Week 3 winners and losers: Gibbs and JSN stay hot; St. Brown and Taylor go quiet

Week 3 of the 2026 fantasy football season featured huge games by Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs. On the flip side, fantasy stars Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jonathan Taylor and Chase Brown had disappointing games.

Who were the big winners and losers around the league during the third week of the fantasy football season?

Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.

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Ranking winners | Ranking losers
Biggest injuries and what’s next

Ranking fantasy winners of Week 3

He’s sure proving worthy of that No. 1 overall pick. He has scored at least 23 fantasy points in all three games, posted 75% snap and 78% rushing shares, and he has totaled an easily position-best 98.3 points for the season. That latter number ranks 15th in history through three team games of any season. Isiah Pacheco’s back and MCL injuries have locked Gibbs in as a three-down dynamo, and the odds are good that he will maintain his positional lead in fantasy points for the duration of 2026. — Cockcroft

It’s incredible to think that Smith-Njigba is off to the stellar start that he is despite Darnold having missed nearly all of the first two weeks due to injury and the team’s running game having been only so-so thus far. Smith-Njigba scored 35.36 fantasy points, giving him 104.06 through three games, the fourth most ever through that many by any player. Meanwhile, Darnold threw a pair of interceptions in his return to the lineup, but he didn’t seem at all slowed by the glute injury, finishing with 27.66 points of his own. Smith-Njigba’s elite play should bring Darnold’s fantasy utility up, and the two have a good matchup against the struggling Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4 before hitting a tougher stretch of the 2026 schedule (SF, @DEN, KC in Weeks 5-7). — Cockcroft

In the Week 3 loss to the Steelers, Burrow notched his best numbers of the season, completing 75.7% of his throws for 282 yards and three touchdowns, plus he rushed for 13 yards (22.58 points). Chase caught nine of a team-high 12 targets for 98 yards and a score (24.8 points). That gives Chase two straight games of 24 or more points after that rough opening week. Chase will remain a top-three play at wide receiver for Week 4, while Burrow — who has thrown for at least two touchdowns in back-to-back games — will be a lower-tier QB1 in my ranks. — Bowen

In a positive matchup versus the Detroit secondary, Smith scored a season-best 26.04 points, throwing for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Wilson caught 10 of a team-high 13 targets, finishing with 107 yards and a touchdown (26.7 points), plus Sadiq posted his first breakout game, bringing in seven of eight targets for 105 yards and a score (23.5 points). Smith has streaming upside versus the Bears’ defense in Week 4 while Wilson should be played as a WR1, and Sadiq (available in over 65% of ESPN leagues) is a must-add this week, though we still see him as a deeper-league starter for now. — Bowen

Warren took on a volume role in the win over the Bengals with Rico Dowdle out with a toe injury. Warren, who scored a season-high 20.6 points, rushed for 127 yards on 17 carries, adding three receptions for 49 yards. If Dowdle has to sit again in Week 4 versus Cleveland, Warren can be played as a midtier RB2 in a Pittsburgh offense that finally found some juice Sunday. — Bowen

In what looked like a tough Week 3 matchup versus the Seattle defense, Mariota scored 20.42 points in the upset win, throwing for three 183 yards and three touchdowns. McLaurin caught six of a team-high nine targets, finishing with 77 yards and a touchdown (19.7 points). With this type of volume and clear on-the-field chemistry with Mariota, McLaurin fits as a WR2/Flex for next week’s matchup versus the Colts. As for Mariota, he can be started as a QB2 in superflex formats. — Bowen

Purdy scored a season-best 31.28 points versus the Cardinals, throwing for 297 yards and four touchdowns while adding 34 yards rushing. He has posted at least 21 points in all three games this season. Kittle, who had two touchdowns, caught six of seven targets for 82 yards, finishing with a season-high 26.2 points. And Kittle’s usage could increase more if Mike Evans (ribs) misses time. With a tough Week 4 matchup looming versus the Broncos, Purdy will be in my mid-to-lower tier QB1 ranks, but it’s hard to find many quarterbacks playing at his level right now. — Bowen

After missing the first couple of weeks with a knee injury, Bowers dropped 27.6 points on the Saints defense in his first game back. Bowers caught 10 of a team-high 13 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. And as we saw in Klint Kubiak’s offense, Bowers is going to flex from the formation at an extremely high rate. You can lock in Bowers as a top-tier tight end. — Bowen

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Why Brock Bowers was worth the wait for fantasy managers

