8382.35.724
Jaylen WaddleWRMIA12.4236.85.625
Luther Burden IIIWRCHI18.36135.326
Elic AyomanorWRTEN11.8257.34.527
Khalil ShakirWRBUF12.52284.528
Mike EvansWRTB11.32774.329
JuJu Smith-SchusterWRKC7.5413.24.330
Rashid ShaheedWRNO6.24824.231
Jalen TolbertWRDAL5.9511.74.232
Matthew GoldenWRGB8.1373.94.233
Ladd McConkeyWRLAC6.1491.94.234
Kendrick BourneWRSF5.8521.64.235
Marquise BrownWRKC6.2472.2436
DJ MooreWRCHI10.8296.93.937
Darnell MooneyWRATL6.4432.63.838
Rome OdunzeWRCHI13.718103.739
Tyler LockettWRTEN5.7532.13.640
KaVontae TurpinWRDAL7.8394.23.641
Tetairoa McMillanWRCAR6.3452.83.542
Olamide ZaccheausWRCHI5.1581.63.543
Parker WashingtonWRJAC5.4542.13.344
Malik WashingtonWRMIA4.7601.43.345
Ja'Marr ChaseWRCIN6.4443.33.146
Darius SlaytonWRNYG5591.93.147
Mack HollinsWRNE4.7611.63.148
DK MetcalfWRPIT10.7317.7349
Terry McLaurinWRWAS8.9346.12.850
Jakobi MeyersWRLV7.84052.851
Calvin Austin IIIWRPIT10.9288.22.752
Cedric TillmanWRCLE4.1641.52.653
Jalen NailorWRMIN5.2562.72.554
Deebo Samuel Sr.WRWAS3.9691.42.555
Jameson WilliamsWRDET5.3552.92.456
Luke McCaffreyWRWAS13.12110.82.357
Marvin Harrison Jr.WRARI5.9503.72.258
Christian KirkWRHOU4661.82.259
Brandin CooksWRNO3.9681.72.260
Keon ColemanWRBUF3.5741.32.261
Stefon DiggsWRNE3.8711.62.262
Davante AdamsWRLAR13.12010.92.263
Xavier HutchinsonWRHOU3.1811.1264
Tyler JohnsonWRNYJ4.2632.51.765
Chris MooreWRWAS3.5761.81.766
Elijah MooreWRBUF5.1573.51.667
Ryan FlournoyWRDAL3.1791.61.568
Allen LazardWRNYJ8.3366.91.469
Brian Thomas Jr.WRJAC6.5425.11.470
Dont'e Thornton Jr.WRLV3.9672.51.471
Romeo DoubsWRGB3.5752.11.472
Ray-Ray McCloud IIIWRATL3831.71.373
Cooper KuppWRSEA4.1652.81.374
Kayshon BoutteWRNE3.8722.51.375
Zay JonesWRARI3.5732.31.276
Brycen TremayneWRCAR2.5861.31.277
Tyrell ShaversWRBUF3.4772.21.278
Greg DortchWRARI1.8940.71.179
Zay FlowersWRBAL2.3891.21.180
Josh DownsWRIND4.4623.4181
Dontayvion WicksWRGB3.1802.1182
Jordan WhittingtonWRLAR2.4871.4183
Malik NabersWRNYG2.3881.40.984
Jamari ThrashWRCLE1.7970.90.885
Chimere DikeWRTEN2931.30.786
Troy FranklinWRDEN1.8951.20.687
Hunter RenfrowWRCAR1.610110.688
Dyami BrownWRJAC1.7981.10.689
Isaiah BondWRCLE2.6842.20.490
DeMario DouglasWRNE1.7991.30.491
Jaylin LaneWRWAS6.34660.392
Arian SmithWRNYJ1.21101.10.193
Devontez WalkerWRBAL3.9703.9094
Calvin RidleyWRTEN3.2783.2095
Wan'Dale RobinsonWRNYG3.1823.1096
Travis HunterWRJAC2.6852.6097
Jerry JeudyWRCLE2.2902.2098
Tim PatrickWRJAC2.1912.1099
Tee HigginsWRCIN29220100
DeAndre HopkinsWRBAL1.8961.80101
Dareke YoungWRSEA1.71001.70102
Jack BechWRLV1.51021.50103
Skyy MooreWRSF1.51031.50104
David Sills VWRATL1.41041.40105
Tai FeltonWRMIN1.41051.40106
Marquez Valdes-ScantlingWRSF1.41061.40107
Kyle WilliamsWRNE1.31071.30108
John Metchie IIIWRPHI1.31081.30109
Van JeffersonWRTEN1.31091.30110
Jahan DotsonWRPHI1.21111.20111
Nikko RemigioWRKC1.11121.10112
Michael WilsonWRARI111310113
Joshua PalmerWRBUF111410114
David MooreWRCAR111510115
Jayden HigginsWRHOU111610116
Marvin Mims Jr.WRDEN0.91170.90117
Jaylin NoelWRHOU0.91180.90118
Kalif RaymondWRDET0.91190.90119

