RADIO
The third Sunday of the 2023 NFL season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers.
Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved in Week 3. These players simply did not meet fantasy expectations, and it cost their managers in a big way.
Let's take a look at the biggest busts from Week 3, as well as whether or not we can still have some trust in these players moving forward. All point totals are based on the PPR scoring system.
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Fantasy Football Quarterback Busts
Daniel Jones, 3.98 FPTS
Jones struggled to deliver much production against the 49ers on Thursday night, totaling 137 yards, zero touchdowns, and an interception. While the matchup was difficult, fantasy managers were justified to expect more points out of the quarterback.
Sam Howell, 0.6 FPTS
One week after scoring 21.26 fantasy points, Howell came crashing back down to earth with a horrendous showing against the Bills. In addition to throwing four interceptions, he was sacked a whopping nine times.
Fantasy Football Running Back Busts
Derrick Henry, 2.0 FPTS
Henry had an uncharacteristically poor performance on Sunday, rushing 11 times for just 20 yards while failing to get involved in the passing game. He played a season-low 38 percent of snaps and had less than half as many snaps as rookie teammate Tyjae Spears at halftime.
Joshua Kelley, 2.7 FPTS
Kelley continued to underperform in his second game without Austin Ekeler (ankle), rushing 11 times for 12 yards (1.09 YPC) while adding a five-yard reception. Even if Ekeler doesn't suit up versus the Raiders next week, Kelley can't be trusted in fantasy lineups.
AJ Dillon, 3.3 FPTS
Much like Kelley, Dillon failed to do much with an increased role on Sunday. The Packers won sans Aaron Jones and Christian Watson, but you wouldn't be able to tell from Dillon's stat line. The 25-year-old rushed 11 times for 33 yards and didn't command a single target.
Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts
Nico Collins, 5.4 FPTS
After a phenomenal first two weeks, Collins came back down to earth on Sunday. The Texans won big, but most of their passing volume went to rookie Tank Dell. Collins picked up the scraps, catching just two passes for 34 yards. Nevertheless, he still has a strong rapport with C.J. Stroud and will rank as a fantasy WR3 in Week 4.
Jahan Dotson, 4.1 FPTS
Dotson's poor outing coincides with Howell's struggles. The second-year receiver out of Penn State caught just two passes for 21 yards in the Week 3 loss. The Commanders travel to Philadelphia for a clash with the Eagles next week.
Josh Reynolds, 0.0 FPTS
After posting 35.6 points through the first two weeks combined, it seemed like Reynolds was primed for another big game, especially with Amon-Ra St. Brown (toe) potentially not at 100 percent. Instead, the 28-year-old went untargeted, as did teammate Marvin Jones Jr. In fact, St. Brown and Kalif Raymond were the only Lions wide receivers who logged at least one target.
Fantasy Football Tight End Busts
Darren Waller, 5.0 FPTS
Waller commanded seven targets in Week 3, but he finished with just three receptions for 20 yards. The former Raider hasn't looked amazing this season, and his Week 4 opponent is a Seahawks defense that just held the Panthers' tight ends to three total catches.
Zach Ertz, 2.6 FPTS
Ertz was heavily involved in the Cardinals' offense through the first two weeks, but Joshua Dobbs relied on a variety of other weapons in Arizona's Week 3 win over Dallas. The veteran tight end finished with just two catches for six yards. If there's a positive spin to this, it's that fellow teammate Trey McBride was even less involved, catching just one pass for two yards.
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