Fantasy Football Week 3: Key Takeaways, Injuries, and Role Changes

Week 3 was an answer-heavy slate in the NFL.

We had tons of questions heading into the week, like:

• How would the Kansas City Chiefs' and Houston Texans' backfields operate without their featured backs?
• Could the San Francisco 49ers be efficient without three key pieces?
• Would the Miami Dolphins crumble without Tua Tagovailoa?

We got answers to all of those questions and more across Sunday's action.

Let's recap it all now, laying out the key takeaways for fantasy football and what it means going forward.

All snap-rate, route, and average depth of target (aDOT) data is via Next-Gen Stats unless noted otherwise. A "deep" target here is a target 16-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Key Injuries to Track Entering Week 4

Justin Herbert

Technically, Justin Herbert is the headliner here as the lone fantasy-relevant guy, but the Los Angeles Chargers also lost starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt on Sunday. Their injury report will be the biggest one to monitor during the week.

After the game, Herbert himself didn't seem too concerned despite being in a walking boot. Clearly this is an injury that's going to linger, though, jacking up the risk of a pass-catching group that already lacked volume.

The person more impacted here is J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins' snap rate was a solid 64.4% on Sunday, but if he doesn't get efficient quarterback play, the team won't generate scoring drives. Thus, you'll have to keep close tabs on Herbert, Alt, and Slater during the week to see how much you need to ding Dobbins entering a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

DeVonta Smith and Britain Covey

With A.J. Brown's status for Week 4 unknown, the Philadelphia Eagles could be hyper-thin at receiver.

Both DeVonta Smith (concussion) and Britain Covey (shoulder) left early in Week 3 and didn't return. Here's how the team divvied up routes and targets among the other pass-catchers who were active.

The obvious standout is Dallas Goedert, who turned his 11 targets into 170 yards. He'll get as many targets as he can handle if both Smith and Brown miss next week.

Jahan Dotson played a ton, but he just didn't earn looks from Jalen Hurts. This happened to him last year with the Washington Commanders, too, so Dotson would be nothing more than a desperation dart even if Brown and Smith remain out.

Instead, I wouldn't be shocked to see more manufactured targets for Saquon Barkley in the passing game, even if Hurts doesn't traditionally throw it to his backs much. There just aren't many guys who necessitate getting the ball in their hands, so beyond Goedert and Barkley, proceed with extreme caution.

Trey McBride

Trey McBride left after a helmet-to-helmet collision, opening the door for him to miss time as he works through concussion protocol. Rather than turning to Elijah Higgins or Tip Reiman, we should bump up the receivers in McBride's potential absence.

Marvin Harrison Jr. set a new high with 11 targets Sunday, 6 of which were deep. He now has 10 deep targets the past 2 games, and he has 3 of 4 red-zone targets in that time, as well. He'll get as much as he can handle without McBride.

Michael Wilson came back to life with nine targets Sunday, and Greg Dortch had six. Both guys had two deep targets, as well. I'd lean toward Dortch because he has a longer track record of earning targets when he has been on the field, but both deserve at least consideration if McBride can't go.

Sam LaPorta

Because Sam LaPorta was able to return to Sunday's game after suffering an ankle injury, there's a good chance he's able to play in Week 4. But he was clearly in pain, so it's at least worth addressing the Detroit Lions' outlook with a banged-up LaPorta.

This wouldn't impact Amon-Ra St. Brown much. He already gets a maxed-out workload as he's rocking a 31.4% target share for the season.

Instead, it'd help steady Jameson Williams after he finally had a down game in Week 3. Williams had just one catch on three targets. It's worth noting, though, that both empty targets were deep, so he was getting looks; he just didn't convert.

If LaPorta can't go, it'll increase the median expectation for Williams to go with his now-proven ceiling. I'd want to buy back in on Jamo if people bail after one poor showing.

Skylar Thompson

The Miami Dolphins' already bad quarterback situation has somehow gotten worse with Skylar Thompson suffering a rib injury and leaving Sundays' game early. It led to Tim Boyle action, and we know how that script ends.

With Thompson and Boyle splitting work in Week 3, no Dolphins had more than 30 rushing or 40 receiving yards. They put up just three total points, showing how much everybody gets downgraded when a team loses its quarterback.

We may see Tyler Huntley, who the team signed last week. Huntley could potentially duplicate expectations under Thompson, which would mean De'Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, and -- to a lesser extent -- Jaylen Waddle would still startable-though-not-desirable in season-long. If it's Boyle, even those guys will be tough to stomach.

Fantasy Football Role Changes

Jauan Jennings

Jauan Jennings has always been a good football player who did what his role asked of him.

When that role expanded with no Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, or George Kittle, Jennings once again rose to the occasion.

He led the team with 12 targets, turning them into 11 receptions for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brandon Aiyuk was second with 10 targets, and nobody else had more than 3. They funneled work to their best guys, and in this game, that was Jennings.