Tight End Week 3 MOP Rankings and Takeaways

Because tight ends score fewer fantasy points relative to other positions, we can often see quite a difference between a player’s regular ranking and his MOP ranking. We saw plenty of examples of that in Week 3. Jack Stoll, Drew Sample, and John FitzPatrick all finished as TE1s in 12-team leagues based on Half-PPR scoring. However, fantasy managers should ignore those results. The trio combined for 4.8 MOP points. Four other tight ends posted top-18 weeks without scoring any MOP points. In all four cases, the tight end in question caught a touchdown and no other passes. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is the only one among that group whom I have any interest in potentially starting.

PlayerPosTeamFPtsRankBig PlayMOP PtsMOP Rank
Hunter HenryTENE2518.116.91
Mark AndrewsTEBAL24.129.214.92
Jake FergusonTEDAL14.741.7133
Brenton StrangeTEJAC9.182.174
Dalton KincaidTEBUF15.138.56.65
T.J. HockensonTEMIN13.4576.46
Chig OkonkwoTETEN9.1102.76.47
Trey McBrideTEARI12.866.66.28
Juwan JohnsonTENO8.1132.65.59
Brock BowersTELV7.8142.35.510
David NjokuTECLE6.5191.84.711
Dalton SchultzTEHOU6.4201.74.712
Oronde Gadsden IITELAC7.1172.74.413
Kyle Pitts Sr.TEATL5.9212.23.714
Sam LaPortaTEDET5.3241.93.415
Tyler WarrenTEIND5.3222.23.116
Zach ErtzTEWAS5.3232.42.917
Travis KelceTEKC4.6251.82.818
Gunnar HelmTETEN4.2271.62.619
Mason TaylorTENYJ3.8301.52.320
Harold Fannin Jr.TECLE4281.82.221
Tucker KraftTEGB4.4262.32.122
Drew SampleTECIN9116.92.123
Noah GrayTEKC3.2331.51.724
Austin HooperTENE3.8292.11.725
Noah FantTECIN3.1351.51.626
Jake TongesTESF3.1361.61.527
John FitzPatrickTEGB8.2126.81.428
Jack StollTENO9.197.81.329
Charlie KolarTEBAL3.23421.230
Jonnu SmithTEPIT3.8312.61.231
Hunter LongTEJAC2.2391.2132
Tommy TrembleTECAR2.6381.70.933
Ja'Tavion SandersTECAR2.1401.20.934
Tip ReimanTEARI1.8411.10.735
Dallas GoedertTEPHI9.879.8036
Josh OliverTEMIN7.7157.7037
Cole KmetTECHI7.5167.5038
Jackson HawesTEBUF7187039
Colston LovelandTECHI3.6323.6040
AJ BarnerTESEA2.8372.8041
Tanner ConnerTEMIA1.8421.8042
Eric SaubertTESEA1.7431.7043
Theo JohnsonTENYG1.5441.5044
Mitchell EvansTECAR1.4451.4045
Lucas KrullTEDEN1.4461.4046
Elijah HigginsTEARI1.2471.2047
Johnny MundtTEJAC1.2481.2048
Chris ManhertzTENYG1.2491.2049
Cam GrandyTECIN1.1501.1050
Mike GesickiTECIN1.1511.1051
Daniel BellingerTENYG1.1521.1052
Pat FreiermuthTEPIT1.1531.1053
Luke SchoonmakerTEDAL1541054
Julian HillTEMIA0.9550.9055
Davis AllenTELAR0.8560.8056

Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!


Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!


Mick Ciallela
Mick Ciallela
Mick Ciallela has been writing for FantraxHQ since July 2017. He is a lifelong sports fan and has been an avid fantasy sports player for many years. Mick has won two overall titles in nationwide fantasy football contests. Mick was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, and currently resides in Massachusetts with his incredibly understanding wife, Erica.

Share your take!

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Popular Articles