The biggest story of the 2024 fantasy football season is the injuries. Some of the biggest names in football are facing multi-week absences. That list includes, but is not limited to, Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, A.J. Brown, Isiah Pacheco, Deebo Samuel, and Kenneth Walker. As a result, there are plenty of obvious risers, in place of these players, and fallers, usually the players themselves, associated with this long list of injuries. The point of my Week 3 risers, fallers, and hot seat discussion is to avoid stating the obvious in regard to injuries and rather focus on the role and usage of the some others.
The players below are a mix of obvious studs and some others you may justifiably still have reservations about heading into Week 3. I’m including this particular group of players because I think they’re more important to discuss than others. Before we dive in, let’s review my Week 2 risers, fallers, and the player on the hot seat that I named before last weekend:
Risers: J.K. Dobbins, Jameson Williams, Deebo Samuel, Isaiah Likely, Tony Pollard, Zack Moss, D’Andre Swift, Brandin Cooks
Fallers: Javonte Williams, Travis Etienne, Rachaad White, Zamir White, The Packers’ Passing Offense
Hot Seat: Ja’Marr Chase
Week 3 Risers, Fallers, and a Player on the Hot Seat
Week 3 Risers
Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
There’s no bigger riser in fantasy football right now than Brock Bowers. When you factor in positional value and where he was drafted, he’s arguably the best pick of the season thus far. He leads all tight ends in targets (17), receptions (15), receiving yards (156), and first downs (8) on a third-highest target share (25%) amongst the position. Bowers is an absolute weapon in the Las Vegas Raiders’ passing game. He has yet to find the end zone so it’s reasonable to say we haven’t even seen his true ceiling yet. Just in case managers with Bowers are considering selling high, DON’T! Brock Bowers will continue to pay off all season long. He’s arguably the top player at the position for the remainder of the season. Enjoy it!
Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
Quite frankly, the New Orleans Saints entire offense could be on the Week 3 risers list. The Saints’ 91 points lead the league with 44 and 47 points in each game respectively. Also in each game, Rashid Shaheed has scored a first-quarter touchdown from distances of 59 and 70 yards. Furthermore, of Shaheed’s 11 career touchdowns, the average distance of each score is 51.4 yards. While his game has felt very boom-or-bust in the past, Shaheed is more of a full-time player now having played just 10 total snaps less than Chris Olave.
Shaheed’s success so far this season has come early in games that have both resulted in wins of 25 points or more. Derek Carr hasn’t thrown more than 23 passes in a game yet with just 16 attempts in Week 2. Shaheed only has nine total targets and is still the WR10 on a fantasy points-per-game basis. As the season progresses and games likely get more competitive, Shaheed will still maintain his big play ability but should see more targets as Carr inevitably throws more passes. Rashid Shaheed is already one of the best values of your draft. The fun continues at home in Week 3 against a Philadelphia Eagles that’s given up a 40+ yard touchdown pass in each game so far this season.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
Heading into the season, naming rookie MarShawn Lloyd as Jacobs’ backup was shaky. He was dealing with hip and hamstring injuries in camp. Now he’s on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury. That’s left Jacobs to inevitably carry the load out of Green Bay’s backfield. In Week 2 specifically, Jacobs logged 32 carries, the second-highest of his career in a single game. His 151 rushing yards led all players in Week 2. Not a bad way to debut as a Packer at Lambeau Field for the first time.
Moving forward, let’s not forget the structure of Jacobs’ contract. He signed a four-year deal worth $48 million that has just $12.5 million guaranteed. That’s slightly more than the one-year franchise tag amount for the position. In theory, Jacobs could be playing elsewhere in 2025. As the Packers await the return of quarterback Jordan Love (knee), they should continue leaning heavily on Jacobs in the run game. Based on talent and opportunity, Jacobs is firmly inside the top 10 running backs for the rest of the season. For those with Jacobs on their fantasy roster, Emmanuel Wilson is the clear-cut handcuff until further notice.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
I know. I’m still a bit skeptical, too. The fact of the matter with Johnston is that the sample size is small. His rookie season is one to forget. However, in two games this season, there’s reason to believe Johnston is on the rise heading into Week 3 and at least worth adding to your bench.
What we do know is that the Chargers have a new head coach and offensive coordinator in 2024. That’s a huge change for a second year receiver to face especially at what seems like rock bottom. We also know Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are no longer in L.A. and should’ve given Johnston more credit as a potential riser who could take advantage of a wide-open competition for targets.
So far, Johnston has a 25% target share with the Chargers. He’s made the most of it, specifically in Week 2, catching five of six targets for 51 yards and two touchdowns. His 48 snaps and 19 routes run led all Chargers skill position players, as well. Justin Herbert has yet to eclipse 150 passing yards in a game this season. 150! He’s attempted an average of just 23 passes per game. We’re still trying to figure this team out, but we know they love to run the ball. Week 3 in Pittsburgh against the Steelers will be their first big test. Johnston could have a big day, but I’m not starting him based solely on last week’s production. Consistency is key when setting a starting lineup and we don’t have consistency yet with Johnston even if he is a riser.
Check out all of our Week 3 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex
Week 3 Fallers
Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman is a Week 3 letdown away from getting put on next week’s hot seat. After two weeks, he is one of the biggest fallers in fantasy football. As much hype as there was surrounding Anthony Richardson for this fantasy football season and Pittman as his WR1, this tandem is still a work in progress.
The good news is that Pittman is still a big target earner. His 15 targets through two weeks account for 30% of the Colts’ team target share. Pittman is one of just seven wide receivers with a target share of 30% or more. However, these receivers, on a fantasy points-per-game basis, rank as WR1, WR4, WR5, WR13, WR14, WR 26 and then there’s Pittman, the WR66. His catch rate thus far this season is just 46.7%! Compare that to a career catch rate of 68.9% in four seasons prior.
The Colts are 0-2 and now face two tough defenses in the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers. Anthony Richardson is only averaging 26.5 pass attempts per game thus far, as well. Pittman could continue to be a faller as his season could get even worse before if it gets better, if at all.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has 55 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in two games this season. Rachaad White has 49 scoreless yards on a team-high 25 carries in two games this season. For those doing the math at home, that’s a 2.0 yards per carry average for White. Two yards is six feet. Rachaad White is six feet tall. He could quite literally fall forward with the ball in his hands at the line of scrimmage and maintain the level of production we’ve seen thus far. Last year’s efficiency concerns were warranted.
The good news for White is that the Denver Broncos are coming to town in Week 3. Then, in Week 4, the Philadelphia Eagles. They both rank inside the top nine in rushing yards allowed to opposing running backs. White could be a Week 3 riser based on this short-term schedule, but he hasn’t shown us anything yet to believe he will take advantage of it. If he doesn’t in the next two games, he’s justifiably on the Week 3 fallers list. Now would be as good a time as ever to have rookie running back Bucky Irving on your roster just in case. He’s averaging 5.25 yards per carry so far, though on just 16 total attempts in two games.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
I think we all know Tyreek Hill is a faller in fantasy football whether we want to admit it or not. Tua Tagovailoa’s connection with Hill will be missed. Plain and simple. Hill’s path to pushing for a 2,000-yard season is no more. The talent is still there, of course, and so will the opportunities, but what’s the quality of those opportunities? Heading into Week 3, he ranks eighth in air yards and I’m not confident in Skylar Thompson’s willingness to push the ball downfield and, more importantly, how accurate he will be.
We now know Tua is on Injured Reserve and, while it’s a four-game minimum absence, there’s no concrete timetable for his return from yet another concussion. It’s not a bad idea to put Tyreek Hill on the trade block in your league and see what sort of offers you get This idea is especially relevant to teams that maybe have multiple holes in their lineup due to the overwhelming amount of injuries around the league.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
There is a lot of focus on the Rams’ passing game because we’re already going to see a lot of new faces in Week 3. Both Puka Nacua (IR) and Cooper Kupp will be out for some time. That’s left many to speculate which receiver is the next man up to target for fantasy football. Meanwhile, Kyren Williams has flown under the radar and I mean that in a bad way. Despite playing 85.7% of the running back snaps and handling 75% of the running back carries in L.A., Williams has just 75 yards rushing on 30 attempts over two games. The usage is elite once again, but his 2.5 yards per carry average thus far is exactly half of what it was all of last season.
I know the Rams roster as a whole is severely banged up, especially up front on the offensive line. That all comes into consideration when naming Kyren Williams a faller ahead of Week 3. He’s still averaging 14.8 points per game, but that’s due to a touchdown in the second half of each game, neither of more than four yards out. In fact, Williams has yet to record a run of 10 yards or more. I don’t know how many scoring opportunities Williams will see moving forward on this team in it’s current state. He is a victim of circumstance but a faller nonetheless.
Rookie Quarterbacks
We should have probably seen this coming, and maybe we did based on their preseason Average Draft Position. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Bo Nix have all started and finished two games each and neither of the three have thrown a single touchdown pass. Between the three of them, they have a combined four home games of a possible 12 in the month of September. Welcome to the league!
Here are the next five games for Williams, Daniels, and Nix:
Williams: @ Colts, v. Rams, v. Panthers, v. Jaguars, BYE
- A solid “get right” stretch here. An even better opportunity to lean on the run game. That may be good for Williams, but bad for fantasy football.
Daniels: @ Bengals, @ Cardinals, v. Browns, @ Ravens, v. Panthers
- Maybe more of a streamer than a starter depending on who’s available to you. It’s early, but the Bengals and Browns both rank inside the bottom 12 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
Nix: @ Buccaneers, @ Jets, v. Raiders, v. Chargers, @ Saints
- If you have TB or NYJ defenses in your fantasy lineup, they both might outscore Nix when facing him. Seriously. Nix has thrown two interceptions in each of his first two games. It’s maybe not the worst idea for Denver to sit Nix in favor of Jarrett Stidham if Week 3 is a particularly poor showing.
We should leave Caleb Williams on the bench in all formats until further notice. If you need room, you can cut him for now in 1QB leagues. Bo Nix gets benched in Superflex leagues, as well, unless truly desperate. Daniels still maintains a higher floor than the others with his rushing ability having logged 16 and 10 rush attempts respectively in his first two games. However, in Week 2, he scored just 13.4 fantasy points with 44 scoreless rushing yards showing us just how bad it can get, against the New York Giants no less. There’s still a good chance these three become risers later in the season, but it’s too early to put our faith in them to get much-needed wins at the start of the fantasy football season.
The Week 3 Hot Seat
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
The Week 3 hot seat could simply be an [insert highly ranked tight end here] moment. Fantasy managers went into the 2024 season with the feeling that the position was deeper than most years, but believed in using top-four or five picks on what many believed to be elite options. The Week 3 hot seat could very well be a couch for all of the “elite” tight ends. After two weeks, Mark Andrews (TE15), Sam LaPorta (TE17), Dalton Kincaid (TE23), and Travis Kelce (TE30) are all extreme disappointments on a fantasy points-per-game basis.
I am putting Sam LaPorta on the Week 3 hot seat because I’m more worried about him than the others mentioned. Mark Andrews is still Lamar Jackson’s first or second target any given week. Dalton Kincaid should improve as the season progresses with tougher matchups for the Bills. Josh Allen is averaging just 21 pass attempts per game so far! Travis Kelce will have to step up in the absence of Isiah Pacheco and Hollywood Brown. In Week 2, Kelce played the most snaps (59) and ran the most routes (29) of all Chiefs pass catchers. The targets will come.
Sam LaPorta, however, is firmly third in the Detroit Lions passing game pecking order thus far. His two targets in Week 2 trail both Amon-Ra St. Brown (18!) and Jameson Williams (11). Although, he did run 48 routes to St. Brown and Williams’ 53 each. That’s good news. Still, LaPorta has a daunting 9.8% target share this season. That’s not what we want from a player drafted at the top of his position in some leagues.
The only way you sit LaPorta is if you just so happened to have Brock Bowers on your roster, as well. Otherwise, you’re starting him and hoping things improve. If you have major holes elsewhere on your roster, given injuries around the league, trading LaPorta for a package deal is something I would consider looking into. There’s still value to his name, for now. Another dud performance in Week 3 changes that.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!