B/R's Week 3 PPR Fantasy Football 2026 Player Rankings

In Week 1, we saw a barrage of scoring the likes of which the NFL has never seen in Week 1. There was scoring galore—and points on the board means points for fantasy managers.

However, we can't have nice things, so in Week 2 points were passe. And injuries were all the rage.

The number of fantasy-relevant players who either missed Week 2 or went down during the weekend's action is as long as it is depressing. Holes were blasted in rosters all over the place. The joy and jubilation of the opening week was replaced by doom and despair.

With that said, part of success in fantasy football is overcoming adversity. Rolling with the proverbial punches. We have to keep on keeping on and fight through the trials and tribulations that have been so cruelly thrust upon us.

That's what we're here to do—with tiered PPR Rankings, player commentary and advice and the top-125 players overall for Week 3.

In what is sadly going to be a theme this week, there were multiple fantasy-relevant injuries at the quarterback position in Week 2—injuries that affect not just the quarterback rankings but the entire fantasy landscape.

In Chicago, Caleb Williams went down in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings with what appeared at first to be an ugly-looking injury. But despite being carted off the field, Williams avoided serious injury—he's week to week after pulling his hamstring.

Two NFC East quarterbacks weren't as fortunate. Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders dislocated his elbow on the final play of the first half in Dallas, while Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury in Monday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Both will be out indefinitely and are likely headed to injured reserve.

A trio of high-end, set and forget weekly starters. Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills in particular is on a rampage to begin the season—after scoring five total touchdowns in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, Allen has eclipsed 35 fantasy points in both of his starts this year.

The Tier 2 quarterbacks in Week 3 might not be elite, but they can be started with confidence. Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs looked like his old self in torching the Indianapolis Colts for 382 passing yards and three scores Sunday night, while Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers has quietly been a top-five fantasy option in the early-going.

The confidence level drops a bit once you hit the Tier 3 quarterbacks, but there's upside to go with that uncertainty. Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions is coming off a four-touchdown effort in last week's loss to the Bills. Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars had a similarly productive effort in his last home start.

With all the injuries at quarterback, there will be fantasy managers starting Tier 4 quarterbacks whether they want to or not. Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers is off to the best start of his NFL career, with three touchdown passes in both games. Geno Smith of the New York Jets faces a Detroit Lions defense that has been abysmal so far this year.

There will be more Tier 5 quarterbacks in lineups this week than we'd like, but so it goes with all the injuries at the position. C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans takes on an Indianapolis Colts team surrendering the most fantasy points in the AFC to quarterbacks, and Sam Darnold of the Seahawks is expected to return to the lineup this week against a struggling Washington Commanders defense.

Unless you are playing in a "Superflex" or two-QB leagues, fantasy managers should want no part of the quarterbacks in Tier 6. It's a motley arrangement of backups thrust into the starting lineup by injuries and a player in Atlanta's Michael Penix who is coming off a season-ending ACL tear.

There were a couple of injuries at the running back position last week (Rico Dowdle of the Pittsburgh Steelers and JK Dobbins of the Denver Broncos), but we'll take a break from the depressing stuff and accentuate the positive.

Kenneth Walker III of the Kansas City Chiefs is positively on a rampage over his first two games in Kansas City.

Fantasy football's highest scoring running back after two weeks has become the focal point of the Chiefs offense—and he's loving every minute of it. Walker is averaging over six yards per carry and 145 rushing yards per game. He leads the NFL in touches (56) and total yards (369) and has found the end zone twice.

Until further notice, Walker is a locked-in top-five fantasy option.

This may be as deep as we'll see the top tier at running back, but all of these ball-carriers are bellcows in both the NFL and fantasy. All six backs in tier 1 rank in the top-10 in PPR points after two weeks. All six should see 20-plus touches. And all six are every-week starts so long as they are healthy.

The second tier of running backs isn't quite as beastly as the first one, but each has the potential for a top-five week. Monitor the health of Saquon Barkley of the Eagles, who missed a chunk of last week's win over the Tennessee Titans with a stinger. Outside that, roll this group out with a smile on your face.

There's plenty of upside present with these fantasy RB2, but there's also the potential for disappointment. Omarion Hampton of the Chargers and De'Von Achane of the Dolphins have struggled to get untracked on bad offenses, while Cam Skattebo of the Giants is going to see a lot of stacked boxes with Jaxson Dart on the shelf.

Tier 4 is the maybe brigade—a group of running backs with significant question marks. Can Jaylen Warren of the Steelers take advantage of the added workload he'll see against Cincinnati if Rico Dowdle can't go? Can Quinshon Judkins and the Browns run game finally get going in the home opener against the Panthers?

The "star" of Tier 5 is rookie Jonah Coleman of the Broncos, who could be at the very least Denver's early-down back in Week 3 with Dobbins likely to sit or even an every-down back if R.J. Harvey's hamstring sidelines him another week. However, the sledding isn't going to be easy against a stout Rams defense.

