Underdog Battle Royale Week 3 Rankings

Quarterback:

1. Jalen Hurts

2. Kyler Murray

3. C.J. Stroud

4. Lamar Jackson

5. Derek Carr

6. Brock Purdy

Sleepers: Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott, Anthony Richardson, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Caleb Williams

The top of the QB board is pretty straight forward, with Hurts as the clear number 1, and then some combination of Murray, Stroud and Jackson behind him. All four QBs have the upside and offensive support to be QB1 on the week. Stoud lacks the rushing upside, but this game could be a sneaky shootout. With his weapons and talent, he could go off for 350 and 3-4 TDs. One issue is none of these four have a “great” match-up, so don’t be surprised to see at least one falter because of a good defensive stand.

After the top four, I think Carr, Purdy, Mayfield and Prescott represent the next tier. All four of these QBs are in top tier offenses and in the right game script can put up the numbers needed to go off. Mayfield has some concerns of it being a blowout, but that was the case week 1 and he still got there. Carr is actually maybe the most intriguing because perhaps the Eagles are pushing back, and he doesn’t need to stop throwing early in the 3rd quarter.

Beyond the top 8 you can definitely try taking some shots at other QBs. Richardson we know always has fantasy upside, but he’s very volatile. Geno Smith has looked good, but there could be some push-back concerns vs Miami. One deep sleeper is Caleb Williams. It hasn’t been pretty so far, but the upside is clear and now with having a couple games under his belt and the best match-up to date, maybe he catches fire for a big game. I would only play him if you are doing a lot of line-ups, but this Colts defense was bad to begin with, and has only gotten worse due to injury.

Running Backs:

1. Alvin Kamara

2. De’Von Achane

3. Jordan Mason

4. Saquon Barkley

5. Josh Jacobs

6. Derrick Henry

7. Kyren Williams

8. Jonathan Taylor

9. Jahmyr Gibbs

10. J.K. Dobbins

11. Zach Charbonnet

12. Joe Mixon

Sleepers: James Conner, Rachaad White, Aaron Jones, David Montgomery, Tony Pollard, Zamir White, Jerome Ford

It’s definitely a strong RB week, but I also really want to get one of the top 4 options as often as possible. I love the match-ups for Kamara, Achane, and Mason. Barkley’s a little tougher match-up, but his usage has been great, and he was so close to a TD and a massive game last week. Kamara though I believe should be the 1.1 in this draft. His usage is incredible and the Eagles have been destroyed on the ground by Bijan and Josh Jacobs. Both of those offenses come from the shared Shanahan/McVay tree as well, so we absolutely could see more of the same.

The next group of RBs is a mix of questionable game script, and tough match-ups. Jacobs had a great game against the Colts, but the Titans’ run defense is better and there are going to be no surprises this time in Green Bay’s game plan. Henry is always in play, but as we saw Week 1, if the Ravens get behind he will lose some snaps to Justice Hill. That is very possible in this match-up vs the Cowboys.

We know that Kyren will get plenty of usage which is great, but with basically the whole OL injured and the top two receiver threats, I think he will face a lot of tough boxes. Zach Charbonnet is intriguing as the Dolphins run defense has been gashed so far.

Among the sleepers, my favorites are Rachaad White and David Montgomery. White has had two tough match-ups so far, and could have an easier time this week vs the Broncos. Montgomery splits time with Gibbs, but while Gibbs will be drafted in basically every draft, Montgomery might be drafted 20% of the time. He’s still getting plenty of usage, and with his TD equity if he pops off for 2 or 3 TDs, he could not only be more valuable than Gibbs again, but he could be a top 5 fantasy back.

Wide Receivers:

1. CeeDee Lamb

2. Nico Collins

3. Davante Adams

4. Amon-Ra St. Brown

5. Justin Jefferson (watch health reports)

6. DeVonta Smith

7. Brandon Aiyuk

8. Tyreek Hill

9. D.K. Metcalf

10. Chris Godwin

11. Marvin Harrison

12. Zay Flowers

13. Rashid Shaheed

14. Mike Evans

15. Stefon Diggs

16. Jameson Williams

17. Chris Olave

18. D.J. Moore

Sleepers: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, George Pickens, Jaylen Waddle, Malik Nabers, Tank Dell, Calvin Ridley, Demarcus Robinson, Diontae Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Jalen Nailor, Jauan Jennings

Despite some key injuries out there, WR is decently strong this week and it takes a secondary position for me behind RB. I think the case for Lamb as the top WR is clear, but honestly WR 2-10 I feel is far more murky. Nico has been incredible so far this year, but the Vikings defense has caused some problems, so I worry a bit about his upside. Not only would Justin Jefferson playing help solidify him as a top 5 WR option, but it could help Collins if you believe this game will be closer.

The Panthers QB change not only makes Diontae Johnson a late round sleeper, but it helps Davante Adams if there is actual pushback in this game. Carolina’s defense is still going to be awful, and now the Raiders might have to keep throwing late to secure a win. I do also like Devonta Smith with AJ Brown now out. Brandon Aiyuk has a similar path, but it does still feel like he’s catch-up up from all the missed time. Normally Hill and Waddle would be higher on this list, but we have to acknowledge the concerns with not having Tua. They obviously have game-breaking ability and the match-up is fair, but they are riskier.

I’m still a big fan of going back to the Saints well, as the Eagles’ defense hasn’t exactly looked great to start the year. They’ve given up some big plays and of course got shredded in the final drive Monday night. If you want a deeper option, JSN probably won’t have that target share every week, but he is worth taking a look at. Calvin Ridley is probably my favorite of these receivers, but the Titans offense is still dealing with growing pains. I do think a case can be made for one of the Rams receivers, its tough to get excited about any of them though.

Tight Ends:

1. George Kittle (Editors’ note:  Kittle now Questionable)

2. Brock Bowers

3. Trey McBride

4. Sam LaPorta

5. Dallas Goedert

6. Luke Schoonmaker (assuming Ferguson is out)

Sleepers: Greg Dulcich, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Pat Freiermuth, Colby Parkinson, Dalton Schultz, Juwan Johnson, Jonnu Smith

This is actually a very interesting week at TE, as both Kittle and Goedert get a significant boost due to injuries at WR. Kittle especially looks like a priority this week in a strong match-up and he has historically seen his numbers increase when Deebo Samuel has missed time. I think he should be the clear TE1 this week, and he makes for a nice cheap stack that won’t be highly owned.

*(Editors’ note:  Kittle now Questionable)

Bowers is off to a great start his rookie season, and now faces one of the worst defenses in the league. He was a yard shy of a TD a week ago, and could be in line for a big week vs the Panthers.

McBride and LaPorta face off in this match-up that has the potential to be one of the higher-scoring games on the slate. Last week, the Lions offense failed to put up points, but they moved the ball and had over 450 total yards. So far, LaPorta has not been a beneficiary in this offense, but that could quickly change (and also is part of the reason for a lack of scoring). The Cardinals offense was electric last week, and showed what this team can do when they are all clicking. McBride is the safer of the two, as he should be no worse than the number 2 target on this team, but LaPorta definitely offers more value as you will be able to get him later in drafts.

Both Goedert and Schoonmaker are very good targets given the injury situations around them. For Goedert the loss of AJ Brown should increase more opportunities, especially if this game becomes a shootout. Schoonmaker saw good usage last week filling in for Jake Ferguson, and should remain the case this week as well.

After those two you can make a case for just about anyone, but perhaps the most intriguing option is Greg Dulcich. He looks to be fully healthy this season, and he’s third on the team in targets, including every TE target so far. The Broncos are likely playing from behind in a very negative game script, so I could see another 6-10 target game for Dulcich. If he gets a TD, you could be looking at someone who is almost not owned as one of the best TEs on the slate.