Week 3 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint (2026)

September 25, 2026

Who should I start or sit for fantasy football in Week 3 of the 2026 season? Ryan's potential fantasy football busts to avoid in Week 3 fantasy football lineups.

After an absolutely wild and high-scoring opening week of the 2026 fantasy football season, Week 2 reminded us just how quickly things can change in fantasy football due to injuries and even weather. Some of the players who dominated in Week 1 came back to earth, while injuries and changing workloads have already created some difficult decisions. With two weeks of information available, we can start identifying which early-season trends could lead to a bust in Week 3.

This year's weekly bust list won't focus on the names you are likely not starting on your roster; we know players picked near the end of drafts belong on the bench in most cases. This is also not automatically a recommendation to sit a player. Look at the bust list as a way to manage expectations for players who might be on-the-fence decisions.

Below are my 10 fantasy football busts, or players that may disappoint, for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Good luck in the opening week, RotoBallers! May all your lineup decisions be correct.

Chase Brown (RB, CIN) at Pittsburgh

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Chase Brown's workload so far. In fact, he has one of the best usage rates in the league so far, with at least 70% of snaps in two straight games. Brown handled 20 carries and five targets against Houston last week and is averaging 22 touches per game through the first two weeks. That's fantastic usage and keeps him firmly in the starting conversation.

The concern is what Brown will be able to do with those opportunities against a tough Pittsburgh team. The Steelers are a tough matchup for running backs, and Brown managed just two receiving yards on three catches last week. Brown's volume gives him a strong floor, but this looks more like a week where he could be an RB2 instead of a strong RB1 performance based on volume and efficiency.

Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, NE) at Jacksonville

TreVeyon Henderson's return immediately created a problem for Rhamondre Stevenson in Week 2. But he also caused problems for himself. Stevenson rushed six times for 43 yards and caught just one pass for three yards after handling 23 touches in the opener. But something that has happened far too often emerged; he lost another fumble. An issue that has plagued him throughout his career came back again.

"It's been something that's plagued Rhamondre Stevenson since he started five years ago." - Jim Nantz

The Steelers take over after a fumble by New England's running back. pic.twitter.com/6uU3RRBf5s

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 20, 2026

New England responded by giving Henderson 60% of the offensive snaps and 16 carries, and he turned those opportunities into 76 yards and a touchdown. Maybe the Patriots go right back to Stevenson this week, but that's a lot of uncertainty for a running back who already has Henderson threatening his workload, and who is more explosive. Stevenson went from a potential RB2 after Week 1 to someone I will put in Flex for the time being until we see how his role shakes out.

Tony Pollard (RB, TEN) at New York Giants

Tony Pollard has yet to score a touchdown this season and has finished with only 35 and 64 rushing yards in his first two games. He has also caught just one pass in each game, meaning almost all the passing work from the backfield is going to teammate Tyjae Spears. He enters Week 3 ranked outside my top 25 running backs.

The matchup with the Giants isn't an especially tough one, but the Tennessee offense has given us very little reason to expect a lot of scoring opportunities. Pollard is also dealing with an ankle injury and missed Wednesday's practice and was limited on Thursday, so he might be limited or not 100% for this game. Pollard could certainly get enough touches to become a viable Flex option, but there hasn't been enough receiving work or touchdown opportunity to make us comfortable expecting much more.

DK Metcalf (WR, PIT) vs. Cincinnati

The hyped-up connection between DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers hasn't exactly been what fantasy managers hoped for since Metcalf landed in Pittsburgh. Through two games in 2026, Metcalf has caught eight passes for only 67 yards and has yet to find the end zone. He was held to four catches for 27 yards against New England in Week 2.

The target volume is encouraging, with Metcalf seeing 19 targets through two games, but the efficiency has been awful and we don't get fantasy points for targets or air yards. Until Rodgers and Metcalf start connecting more consistently, it's difficult to treat him as the weekly WR2 fantasy managers expected when they drafted him. Right now Metcalf looks much more like a boom-or-bust WR3 or Flex option, especially after the Bengals held the Texans out of the end zone last week.

Terry McLaurin (WR, WSH) vs. Seattle

It's been an ugly start for Terry McLaurin, and now we add an injury to the insult. Through two games, McLaurin has caught just four of 13 targets for 64 yards and hasn't scored, despite a couple of close calls. That leaves him averaging only 5.2 PPR fantasy points per game, without a top-24 finish at the position yet.