This tier is a group of complimentary backs for whom the biggest issue is simple—touches. Emmanuel Wilson of the Seahawks could see heavy usage again with Jadarian Price (chest) banged up. The Chiefs have talked about using rookie Emmett Johnson more to lessen Kenneth Walker's workload with long-term success in mind.

For the final tier of Week 3 running backs to have even flex value, something either has to go sideways on the depth chart ahead of them or they need to score a fluky touchdown. These backs are bench depth and bye week fill-ins—nothing more.

Fantasy managers were hit hard by injuries at wide receiver in Week 2—multiple big names (Houston's Nico Collins, Puka Nacua of the Rams and Baltimore's Zay Flowers among them) were sidelined, and more pass-catchers (Buffalo's D.J. Moore and Alec Pierce of the Colts) joined them on the shelf.

It wasn't all doom and gloom, though. A pair of NFC West wideouts went ballistic in Week 3—Seattle's Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Davante Adams of the Rams combined for 350 receiving yards, five touchdowns and approximately all the PPR points ever.

If you were short-handed at the position and faced one of those monsters in Week 2, you have my sympathies.

Smith-Njigba and Adams weren't the only wideouts who went into Godzilla mode in Week 2—Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Lions caught nine passes for 142 yards and two scores against the Buffalo Bills. Minnesota's Justin Jefferson should rebound in Week 3—unless there's another typhoon in Tampa on Sunday.

The second tier of wide receivers all have relatively high floors to go along with a top-five fantasy ceiling. Parker Washington of the Jaguars has emerged as Jacksonville's clear No. 1 receiver, while Garrett Wilson of the Jets is clicking with Geno Smith and draws a great matchup this week with Detroit's non-existent defense.

Tier 3 consists of solid second starters or players with top-12 potential but some form of question mark. Monitor Flowers' practice participation, although there's early optimism he'll be able to return this week against the Cowboys. Christian Watson of the Packers is off to an excellent start to the season—he's found the end zone three times already.

This tier is a mixture of surprise stars and slow starters. Jalen Coker of the Panthers cooled off a little last week after a gonzo opener, but he still ranks among the top-10 receivers for the season. Emeka Egbuka of the Buccaneers, um, does not—with the Tampa passing game sputtering, Egbuka sits outside the top-30 receivers after two games.

We're still in weekly starter territory, but things are starting to get a little dicey by the time you hit Tier 5. Stefon Diggs is off to a hot start in Washington, but quarterback questions loom over him and batterymate Terry McLaurin. Chicago's Luther Burden has the same issue—Tyson Bagent doesn't inspire much in the way of fantasy confidence.

The sixth tier contains a pair of surprisingly productive youngsters in Adonai Mitchell of the Jets and Denzel Boston of the Browns (who has touchdowns in each of his first two NFL games. That duo has exceeded expectations (Mitchell had none), but rookie Carnell Tate has disappointed. With the Tennessee passing attack all but non-existent, Tate is WR58 in PPR points two weeks in.

That both DeVaughn Vele of the Saints and Tre Tucker of the Raiders are ranked ahead of Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Cardinals tells you everything you need to know about how Harrison's third season has started. Two weeks in, Harrison has all of one reception and has only been targeted four times. That's just icky.

There's a chance for some dart-throw success in the final tier of wide receivers—Kansas City's Xavier Worthy is a threat to score every time he touches the ball, and the Texans need to get Kayshon Boutte more involved in the offense. But these wide receivers are more likely score four PPR points in Week 3 than 14. Bench them if possible.

There's good news and bad news for fantasy managers at the tight end position in Week 3.

We'll do the bad news first, because that's what Week 2 was—bad news.

After catching two touchdown passes against the Commanders in Week 1, Dallas Goedert of the Eagles made it just one catch into Week 2 before going down with a knee injury. Goedert has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL and could be a candidate for short-term injured reserve.

The good news is that Brock Bowers of the Raiders appears headed toward his first game action of 2026—after sitting out the first two weeks following knee surgery, Bowers will reportedly practice this week and should be good to go for this week's trip to New Orleans.

The fantasy gods giveth, and the fantasy gods taketh away.

There's not a lot to say about the top "tier" of tight ends—Arizona's Trey McBride has been targeted 23 times and leads all tight ends in PPR points. A healthy Bowers could crash this party, but for now at least McBride is in a class by himself.

The second tier of tight ends aren't the relatively sure bet that McBride is, but one hasn't been far off—after 12 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown over his first two games, Dalton Kincaid of the Bills is hot on McBride's heels, Travis Kelce of the Chiefs has also come out of the gate hot, including nice catches for 101 yards and a score last week against the Colts.

By the time you hit the back end of Tier 3, upside starts giving way to uncertainty. The upside is with guys like Houston's Dalton Schultz, who had a huge Week 2 with Nico Collins sidelined in Week 2. The uncertainty is rampant with Kyle Pitts of the Falcons, who has been on a milk carton thanks to the horrendous quarterback play in Atlanta this season.

There is some potential for a solid stat line from the Tier 4 tight ends—Juwan Johnson of the Saints has quietly posted double-digit PPR points in both of his games this season. Mark Andrews of the Ravens narrowly missed duplicating that feat, but he has yet to find the end zone in 2026.

