Week 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers: 2019 Edition

Quarterback
MVP: Russell Wilson (Seahawks) 
A parade of miscues from running back Chris Carson and the special teams put the Seahawks in a deep hole early against the Saints, which in turn allowed Wilson to put together an all time great garbage time explosion. The 30-year old signalcaller threw for 406 YDS and 2 TD's while adding another 51 YDS and 2 TD's on the ground. Wilson has a date with the Cardinals leaky defense in Week 4.
Honorable Mentions: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Jameis Winston (Buccaneers), Deshaun Watson (Texans)

LVP: Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers) 
The 49ers are off to a surprising 3-0 start despite Garoppolo doing everything in his power to make things difficult for them to win games. He put together yet another sloppy dud against the Steelers on Sunday afternoon, throwing for 277 YDS, 1 TD and turning the ball over 3 times (2 INT's, 1 lost fumble). We'll see if he can make some adjustments during the bye week and not continue to kill his team with ugly turnovers.
Dishonorable Mentions: Baker Mayfield (Browns), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Kirk Cousins (Vikings)

Running Back
MVP: Mark Ingram (Ravens)
In a game where Lamar Jackson struggled to consistently get things going through the air, Ingram was able to keep the Ravens competitive. He mustered an impressive scrimmage 135 YDS (103 rushing, 32 receiving) and 3 rushing TD's in a tough road loss to the Chiefs. With 319 total YDS and 5 scores through 3 games, Ingram has provided an excellent return on his late 4th-to-early 5th round ADP.
Honorable Mentions: Alvin Kamara (Saints), Phillip Lindsay (Broncos), Christian McCaffery (Panthers)

LVP: Todd Gurley (Rams) 
After a pretty strong start, the red flags surrounding Gurley heading into 2019 finally showed up this week. Gurley looked sluggish against a banged-up Browns D on Sunday Night Football, catching no passes and managing just 43 YDS on 14 carries. He'll look to make more of his modest workload this week when the Rams return home to face a very beatable Buccaneers team.
Dishonorable Mentions: James Conner (Steelers), Chris Carson (Seahawks), Josh Jacobs (Raiders)

Wide Receiver 
MVP: Mike Evans (Buccaneers) 
Safe to say, Evans has gotten over whatever illness was holding him back the past 2 games. The Bucs top wideout spazzed on the Giants garbage secondary, mustering 190 YDS and 3 TD's on just 8 receptions. Even in a brutal matchup against the Rams, Evans will be on the WR1 radar in Week 4.
Honorable Mentions: Keenan Allen (Chargers), Cooper Kupp (Rams), Tyler Lockett (Seahawks)

LVP: Kenny Golladay (Lions) 
Golladay was practically invisible against the Eagles horrid secondary, securing just 2 of his 8 targets for 17 yards. Despite this forgettable performance, Golladay is firmly entrenched as the Lions top receiving option and should be considered a mid-tier WR2 most weeks.
Dishonorable Mentions: Stefon Diggs (Vikings), Calvin Ridley (Falcons),  Chris Godwin (Buccaneers)

Tight End
MVP: Greg Olsen (Panthers)
Look out people, we might have an unexpected resurgence on our hands. Olsen, who is coming off a pair of injury-plagued seasons, followed up his 100+ yard explosion in Week 2 with a similarly terrific outing (6 REC/75 YDS/2 TD) against the Cardinals. As long as he stays healthy and maintains a rapport with Kyle Allen, who is set to fill-in for Cam Newton the foreseeable future, Olsen has a great chance of re-establishing his status as an elite fantasy tight end on a long-term basis.
Honorable Mentions: Austin Hooper (Falcons), Evan Engram (Giants), Darren Waller (Raiders)

LVP: Mark Andrews (Ravens) 
Lamar Jackson's aforementioned struggles versus the Chiefs limited Andrews to just 15 YDS on 3 receptions. The centerpiece of the Ravens passing attack should get back on track against a wounded Browns secondary this Sunday.
Dishonorable Mentions: T.J. Hockenson (Lions), Jared Cook (Saints), Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Bears
The poor Redskins became the 1st team in 2019 to experience the full fury of the Bears defense. Chuck Pagano's crew made Case Keenum and co. uncomfortable all night by registering a knockout performance (4 sacks, 3 INT, 2 FUM and a TD) that helped power the team to a relatively easy road victory. Repeating this level of dominance in their week 4 tilt with the ultraconservative Vikings offense seems like a long shot.
Honorable Mentions: Jaguars, Patriots, Saints

