For almost all of the preseason, we had DeMarcus Robinson ranked ahead of Mecole Hardman. We didn't really think it would matter, though. Once Tyreek Hill got hurt in Week 1, everything changed, and for at least one week, Robinson became the man while Hardman was relevant, too. We didn't expect to have them both in WR3/FLEX consideration in our Week 3 fantasy WR rankings, but here we are, as sleepers turn into much more at the wide receiver position (and, yes, it helps to have Patrick Mahomes II throwing you the football).
The first standout performance of Week 2 came on Thursday night, when Chris Godwin set his single-game career marks for both receptions (eight) and yards (121) while catching a touchdown from Jameis Winston in a win over the Panthers. For the second-straight week, Godwin outproduced Mike Evans, and it's getting very close to the time Godwin leapfrogs the expected Bucs' No. 1 in our rankings. This week, they're nearly side-by-side ahead of a matchup with a Giants defense that allowed more than 400 yards through the air in Week 1 and gave up good games to both John Brown and Cole Beasley in Week 2.
WEEK 3 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Amari Cooper (vs. Dolphins) might be as high as you'll find him in our weekly rankings all season because a matchup with the Dolphins looks like guaranteed fantasy points and a nearly guaranteed touchdown. Julio Jones (@ Colts) caught two touchdowns in Week 2, including a game-winning score when he broke a screen pass into a 54-yard touchdown. Maybe this is finally the year he reaches double-digit scores.
Antonio Brown (vs. Jets) shone early in his debut with the Patriots, catching three passes and a touchdown on the first drive of the game. He only caught one pass after that, but as long as he's active (which is still up in the air), he should grow into the offense and be a huge weapon for Tom Brady.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Before getting into the rankings, one final note: We'll have to keep an eye on Steelers and Saints WRs this week as the quarterback situations there are fluid. We know Drew Brees is out and Ben Roethlisber could miss time. It wouldn't be enough to knock JuJu Smith-Schuster or Michael Thomas out of your starting lineups, but it maybe knocks any other receivers for those teams out of starting consideration. ( Update: With both Brees and Roethlisberger out, we've moved Smith-Schuster and Thomas down in the rankings.)
Reminder: These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for the latest updates and analysis!
Week 3 Fantasy WR Rankings
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.
| 1 | DeAndre Hopkins, HOU @ LAC |
| 2 | Julio Jones, ATL @ IND |
| 3 | Amari Cooper, DAL vs. MIA. The Dolphins have been burned through the air by Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady already. It shouldn't be any different for Dak Prescott, so even if you're concerned this turns into a blowout quickly, a large part of that should stem from early production from Cooper. |
| 4 | Odell Beckham Jr., CLE vs. LAR |
| 5 | Antonio Brown, NE vs. NYJ. Brown had three catches and a touchdown on his first New England drive. Tom Brady should throw to him early and often as long as Brown is active and on the field. And as long as that's true, he should be in your fantasy lineups. |
| 6 | Davante Adams, GB vs. DEN |
| 7 | Sammy Watkins, KC vs. BAL. While Watkins was overshadowed by DeMarcus Robinson and MeCole Hardman in Week 2, he led Kansas City with his 13 targets. Defensive attention will remain increased on Watkins while Tyreek Hill is out, but he's still the best week-to-week play among Patrick Mahomes' WR weapons. |
| 8 | Keenan Allen, LAC vs. HOU |
| 9 | Adam Thielen, MIN vs. OAK |
| 10 | Cooper Kupp, LAR @ CLE. Kupp led Rams wideouts in catches, receiving yards and targets in Week 2, and he was inches away from a touchdown, too. In last season's first eight weeks, he was staking his claim as L.A.'s top receiver, and now back healthy, he's doing it again. Cleveland might have the secondary talent to contain at least one of the Rams' wideouts, but Kupp might be too talented to let that be him. |
| 11 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT @ SF. Mason Rudolph looked decent in relief of Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday, and he was a second-round pick for a reason. Smith-Schuster shouldn't take too much of a value hit as the Steelers attempt to work in the guy who'll be their QB for the rest of the season. |
| 12 | Stefon Diggs, MIN vs. OAK |
| 13 | Mike Evans, TB vs. NYG |
| 14 | Kenny Golladay, DET @ PHI |
| 15 | Chris Godwin, TB vs. NYG. One more week like Week 2 and Godwin will surpass Mike Evans in our weekly receiver rankings. A career Thursday night led to eight catches and 121 yards with a score for Godwin, and a home meeting with the terrible Giants should allow him similar room to operate in his intermediate route tree. |
| 16 | T.Y. Hilton, IND vs. ATL |
| 17 | John Brown, BUF vs. CIN. The Bengals just allowed a 41-spot to the 49ers, and Brown has put together two productive weeks in a row as the No. 1 receiver in Buffalo. Don't expect that trend to slow down in Week 3 in the Bills' home opener. |
| 18 | Tyler Lockett, SEA vs. NO |
| 19 | Michael Thomas, NO @ SEA. Of the No. 1 WRs dealing with injured quarterbacks, we're more concerned about Thomas. Teddy Bridgewater simply looked bad on Sunday. Thomas is still a good bet to lead the Saints in targets every week, but it seems highly unlikely that he'll replicate his 85 percent catch rate from 2018 or have the potential for many big-hitters as long as Bridgewater is quarterback. It's only made worse by a tough road environment in Bridgewater's first Saints start. |
| 20 | Brandin Cooks, LAR @ CLE |
| 21 | Robert Woods, LAR @ CLE |
| 22 | Tyler Boyd, CIN @ BUF |
| 23 | Marquise Brown, BAL @ KC. Brown's 14 Week 1 snaps worried me amidst his big game. All concerns were answered as Brown led Ravens wideouts in snaps in Week 2, and he turned that playing time into eight catches for 86 yards on 13 targets. Hollywood is an every-week start at this point. |
| 24 | Calvin Ridley, ATL @ IND. Sunday Night Football may have been the breakout game Ridley needed to really get his 2019 on track - he caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. The Colts just lost cornerback Pierre Desir to injury, and Atlanta will enjoy playing indoors on turf again, allowing Ridley to use his speed to its fullest effect. |
| 25 | Julian Edelman, NE vs. NYJ |
| 26 | D.J. Moore, CAR @ ARZ |
| 27 | Tyrell Williams, OAK @ MIN |
| 28 | Larry Fitzgerald, ARZ vs. CAR. Kyler Murray has thrown for 300 yards two games in a row, and Fitzgerald looks to be his favorite target. Chris Godwin gave the Cardinals the recipe for how to burn the Panthers' secondary on short-to-intermediate routes, so Fitzgerald could replicate the 8-121-1 line Godwin had in Week 2 in Carolina. |
| 29 | Nelson Agholor, PHI vs. DET. Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson both will miss Week 2, so Agholor finds himself in a 10-target role, which he could probably turn into seven catches, 70 yards and a score. |
| 30 | Jamison Crowder, NYJ @ NE |
| 31 | Allen Robinson, CHI @ WAS |
| 32 | Josh Gordon, NE vs. NYJ. Gordon received five targets in Antonio Brown's New England debut, catching two of them for 19 yards. It's too soon to say that Brown has tanked Gordon's value, but it might be a good week to sit and monitor the situation, instead of relying on Gordon as a risky start. |
| 33 | Jarvis Landry, CLE vs. LAR |
