👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Monday Morning NFL Recap - Week 3 Surprises, Busts & Laughers

In the interest of full disclosure: I was at a music festival this weekend, so now I'm about 80% certain that I have every conceivable form of lung disease.  You would not believe the things people were throwing on those bonfires.  I mean, I saw people throwing in used napkins, lighters, plastic water bottles, styrofoam, you name it. The ACME-branded box of nitroglycerin containers was in one of the other fire pits, sadly.  Wily E. was on the other side of the stage.

Seriously, though, if you see the headline "mildly entertaining Internet writer dies of emphysema" in the Southern California area, at least you've been adequately prepared for the grieving process. I bring this up mostly because there were some incredibly entertaining meltdowns this week, and things melting down that shouldn't have been seemed like a decent lead-in.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out FantasyAces DFS contests. New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces and make a $20 deposit will receive RotoBaller's full season NFL Premium Pass for free (including Premium DFS), normally a $59.99 value. Expert DFS research, sample lineups, matchup ratings and lots more!

Featured Promo: Looking for some more fantasy football action? Adopt a dynasty orphan team over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. Sign Up Now!

 

It's Monday Morning... What Just Happened

The Stars:

  • The Minnesota Vikings' Defense - You know how every year, you go to ESPN and you read a million draft guides that say "don't take a defense till second to last, just before the kicker" and then you watch the Seahawks, Texans, Broncos, etc. go in like the ninth and you're sitting there trying to figure out who you're gonna stream in Week 1?  Did you pick the Vikings?  If you did, can you tell me how you go around not bragging about it literally all the time?  I'm incapable of it.  I've been congratulating myself to everyone I know for three weeks now.  It's like a disease.  The Vikings have put up 21, 14, and 25 points, and two of those games came against Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton.  True story: someone in my league drafted THREE defenses and none of them were Minnesota.  If the Vikings keep it up, I'm gonna be disowned by Halloween.
  • The Kansas City Chiefs' Defense - I went back and forth on this.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to write in the Chiefs' defense for picking off Ryan Fitzpatrick six (6) times here, or if I wanted to wait and make fun of the Jets further down in the column.  Then I just realized that six picks (with a pick-six) was terrible enough that it certainly deserved to be mocked here multiple times.  Ryan Fitzpatrick actually mailed out handwritten apology letters to every Jets fan in the country for his historically terrible performance.  Sadly, though, Jets fans, Marcus Peters and Eric Berry intercepted them before they could get to you.  If you were fortunate enough to start the KC defense, however, I need you to understand what you've done to your opponent.  There's no comeback from "his/her defense dropped 35 on me, man...the defense" except for finding solace in the welcoming embrace of your buddy Mr. Daniels.  Just know that you drove them to this.  You monster.
  • Carlos HydeHyde struggled through most of the game, but punched in two touchdowns late in order to cement his status as #1 RB this week, and trick us into thinking the 49ers didn't get obliterated by the Seahawks yesterday.  Chip Kelly is a next-level football coach, y'all.
  • Terrelle PryorThere was a point today at which Terrelle Pryor was the Browns' leading receiver AND passer.  While that may be the Brownsiest stat of all time, his multifaceted efforts (8 receptions/144 yards; 4 carries/21 yards/1 TD; 3-5 passing for 35 yards ), the last man standing in Cleveland's potentially intriguing WR corps could not carry the Browns to victory against the Dolphins.  And yeah, I know that "leading passer" thing was fairly disingenuous as Cody Kessler threw for 244 yards, but we all know the track record of USC quarterbacks in this league.  The Browns, proud starters of like 30 quarterbacks since 1999, took a look at this track record and said "nah, man, we can fix that."  Eventually, Kessler will do something that obliterates Mark Sanchez's buttfumble in the ignominy rankings.  It's ordained by fate itself.
  • Marvin JonesThe Lions wideout had 6 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns.  Of course, the Lions still lost this game, in which they had more total yardage, more first downs and ten more minutes of possession, but he definitely gets an A for effort.
  • Antonio Brown14 points on yardage alone is impressive, and the 12 receptions he had make me once again furious that no one in my league will allow me to switch the scoring rules to 1-point PPR.
  • Carson WentzWentz topped himself again in the game against Pittsburgh, once again avoiding interceptions on his way to a 300 yard, 2-TD outing against the Steelers.  Which is starting to get tremendously annoying as a person whose team celebrated its return to Los Angeles by NOT drafting Wentz.

 

The Busts:

  • The New York Jets - My working theory is that Ryan Fitzpatrick had a Walkman as a child, but it was damaged to the point where the only music it could play is the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away," and it's now just a conditioned autonomic response.  Ryan Fitzpatrick is making 12 million dollars this year, which means that each interception cost the Jets $125,000.  The last thing to do that much damage and cost New York that much money was the housing bubble bursting.  The last person to so thoroughly kill a representative of New York like that was Aaron Burr.  The last time anything in New York was shut down that hard, the blackout was credited with the advent of hip-hop.  I could keep going, but if I do I'll be writing till sunrise.  Wait, wait hold on - the last time anyone sucked that hard and that publicly, we almost impeached a president.  OK, now I'm done.
  • The Kansas City Chiefs - SURPRISE, B*TCH!  Bet you didn't see this coming!  Seriously, though, KC, the Jets spotted you 6 turnovers that weren't immediately returned for touchdowns, and you only managed 10 points off of them?  You do know that etiquette only demands that you turn down a gift three times before you take it, right?
  • Rob GronkowskiLook, it's another coaching masterstroke from Bill Belichick!  "We'll stick Gronkowski in the game, but we won't actually use him, they'll never see it coming!"  Congrats, bro, you just masterfully manipulated the team that solved its quarterbacking problem by throwing $72 million at a quarterback John Elway took great care to throw shade out as the door was hitting him on the ass.  Truly, Belichick operates on a plane incomprehensible to mere mortals like us.  Also, a shout-out to NFL.com, whose app didn't finish loading my draft until 5 rounds in and left me stuck with the human embodiment of Four Loko.  Ugh.

 
That's about it for me - I need to go finish coughing up chunks of what I assume to be pure asbestos out of my lungs.  See you next time.
 
 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ivica Zubac

Remains Sidelined Sunday
Rudy Gobert

Suspended One Game Sunday
Devin Booker

to Miss at Least One Week
Dillon Brooks

Suffers a Broken Hand
Tyler Samaniego

Dealing with Back Tightness
Cam Schlittler

Throws Bullpen Session on Saturday
Cody Freeman

to Miss Significant Time with Back Fracture
Javonte Williams

Cowboys Sign Javonte Williams to Three-Year, $24 Million Extension
Logan Gilbert

to Make Spring Debut on Monday
Jonathon Long

Exits With Left-Elbow Sprain
Walter Clayton Jr.

is Ready to Go for Saturday
Dru Smith

is Available for Saturday's Game
Davion Mitchell

Won't Play on Saturday
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic is Ruled Out for Saturday's Contest
Norman Powell

is Cleared for Saturday's Game
Tyler Herro

is Available to Play on Saturday
Dejounte Murray

Remains Sidelined on Saturday
Joel Armia

Wraps Up Olympics With Three-Point Performance
Daniil Tarasov

Available for Panthers
Evan Rodrigues

Set to Return Next Week
Aaron Ekblad

Expected to Play Thursday
Pavel Zacha

Cleared for Action
Cooper Flagg

Still Sidelined on Sunday
VAN

Jonathan Lekkerimaki Needs Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
Scottie Barnes

Ruled Out on Sunday
Mikko Rantanen

Misses Bronze-Medal Game With Lower-Body Injury
Grayson Allen

Back on Saturday Night, Will Come Off the Bench
Jalen Suggs

Won't Suit Up on Saturday
Jaden Ivey

Shut Down for at Least Two Weeks
Joe Ryan

Scratched From Grapefruit League Start With Back Tightness
Merrill Kelly

Scratched From Live BP With Back Tightness
Jack Suwinski

Dodgers Claim Jack Suwinski Off Waivers From Pirates
Andrew Vaughn

Can Andrew Vaughn Repeat 2025 Breakout Success?
Brenton Doyle

Carries Buy-Low Potential Heading into 2026
Jack Flaherty

Can Jack Flaherty Bounce Back After 2025 Struggles?
Colton Cowser

Looking to Rebound from Injury-Marred 2025 Campaign
Yandy Díaz

Can Yandy Diaz Repeat 2025 Power Surge?
Sal Stewart

Playing Second Base in First Spring Training Outing
Zach Collins

to Miss Rest of 2025-26 Season
De'Andre Hunter

to Undergo Season-Ending Eye Surgery
Tristan Vukcevic

Exits Early Vs. Pacers
John Collins

Leaves Game with Head Injury
Kawhi Leonard

Exits Early Friday Night
Kevin McGonigle

Starting at Shortstop in Grapefruit League Opener
Bo Bichette

Batting Third in Mets Spring Training Debut
J.J. Wetherholt

JJ Wetherholt Playing Second, Batting Fifth in Grapefruit League Opener
Kazuma Okamoto

Hitting Third in Grapefruit League Opener
Jorge Polanco

Expected to See a Lot of Time as Designated Hitter
Blake Coleman

Activated From Injured Reserve
Ramón Urías

Ramon Urias Agrees on One-Year Deal With Cardinals
Matt Rempe

Heading to Injured Reserve After Second Thumb Procedure
Roman Anthony

Expected to Hit Leadoff for Boston
Sidney Crosby

a Game-Time Call for Olympic Final
Josh Morrissey

Won't Play Sunday
Filip Chytil

Out Indefinitely With Facial Fracture
Connor McDavid

Makes History With Another Multi-Point Outing
Tage Thompson

Expected to Play in Olympic Final
Travis Etienne Jr.

has "Legitimate Interest" in Joining Chiefs
Zach Charbonnet

Undergoes Knee Surgery on Friday
CFB

Curt Cignetti Agrees to New Deal With Indiana, Will Earn $13.2 Million Per Year
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Returns to Practice
Josh Morrissey

Remains Out Against Finland
Sidney Crosby

Won't Play Friday
Anthony Hernandez

Set For UFC Houston Main Event
Sean Strickland

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Uros Medic

Set For UFC Houston Co-Main Event
Geoff Neal

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Melquizael Costa

A Favorite At UFC Houston
Dan Ige

An Underdog At UFC Houston
Logan Cooley

Sheds Non-Contact Jersey
Maxwell Crozier

to Miss 10 Weeks After Surgery
Kirill Marchenko

Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Petr Mrazek

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
Rashee Rice

Accused of Assault by Long-Time Girlfriend
Ben Griffin

Looking to Return to Top Form at Riviera
Keegan Bradley

Looking to Build Momentum at Riviera
J.J. Spaun

Putting a Major Concern at Riviera
Sepp Straka

May Have Tough Time at The Genesis Invitational
Shane Lowry

Trending Up Entering the Genesis Invitational
Justin Rose

Off Most Radars at The Genesis Invitational
Robert MacIntyre

a Long Hitter to Watch at Riviera Country Club
Jake Knapp

Red-Hot Heading to Riviera
Min Woo Lee

Attempts to Build Momentum After Pebble Beach
Harry Hall

an Unknown for The Genesis Invitational
Matt Fitzpatrick

Has Favorable Path to Success at Riviera This Week
Wyndham Clark

Not Likely to Contend at Genesis Invitational
Ludvig Aberg

Might Find the Genesis Invitational More Challenging
Harris English

Carries Strong Form to Riviera
Patrick Cantlay

Eyes Another Strong Week at The Genesis Invitational
Daniel Berger

Needs Short Game to Show Up at Riviera
Sam Burns

Hopes Return to Form Continues at Riviera
Collin Morikawa

Riding Wave of Victory Into Riviera
Hideki Matsuyama

Looks to Have Repeat Success at The Genesis Invitational
Scottie Scheffler

Looks to Find Paydirt at Riviera
Xander Schauffele

Rounding into Form Before Genesis Invitational
Mike Evans

Will Return in 2026
Kenneth Walker III

Seahawks Not Expected to Use Franchise Tag on Kenneth Walker III
Bucky Irving

Undergoes Offseason Shoulder Surgery
Tyreek Hill

Says he Will Play in 2026
Joey Logano

Finishes Third in the 2026 Daytona 500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

. Finishes as the Runner-Up in the Daytona 500
Chase Elliott

Falls Short of His First Daytona 500 Victory Again
Brad Keselowski

Ends Daytona 500 With a Top-Five Finish
Tyler Reddick

Wins the Daytona 500 for the First Time with 23XI Racing
Tyreek Hill

Released by Dolphins
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF