Week 3 Rankings: Standard | PPR
I've been playing Fantasy Football for a long time. I can't remember a week like the last one with so many running back injuries.
Eight starting-caliber Fantasy running backs injured.
That's a quarter of the league's starters.
The good news is that some of them aren't as serious as others, but the better news is that Week 2's boo-boos will facilitate a tremendous market for trading as Fantasy owners hustle to cover their starting running back spots.
It's time to target rushers who will return strong results.
Impatient Gurley owners will take little in trade for him, citing he stinks. Truth is, his numbers stink, but he doesn't. Anytime a player with great talent gets off to a slow start, Fantasy owners should take notice. The Rams have only one really difficult matchup in their next five -- now's when we should start expecting the Rams to turn the corner offensively and move from disgraceful to average. That might be all Gurley needs to start being helpful in Fantasy.
Eventually the Saints will realize they're not running the ball enough. New Orleans currently ranks 31st in rush attempts through two weeks with 35. Ingram has 21 of those 35 carries, 60 percent, and is far and away their best rusher thus far. The Saints have also been inside their opponents' 10-yard line three times through two games, and none last week. Of those three instances, Ingram has one carry (from eight yards out). It's a matter of time before Ingram gets that goal-line work, and the Saints' schedule is mighty favorable over the next two weeks.
Bernard is coming off of a 100-yard receiving game, but he's thriving beyond that. In Week 2 he played nearly 20 more snaps than Jeremy Hill after basically splitting with him 50-50 in Week 1. He's also proven to be more explosive on handoffs, dwarfing Hill's 2.7 yard average with a respectable 4.2. If Bernard's going to get extra playing time when the Bengals are trailing, but not necessarily lose a lot of snaps when they're winning or in a close matchup, wouldn't he be the better back to own? If Hill can't come out of his year-plus slump then Bernard will definitely take on more work.
The dude hasn't played a game this year, but he's gained value nonetheless. T.J. Yeldon has not taken advantage of the playing time afforded him in Ivory's absence (2.4 yards per carry, 3.3 yards per catch). That should mean Ivory gets a long look in the offense upon his return. Now, part of the reason why Yeldon has stunk is because the Jaguars offensive line isn't good at run blocking. That's kind of a problem. But with matchups against the Ravens, Colts, Bears, Raiders and Titans on the horizon, Ivory should still find some scoring opportunities and won't have to do much to earn better averages than Yeldon.
One last thing: You'll begin seeing separation this week between the top-tier players at each position and the rest of the group. As with all things in life, expect to pay a premium for the best-of-the-best players.
What are the Trade Values? The chart is designed to help guide you in making fair trades in your standard-scoring or PPR leagues. The values assigned to the players below are a long-term measurement of their Fantasy value. By adding two players' values you could determine what one player you should be able to get in return. This list also works as a "Rest of Season" rankings. Also, any player not on the chart should be considered valued at no more than four points.
Note: These values were updated following the injury news to Adrian Peterson (out at least three months), Ameer Abdullah (placed on IR, out at least eight games), Doug Martin (out at least three games) and Donte Moncrief (out at least four games).
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Player | Stnd | PPR |
| Rob Gronkowski, NE | 31 | 33 |
| Greg Olsen, CAR | 15 | 17 |
| Jordan Reed, WAS | 14 | 16 |
| Delanie Walker, TEN | 11 | 13 |
| Eric Ebron, DET | 7 | 8 |
| Julius Thomas, JAC | 7 | 8 |
| Antonio Gates, SD | 7 | 8 |
| Travis Kelce, KC | 6 | 7 |
| Kyle Rudolph, MIN | 6 | 7 |
| Martellus Bennett, NE | 6 | 7 |
| Tyler Eifert, CIN | 6 | 6 |
| Dennis Pitta, BAL | 5 | 7 |
| Gary Barnidge, CLE | 5 | 7 |
| Coby Fleener, NO | 5 | 6 |
Quarterbacks
| Player | Stnd | PPR |
| Cam Newton, CAR | 20 | 20 |
| Aaron Rodgers, GB | 16 | 16 |
| Carson Palmer, ARI | 14 | 14 |
| Andrew Luck, IND | 14 | 14 |
| Drew Brees, NO | 14 | 14 |
| Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | 14 | 14 |
| Tom Brady, NE | 13 | 13 |
| Derek Carr, OAK | 11 | 11 |
| Eli Manning, NYG | 9 | 9 |
| Russell Wilson, SEA | 9 | 9 |
| Matt Ryan, ATL | 8 | 8 |
| Matthew Stafford, DET | 8 | 8 |
| Philip Rivers, SD | 8 | 8 |
| Tyrod Taylor, BUF | 7 | 7 |
| Blake Bortles, JAC | 6 | 6 |