LVP: Titans
Sloppy conditions and a far better than expected performance from the Jaguars o-line/QB prevented the Titans D from doing any damage (0 sacks or takeaways) in a 20-7 loss last Thursday night. While there's a lot of talent on this group, their pretty conservative approach means the fantasy numbers aren't likely to be there every week. They'll look to get back in the good graces of their owners when they square off with a Falcons squad that has turned the ball over multiple times in 2 of the first 3 games.
Dishonorable Mentions: Seahawks, Chargers, Eagles

Week 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (2018 Edition)

Quarterback
MVP: Drew Brees (Saints)
The shootout between the Falcons and Saints was a gift for fantasy owners. Brees ended up handing out the most blessings of anyone involved in this game with a ridiculous 403 YD (396 passing, 7 rushing), 5 TD (3 passing, 2 rushing) performance that helped the Saints pull out an OT victory on the road. The future HOF'er will look to continue his early-season dominance against the Giants burnable D on Sunday afternoon.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Ryan (Falcons), Cam Newton (Panthers), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buccaneers)

LVP: Tom Brady (Patriots)
The annual unforeseen epic dud from Brady occurred on Sunday night in Detroit. Brady was frequently out-of-sync with his receivers and routinely missing reads in an uncharacteristically sloppy performance (133 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT) against a Lions team that hadn't played well at all in the first 2 games of the season. Despite this stinker and pretty terrible play of his receivers thus far, Brady should be a strong QB1 play against the Dolphins in Week 4.
Dishonorable Mentions: Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Carson Wentz (Eagles), Blake Bortles (Jaguars)

Running Back
MVP: Adrian Peterson (Redskins)
Father Time got kicked square in the balls yet again as 33-year old relic Adrian Peterson turned back the clock with an impressive 19 CAR/120 YD/2 TD performance against his old friends in Green Bay. I don't have a ton of faith in Peterson's ability to be consistently productive at his age, but he'll definitely remain on the RB2 radar for the foreseeable future.
Honorable Mentions: Carlos Hyde (Browns), Todd Gurley (Rams), Christian McCaffery (Panthers)

LVP: Kenyan Drake (Dolphins)
Despite a juicy matchup with a Raiders defense that had gotten eviscerated on the ground over the past 2 weeks, the 3rd-year back only managed 10 scrimmage YDS (3 rushing, 7 receiving) on 7 touches. Even though Drake is stuck in a timeshare with the ageless Frank Gore on a team that doesn't run the ball a lot, he has enough upside for owners to stick with him for now.
Dishonorable Mentions: Chris Thompson (Redskins), Latavius Murray (Vikings), Rex Burkhead (Patriots)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Calvin Ridley (Falcons)
After dealing with inconsistent play from Momahed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel and Justin Hardy over the past few seasons, the Falcons look like they've finally found a viable running mate for Julio Jones. Ridley built on a promising Week 2 performance against the Panthers with an absolute beatdown of the Saints (7 REC/146 YDS/3 TD) this week. If this early offensive ROY candidate is somehow on your league's waiver wire, pounce on him immediately.
Honorable Mentions: Robert Woods (Rams), Jordy Nelson (Raiders), Mike Williams (Chargers)

LVP: Stefon Diggs (Vikings)
Sunday was a depressing afternoon for the Vikings as they got demolished at home by the lowly Bills. With Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph absorbing the bulk of those precious garbage time targets, Diggs ended up being the poor soul whose stats didn't get padded and ended up finishing the afternoon with an underwhelming 4 catches for 17 YDS. The Vikings top outside wideout will look to take advantage of a Rams secondary that will be without top corners Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib on Thursday night.
Dishonorable Mentions: Keenan Allen (Chargers), Amari Cooper (Raiders), Nelson Agholor (Eagles)