Importantly, three of the targets for Jennings were downfield. Yardage upside had been the knock on him in the past, and he showed here that he's got it if other pieces are missing.

If Kittle and Samuel miss more time, we can give Jennings a massive boost to both his median and ceiling expectations. We should still view Aiyuk as being the top guy here, but it's clear the 49ers know these are their top two options and are going to treat them as such. Even as the matchups get tougher than this one, we can always have a high level of confidence in pass-catchers tied to this scheme.

Carson Steele

I had concerns entering Week 3 that the Chiefs would be a full-blown committee without Isiah Pacheco. But they treated Carson Steele as the clear lead back.

Steele played 63.9% of the snaps, turning 17 carries and 2 targets into 74 yards from scrimmage. It was a tough matchup, so that production isn't too bad.

Crucially, Steele had 8 of 14 chances inside the red zone and played 10 of 15 snaps there. The touchdown upside exists.

The most surprising aspect for me is that Steele ran 17 routes to Samaje Perine's 13. I'd still expect a big division there, but this was one of the better realistic outcomes for Steele.

If this usage keeps up, Steele is a Diet Coke version of Pacheco: lots of early-down work, goal-line usage, and acceptable-enough passing-game work. That makes him a rock-solid season-long starter and an option for DFS in the right spots.

Kyren Williams

With no Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Los Angeles Rams -- understandably -- decided to feature Kyren Williams and the ground game.

In Week 3, the Rams had 13 carries or targets inside the red zone; 11 of them went to Williams, who cashed that in for 3 touchdowns. Overall for the day, he had 24 carries and 2 targets on an 89.1% snap rate.

Williams may still have effectiveness concerns behind a beat-up offensive line, especially when the offense is lacking pass-catchers. But Matthew Stafford had above-average efficiency, so arrow is up on Williams despite all the losses around him.

Derrick Henry

The Baltimore Ravens very clearly wanted to establish the run in Week 3. They did so by rocking with The King.

Derrick Henry played 60.0% of the snaps, an increase from 46.0% in a positive script last week. He had 25 carries, 7 more than he had in any of the 2 opening games, as well.

To me, this says that when the Ravens have their backs against the wall, they're going to lean heavily on Henry and Lamar Jackson. That's great for their fantasy outlook, even if we'll want to temper expectations when they get into matchups where they don't need the foot on the gas for all four quarters.

This run-centric approach torpedoed the pass-catchers as Jackson dropped back just 15 times. Mark Andrews ran just four routes as a result, five fewer than Isaiah Likely. I'm fine keeping Zay Flowers near his baseline, but at this point, it does seem clear like the alarm bells on Andrews are ringing louder than initially thought.

Cam Akers

It was a nightmare script for Cam Akers, but a lot of the downsides for his potential role without Joe Mixon were realized.

Akers played just 42.9% of the snaps, edging out Dare Ogunbowale (41.3%) for the team lead. He didn't play after the team pulled the starters, so that number is artificially low, but even the data before then was underwhelming. Akers ran a route on just 11 of 27 drop backs in the first 3 quarters.

Akers can come through if the Houston Texans are in a good matchup and a positive script, but there's a lid on his upside without a better pass-catching role.

Cole Kmet and Rome Odunze

The Chicago Bears' passing-game numbers were juiced up by 56 Caleb Williams drop backs, but both Cole Kmet and Rome Odunze saw shifts in their roles.

Starting with Kmet, he played 81.0% of the snaps and ran 37 routes. After he played less than half the snaps in Week 1, that's a big shift. He earned 11 targets, so he got open while he was out there.

As for Odunze, he had 11 targets, 8 of which were deep. He cashed in with 112 yards and a touchdown.

Once Keenan Allen is back, both players should see their targets scaled back, and neither is on D.J. Moore's level. But the Bears truly cannot run the football (more on that in the final section), so we can have reasonable expectations for all three for the time being.

DeAndre Hopkins

After holding limited roles the first two games, DeAndre Hopkins showed life on Sunday.

Hopkins led the Tennessee Titans with 7 targets for 73 yards and a touchdown. He still ran just 20 routes on 42 drop backs, but when he was out there, they were getting him the ball.

This hurts the appeal of Calvin Ridley, who is being used as a deep-ball merchant for an inefficient passer as things stand. Ideally, they'll generate more gimme targets for him eventually. But that's not happening yet, pushing his median expectation to the ground while Hopkins is at least an option with expectations his volume will continue to rise.

Jake Ferguson

Jake Ferguson's knee looked just fine in his return as he turned 11 targets into 95 yards.

A big chunk of that was due to the pass-heavy script, though, as 11 targets was just a 22.5% share. Still, one of those targets was deep, and Ferguson had two deep targets before his injury in Week 1, too.

CeeDee Lamb is the unquestioned alpha here. Ferguson appears -- once again -- to be number two in the pecking order, making him a quality season-long starter and a solid option for DFS, as well.

