Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 3

September 23, 2026

Andrew Ball's fantasy football risers, fallers, sleepers, and busts heading into Week 3 of the 2026 season. He identifies players with rising and falling fantasy values.

Week 1 brought us the highest-scoring opening weekend in NFL history. Week 2 was much, much uglier.

Between bad weather and sloppy play, Week 2 was a slog, especially the opening half of the early window on Sunday. When all was said and done, there were more risers than fallers, but some very notable names on the fallers list.

The players in this weekly article aren't necessarily the week's best and worst performers. Instead, we'll talk about trends that could last well beyond this week.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Risers

Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets

12. That's how many targets Adonai Mitchell saw thrown in his direction against Green Bay, good enough to lead the team. It's quite the jump from the three he got in Week 1, but there's a valid reason.

Geno Smith attempted just 24 passes in New York's Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans. In a far more competitive Week 2 contest, Smith tossed 41 passes. We expect the Jets to be underdogs and/or play from behind in most of their games. Smith's dropbacks will look more like this past Sunday.

It's worrisome to depend on any other Jet other than Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, and I'm not willing to name Mitchell a fantasy football starter just yet. Double-digit targets are impossible to ignore, however, and he needs to be rostered in most leagues.

New York's next two games are against Detroit and Chicago, two of the worst secondaries in the young season. That's flex appeal for the 23-year-old.

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Denver Broncos

Some of the Week 1 disappointments continued the trend. Some of them did the exact opposite.

Jaylen Waddle told fantasy managers that they have nothing to worry about. A week after his one-catch-for-two-yard special, Denver's prized offseason acquisition tallied eight catches for 138 yards, landing on the one-yard line for what could've been an even bigger game.

Welcome to #BroncosCountry, 🐧!!

📺: @NFLonCBS / @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/nwdF3lgld3

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 20, 2026

The former Dolphin posted an insane 6.27 yards per route run in the win over a respectable Jacksonville defense.

Worth noting, head coach Sean Payton will continue what he always does: Rotate receivers, sometimes five or six deep. Courtland Sutton outpaced Waddle in routes run in Week 2.

Denzel Boston, WR, Cleveland Browns

I'm ready to be hurt by a Cleveland Brown again.

Credit where credit is due, Deshaun Watson played his first good game since the pandemic. It's been a hot minute. Rookie wide receiver Denzel Boston was the biggest beneficiary.

The second-round pick led the Browns in routes, targets, receptions, and yards on Sunday, and boasts a 27% first-read target rate through two games.

Boston's Week 2 performance wasn't a one-hit wonder. He's recorded a 40+-yard touchdown reception in both games of his young career. He's one of only five receivers (Boston, Zay Flowers, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tre Tucker) to have more than one catch over 40 yards.

Hopefully this is a trend rather than a one-off, but Jerry Jeudy trailed Boston and KC Concepcion Jr. in routes against Tampa Bay.

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Two things are working in Josh Downs' favor: Alec Pierce (heel) is heading to the injured reserve list, and the Indianapolis defense looks dreadful through two weeks.

Downs saw a 29% target rate (nine total) in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Pierce, the Colts' WR1, left the game in the first half after reaggravating his offseason heel issue. His route participation stayed mostly consistent, but his outside route rate grew from 17.25 to 25%. It's not a massive jump, but notable for a receiver who has only made a living from the slot.

Through two games, Indianapolis has allowed 514.5 yards (337.5 through the air) and 37 points per game. All of those marks are the worst in the league. An inability to stop opposing offenses leads to deficits. Deficits lead to more passing.

Other Fantasy Football Risers:

• TreVeyon Henderson
• Tre Tucker
• Jonah Coleman
• Bryce Young
• Emanuel Wilson

Week 3 Fantasy Football Fallers

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

TreVeyon Henderson as a riser, or Rhamondre Stevenson as a faller? Ultimately, the shift in New England's backfield proved to be Stevenson's undoing.

Fumbles have always been an issue for Stevenson, and the one on New England's opening drive against Pittsburgh, unsurprisingly, led to an extended punishment. Stevenson had two touches on that drive. He handled five for the remainder of the game.

To no one's surprise, Henderson delivered when given expanded opportunities (16 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown).

Here's the good news: Head coach Mike Vrabel still trusts Stevenson in pass protection. He played 66% of third-down snaps following his fumble. That role is here to stay, but it doesn't lead to a ton of fantasy points.

Will the Patriots' coaching staff give Stevenson the first crack in Week 3? It's a definite possibility. But his stock was already trending down with a healthy Henderson joining him in the backfield. Hold your breath if you're forced to start Stevenson, because we know what happens if he puts the ball on the ground.

Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears

I was willing to chalk up Week 1 to an anomaly. Colston Loveland, after all, led all tight ends in routes during kickoff weekend.

I was (prematurely) willing to chalk up Week 2 to a batch of bad weather. But it wasn't so much the final stat line on Sunday as it was Loveland's utilization.

Loveland is third, not on his team, but at his position, in fantasy points for Chicago. Yes, rookie Sam Roush has six more yards than Loveland. The latter leads the position in targets, but five would have been a low number in one game, let alone after two. The route numbers (58, 72.5%) are fine, but his target-per-route run metric (0.07) is down amongst Luke Schoonmaker, Nate Boerkircher, and Colson Yankoff. How many of those names do you know?

Now, the Bears may be without their star quarterback, Caleb Williams, due to a hamstring injury. It's a massive hit to Chicago's skill-position players, Loveland included.

Most managers who spent a third- or fourth-round pick on Loveland are now in tight end purgatory. He can't be started and shouldn't be dropped yet, so you're forced to roster a second tight end. It's not ideal now. It'll be even worse when injuries mount and bye weeks begin.

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals

It's curtains for Marvin Harrison Jr.'s Cardinals career.

Even the few who still had optimism for the former first-round pick entering the season have given up hope. Through two games, Harrison has earned four targets and caught one for 33 yards. Head coach Mike LaFleur is not sounding the panic alarm yet, but we can.

What went into Marvin Harrison Jr.'s one-target outing in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks?

Mike LaFleur explains:

"The spots he was trying to get to he was getting to. We just weren't able to connect."

LaFleur added Seattle's D and self-inflicted wounds played a big part in the… pic.twitter.com/VUNRAWlp20

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) September 21, 2026

Surely, at some point this season, there will be some start-worthy games for Harrison. Will there be any indication of when those are coming, if they ever do? Nope.

If you want to drop him and have another manager pick up the landmine, go for it.

Travis Etienne Jr., RB, New Orleans Saints

Travis Etienne Jr.'s pass-catching (seven for 32) saved fantasy managers in Week 1. The ground opportunities stayed low in Week 2, but so did the targets this time.

It coincides with the return of veteran Alvin Kamara, who missed Week 1 with an MCL sprain. While the seven receiving yards are comical, five catches on six targets is no laughing matter. Kamara also out-carried Etienne nine to eight.

To muck things up even more, Kamara wasn't the primary third-down back. It wasn't Etienne either. Undrafted rookie C.J. Donaldson played 13 of 15 third downs.

If you're, at the very least, hoping for an Etienne goal-line role for what's proving to be a fantasy-friendly offense, then you're going to hate how the team's final scoring drive ended. Instead of giving the football to a running back, Tyler Shough snuck on third and fourth down from the one-yard line.

Other Fantasy Football Fallers:

• David Montgomery
• Justin Herbert
• Caleb Douglas
• Drake Maye

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