Tight End
MVP: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
While he was held out of the endzone this week, Kelce was once again the leading receiver for the Chiefs with 114 YDS on 8 receptions against the 49ers on Sunday. Kelce will look to extend his TE MVP streak to 3 weeks when goes up against a pretty solid Broncos secondary next Monday night.
Honorable Mentions: Kyle Rudolph (Vikings), George Kittle (49ers),  Tyler Eifert (Bengals)

LVP: Will Dissly (Seahawks)
The rookie who scored TD's in each of his first 2 NFL games was invisible this week, reeling in 1 of 3 targets for a measly 4 YDS in a win over the Cowboys. The Seahawks are going to continue to struggle to move the ball through the air as long as Doug Baldwin is sidelined, but I still think Dissly has done enough in the early going to carve out a role in this offense and be a low-end TE1 for fantasy purposes.  
Dishonorable Mentions: Jared Cook (Raiders), Eric Ebron (Colts), David Njoku (Browns)

Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Steelers
It was hardly a dominant performance by the Steelers defense last night against the Bucs as they allowed 27 points, but anytime you get 4 takeaways, 3 sacks and a TD, you're going to have a great fantasy outing. As nice as this was for fantasy owners, this performance was a fluke largely made possible by a trademark Ryan Fitzpatrick turnover explosion, so you can safely bench this defense unless the matchup is too good to pass up.
Honorable Mentions: Rams, Bears, Panthers

LVP: Vikings
Josh Allen made this widely respected defense look like a helpless band of clowns on Sunday as the Vikings mustered just 3 sacks and 0 takeaways in a deflating 27-6 home loss to the Bills. Despite their tremendous overall talent and upside, the Vikings D has been erratic as hell in fantasy to start the year and should probably be sat for their Week 4 tilt with the redhot Rams offense.
Dishonorable Mentions: Patriots, Eagles, Cowboys

Week 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Tom Brady (Patriots)
Everyone's favorite 40-year old quarterback/sketchy nutrition book peddler was at it again in Week 3. Outside of a lost fumble that resulted in a touchdown, Tom Brady was outstanding on Sunday as he picked up 378 YDS, 5 TD and a successful 2-point conversion against the Texans banged-up defense. Brady has played outstanding since his awful opening night performance against the Chiefs and will look to keep his hot streak going in Week 4 versus a Panthers defense that just surrendered 3 TD's to Drew Brees.
Honorable Mentions: Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Kirk Cousins (Redskins), Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

LVP: Cam Newton (Panthers)
For the first time in 2017, an opposing quarterback failed to light up the Saints abysmal defense. Cam Newton was a god damn mess in front of his home crowd on Sunday afternoon, mustering a sorry-ass statline (193 total YDS, 3 INT and a rushing TD) against a defense that had surrendered 7 TD in the previous 2 games. The Panthers offense has been anemic all season long and with top WR Kelvin Benjamin expected to miss at least a few weeks with a knee injury, I would recommend benching Newton indefinitely in deeper leagues and dropping him in shallower ones.  

Dishonorable Mentions: Derek Carr (Raiders), Philip Rivers (Chargers), Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)

Running Back

MVP: Todd Gurley (Rams)
Todd Gurley's stunning bounceback campaign hit a new peak in Week 3. Gurley was once again the centerpiece for the Rams suddenly viable offense against the 49ers, picking up 149 total YDS (113 rushing, 36 receiving) and 3 TD's (2 rushing, 1 receiving) on 33 touches in last week's shockingly great edition of Thursday Night Football. If Gurley can maintain his current scoring rate, he has an excellent chance of being the #1 overall fantasy back this season.

Honorable Mentions: Jordan Howard (Bears), Chris Thompson (Redskins), Kareem Hunt (Chiefs)

LVP: Jay Ajayi (Dolphins)
Dolphins workhorse running back Jay Ajayi managed to fill his fantasy owners with rage and disgust by posting a mere 25 yards (16 rushing, 9 receiving) on 13 touches again the New York F'n Jets. While his seemingly chronic knee ailment could have somewhat of an effect on his usage in the coming weeks, Ajayi should still be considered a high-end RB1 when the 'Phins travel across the pond to face the Saints in Week 4. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Marshawn Lynch (Raiders), Javorius Allen (Ravens), Mike Gillislee (Patriots)

Wide Receiver

MVP: Stefon Diggs (Vikings)
If you were brave enough to put Stefon Diggs in your lineup this week, your faith was rewarded tremendously. The Vikings top WR miraculously posted 173 YDS and 2 TD on 8 receptions against the Buccaneers pretty decent secondary with backup quarterback Case Keenum at the helm. Even though they displayed some nice chemistry during this spectacular performance, Diggs will remain a risky fantasy play as long as Keenum is under center.