| 34 | DK Metcalf, SEA vs. NO. Things looked more normal in Seattle in Week 2, as Tyler Lockett looked like the clear No. 1 WR. But Metcalf should play a prominent role as the No. 2, and the Saints have shown a vulnerability to the big play to both Will Fuller V in Week 1 and to Kupp/Cooks in Week 2. Metcalf should have at least one deep ball waiting for him to give him a solid day. |
| 35 | Emmanuel Sanders, DEN @ GB |
| 36 | John Ross, CIN @ BUF |
| 37 | Demarcus Robinson, KC vs. BAL. Robinson outplayed Mecole Hardman in Week 2, catching two long touchdowns and leading the NFL in receiving yards for the week. He didn't out-target Hardman, though, as they both were thrown to six times. We'd expect both to be playable as WR3/FLEX options this week, but Robinson isn't a sure thing to have the better production. |
| 38 | Curtis Samuel, CAR @ ARZ |
| 39 | Mike Williams, LAC vs. HOU |
| 40 | Will Fuller V, HOU @ LAC |
| 41 | Mecole Hardman, KC vs. BAL |
| 42 | Deebo Samuel, SF vs. PIT. A week after leading the 49ers' WRs in snaps but not producing, Samuel led them in catches (seven), yards (87) and targets while adding a touchdown. The big-play rookie gets to face a Pittsburgh defense that just allowed Tyler Lockett to catch 10 passes in Week 2, so there should be a solid floor for Deebo in Week 3. |
| 43 | Randall Cobb, DAL vs. MIA. With Michael Gallup's Week 3 absence, Cobb should get between 7-10 touches against a weak Miami defense. His odds of scoring might be as high as they'll be all season. |
| 44 | Courtland Sutton, DEN @ GB |
| 45 | Christian Kirk, ARZ vs. CAR |
| 46 | Sterling Shepard, NYG @ TB |
| 47 | Dede Westbrook, JAX vs. TEN. This feels like a wide receiver situation that'll fluctuate week-to-week and never present a clear starting option, as DJ Chark and Chris Conley have also made themselves notable in the early going. A game against Tennessee feels low-scoring and slow-paced, though, so all three might be sits for Week 3. |
| 48 | Corey Davis, TEN @ JAX |
| 49 | Robby Anderson, NYJ @ NE |
| 50 | Marvin Jones, DET @ PHI |
| 51 | Danny Amendola, DET @ PHI |
| 52 | Preston Williams, MIA @ DAL. Williams was the only Dolphins receiver to break 30 yards in Week 2 - he had 63 on four catches, all of which came in the second half. As long as Miami trails, Williams has deep-league intrigue. |
| 53 | DJ Chark, JAX vs. TEN |
| 54 | James Washington, PIT @ SF. Donte Moncrief has been brutal, and you've got to think it's only a matter of time before Washington steps into a more prominent role. He'll get to team with his former college quarterback at Oklahoma State, Mason Rudolph, now that Big Ben is done for the season with an injury, so maybe that connection which looked so strong in the preseason can translate it to the regular season. |
| 55 | Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. CHI |
| 56 | Geronimo Allison, GB vs. DEN |
| 57 | JJ Arcega-Whiteside, PHI vs. DET. |
| 58 | Mack Hollins, PHI vs. DET. |
| 59 | Marquise Goodwin, SF vs. PIT |
| 60 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB vs. DEN |
| 61 | Cole Beasley, BUF vs. CIN |
| 62 | Willie Snead, BAL @ KC |
| 63 | Trey Quinn, WAS vs. CHI |
| 64 | Chris Conley, JAX vs. TEN |
| 65 | Paul Richardson, WAS vs. CHI |
| 66 | Bennie Fowler, NYG @ TB. New York has both Sterling Shepard and Cody Latimer dealing with concussions. If even one of them is out, Fowler is a sneaky FLEX play against a so-so Tampa Bay pass defense. If both are out, Fowler is looking at probably 12 targets, a total that gives him a solid floor if injuries have caused your lineup some issues. |
| 67 | DeVante Parker, MIA @ DAL |
| 68 | Tre'Quan Smith, NO @ SEA |
| 69 | Ted Ginn Jr., NO @ SEA |
| 70 | A.J. Brown, TEN @ JAX |
| 71 | Donte Moncrief, PIT @ SF |
| 72 | Devin Smith, DAL vs. MIA |
| 73 | Parris Campbell, IND vs. ATL |
| 74 | Damiere Byrd, ARZ vs. CAR |
| 75 | Anthony Miller, CHI @ WAS |
| 76 | Rashard Higgins, CLE vs. LAR |
| 77 | DaeSean Hamilton, DEN @ GB |
| 78 | Taylor Gabriel, CHI @ WAS |
| 79 | Mohamed Sanu, ATL @ IND |
| 80 | Ryan Switzer, PIT @ SF |