The game of fantasy football is always shifting. There will never be consecutive weeks where player values are exactly the same. To help keep managers up to date on the ebbs and flows of player valuation, here are the top risers and fallers heading into Week 3 of the NFL season.
Risers: Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
After a dismal Week 1 performance, Drake Maye rewarded fantasy managers who stuck with him. It was unfortunate that the New England Patriots QB did a whole lot of nothing in the second half, but no one is complaining about 26.3 fantasy points.
Maye threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns while adding 30 yards on the ground and a rushing score. This is the type of production we want to see from a young, mobile quarterback. And Maye is doing this without a true WR1.
This won’t be the result every week, but Maye has shown enough to prove he can be a weekly fantasy starter. The high-end QB1 ceiling is clearly evident, and the upcoming schedule is highly favorable.
After one week, it was a little dicey. Now, we know we can start Maye each week with confidence.
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
It’s always dangerous to draw conclusions after one week. Are the Detroit Lions just bad? Or is the Green Bay Packers’ defense that good? We now have our answer.
The Lions bounced back as well as they possibly could, laying it on their former offensive coordinator. Ben Johnson’s squad had no answer for his former team, which did whatever it wanted whenever it wanted.
It all started with Jared Goff, who threw for 334 yards and five touchdowns. He really should’ve only had four, but Dan Campbell left his starters in deep into the fourth quarter despite being up by four scores. No one got hurt. We have no complaints. Thank you, Dan!
Jared Goff wanted in on the Lions Leap too 😂🦁 pic.twitter.com/OdVqDaSaag
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 14, 2025
Obviously, Goff’s weekly performance will hinge heavily on whether the Lions score their touchdowns on the ground or through the air. In Week 2, it didn’t matter, as the Lions scored seven touchdowns. Regardless, Goff is back to being a back-end QB1. Next week’s trip to Baltimore should be another high-scoring contest, too.
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Fantasy managers who were excited about Bhayshul Tuten were sorely disappointed in Week 1 when the Jacksonville Jaguars deployed all four of their running backs. Things took a very positive turn in Week 2.
Travis Etienne Jr. remains the clear RB1. However, the departure of Tank Bigsby in the trade to Philadelphia elevated the rookie to the clear RB2 role.
Tuten wasn’t just a backup, though. He was involved regularly. Even though he only played 25% of the snaps, Tuten touched the ball 10 times. That is enough usage to be in consideration for fantasy lineups if you are in a bind.
Most importantly, Tuten looked good. He was quick, decisive, and explosive, totaling 74 yards. He also scored his first career touchdown on a designed screen, which had to have made the coaches’ eyes light up.
Bhayshul Tuten scores his first NFL TD!
JAXvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/B4EmYon3L8
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
As long as Etienne is playing well, Tuten is nothing more than an upside RB3. But we know how quickly things can change. Tuten is now one injury away from being a weekly RB2. Plus, if Etienne’s play declines, Tuten’s role will increase, giving him another path to fantasy value.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns
Quinshon Judkins made his NFL debut in Week 2. Having not been able to participate in training camp at all, the Cleveland Browns’ second-round selection was eased into action. He was only expected to play 10-15 snaps.
Judkins wound up on the field for 19 plays, firmly behind Jerome Ford. However, he saw an opportunity on 12 of those.
It’s abundantly clear that within a week or two, the rookie will be the starter and feature back. And he wasn’t merely used on the ground. Judkins saw six targets, which is incredibly promising for a prospect with a questionable receiving profile.
Fantasy managers who rolled the dice on Judkins should be elated at this usage. He can probably be started as a weekly RB2 as soon as Week 3, but certainly by Week 4.
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
I’ve seen enough over the past two weeks. Rome Odunze is the Chicago Bears’ WR1.
The sophomore wide receiver saw a team-high 11 targets, catching seven for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He’s been a WR1 in fantasy.
The Bears opened with two difficult matchups against the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. Now, it’s time for the schedule to open up. With games against the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders up next, the good times should keep on rolling for Odunze.
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Davante Adams may be told, but he is definitely not busted. The future Hall of Famer still has it, as evidenced by his six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown in the Los Angeles Rams’ victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Davante Adams with his first Rams TD
13 targets
6 receptions
106 receiving yards
1 TDpic.twitter.com/QRLwJVjF4x— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) September 14, 2025
Puka Nacua is unquestionably the Rams’ WR1. But Matthew Stafford looks healthy and is more than capable of sustaining two fantasy WR1s. He’s done it before.
Adams now has 21 targets across his first two games as a Ram. Fantasy managers should have no concerns about a decline at age 32 and feel very confident starting him as a high WR2 each week.
Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers
Despite being one of the best teams in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers aren’t a fantasy goldmine. Not a single wide receiver is startable every week.
Yet, as the Packers rotate wide receivers, there is a stabilizing force among their pass catchers. It comes at tight end in the form of Tucker Kraft.
Nicknamed “Baby Kittle,” the young talent sure does look like the next great tight end. He finished Sunday as the overall TE1 on the week with 24.4 fantasy points. Kraft caught six of seven targets for 124 yards and a touchdown.
With Jayden Reed out for half the season and Matthew Golden looking nowhere near ready for a featured role, Jordan Love should continue to rely on his tight end. He is a locked-in every-week TE1.
Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts
It’s only been two weeks, but I’m ready to anoint Tyler Warren as the next elite tight end. For years, we saw Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham dominate the position. They gave way to Travis Kelce and George Kittle. Warren is next.
The first-round rookie has been nothing short of spectacular to start his young career. Warren is still looking for his first touchdown, but has posted double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back weeks. That is not something many tight ends can do.
Prayers to everyone who benched Tucker Kraft tonight 😭 pic.twitter.com/146Tql12oE
— Sleeper (@SleeperHQ) September 12, 2025
If you drafted Warren, congratulations. You have an every-week no-doubter TE1. He is Daniel Jones’ top target and is a strong bet to finish as a top-three tight end on the season.
Fallers: Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
That superstar Week 1 outing from Justin Fields feels so long ago. The New York Jets’ quarterback came crashing down to earth in Week 2 with a performance nightmares are made of.
Fields threw for 27 yards in a full professional football game. Twenty-seven. If not for 49 rushing yards, he would’ve finished with negative fantasy points. As it stands, he couldn’t quite get to 4.0. To make matters worse, Fields couldn’t complete the game due to injury.
It remains to be seen whether Fields will be ready to go in Week 3. More importantly, fantasy managers may not care. Knowing Fields’ floor is this low and considering the caliber of offense he’s done, we can no longer confidently treat him as an every-week QB1.
It’s unfortunate because the upcoming schedule is appetizing with matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, and Dallas Cowboys on tap.
Fields is obviously not someone fantasy managers should drop. Rather, he’s a borderline QB1 who can only be started when the matchup calls for it.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
We got one fully healthy season from Joe Burrow before the injury bug returned. This one isn’t as serious as his torn wrist ligament in 2023, but it’s still going to be a multi-week absence.
Joe Burrow has a form of turf toe and was spotted on crutches in a walking boot after the Cincinnati Bengals’ thrilling victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He will miss at least a few weeks, but if surgery is necessary, it would likely spell the end of his regular season.
If Burrow has to miss three months, as reports estimate he would if he does undergo surgery, that would enable him to return for the NFL playoffs should the Bengals qualify. Of course, 12+ starts by Jake Browning are not exactly a path to success.
Fantasy managers who spent a fifth-round pick on Burrow to be their locked-in elite QB1 will have to turn to the waiver wire or the trade block for a replacement.
TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots
After last week, New England Patriots’ coaches publicly stated they needed to do a better job running the ball. Given Rhamondre Stevenson’s dismal Week 1 performance, that naturally led fantasy managers to surmise this meant a larger role for TreVeyon Henderson. No such thing.
The rookie’s snap share was 31%, about the same as last week. The main difference is that Henderson actually touched the ball less, remaining sidelined for long stretches. He even lost 10 snaps to Antonio Gibson.
It’s far too soon to throw in the towel on a big rookie year for Henderson. However, any backfield takeover we are hoping for is not going to happen soon, especially in light of Stevenson’s strong Week 2.
Fantasy managers drafted Henderson to be a weekly starter. At this point, he needs to be firmly planted on fantasy benches until we see his role increase.
RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos
It is scary how similar RJ Harvey’s situation is to Henderson’s. Both were drafted to be their respective teams’ RB1 of the future. Both are behind a serviceable veteran they can’t quite unseat.
Harvey and Henderson played the same number of snaps in Week 2. With snap shares around 30%, neither can see enough volume to produce fantasy-relevant numbers.
Harvey can absolutely take over the Denver Broncos’ backfield. But it’s not going to happen while JK Dobbins is playing this well. Until the veteran falters or unless he gets hurt, Harvey is another talented rookie who must remain on fantasy benches.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
The Burrow injury is a disaster for everyone on the Bengals. It’s especially a problem for the secondary options, though.
Ja’Marr Chase takes a hit with Browning set to start for the foreseeable future. However, as the WR1, he is still going to produce.
The problem for Tee Higgins is that backup quarterbacks tend to lock in on their primary read. That’s going to be Chase more often than not.
We saw this on full display in Week 2. Chase saw 16 targets. Higgins saw five. This is not quite a 1a/1b situation, but Higgins is as talented as many teams’ WR1s. He was drafted in the third round to put up high WR2 numbers.
Higgins salvaged his Week 2 performance with a touchdown. Had he not, it would’ve been a repeat of Week 1 when Higgins only managed three receptions for 33 yards. You’re still starting Higgins, but you’re not feeling great about it.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Volume is not an issue for Brian Thomas Jr. He is clearly the WR1 for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and there is no threat to his role. He led the team in snaps, routes run, and targets. Unfortunately, Thomas’ quarterback is Trevor Lawrence.
Go through the list of top starting quarterbacks in your head. How far do you get before you’re confidently taking Lawrence ahead of them? The answer is quite far.
Lawrence seems incapable of delivering a catchable ball to his WR1. It’s still just two weeks, but it’s quickly becoming a problem.
Obviously, no one is benching Thomas. Even in his worst outings, he still gets to about 9.0 fantasy points. But we drafted him to be an elite WR1. He has been no such thing. At this point, while we’re not giving up on him, we have to downgrade him to a middling WR2 until we see signs of line…or get a quarterback change.
Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos
This is as bad as it gets. Evan Engram isn’t even the TE1 for the Denver Broncos. Supposedly brought in to be Sean Payton’s “joker,” Engram has been nothing but a joke.
Through two weeks, the former Jaguar and Giant has seen a whopping six targets. In Week 2, he played a mere 42% of the snaps, running a route on fewer than 60% of Bo Nix’s dropbacks.
While Engram led the Broncos’ tight ends in routes run, he played 12 fewer snaps than Adam Trautman. That’s just not a tenable situation.
Fantasy managers who drafted Engram should not only cease starting him, but they should drop him entirely.
Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots
Hunter Henry is still the New England Patriots’ TE1. However, his role is nowhere near strong enough to justify fantasy consideration anymore.
Henry played 85% of the snaps, which is a great number. Unfortunately, he only ran 22 routes, a mere eight more than Austin Hooper. And it was his supposed backup who actually out-targeted him.
In a game where the Patriots scored 33 points and Drake Maye threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns, Henry managed one reception for nine yards. What are we supposed to do with that? The answer is leave it on the waiver wire.
