RealGM Analysis
Stars of Week 3
QB: Lamar Jackson, BAL: 18-29, 218 yards, 4 TDs (11 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD)
RB: Khalil Herbert, CHI: 20 carries, 157 yards, 2 TDs
WR: DeVonta Smith, PHI: 8 catches, 169 yards, 1 TD
TE: Mark Andrews, BAL: 8 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs
Lamar Jackson has continued to bet on himself in salary negotiations with the Ravens, and his on-field performance thus far in 2022 backs up his stance to wait for the right deal. Bill Belichick and company had no answer for Jackson, who torched the Patriots for 5 total TDs. Jackson sits comfortably as a top 3 fantasy quarterback. Enjoy, folks.
Bears’ backup running back Khalil Herbert returns to fantasy relevancy with David Montgomery’s injury. Herbert wasted no time in reminding the football community as to his effectiveness as a rusher. 157 rushing yards and 2 TDs later, the Bears emerged victorious over the Texans. We’ll take a closer look at Herbert below.
We have an Eagles’ WR setting the pace for week 3…not AJ Brown, but rather DeVonta Smith. The second year Alabama product caught 8 passes for 169 yards, finding the end zone once in a romp versus the Commanders. Smith will also be featured below.
Ravens’ tight end Mark Andrews goes back to back for the weekly honor roll at tight end, with the Patriots falling victim to Andrews’ dominance in week 3. Andrews found the end zone twice while hauling in 8 balls. He’s the gold standard at the position, along with Travis Kelce.
Week 3 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Trevor Lawrence, QB – JAC: 28-39, 262 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
Analysis: Trevor Lawrence entered the NFL in 2021 as the most anticipated rookie QB since Andrew Luck. Unfortunately the Urban Meyer coaching disaster spared no victims, almost singlehandedly marring Lawrence’s rookie season. With Meyer given the boot in favor of Doug Pederson, the uber talented Lawrence has looked much more like the generational QB prospect the NFL community expected. The Jaguars marched into SoFi stadium this past Sunday, and Lawrence got the best of the duel with fellow supernova QB Justin Herbert, albeit Herbert gutsily played through injured ribs. Lawrence tossed 3 TD passes, placing his throws perfectly on his receivers while showing great command of the Jags’ offense. Lawrence also quietly had a strong game last week against a solid Colts’ defense, with 2 TD passes and averaging just under 8 yards per attempt. So what’s the outlook for Lawrence moving forward? As Lawrence doesn’t factor into the rushing game, his fantasy outlook will fall below his “real-life” prognosis, but that doesn’t mean that Lawrence can’t help your fantasy team. Lawrence has developed good chemistry with key free agent import Christian Kirk, with Zay Jones and Travis Etienne also in the mix as his primary targets. Consider Lawrence a high end QB2, with upside against pass friendly defenses. Lawrence will likely need a true alpha WR on the roster in order to become a weekly QB1 for fantasy purposes.
Khalil Herbert, RB – CHI: 20 carries, 157 yards, 2 TDs
Analysis: When Bears’ starting RB David Montgomery got injured last season, then unknown rookie Khalil Herbert stepped in and kept the running game afloat. Fast forward to week 3 of 2022, and when Montgomery got hurt…Herbert went off! Quite an accomplishment to be the leading rusher for the week while starting the game as the backup. Herbert fits the Bears’ offense quite well, with a no-nonsense, cut and run style, and he’s able to take great advantage of the Bears’ lack of any passing game. Herbert’s fantasy value clearly ties to Montgomery’s health. The initial word from Chicago is that Montgomery avoided a serious injury, with the team calling it a “lower leg” issue. Per Yahoo, Herbert remains available in just over half of leagues. That number should reduce to zero…go grab Herbert if he’s available. Herbert steps in as a high end RB2 for any games that Montgomery misses, so stay tuned for health updates. The other factor here - there’s a reasonable chance that Herbert works his way into the RB mix even with a healthy Montgomery, perhaps even usurping Montgomery as the starter as the season goes on. While the Bears sit at 2-1, even the team’s most ardent fans would admit that this remains a rebuilding year. Montgomery heads to free agency after the season, so the team could reasonably choose to hand the reins over to the talented Herbert sooner rather than later.