Forgive him the two tough losses in three weeks, but he has been outstanding operating in Kellen Moore’s offense thus far. Shough has exceeded 22 fantasy points in all three games, totaling 69.38, third best among quarterbacks. He is making good use of his receivers and showing strong mobility. He has arrived as a matchup-dependent fantasy QB1, and the Atlanta Falcons, in Week 4, represent another favorable one. — Cockcroft

The fantasy-friendly game script — the Cardinals trailed for all but eight minutes, 40 seconds — fueled a second-half charge by Brissett and his No. 2 target, Wilson (Trey McBride is the de facto No. 1). Brissett finished with 25.60 fantasy points, Wilson 25.9, with the latter’s 17 targets a welcome sign. The two are unlikely to need to play as much catch-up in Week 4 against the New York Giants, but Brissett should be a high-end superflex and Wilson a WR3/flex nevertheless. — Cockcroft

After relatively quiet Weeks 1 and 2, Fannin finally captured the majority of Deshaun Watson’s attention Sunday. Fannin’s seven receptions matched his prior two-week total, he had nine of the team’s 30 targets and scored 24.1 fantasy points, nearly matching his personal best of 25.4. With a pair of rookie up-and-comers in Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion on the roster, Fannin’s production will be more hit-and-miss this year than last, but he’s capable of serving as a back-end fantasy TE1. — Cockcroft

Ranking fantasy losers of Week 3

1. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

After two straight games of 28 or more points to open the season, St. Brown finished with 11.9 in Sunday’s win over the Jets. Concern here? Nope. Though St. Brown totaled only 19 yards receiving on four catches, he found the end zone for the third straight game and his eight targets were tied for a team high. He didn’t have the big plays in this one, but he remains one of the most consistent WR1s in fantasy because of his usage and route deployment in the Lions’ explosive offense. St. Brown will look to bounce back in Week 4 in a road matchup versus the Panthers. — Bowen

Taylor scored 9.2 points in a tough matchup versus the Houston defense. Yes, Taylor saw heavy usage in the run game (23 carries) but he managed just 3.0 YPC and he didn’t make much of an impact as a receiver, catching two passes for four yards. Remember, Taylor had at least 25 points in each of his first two games and he has seen 20 or more touches in all three. He is the foundation of the Colts’ offense. Taylor will look to get back on track in Week 4 versus the Commanders. — Bowen

3. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

Brown had season lows in carries (13), receptions (two) and points (8.9) in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh. Plus, Brown has failed to score a touchdown in two straight games. With the Jaguars’ defense on tap in Week 4, Brown should be played as a midtier RB2. — Bowen

The ball-security questions that surrounded him coming out of Notre Dame — he committed three fumbles and lost two in 12 games there in 2025 — have resurfaced, as Price lost a fumble for the second consecutive week. This week’s gaffe early in the first quarter resulted in his getting only two rushing attempts the remainder of the game, and Price played only 27% of the offensive snaps for the day. Fortunately for the rookie, neither Emanuel Wilson (1.4 fantasy points) nor George Holani (10.8, mostly on receiving plays) established himself as a clear go-to back in Price’s absence. That said, the Seahawks’ willingness to mix and match out of the backfield, as well as Zach Charbonnet’s accelerating recovery from ACL surgery, cast doubts upon Price’s full-season fantasy value. — Cockcroft

For the third consecutive week, Maye was intercepted and held to fewer than 10 fantasy points, and his 3.76 on Sunday are the fewest he has scored in any non-Week 18 start in his career. Maye’s rushing ability keeps him from being a flat-out cut in fantasy leagues, but he’s struggling mightily to succeed as a passer with A.J. Brown absent. And with a brutal schedule — one that has him traveling to Buffalo next week — Maye isn’t even a viable starter in a standard league for the time being. — Cockcroft

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Can fantasy managers still trust Drake Maye?

He’s struggling terribly with Jaxson Dart out for the season. Nabers scored only 7.6 fantasy points and, coupled with his 1.1-point Week 2 stinker, has turned in two of his four worst career scores in the past two weeks while working with new quarterback Jameis Winston. In those games, Nabers has been targeted at least 10 yards downfield only three times total, with one catch for 13 yards and an interception to show for it. He might have difficulty delivering even fantasy WR2 value without a quarterback upgrade, which is something the Giants are reportedly considering. — Cockcroft