Noteworthy Fantasy Football Usage

The Panthers' Offense

We were able to ignore the Carolina Panthers the first two weeks because things were so inefficient that there was no fantasy relevance to be had.

Then Andy Dalton happened.

Dalton averaged 0.39 Passing Net Expected Points (NEP, numberFire's EPA metric) per drop back on Sunday. Bryce Young was at -0.51 at the time of his benching, meaning a Dalton drop back has been worth 0.90 more expected points than one by Young. That won't stick, but it's clear there was an upgrade here.

Both Diontae Johnson and Chuba Hubbard feasted as a result. Johnson had 14 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown.

Adam Thielen left early with a hamstring injury, meaning we could see Johnson get double-digit targets on a regular basis. Jonathan Mingo was second behind Johnson in routes run, so he'd currently sit ahead of Xavier Legette in terms of benefactors if Thielen misses time. Johnson, though, should just soak up volume.

Dalton averaged 0.10 Passing NEP per drop back with the New Orleans Saints during his last extended run as a starter. That's about league average, which is good enough to support a quality fantasy receiver if the volume is high. We've got that with Johnson, meaning his stock got a massive kick in the pants.

As for Hubbard, he still lost snaps to Miles Sanders, but he turned 21 carries and 5 targets into 169 yards from scrimmage on a 60.0% snap rate. They've got some beef in the interior, so they should be able to run the football, and Hubbard showed that Sunday.

I'm more skeptical of Hubbard than I am Johnson, given Hubbard seems to have more competition for work, and we've never seen him turn into a true featured back. But both guys are acceptable season-long starters and on the map for DFS, which is much more than we could have said a week ago.

Malik Nabers

After another double-digit-target game Sunday, Malik Nabers may have the best usage-based role in the NFL.

Nabers finished with 12 targets, 3 of which were deep with 2 in the red zone. He now has a 37.8% overall target share with a 61.5% deep target share and 35.7% in the red zone.

Daniel Jones was efficient despite a tough matchup Sunday. If he can do that more often, Nabers could become a fantasy superstar in a hurry.

Aaron Jones

Aaron Jones' role has been solid this year, but it hit its peak on Sunday.

Jones had six targets for the second straight game, but this time, he added 19 carries, as well. He turned that into a whopping 148 yards from scrimmage.

Eventually, the Minnesota Vikings will get both Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson back, which could ding Jones' target share. But he's playing great, and so is Sam Darnold, so Jones' stock just continues to rise.

Amari Cooper

Amari Cooper had great usage the first two games; it just didn't matter because of how rough Deshaun Watson was.

He finally cashed in on Sunday with 86 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 targets.

It came with David Njoku sidelined, but this boosted Cooper's season-long target share to 26.1%. That can work even in an inefficient offense.

Watson was brutal again Sunday, and Njoku will eventually return. We don't want to get too high on Cooper. But it is nice to get a reminder that he does have a path to a ceiling thanks to his talent and role.

Additional Notes

• We should at least keep tabs on the Rachaad White and Bucky Irving dynamic. Irving out-carried White, nine to seven, and Irving had a slight edge there even before things were out of reach entering the fourth quarter. Irving has been effective, so we shouldn't be shocked if he continues to chip away at White's stranglehold on the backfield.
• Mike Williams' role is starting to expand as he had a season-high 4 targets with a 9.6-yard aDOT. Aaron Rodgers is slinging it, and with Williams' snap rate likely to rise each week, we should be tempted to buy in soon.
• Devin Singletary had 108 yards from scrimmage Sunday, his second straight game hitting 95. His workload isn't massive, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. had a season-high 29.0% snap rate this week, but Singletary's a solid season-long option in most setups.
• Whether due to game script or ineffectiveness, D'Andre Swift played a season-low 52.4% of the snaps Sunday. His success rate this year is 18.9% (Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson are at 50.0% across 16 combined carries), so I'd tread very, very lightly with Swift on the potential for his role to continue to trend down.
• The Browns' backfield is very clearly Jerome Ford in negative scripts with D'Onta Foreman a factor only when they're in the lead. While it's nice to know what the roles look like, this still isn't a super valuable fantasy backfield.
• Demarcus Robinson should be treated as the Rams' top pass-catcher until Kupp and Nacua return. He played 92.7% of the snaps and finished with three of the team's four deep targets. Tutu Atwell ran ahead of Tyler Johnson and should be viewed as the team's secondary option.
• If it wasn't over for Zamir White earlier, it probably is now. In what should have been a cupcake matchup, he had just 10 carries on a 23.7% snap rate. He's not a startable player in season-long, and it's fair to question whether he's worth the bench spot, as well.
• Josh Downs made his season debut Sunday and earned 5 of 20 targets. Right now, this is a low-volume, low-efficiency offense, so it's hard to feel good about anybody -- including Michael Pittman Jr. -- here. In DFS, I'm not touching any of them, and if burns me, so be it.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.