Honorable Mentions: Brandin Cooks (Patriots), Sammy Watkins (Rams), T.Y. Hilton (Colts)

LVP: Amari Cooper (Raiders)
Both of the Raiders starting receivers were worthy candidates for this dubious honor, but Amari Cooper managed to do even less than Week 2 darling Michael Crabtree. Like everyone else on the Raiders offense not named Jared Cook, Cooper had an awful showing against the Redskins, finishing the night with a single reception for 6 yards. Cooper has been a massive dud in back-to-back weeks and will more than likely struggle again when he takes on the Broncos "No Fly Zone" corner trio (Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby) in Week 4.

Dishonorable Mentions: Michael Crabtree (Raiders), J.J. Nelson (Cardinals), Jeremy Maclin (Ravens)

Tight End

MVP: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
Rob Gronkowski spent this week proving he had no ill effects from the groin injury he suffered against the Saints in Week 2. Gronk gave the Texans depleted secondary fits all game long, posting 89 YDS and a TD on a team-high 8 receptions. As long as he remains on the field, Gronkowski will be the best fantasy (and real-life) tight end on the planet.

Honorable Mentions: Jared Cook (Raiders), Zach Ertz (Eagles), Cameron Brate (Buccaneers)

LVP: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
The feed Travis Kelce initiative suffered a huge setback on Sunday. The Chiefs star tight end was a complete non-factor against the Chargers, catching his only target for 1 yard in a game that his team had won by the time the 1st quarter had concluded. Kelce is still Alex Smith's top short-yardage target in the passing game and should continue to be the top fantasy tight end not named Rob Gronkowski in 2017.

Dishonorable Mentions: Hunter Henry (Chargers), Jack Doyle (Colts), Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)

Defense/Special Teams

MVP: Kansas City Chiefs
In a wonky Week 3 where normally below-average groups like the Redskins, Jets and Bengals topped the defensive scoring leaderboards, the Chiefs managed to be one of the few mainstays that delivered the goods. The Chiefs harassed Philip Rivers and co. all afternoon, picking up 3 INT's and a pair of sacks in an easy 24-10 win against the lowly Chargers. Bob Sutton's group has looked pretty respectable through the inaugural stretch of the season and should be able to retain that level of efficiency against the Redskins erratic offense next Monday night.  

Honorable Mentions: Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans

LVP: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were the latest team to fall victim to the supernatural force that is the London version of the Jaguars. Blake Bortles and co. hung 44 points on this typically stout defense during their annual visit to their international home. I fully expect this group to bounce back this week when they face a Steelers team that has an extensive history of struggling at M&T Bank Stadium.

Dishonorable Mentions: Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos

Week 3 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Matthew Stafford (Lions
Facing a massive 31-10 deficit at halftime, the Lions were forced to rely on a pass-heavy offense, and those early struggles ended up deeply rewarding Matthew Stafford's fantasy owners. Stafford's strong second half led to an excellent 385 YD/3 TD/1 INT statline as the Lions narrowly lost 34-27 to the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon. Stafford has been one of the strongest fantasy options in 2016 thus far and his hot start has a great shot of continuing in Week 4 as the Lions take on the Bears weak, injury-riddled defense.
Honorable Mentions: Drew Brees (Saints), Jameis Winston (Buccaneers), Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

LVP: Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
Ryan Fitzpatrick's disastrous 6 INT performance against the Chiefs was clearly the worst quarterback performance of the week, but his ineptness didn't effect nearly as many as fantasy players as Ben Roethlisberger's did. The Eagles aggressive front applied constant pressure and forced Big Ben to have an uncharacteristically sloppy performance (257 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, lost fumble) in a game that was universally disastrous for the Black and Yellow. Ironically, Roethlisberger's Week 4 matchup comes against the Chiefs defense that forced the Jets to turn the ball over 8 times this week, which makes a bounceback performance far from probable. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Ryan Fitzpatrick (Jets), Carson Palmer (Cardinals), Marcus Mariota (Titans)

Running Back
MVP: Devonta Freeman (Falcons)
After a relatively quiet start to the season, Devonta Freeman woke up in a big way this week. The Falcons running back torched the Saints lowly defense for 207 YDS (152 rushing, 55 receiving) and a TD on 19 touches. Freeman is currently locked in a timeshare with 2nd-year back Tevin Coleman and isn't likely to put up eye-popping numbers like this on a regular basis, but he's still worth starting every week in 2016's messy RB climate.
Honorable Mentions: Tevin Coleman (Falcons), Carlos Hyde (49ers), LeSean McCoy (Bills)

LVP: DeAngelo Williams (Steelers)
DeAngelo Williams has finally come back down to earth. A combination of the Steelers being forced to strictly pass after going down by multiple scores very early in the game and the Eagles honing in on him forced Williams to put up a lackluster 44 yards (21 rushing, 23 receiving) on just 12 touches. With Le'Veon Bell officially being reinstated from his suspension this week, Williams' fantasy value is bound to rapidly diminish.
Dishonorable Mentions: C.J. Anderson (Broncos), Matt Forte (Jets), Jerick McKinnon (Vikings)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Marvin Jones Jr. (Lions)
Marvin Jones Jr. made the most of his targets against the Packers on Sunday afternoon. On just 6 receptions, Jones Jr. racked up an absurd 205 yards and a touchdown. With Golden Tate struggling out of the gate, Jones Jr. has established him as the Lions go-to receiver and subsequently earned a spot as a high-end WR2 with a WR1 ceiling.
Honorable Mentions: Terrelle Pryor Sr. (Browns), Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos) T.Y. Hilton (Colts)

LVP: Julio Jones (Falcons)
Where the hell was Julio Jones last night? Despite getting targeted a team-high 7 times, Jones was almost completely left out of the Falcons torching of the Saints defense, finishing with just a single catch for 16 yards. While Jones is currently dealing with ankle and calf ailments, it's still shocking that he made so little noise against the league's worst defense. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Kelvin Benjamin (Panthers), Brandin Cooks (Saints), Jeremy Maclin (Chiefs)

Tight End
MVP: Zach Miller (Bears)
Zach Miller was a popular fill-in option for owners of currently dinged-up TE1's Delanie Walker and Antonio Gates and he ended up nicely rewarding the people that inserted him into their lineups this week. Miller was Brian Hoyer's favorite target in the Bears ugly primetime loss against the Cowboys, picking up 78 yards and 2 TD on 8 receptions. Despite his success in Week 3, I still wouldn't recommend starting Miller outside of emergency situations. 
Honorable Mentions: Coby Fleener (Saints), Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Jimmy Graham (Seahawks)

LVP: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
Rob Gronkowski's 2016 debut didn't exactly go as planned. The perennial top fantasy tight end was basically a ghost against the Texans, only seeing the field for 14 plays and failing to catch his only target of the game. Gronkowski was still visibly hobbled by the hamstring that held him out of the first 2 games of the season and despite all of the upside he brings to the table every time he steps on the field, he'll be a very risky play until he's at 100%. 
Dishonorable Mentions: Julius Thomas (Jaguars), Jason Witten (Cowboys), Dwayne Allen (Colts)

Defense
MVP: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs defense put up the type of performance in Week 3 that doesn't seem possible outside of a video game. The Chiefs defense/special teams put on a takeaway clinic against the Jets, picking up 6 INT's, 2 fumble recoveries and scoring a pair of TD's that catapulted them to an easy 24-3 victory. The Chiefs face a much tougher task against the Steelers in Week 4, but any owner has to feel good about their chances to be a top 3-5 fantasy defense this year after this unreal performance. 
Honorable Mentions: Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots

LVP: Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks defense put up a solid real-life performance in Week 3, but that success wasn't reflected in their fantasy numbers. The Seahawks allowed 18 points, failed to register a sack and only managed a single INT in their blowout win over the embattled 49ers. The Seahawks D get a more-than-ideal opportunity to redeem themselves against the turnover-happy Jets offense in Week 4.
Dishonorable Mentions: Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers