Cardinals WR Marquise Brown racked up 17 targets in Sunday's loss to the Rams, catching 14 of them for 140 yards. We'll obviously take those number for fantasy football lineups, but credit a passing-volume bubble for a struggling offense. QB Kyler Murray attempted 58 passes, completing 37 (63.8%) for 314 yards, with no TDs or INTs. WR Greg Dortch and TE Zach Ertz followed Brown with 10 targets apiece. No other Cardinals drew more than 5 looks. Dortch caught 9 of his targets for 80 yards; Ertz caught 6 for 45.
Rams RB Cam Akers pulled nearly even with RB Darrell Henderson in playing time for Sunday's win over the Cardinals. He trailed Henderson by just 2 snaps while easily beating Henderson in carries, 12-4. Akers turned those into 61 yards, including a nice 14-yard TD run. Henderson collected a mere 17 yards on his 4 rushes, adding just 1 catch-less target despite running 10 more routes than Akers. After 2 straight games of Akers taking the carry and touch lead, it's time to play him 1st in this backfield.
Titans rookie WR Treylon Burks didn't help any fantasy football teams with his 1-catch, 13-yard outing on just 2 targets in Sunday's win over the Raiders. But for the 1st time in his 3 pro games, Burks led Tennessee in routes. His total playing time has risen from 37% of snaps in the opener to 45% and then 69% vs. Las Vegas. The rookie had finished just 7th and 4th on the team in routes the previous 2 games. But he edged WR Robert Woods by 2 to lead that category in Week 3 while playing just 3 fewer snaps in total. The absence of WR Kyle Philips (concussion) might have helped, but it certainly can't explain the whole thing. Philips has lined up almost exclusively in the slot. Burks has barely spent any time there. The 1st-round pick clearly carries the most fantasy upside among Tennessee WRs. We'll see if he can start commanding the target volume to get him into fantasy football lineups.
Lions S Tracy Walker confirmed Monday that he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. That will cost him the rest of the season. Juju Hughes stepped in after Walker left early in Sunday's game. Walker signed a 3-year extension with the Lions in March that should keep him in the starting lineup if he's ready for the beginning of next season.
In addition to his customary 85 yards and a TD on the ground in Sunday's win over the Raiders, RB Derrick Henry collected 5 catches for 58 yards among 6 targets. It was just his 2nd career game with 5+ receptions and 5th game of more than 41 receiving yards. Henry had just 1 total target through the first 2 games, so we'll need to see more before we believe this signals a true change in approach for Tennessee.
Derek Carr tallied 303 yards and a pair of TDs (plus an INT) on 26-of-44 passing (59.1%) in Sunday's loss to the Titans. Carr found Mack Hollins and Davante Adams for scores. RB Josh Jacobs joined them as the only Raiders to catch more than 3 passes. Similar to the first 2 weeks, Carr wound up with solid production on less-than-stellar play. Through 3 games, he ranks just 24th among starters in Pro Football Focus passing grade.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs shook off an illness that rendered him questionable for Sunday's game and again dominated backfield work. He handled 13 of Las Vegas' 16 RB carries and beat Brandon Bolden 6-2 in targets. Bolden was the only other RB to see the field. He trailed Jacobs by 20 total snaps and 9 routes. Jacobs ran for a decent 66 yards on his 13 attempts and caught 5 balls for 31 yards. He narrowly missed reaching the end zone on a 2nd-quarter run that set up Davante Adams' short TD catch.
A week after Raiders TE Foster Moreau spent more snaps on the field than TE Darren Waller, he again checked in at 50% snap share for Sunday's loss to the Titans. The pair also finished with a matching 5 targets and 3 catches. But the Tennessee game actually marked Waller's best route-participation rate of the young season. He went from running a route on 81.8% of Derek Carr dropbacks in Week 1 to just 61% in Week 2, but then 87.5% against the Titans. Las Vegas missed WR Hunter Renfrow (concussion) for that game. We'll see which TE is affected more by Renfrow's return.
Raiders WR Mack Hollins matched WR Davante Adams for the team target lead (10) in Sunday's loss to the Titans, but he blew away Adams in production. Hollins caught 8 balls for 158 yards and a TD, compared with a pedestrian 5-36-1 line for Adams. Hollins certainly benefited from WR Hunter Renfrow being out but also edged Renfrow in routes in each of the 1st 2 games. We're not betting on more outings like this from Hollins, but he's also not a great bet to disappear from relevance.
Jets WRs Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore drew a matching 10 targets in Sunday's loss to the Bengals, trailing only rookie RB Breece Hall (11). Wilson caught 6 balls for 60 yards. Moore secured 4 for 49. Moore once again led the group in playing time, staying on the field for 28 more snaps and running 19 more routes than Wilson. But the rookie has consistently been targeted on a higher percentage of his routes. According to Pro Football Focus numbers, Wilson has been targeted on 25.6% of his routes, vs. 13.1% for Moore. We'll see how QB Zach Wilson's impending return from a knee injury affects that. Corey Davis remained between Moore and Wilson in playing time but trailed them in targets (5) and production (2 catches, 27 yards). TE Tyler Conklin led the Jets in receptions (8) and receiving yards (84) on 8 targets in the loss to Cincinnati.
Jets RB Breece Hall saw a playing-time leap in Sunday's loss to the Bengals. He went from playing less than half as many snaps as backfield mate Michael Carter in Week 2 to playing 6 more snaps than Carter against Cincinnati. The biggest change came in the passing game. According to Pro Football Focus, Hall trailed Carter 24-9 in Week 2 routes. The rookie led 31-21 in that category in Week 3. By halftime, hall had twice as many targets (8) as anyone else on the team. He finished with a team-high 11 looks, catching 6 for 53 yards. Hall trailed Carter 11-8 in carries but matched Carter's 39 rushing yards. Through 3 games, Hall now leads Carter by 5 targets. He has also averaged 0.9 more per rushing attempt and 2.1 more yards per reception. We'll see whether this marks an enduring change or was just a 1-week flip. We'll also see what effect QB Zach Wilson has upon his impending return.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow rebounded from a pair of shaky outings to post his best fantasy outing so far this season in Sunday's win over the Jets. Burrow tallied 275 yards and 3 TDs, hitting Samaje Perine, Ja'Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd for scores. Chase led the team with 10 targets but managed only 29 yards on his 6 receptions. Boyd checked in 4th with 5 targets but caught 4 of them for 105 yards. His big strike was a 56-yard catch-and-run TD. Higgins proved steadiest, catching 5 balls for 93 yards among 7 looks. Cincinnati gets a home date with the Dolphins this Thursday night, then visits to Baltimore and New Orleans.
Chargers WR Mike Williams caught a 15-yard TD in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. And that marked his only reception among 6 targets. With WR Keenan Allen out (hamstring), Williams tied for just 3rd in looks behind WR Joshua Palmer (9) and RB Austin Ekeler (8). TE Gerald Everett joined him at 6. QB Justin Herbert -- playing through a rib injury -- completed just 55.6% of his passes. Palmer caught 6 balls and led the team with 99 receiving yards. Everett managed just 2 receptions for 25 yards.
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler logged just 4 carries for 5 yards in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Jaguars. The score might have been a factor in the 2nd half, but Ekeler carried just twice through the entire 1st half of a game that stood at 16-10 early in the 3rd quarter. Ekeler did lead the Chargers with 8 receptions (for 48 yards) to salvage some PPR value. But he was splitting opportunities with Sony Michel early in the game. Ekeler wound up running 26 routes to 13 combined for Michel and Joshua Kelley, but that pair played just 7 fewer snaps overall. Ekeler ranks just 25th in the league in carries through 3 games, with Ezekiel Elliot close enough to pass him Monday night. Ekeler ranked 16th in the league in rushing attempts last season; 20th in carries per game.
Jaguars RB James Robinson racked up 100 yards on 17 carries in Sunday's beatdown of the Chargers, including a 50-yard run for the team's only ground TD. Robinson added 16 yards on 3 catches, matching Travis Etienne in targets (3). Etienne saw his playing time rebound vs. Week 2 but still fell short of Robinson in both total snaps and pass routes. Robinson has emerged as the clear backfield leader through 3 weeks, with Etienne acting as a mere complement.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence had a terrific outing in Sunday's surprising lopsided victory over the Chargers. He completed 71.8% of passes for 262 yards and 3 TDs on the road, finding WRs Zay Jones, Christian Kirk and Marvin Jones for scores. That trio also finished top 3 for Jacksonville in targets, with Zay Jones leading the group in targets (11), receptions (10) and yards (85). Next comes a tough road trip at a Philly defense that has shut down Minnesota and Washington the past 2 weeks.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson played his fewest snaps and saw his fewest touches yet this season in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. He carried 12 times for 38 yards and caught his lone target for 2 yards. Gibson did convert a 1-yard 4th-quarter TD run to salvage his fantasy day. But he continued to purge receiving opportunities. Gibson led the backfield in Week 1 targets. He trailed J.D. McKissic in that category in Week 2 but still led his teammate in routes. Gibson trailed McKissic there, too, against Philly, running just 16 routes to McKissic's 31. With RB Brian Robinson working toward a return, now would be a good time to see what you can trade Gibson for. McKissic tied for 2nd against the Eagles with 9 targets, catching 6 for 32 yards. He remained minimally involved in the ground game.
WR Curtis Samuel led the Commanders in targets for the 3rd straight game in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. His 10 stood 1 ahead of WR Terry McLaurin and RB J.D. McKissic and 2 ahead of WR Jahan Dotson. TE Logan Thomas trailed in 5th place with 3 looks. Samuel caught a team-high 7 balls but collected a mere 48 yards (6.9 per catch). McLaurin turned his 6 receptions into 102 yards, while Dotson managed just 2 catches for 10 yards amid 8 targets. Through 3 weeks, QB Carson Wentz ranks 4th in the league in pass attempts, which has helped the volume of every pass-catcher.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott told ESPN's Lisa Salters that he expects to be back from his thumb injury in a couple of weeks. He intimated that could be as soon as Week 4 against Washington. We'd bet on Week 5 actually being the earliest. Prescott did get stitches removed from the injured hand Monday, though. ESPN's Todd Archer reports that the QB's grip strength will play a big part in determining when he can get back into the lineup. We'll keep watching Prescott's progress.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith led the team in targets (12), receptions (8) and receiving yards (169) in Sunday's win over the Commanders. He grabbed 1 of Jalen Hurts' 3 TD passes, leaving 1 apiece for WR A.J. Brown and TE Dallas Goedert. Brown checked in 2nd in the other 3 categories, tallying a 5-85-1 receiving line on 10 targets. Goedert managed just 3-26-1 on 4 looks in a game he left briefly with a shin issue. Smith looks like he'll reside much closer to Brown in target share than the opener in Detroit suggested.
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