Should Fantasy Managers Be Concerned About Terry McLaurin? https://t.co/vbEDiTgcTT

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 25, 2026

Now McLaurin gets a Seattle secondary that has been one of the toughest matchups for perimeter receivers through two weeks. The Seahawks have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per target to wide receivers. Add in the fact that Jayden Daniels is going to miss time and Marcus Mariota will start, and it's hard to trust Washington wide receivers right now. Against Seattle? No thanks.

Chris Godwin Jr. (WR, TB) vs. Minnesota

Chris Godwin now has plenty of opportunity and snaps to be a fantasy-relevant wide receiver, but the fantasy points haven't followed. He has caught all seven of his targets through two games, but they have produced only 86 yards and no touchdowns. The bigger concern came last week when Godwin played 86% of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps but received just three targets despite Baker Mayfield attempting 34 passes. Mayfield is struggling with no Mike Evans around.

Things don't get much easier against Minnesota. Godwin has an 11.3% target share and hasn't received a red-zone or deep target this season. Godwin is talented enough to eventually work his way back into a much larger role if Mayfield rights the (pirate) ship, but until Tampa Bay starts actively getting him the football, he's a risky WR3/Flex who could disappoint again in Week 3.

Jake Ferguson (TE, DAL) vs. Baltimore (in Brazil)

Jake Ferguson bounced back in Week 2 and finished as the TE4 overall, but there are some warning signs behind that fantasy big performance. His snap rate actually fell from 76% in Week 1 to 60% last week, and he received only four targets. Two of those targets came in the red zone, which helped save his fantasy day, but we won't always get that lucky.

Dallas has plenty of other places to go with the football, and a four-target game looks awful if Ferguson doesn't score. Baltimore has also allowed just 7.4 total fantasy points per game to the tight end position this year. Ferguson looks much more touchdown-dependent than his Week 2 suggests. He remains a decent starter because of the potential for lots of points in this one, but another top-five performance is far from guaranteed.

Colston Loveland (TE, CHI) vs. Philadelphia

Oh boy, things are starting to get really messy in Chicago. Can we keep putting Colston Loveland into our starting lineups with next to no production and now a third-string quarterback? The answer might be to look elsewhere, because there isn't much evidence that a breakout is coming like we all expected. Loveland has caught just one of five targets for three yards through two games.

Bears TEs through 2 games

- Cole Kmet: 4 targets, 2 catches, 35 yds, TD
- Sam Roush: 3 targets, 1 catch, 9 yards
- Colston Loveland: 5 targets, 1 catch, 3 yards

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) September 20, 2026

The quarterback situation makes things even worse. Caleb Williams is dealing with a hamstring injury, Tyson Bagent entered the concussion protocol, and Case Keenum could potentially start Monday night. Philadelphia has also allowed just 10.2 total fantasy points to tight ends through two games, tied for the fewest in the league. Loveland is far too talented to remain this bad forever, but there are plenty of reasons to think about other options in Week 3.

Drake Maye (QB, NE) at Jacksonville

Drake Maye has been a huge disappointment through two weeks after being universally drafted as a top-five quarterback. He has thrown for 386 yards with just one touchdown and four interceptions, and his four picks are tied for the league lead. His rushing ability is still there and offers a nice floor, but the passing production simply hasn't been there.

The biggest problem, of course, is that Maye is operating without A.J. Brown. Eventually, Maye's rushing ability and talent should get him back into the QB1 conversation, but this looks like another week to wait or look to waivers for safer matchups with higher implied totals. There are enough streaming options available that fantasy managers shouldn't feel obligated to start him on the road in Jacksonville if there are better players available.

Trevor Lawrence (QB, JAX) vs. New England

Yes, I am putting Trevor Lawrence on the bust list for the second consecutive week. He gave us a perfect example of why he belongs here against Denver in Week 2. He completed just 58.6% of his passes for 189 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. After finishing as the QB5 in Week 1, Lawrence fell all the way to QB26 in Week 2.

Unfortunately, the schedule isn't giving Lawrence much of a break even as they head back home. New England has held opposing quarterbacks to 193.5 passing yards, 0.5 passing touchdowns, and just 8.8 fantasy points per game through two weeks. After Denver shut him down last week, I don't want to immediately send him back into my lineup against another defense that has been extremely difficult on quarterbacks so far.

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