Is his grip on the primary running back role no longer ironclad? Hampton barely edged Keaton Mitchell in snap share (42%-36%) and total touches (15-11), and Mitchell was the one of the two with better underlying metrics. Mitchell’s big-play ability keeps him a relevant factor in any backfield as long as he stays healthy, and with the Chargers off to a sluggish start, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel seems to be going with a more rotational approach. Hampton remains a fantasy RB2, but Mitchell (available in 84.4% of ESPN leagues) should be a priority pickup. — Cockcroft

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Why Omarion Hampton was so disappointing in fantasy in Week 3

After scoring 28.9 points back in Week 1, Montgomery’s value has quickly declined, as he has failed to post double digit points in back-to-back games. In Sunday’s loss to the Colts, Montgomery managed 33 yards rushing on 11 carries and he caught two passes for 15 yards (6.8 points). He needs consistent volume and red zone opportunities, and we aren’t seeing that right now in a Houston offense that is lacking tempo and efficiency with wide receiver Nico Collins out. For the Week 4 game versus Dallas, I see Montgomery as a touchdown-dependent Flex. — Bowen

In the Week 3 loss to the Vikings, Irving had a season-low 7.8 points, finishing with 46 yards rushing on 15 carries, plus he caught two passes for 12 yards. I’d put this more on the matchup, as this Vikings defenses creates chaos with pressure and can overwhelm offensive fronts with their multiple looks, late movement and stunting. Hard to find daylight to run the ball versus Brian Flores’ unit. Irving will look to rebound in Week 4 against the Packers. — Bowen

His 3.7 fantasy points in Week 3 are the second fewest he has scored in his first 20 career games (1.5, Week 17 of 2025), and credit the opposing Cleveland Browns — they’re 2-1! — for focusing on him in their defensive game plan. CB Denzel Ward matched up with McMillan on 26 of his 47 routes and surrendered only two targets and one 12-yard catch to him. The concern is that future opponents might see this and replicate the strategy, but McMillan remains a critical part of the Panthers’ offense and plenty capable of fantasy WR2 numbers most weeks, including Week 4 against the Detroit Lions. — Cockcroft

Injury impact

De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

What we know: Achane left with a knee injury in the first half versus Kansas City. He was downgraded to questionable, later ruled out of the game and tests revealed a torn ACL that will force him to miss the rest of the season.

What’s next: With Achane sidelined for the season, managers can pivot to Ollie Gordon II as a replacement. Gordon, who is available in over 98% of ESPN leagues, finished with 55 total yards and a touchdown on 20 touches (14.5 points) in relief. — Bowen

Mike Evans, WR, San Francisco 49ers

What we know: Evans suffered a rib injury in the second quarter versus the Cardinals, and he was declared out for the game. Before exiting, Evans caught three of six targets for 43 yards and a touchdown (12.4 points).

What’s next: If Evans misses time, managers should bump up both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel as priority targets in the route tree. Plus, the receiving usage for running back Christian McCaffrey (flexed from the formation) could increase, which would open the door for rookie running back Kaelon Black to see more carries. — Bowen

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

What we know: Jefferson suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and was unable to return, ruled out early in the third quarter.

What’s next: In Jefferson’s absence, Jordan Addison dominated the Vikings’ receiving work, easily pacing the team in routes run (32), targets (nine) and fantasy points (20.0). Ankle injuries can linger, and Addison should be added in any of the roughly 30% of ESPN leagues in which he’s available. Jauan Jennings and Tai Felton will also move up on the depth chart if Jefferson misses additional time. — Cockcroft

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

What we know: Mayfield went down late with a thumb injury in the loss to the Vikings. He is scheduled to undergo MRI testing Monday.

What’s next: If Mayfield is out for the Week 4 game at Green Bay, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels (Kansas) would be in line to get the start. We would expect a run-heavy game script, featuring designed carries for Daniels and more play-action throws, which would limit the value of Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin Jr. — Bowen

Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers

What we know: Coker left with a quad injury in the second half in Cleveland and did not return. Before exiting, Coker caught two of four targets for 14 yards (3.8 points).

What’s next: While we monitor the status of Coker this week, managers can put Panthers’ wide receiver Brycen Tremayne on the radar. With Coker out, Tremayne saw a jump in snaps, catching four of six targets (second most) for 83 yards versus the Browns. — Bowen

Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

What we know: Hall left early in the fourth quarter with a thigh injury and was unable to return. Per the New York Post’s Brian Costello, Hall said he “felt something” while running.

What’s next: Should Hall’s injury cost him additional time, Braelon Allen will soar to or near the top of Week 4 waiver priority lists as the probable fill-in at running back. Allen has totaled 17.2 fantasy points in limited action thus far. — Cockcroft