Last week, the Eagles’ defense faced heavy scrutiny after a tough loss to the Falcons. This week, they bounced back against the high-scoring Saints, thanks in part to Saquon Barkley’s standout performance. Barkley kept the defense off the field by controlling the tempo with a huge day on the ground.

Week 3 also brought hope to several previously 0-2 teams. The Broncos handed the Bucs a tough loss, putting Tampa Bay’s running back battle under the spotlight. Meanwhile, the Colts, leaning heavily on Jonathan Taylor, gave the Bears and rookie QB Caleb Williams another setback. However, the silver lining for Chicago was Rome Odunze, who finally showcased his immense talent and fantasy ceiling. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week came from the Andy Dalton-led Panthers, who handed the Raiders their second straight loss. The connection between Andy Dalton and Diontae Johnson was evident, catapulting Johnson back into fantasy relevance. Overall, it was an exciting week for skill players, and the Fantasy Life staff was eager to dive deeper into all the action!

Is Saquon Barkley in the overall RB1 conversation?

I’m not even entirely sure there is an RB1 conversation. I can’t think of any player other than Barkley I’d rather have on my roster right now. Maybe Christian McCaffrey can steal the RB1 title back when he eventually returns, but he isn’t helping anyone at the moment.

Barkley has always been an elite talent, and moving from the Giants to the Eagles has unlocked his potential. Philly has been a top-two team in run block win rate over the past two seasons, while the Giants were one of the worst in football. He’s getting elite usage for the Eagles—averaging more than 20 carries and just under four targets per game. In a tough 15-12 win over the Saints where A.J. Brown was sidelined and DeVonta Smith left the game with a concussion, Barkley had 147 yards on 17 carries with 2 TDs, adding 4 catches for 9 yards to the tally. 

The only thing that can stop him now is an injury. Of course, injuries have plagued Barkley for years, but as long as he’s on the field, he’s the top RB in fantasy, in my eyes.

–Matt LaMarca

What Are the Implications of Gibbs' and Montgomery's Week 3 Usage?

I've noticed that the Lions tend to run more the week after a loss–especially if they passed more than expected in that loss. This week was no different. Coming off a 16-20 loss against Tampa Bay in Week 2, where Jared Goff had 55 pass attempts, the Lions ran the ball down the Cardinals' throats. The run-heavy gameplan made the Week 3 matchup ideal for the less versatile David Montgomery, who gained 105 yards and outcarried Gibbs 23-16. 

Still, Jahmyr Gibbs' versatility shone through, as he added 20 receiving yards and a TD on a trick play designed specifically for his skill set and ended the game with 103 net yards.  

When games requiring a script like that in Week 3 come up on the schedule, Montgomery will often surpass Gibbs in terms of value and production, but Gibbs is still the true upside play in this offense. His value will be evident in future weeks when the Lions are forced to drop back more. 

–Geoff Ulrich

Is Bucky Irving eating into Rachaad White’s touches?

He absolutely should be. The dirty little secret about Rachaad White is that he’s not a particularly good running back. He’s been effective for fantasy purposes, but that doesn’t mean he’s helping the Bucs win games. He’s averaged 3.7 yards per carry or fewer in his first two seasons, and among 49 backs with at least 100 carries last year, he ranked 47th in success rate, 42nd in EPA per attempt, and 42nd in yards created after contact.

This season has looked even bleaker for White. He entered Sunday’s game against the Broncos averaging a paltry 2.0 yards per attempt, and he rattled off just 17 yards on his six carries in that contest.

Is Bucky Irving a better running back? That remains to be seen, but the Bucs are only going to know by playing him. He averaged 7.8 yards per carry on Sunday, and he was efficient as a receiver catching all three of his targets for an average of 6.3 yards after the catch. For his part, White caught five of six targets and averaged 5.2 YAC. On any teams where I own White, I’m desperately trying to salvage something useful for him in the trade market. 

–Matt LaMarca

Devin Singletary Keeps Rolling

Devin Singletary is like a reliable car that’s paid off and just keeps running. In the past four seasons, he’s missed one game. He’s had over 1,000 scrimmage yards three times in that time, missing the fourth season by only 44 yards. It’s no wonder that without fanfare, he’s “replaced” Saquon Barkley in New York, scoring in each of the past two games and going for 108 total yards in the 21-15 upset win in Cleveland.

 

His 16.80 fantasy points left him as the RB9 going into Sunday Night Football for Week 3. Though there was one play that made Ian Hartitz go “sheesh.” Fantasy managers who invested a 9th-round pick on Singletary got themselves a solid RB2 who will answer the bell every week. Be ready to start him next week against the Cowboys, who just got gashed for 151 yards and two scores by Derrick Henry.

–Jorge Martin

Is Rome Odunze reliable as a fantasy starter going forward? 

The Bears lost 16-21 to the Colts in a game full of errors (for both teams), but Rome Odunze’s breakout performance finally came. He finished with 11 targets, 6 receptions, 112 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 23.4 PPR points. In my Week 3 Roundtable, I suggested Odunze could perform well against a weaker Colts’ secondary, but he exceeded my expectations. Odunze is a well-balanced receiver who got plenty of separation today; however, his season depends on Caleb Williams’ performance. 

Williams threw for 363 yards in the loss but made two costly interceptions, fumbled the ball once, and didn’t look comfortable for much of the game. If Williams improves, Odunze has a great fantasy outlook, but until the Bears’ QB can put together a string of solid performances, Odunze is not a plug-and-play option and instead more of a matchup-dependent one. But if I have Odunze, I’d risk him in a FLEX spot more weeks than not.

–Jess Bryant

What about Diontae Johnson with Dalton at QB?

In his first game with Andy Dalton under center, Diontae Johnson saw a 38% target share (14 targets) en route to an 8-122-1 stat line and 26.2 PPR points. That’s the type of ceiling fantasy managers were expecting when they drafted him this fall. Dalton doesn’t need to be other-worldly, he just needs to be a serviceable option who can move the offense up and down the field. Johnson is a proven target-earner, and now he has a quarterback who can consistently get him the ball.

–Sam Wallace

What is Quentin Johnston’s fantasy outlook moving forward?

While it’s been fun to see the former first-round pick playing well in the Chargers’ new offense, there are a few reasons I’m tempering expectations for Quentin Johnston. First, he only has 10 receptions on the season and has turned three of them into TDs. That reception-to-TD ratio certainly isn't sustainable. The overall passing volume of Jim Harbaugh’s offense is low, as Justin Herbert came into Week 3 averaging just 23 passing attempts per game. 

Second, Herbert (ankle) was unable to finish the game this weekend. If he misses time, the passing offense will suffer even more, and I can’t trust Johnston on a weekly basis.

–Sam Wallace