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Aidin Ebrahimi's five fantasy football bold predictions for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Expert predictions for Trevor Lawrence, Garrett Wilson, Justin Herbert, T.J. Hockenson, and D'Andre Swift.
We're now headed to the third week of the 2026 NFL season, and we've already seen plenty of unexpected things happen.
The Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers are 0-2, while the Carolina Panthers have one of the best offenses in football. In this unexpected landscape, it won't hurt to get bold every once in a while! We have a nice slate of games coming up in Week 3, and it'll be a good place for us to find out whether some players will be real studs for the rest of the season, or just fakers.
Without further ado, let's dive in and find out why my Week 3 bold predictions include Trevor Lawrence, Garrett Wilson, Justin Herbert, T.J. Hockenson, and D'Andre Swift.
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Trevor Lawrence Solves the Patriots' Defense
Here are Drake Maye's stats in his last six games, including last year's playoffs: 1,214 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, eight interceptions, one rushing touchdown, four fumbles lost (eight total TDs to 12 turnovers), 27 sacks taken, and a 76.2 passer rating.
"It starts with me."
Trevor Lawrence on regaining momentum when facing adversity. pic.twitter.com/UlR4mfHPJF
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 20, 2026
And yet, he's somehow 4-2 because his defense has given up a historically dominant 10.7 points per game, not counting the pick-six Maye threw to Uchenna Nwosu in Super Bowl LX.
For reference, the 2000 Ravens allowed 10.3 points per game, and the 2002 Buccaneers allowed 12.3 points per game.
Obviously, this defense is something special. But eventually, all dominant defenses will crumble. Trevor Lawrence had a bad day against a similarly impressive Denver Broncos defense, but he and the rest of Liam Coen's offense won't stay down for long.
In his last eight regular-season games, Lawrence has accumulated 23 total touchdowns to just two turnovers, and an impressive 197.2 fantasy points.
This is someone who is absolutely on top of his game, and while this Patriots defense is dominant, they haven't faced a quarterback on such a run of form in quite a while.
The last time was Week 15 of the 2025 season, when Josh Allen carved them up with three passing touchdowns and no interceptions. This defensive run is so dominant that it's unsustainable, and a vengeful Lawrence will make them crash back down to earth.
Garrett Wilson Goes Off for 100+ Yards
Garrett Wilson looked like the NFL's next great young receiver in his first three seasons, but injuries have slowed his progress down recently. His recurring knee injuries limited him to just seven games in the 2025 season, and he hasn't had a 100-yard outing since December 2024.
I was one of the only people (maybe two in total?) who believed in the Jets' offense under Geno Smith and offensive coordinator Frank Reich and mentioned that fact quite a few times in my articles during the offseason.
Smith has done a fine job managing the offense, as Wilson and Adonai Mitchell are on pace for 1,000-yard campaigns, and Breece Hall is on his way to reach that mark on the ground.
But there are some Wilson managers who have been concerned due to the rise of Mitchell. Their usage has been very similar; Wilson has 115 snaps to Mitchell's 107 and 11 catches to Mitchell's nine, while Mitchell (15) has one more target than Wilson (14).
Those numbers, along with the fact that he's scored the team's only passing touchdowns of the year, slightly favor Wilson.
And the former 10th overall pick could finally have his first fantasy explosion in quite a while against a disgusting Lions passing defense that allowed 182 receiving yards to Chris Olave and 95 yards to Dalton Kincaid.
Justin Herbert Finally Wakes Up
It seems like even the most committed Justin Herbert fans have given up hope that he'll ever be the best quarterback in the NFL. But with players like Herbert, they strike when you least expect it and pull you back in once you've lost all hope.
David Njoku bobbles the ball and Hezekiah Masses INTERCEPTS IT for the #Chargers pic.twitter.com/NOPhtAGtxD
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 20, 2026
Herbert has had just one game with 300+ passing yards, three or more passing touchdowns, and a 100.0+ passer rating since December 2023 (he achieved that feat six times in his first 27 games), and it was in Week 1 last season.
The Chargers have fallen to 0-2 for the first time in the Jim Harbaugh era, against two teams that aren't exactly held in the highest regard. This might be Herbert's last chance to save this season.
Only one Chargers team has ever reached the playoffs with a 0-3 start, the 1992 squad, which won 11 of their last 12 after starting 0-4. Luckily for him, the Buffalo Bills' top-ranked passing defense last year has plummeted to the third-worst in 2026.
Herbert will have his second fantasy performance with over 25 points since Week 10 of the 2025 season, and possibly lead his team to a much-needed win.
T.J. Hockenson Finishes as the Overall TE1
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Wednesday that he "does not believe" his team struggles against tight ends, per WDAE Radio reporter Rock Riley. Once again, Bowles is denying a glaring hole in his defense in an attempt to "cool down" the hot seat.
The Bucs allowed the second-most touchdowns (12) and the fifth-most PPR points (15.8) to tight ends in 2025. That number has risen to a ridiculous 22.1 PPR points allowed to TEs in 2026, and things are not going to get any easier against a hot Vikings team.
Kyler Murray will make his return in Week 3 and has thrown 8.43 times per game to Trey McBride in his last three seasons in Arizona, by far more than any other Murray target during that time.
T.J. Hockenson is not McBride, but he is certainly more than capable of exploiting this weakness and having a big day against the Buccaneers.
Hockenson's last TE1 finish came in Week 10 of the 2023 season, when he put up 30.4 PPR points against the Saints, and he'll be hoping to replicate that performance against another NFC South opponent.
He'll also face his former teammate Alex Anzalone, who has been struggling mightily this season (ranked the worst LB this season by PFF).
D'Andre Swift Gets His Revenge Once Again
Readers of my bold predictions articles last season know that I love a good revenge story. One of my biggest hits was when I predicted Panthers RB Rico Dowdle to get his revenge on the Cowboys last season, and he went on to exceed expectations by going off for 33.9 PPR points.
59 points for the @ChicagoBears!
CHIvsCAR on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/8ZOJUfZf91— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
The Eagles decided to lowball their Pro Bowl running back, Swift, to sign Saquon Barkley. That move paid off in the 2024 season, but Swift scored more touchdowns and was more efficient than Barkley in 2025.
The Georgia product ran for 125 yards and a touchdown in a Week 13 win over the Eagles last season, and now has the chance to get his revenge once again. While the Bears are glad that Caleb Williams hasn't torn his Achilles, he will likely not play in Week 3. The same is true for Tyson Bagent, who is in concussion protocol.
With veteran Case Keenum likely starting, Ben Johnson and the Bears will rely heavily on the running game. Kyle Monangai (undisclosed) missed practice on Wednesday, leaving Swift with a very clear path to remind the Eagles of their loss once again.