- DeVonta Smith, WR – PHI: 8 catches, 169 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly kicked the tires on Russell Wilson this past offseason when the star QB became available. Given just how much Jalen Hurts has ascended from his rookie season, the Eagles could well end up looking smart for sticking with their incumbent. Hurts came into the league viewed as a running QB with a limited passing skillset, but no QB has improved more as a passer over the past two seasons. Offenses led by QBs who run frequently tend to have trouble supporting multiple receivers for fantasy purposes (see the Ravens). Has Hurts turned the corner, in this his third season? And why the lowdown on Hurts when the subject of the analysis is DeVonta Smith? Well, Hurts has just crossed the 300 yard mark in two straight passing games. Note that Hurts only passed for more than 300 yards in 2 games all of last season. So the Eagles’ passing game appears to have unlocked a new level. With Hurts becoming more prolific as a passer, the Eagles can support a second receiver for fantasy purposes to go along with AJ Brown (and tight end Dallas Goedert). DeVonta Smith compliments AJ Brown well as a good route runner who can line up all over the field, with speed to boot. Smith roasted the Commanders for 169 yards and a TD this past Sunday, while also hauling in 7 passes for 80 yards the prior week versus the Vikings. Smith should be viewed as a WR3 / flex option moving forward, with a nice matchup versus the Jaguars on deck for week 4.
- Chris Olave, WR – NO: 9 catches, 147 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: The Saints have started slow offensively in each of their first three games, and now find themselves sitting at 1-2. Not a lot of bright spots for the team’s offense, with the exception of rookie wide receiver Chris Olave’s early emergence. The Ohio State alumnus led the Saints in all receiving categories versus the Panthers, posting a line of 9 catches and 147 yards over 13 targets. Olave has speed to go along with strong route running skills, allowing him to easily separate from coverage. The Saints’ star rookie has shown a penchant for production, with 80 yards receiving the previous week versus a tough Bucs’ defense to go along with his outburst against the Panthers. While the Saints do have veteran WRs Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry, you can make the case for Olave as the best WR to own from the team. He’s just scratching the surface of his abilities, while Landry has zero upside and Thomas’ best days are likely behind him. Olave will continue to get his targets. You should feel comfortable starting Olave as a WR3 / flex option, regardless of whether the veteran WRs suit up or not. This rookie WR crop appears to be excellent, and Olave can help you from the get-go.
- Romeo Doubs, WR – GB: 8 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Davante Adams’ move to the Raiders left a crater sized hole in the Packers’ WR corps. But with any large cavity comes opportunity for the next generation to shine. The Packers surprised many when they elected not to select a WR in the first round of the draft, but perhaps the gallery overreacted, as several terrific WRs come later in drafts. Fourth round pick Romeo Doubs has been the hot name in Green Bay since the preseason, and we’re now seeing evidence that Doubs may live up to the hype. Looking at the snap count versus the Bucs, Doubs nearly matched fellow WR Allen Lazard for time on the field, with Randall Cobb pacing a distant third. But snaps don’t make a player. Moving to targets, Doubs led all Packers’ players with 8, with TE Robert Tonyan following with 7 and Lazard third at 6. This is the first game in which Doubs has posted fantasy relevant stats, so we don’t have enough information to declare Doubs as Rodgers’ go-to guy. But having seen both Allen Lazard’s body of work with Rodgers and Sammy Watkins’ NFL career across multiple teams, while also not yet seeing anything to get too excited about with fellow rookie WR Christian Watkins, the door sits ajar for Doubs to become an indispensable target for Rodgers. Doubs currently sits on the WR4 line, but he has tremendous upside and should be rostered in all leagues.
* All snap count information is referenced through statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case a player 1) who has NOT been featured above, and 2) remains available in more than 50% of leagues.
QB: Jared Goff, DET (vs SEA)
RB: Darrel Williams, ARI (@ CAR)
RB: Rex Burkhead, HOU (vs LAC)
WR: Zay Jones, JAC (@ PHI)
WR: Russell Gage, TB (vs KC)
TE: Robert Tonyan, GB (vs NE)
* Bonus add: Jamaal Williams, DET (vs SEA): cheating here since he’s available in more than 50% of leagues, but he’s also a top add if available while Swift is out.
Personal Note
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