Fantasy fallers: Players to avoid in Week 3

With players like Isiah Pacheco, Deebo Samuel and Tua Tagovailoa on the shelf for Week 3, some fantasy managers may struggle to fill their rosters. Good players are available but these three could be trouble (scores via Yahoo Sports).

Sam Darnold (QB) - Minnesota Vikings

With 476 yards, four scores and the fifth-highest quarterback rating (111.8) in the NFL, Darnold is off to an excellent start, but he could be running for his life against a Texans team that recorded seven sacks against the Bears last week and trails the Vikings (11) by two sacks for the league lead.

Darnold took three sacks in a 23-17 victory over San Francisco, yet still finished with the fourth-most fantasy points (20.92) among quarterbacks in Week 2. Minnesota wide receiver Justin Jefferson had four catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in the game but couldn’t finish thanks to a bruised quadriceps.

Jefferson expects to play in Week 3, but wide receiver Jordan Addison may not be back from an ankle injury that kept him on the bench last week. Even if both play, Darnold faces an uphill battle against a hungry Texans team allowing the third-fewest yards per game (254.0) this season.

Rico Dowdle (RB) - Dallas Cowboys

Dowdle led the Cowboys with seven carries for 30 yards with another 29 yards on four catches in a blowout loss to the Saints (44-19) and saw the field before Ezekiel Elliott on Sunday. That’s good news for Dowdle, but the next game could be a different story.

This week, John Harbugh’s 0-2 Ravens travel to Arlington, Texas to meet Mike McCarthy’s 1-1 Cowboys in what already feels like a must-win for both teams. No team has allowed more passing yards per game (257.0) than Baltimore this year, but no team has given up fewer rush yards per contest (49.5) than the Ravens.

Except for Elliott, no Cowboys running back has scored a touchdown this year and no Dallas ball-carrier can be counted on to do so against the Ravens. Dallas fans should be encouraged to see Dowdle get more targets than Elliott, but fantasy managers should look to avoid him against Baltimore.

Christian Kirk (WR) - Jacksonville Jaguars

Kirk’s numbers have steadily gone down since he led the Jaguars with 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022. He took a back seat to Calvin Ridley as the team’s leading receiver last year and has just two catches after two games in 2024.

The 27-year-old pass-catcher recorded one catch on three targets for negative yardage in an 18-13 loss to Cleveland last week. His team was facing a tough Cleveland defense but for some reason, wide receivers Gabe Davis (seven) and Brenton Strange (six) led the team in targets, leaving Kirk with .90 fantasy points. 

This week, the Jaguars travel to face a Bills team allowing the third-fewest points per game (19.45) to wide receivers. With injuries to other wide receivers like Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Deebo Samuel, avoiding Kirk may be impossible in deeper leagues, although Cincinnati's Andrei Iosivas and Carolina's Adam Thielen would be much better options and remain available in most leagues.