Tier 5 is for fans of 301—because the tight ends in it are dart throws. Terrance Ferguson of the Rams caught his first touchdown pass of the season Monday against the Giants, and Orande Gadsden of the Chargers will see a larger offensive role after David Njoku broke his leg. But target share with this bench is a real issue—they could see two looks as easily as six.

Unless you play in a league that requires multiple starters at tight end or you're in a deep league and have been bitten by the injury bug, the final tier of tight ends is best left on benches and waiver wires. The only real path to fantasy relevance for this bunch lies in reeling in a touchdown, and that's not especially likely.

One of the reasons why it's generally advisable not to invest in a high-end fantasy defense is that so much can change from year to year. Trash becomes treasure and vice-versa.

The treasure has been the Cincinnati Bengals—that is not a misprint. After dominating the Houston Texans in Week 2, a Bengals defense that was among the NFL's worst in 2025 has more fantasy points than any team in the league. They are piling up big plays—and big plays equal fantasy points.

The trash is the aforementioned Texans. Last year, no team in the AFC had more fantasy points than Houston, and the Texans were one of the first defenses drafted in 2026. But thanks in part to a pair of bad matchups with the Bills and Bengals, the Houston defense sits outside the top-20 in fantasy points after two weeks.

Success in fantasy where defenses are concerned is all about the matchups—and the Tier 1 defenses all have great ones this week. The Seahawks face the reeling Commanders after dominating Arizona. The Chiefs face the league's worst team in the Dolphins. The Eagles take on Tyson Bagent and Da Bears. Tasty.

It's put up or shut up time for the aforementioned Houston Texans—it's going to be hard to justify rostering them in fantasy if the team posts a third straight clunker. The Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos are both talented defenses who were drafted early over the summer, but they face one another on Sunday night at Mile High.

By Tier 3, we're already into the matchup dart throws and "name" defenses that have underperformed and/or have poor Week 3 matchups. The Carolina Panthers have one awful defensive outing this year and one huge stat line—they face a Browns team that allowed the second-most fantasy points to defenses in 2025.

There are three defenses in fantasy who have scored double-digit fantasy points in both games this season—and one of those defenses is the Las Vegas Raiders. The New Orleans Saints are far better offensively in 2026 than a year ago, but the Raiders are an OK Hail Mary play off the waiver wire.

The fifth tier of defenses is the 10-foot pole club—as in don't touch them with one. It's a group of bad defenses, worse matchups or a combination of both. Leave them on the waiver wire where they belong.

Want to know why fantasy managers should never, ever draft a kicker before the last round? Take a look at the top-five at the position after two weeks.

Evan McPherson of the Bengals is pacing the position in the early-going. He is followed by Chase McLaughlin of the Buccaneers, Harrison Butker of the Chiefs, Trey Smack of the Green Bay Packers and Spencer Shrader of the Colts.

The majority of those kickers weren't drafted at all. I'm not even sure Trey Smack is a real person. It sounds made-up.

That list will undoubtedly change. But it goes to show that there's no point in spending draft capital on a kicker when high-end options are available for free well into the regular season.

Brandon Aubrey of the Cowboys and Cam Little of the Jaguars play for teams with potent offenses and have huge legs (figuratively speaking). Jason Myers of the Seahawks has long been a consistently productive fantasy option. The 49ers offense is rolling right now, so Eddy Piniero cracks this week's top-five.

The aforementioned Evan McPherson and Harrison Butker are Tier 2 kickers this week—solid weekly starters. Baltimore's Tyler Loop should rebound this week against a leaky Cowboys defense. Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell should be busy in Week 3—the Steelers are apparently allergic to touchdowns.

This week's third tier of kickers is a spinning wheel of maybes in Week 3. Smack may do nothing but kick extra points against the woeful Falcons. The same goes for Buffalo's Tyler Bass—the Bills don't stop until they hit the paint. There could be a top-five option in this tier—and multiple disappointments.

Unless your fantasy league requires multiple kickers, the back end of the kicker rankings is a hard pass. If your league does require multiple kickers, then seek help immediately—you're an even bigger fantasy football degenerate than this idiot.

Before we help you make "Flex" lineup decisions for Week 3 with the Top 125 players overall, it's time for weekly notes.

The first is the same as always—there are no quarterbacks on this list. The injuries at the position have reduced the number of viable guys for "Superflex" starts this week, but if you do have a decent QB2 he should get the nod in that format.

The second is a refrain I make often at this time of year—chill. I'm well aware that starting season 0-2 isn't ideal. I draft a team live for the King's Classic at the Pro Football Hall of Fame each year. My team there is winless. My starting quarterback is dead. My IR slots are all filled two weeks in. I have said many bad words.

But freaking out won't help get me to 1-2. And that's the only concern right now. Making the team better where possible and notching that first win. 0-2 can become 2-2 quickly. So stay the course. Shake off the injuries. Hit the waiver wire.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather .