Whether you’re setting your fantasy football lineups or you need just a bit more information before getting in on the NFL betting action at your favorite sportsbook, we’ve got you covered here at Pro Football Network with the most important stats, notes, and insights for every NFL matchup in Week 3.

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New York Giants at Cleveland Browns

New York Giants

Team: The Giants have scored 24 points this season (seven teams last Sunday alone reached that total). Their lowest PPG average for a season in the modern era is 15.1 PPG.

QB: Since the start of last season, among qualifiers, Daniel Jones has the worst Passer Rating from the pocket (72.2, three touchdowns against seven interceptions). Bryce Young (74.4), Bailey Zappe (74.8), and Mac Jones (78.4) are his closest comparisons. Deshaun Watson (82.5) has underachieved, but holds the edge this week.

Offense: Malik Nabers had more catches (10) than all of his teammates combined had targets (9) in the loss against the Commanders last weekend.

Defense: The Giants have played man coverage at the 2nd-highest rate since 2023 (36.7%). The only team to play more man coverage in that span? The Browns at 41.0%.

Fantasy: Devin Singletary and Malik Nabers have accounted for 60% of the Giants’ scrimmage yards this season.

Betting: Daniel Jones has failed to cover in his last 8 starts, twice as long as the next-longest active streak for any starting QB. The last QB to fail to cover in 9 straight starts was Matt Ryan in 2015 (9).

Cleveland Browns

Team: If Cleveland is going to make a move, this is the stretch: Giants-Raiders-Commanders over their next three (Eagles-Bengals-Ravens after that).

QB: Remember when mobility was Watson’s calling card?

Out-of-pocket CMP% with HOU: 61.2%
Out-of-pocket CMP% with CLE: 43.2%

Offense: The Browns have allowed the highest pressure rate in the league through Week 2 (45%). Nine players have allowed eight or more pressures this season, and three of them play for Cleveland (Ethan Pocic, James Hudson, Joel Bitonio).

Defense: The Browns are allowing the lowest completion percentage in the league to WRs (47%). Brian Thomas Jr. had a 66-yard catch on Sunday; no other player has that many receiving yards in a whole game vs the Browns this year.

Fantasy: Amari Cooper averages 0.45 PPR points per target through two weeks, 28.6% lower than any other receiver with at least 10 targets thus far.

Betting: Deshaun Watson is 6-11-1 ATS (35.3%) in his past 18 starts as a favorite.

Green Bay Packers at Tennessee Titans

Green Bay Packers

Team: The longest active Week 3 win streak in the NFL belongs to the Packers (5 straight – the past three have come by a total of 5 points).

QB: The Packers didn’t ask Malik Willis to do much between the hashes or down the field in their upset win over the Colts in Week 2.

Offense: The Packers ran the ball on 20 of their 22 first quarter plays (most Q1 runs by a team in a game this millennium). They threw two passes in their first three offensive snaps of Q2.

Defense: The Packers rank 5th in third down defense (26%) after ranking 25th in that category last season (41%). This week they face a Titans team that ranks 23rd in third down conversions (31%).

Fantasy: Josh Jacobs had two games with a 30+ yard run last season with the Raiders – he’s 2-for-2 with the Packers (season: 48 carries for 235 yards).

Betting: Since 2014, overs are 14-5 when the Packers play on the road with a total under 45 points.

Tennessee Titans

Team: The Titans (likely) get a backup QB this week and next week (at Miami) after playing a rookie in Week 1 (Caleb Williams) and a 40-year old off an Achilles in Week 2 (Aaron Rodgers).

QB: Annually, NFL QBs complete around 56% of their red zone passes – Will Levis is 9-of-25 (36%) inside the 20 for his career.

Offense: The Titans have yet to score a fourth quarter point this season (they’ve allowed 21) – they were second worst in the category last season (64 fourth quarter points).

Defense: The Titans are allowing the fewest pass yards per game (114.0). Tennessee ranks 6th in defensive EPA per dropback (0.18) after ranking 30th in that category last season (-0.11).

Fantasy: Tony Pollard ended his Dallas career without a 20+ yard touch in seven straight games (playoffs included) – he’s started his time in Tennessee with a 20+ yard gain in two straight (26-yard run in Week 1 at Chicago and a 22-yard catch against the Jets last week).

Betting: Even with an understanding of the limitations of Will Levis, bookmakers are struggling to set Tennessee totals low enough – unders are 4-1-1 in their past six games.

Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts

Chicago Bears

Team: The Bears have been outscored by 20 points in the first 30 minutes of games this season and are +21 in the final 30 minutes.

QB: Caleb Williams has returned an underwhelming grade in our custom QB grades both weeks, but he has completed 19-of-23 first town passes (82.6%).

Offense: Twice this season has a team failed to reach 3.2 yards per play – the Bears in Week 2 at HOU (3.1) and the Bears in Week 1 vs TEN (2.8). Since 2000, only the 2002 Texans (2.7) and 2006 Raiders (2.7) have averaged fewer yards per play through two games than this year’s Bears (3.0).

Defense: The Bears rank 2nd in defensive EPA per play (0.26), behind only the Chargers. It’s Chicago’s best defensive EPA per play through two games since at least 2000.

Fantasy: Breakout game? The Colts play more zone than anyone and, since 2015, that is where rookie QBs have had success.

Vs. Man: 53.9% complete, 6.3 YPA
Vs. Zone: 67.2% complete, 7.1 YPA

Betting: For the second straight week, Caleb Williams and the Bears are playing inside. Rookie QBs are 11-5-1 ATS in their past 17 such games (Chicago lost by six points last week in Houston, covering the 6.5-point closing line in most spots)

Indianapolis Colts

Team: The Colts are 0-2 this season despite holding two of the top-10 per play offensive games of the season.

QB: Anthony Richardson has been blitzed on seven dropbacks this season – he’s 0-6 with two interceptions on those plays.

Offense: We are just two weeks into the season, but the Colts are operating, by far, at the fastest pace in the league (24.9 seconds of possession per play). They were third fastest a season ago, but this mark would be the quickest in the NFL since the 2020 Cowboys.

Defense: Since the start of last season, no team has played more zone than the Colts (83.2%) and it’s not really all that close (the Panthers rank second at 80.1%).

Fantasy: Anthony Richardson completed three of his first four passes of this season, racking up 79 yards and a touchdown in the process. Since, he’s just 23-49 for 337 yards (6.9 yards per attempt) with four interceptions against two touchdowns.

Betting: Betting against the Colts? Take the over. In eight of their past 11 games in which they’ve failed to cover, the total has gone over the closing number.

Houston Texans at Minnesota Vikings

Houston Texans

Team: The Texans are seeking to start 3-0 for the second time in franchise history (began 5-0 in 2012). Houston won either 3 or 4 games in each of the three seasons prior to C.J. Stroud’s arrival (2020-22).

QB: We were collectively impressed with C.J. Stroud’s poise vs the blitz as a rookie (114.4 Passer Rating, fourth best among qualifiers). He is 15-of-17 for 161 yards and a touchdown in such spots this season (125.7 Passer Rating).

Offense: Defenses have been quick to admit that they can’t man-up this trio of receivers (83.2% opponent zone rate, ranking second highest in the league).

Defense: The Texans have nine sacks, tied for their most through two games in franchise history (also 2016). They also lead the league in sack percentage at 13.8%.

Fantasy: Andre Johnson averaged 4.6 catches per game through three seasons before establishing himself as an alpha target in Year 4 (6.4 catches per game, a 39.3% increase). Nico Collins averaged 3.8 catches per game through three seasons – he’s hauled in 14 passes through two weeks (252 yards and one touchdown).

Betting: Only the Panthers (18.2%) have a lower cover rate when favored since 2021 than the Texans (27.3%).

Minnesota Vikings

Team: In 3 seasons under Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings are 19-0 when they are even or better in the turnover margin. Minnesota is the only unbeaten team in the NFL in that situation since 2022.

QB: This season, 40.3% of Sam Darnold’s passing yards have gone to Justin Jefferson (a 97-yard TD certainly helps), but he’s been efficient when looking elsewhere – 82.4% complete when targeting anyone else this season.

Offense: Since 2023, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson have combined to account for 61% of the Vikings receiving yards and 54% of their targets. Hockenson will not play while on the PUP list, while both Jefferson and Addison face uncertain injury situations.

Defense: The Vikings have blitzed 33% of the time, 5th-highest but well below their league-leading 50% rate last season. Minnesota has generated the 2nd-highest pressure rate with a 4-man rush this season (45%).

Fantasy: Justin Jefferson has catches gaining 44 and 97 yards this season. His other 11 targets, however, have picked up just 51 yards (4.6 yards per target).

Betting: Sam Darnold is 12-7-1 ATS for his career as a home underdog, a vast improvement from his 2-7 ATS mark when favored at home.

Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Team: Over the next six weeks, the Eagles have an early bye (Week 5) and play their five games in five different cities (NO, TB, home, NYG, CIN).

QB: Jalen Hurts picked up four first downs with his legs (including the go-ahead touchdown) on a 17-play, 70-yard drive bridging the third and fourth quarters on Monday night (drive time of possession: 9:34).

Offense: The Eagles have yet to score a first quarter point this season (passed up a chip shot FG on Monday night and failed on fourth down). The Panthers are the only other team that can claim that – the Saints are the top first quarter scoring team in the league (31 points in those 30 minutes)

Defense: Five of Philadelphia’s past six games have been decided by a single score. The Eagles rank 30th in defensive EPA in such situations since the beginning of last season, ranking ahead of only Arizona and Washington.

Fantasy: DeVonta Smith has opened a season with consecutive games of 12+ PPR fantasy points for the first time in his career. He saw multiple end zone targets on Monday night, something he had done just once in his 19 games prior.

Betting: Unders are 1-5 in Philadelphia’s last six games as a road favorite (opened as a one-point favorite).

New Orleans Saints

Team: Derek Carr was intercepted on a pass with 12:04 remaining in the fourth quarter last week, their first drive this year without points from the starting offense: scored on their first 15 drives with Carr on the field.

QB: Derek Carr completed 375 passes last season. If he completes 375 passes this season at his current pace, he’ll finish 2024 with 5,538 yards and 62 TD passes.

Offense: The Saints have scored 91 points this season, tied with the 1971 Cowboys for 4th-most through 2 games in NFL history. Dating back to last year, New Orleans has scored 40+ in three straight games, tied for the longest streak in franchise history and 1 shy of tying the longest streak in NFL history (2004 Colts, 2000 Rams and 1960 Chargers).

Defense: The Saints’ traditionally stout run defense is back in form, allowing the 2nd-fewest yards per rush (3.1). Last year New Orleans ranked 22nd in yards per rush allowed (4.4).

Fantasy: Alvin Kamara has 66 PPR points, a career-high through Week 2, dispelling Father Time concerns in the process (44.9 points in his final four games of 2023).

Betting: First half overs? Here are the leading scoring units this season:

1st: Saints: 91 points
2nd: Cardinals: 69 points
T-3rd Bills: 65 points
T-3rd First Half Saints: 65 points

Los Angeles Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers

Los Angeles Chargers

Team: The Bolts are 2-0 for the first time since 2012, when Justin Herbert was just 14 years old. They finished that season an underwhelming 7-9, losing eight of 10 games after their strong start.

QB: Justin Herbert’s average depth of throw is down 14.3% this season from last, but at least he’s been accurate within the system (77.8% complete on balls thrown less than 10 yards down field, career: 74.2%).

Offense: The Chargers rank fourth with 5.6 yards per rush. They’re running the ball on 60% of their plays under Jim Harbaugh, the 3rd-highest rate in the league. From 2020-23 (Justin Herbert’s first 4 seasons), they ran the ball at the 2nd-lowest rate (38%).

Offense: J.K. Dobbins is the first player to open a season with consecutive 130-rushing yard performances since Warrick Dunn for the Falcons in 2006.

Defense: The Chargers have allowed one (1) red zone drive through two weeks – they allowed 3.0 per game last season.

Fantasy: Volume drives fantasy success more often than not, so the fact that Justin Herbert averaged 30 completions per game last September, but has totaled just 31 through two games this season is concerning.

Betting: Four straight Chargers games have gone under the total, the longest active streak in the league. Since the start of 2023 the Chargers have the highest under pct in the league (14 out of 19, or 73.7%).

Pittsburgh Steelers

Team: The Steelers have won five straight regular season games, the second longest active streak in the NFL (Bills: 7) and the longest by this franchise since Ben Roethlisberger opened the 2020 season 11-0.

Offense: The Steelers are the only team without a second half touchdown this season.

Defense: Teams have converted just 4-of-21 third downs against the Steelers this season (19%). We haven’t seen a defense post a rate under 24.1% (2019 Patriots) in the 2000’s.

Fantasy: There are four players with a Passer Rating north of 90 in each of their past four games – Derek Carr, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, and … Justin Fields.

Betting: The Steelers have covered in 5 straight games, the longest active streak in the league. Another cover would be Pittsburgh’s 2nd-longest cover streak since Mike Tomlin took over in 2006 (had a 7-game streak from 2014-15).

Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Denver Broncos

Team: Sean Payton is giving Bo Nix a chance to determine games, it’s just not working (33 points this season) – Denver ranks fourth in drop back percentage when the game is within a single score (65.8%).

QB: On nine pass attempts 20+ yards downfield, Bo Nix has as many completions to his teammates as to the opposition (two).

Offense: The Broncos are a league-worst 14% (1-7) scoring TD in the red zone. Denver has yet to convert on third down in the red zone (0-4).

Defense: Three times this season has a team blitzed on over 46% of opponent dropbacks:

Broncos (Week 2 vs PIT): 57.7%
Lions (Week 2 vs. Buccaneers): 48.1%
Broncos (Week 1 at Seahawks): 46.4%

Fantasy: Josh Reynolds pulled down a 49-yard pass last week against the Steelers. Outside of him on the back of that single play, no Bronco has more than 50 rushing or receiving yards in a game.

Betting: The Broncos are 7-3-1 ATS in their past 11 games when they are catching more than three points.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Team: The Bucs were 2-0 last season, having allowed 34 points in those games (they lost five of their next six games). They currently sit at 2-0 with 36 points allowed.

QB: Baker Mayfield’s growth when throwing to the slot is impressive and something that he may be able to sustain, given the play of Chris Godwin. When throwing to the slot…

Weeks 1-13, 2023: 69.3% complete, 94.2 Rating
Since: 74.2% complete, 129.1 Rating

Offense: The Bucs have the largest gap between their yards per pass attempt (9.7) and yards per rush attempt (3.4). Tampa Bay ranks 2nd in yards per pass attempt and 30th in yards per rush.

Defense: The Buccaneers are the only teams yet to allow a Pass TD this season. The 2003 Bucs are the only team in franchise history to allow 0 Pass TD through the first 3 games, while the 2019 Patriots are the last team to do this league-wide.

Fantasy: This season, 52.9% of Baker Mayfield’s passing points have come on deep passes (up from 36% last season, a rate that was in line with his career rate of 35.6%).

Betting: Baker Mayfield is seeking his 3rd straight cover when favored, which would be the longest streak of his career. In his career, Mayfield is 13-27-1 (.325) ATS when favored. Only Cam Newton (.286) has a worse cover pct when favored since 2018 (among 29 starting QBs with 20+ starts as a favorite).

Carolina Panthers at Las Vegas Raiders

Carolina Panthers

Team: Through 16 weeks last season, the Panthers didn’t have a single game in which they trailed for every snap – they’ve done it in three of their past four, including both games this season.

QB: Bryce Young has completed just 69-of-181 passes for his career when being pressured (38.1%) with one touchdown and five interceptions (this season: 3-12 with one interception).

QB: The Panthers have protected well, allowing the 7th-lowest pressure rate this season (28%). When Andy Dalton was last a starter in 2022, he ranked 15th in EPA per dropback when kept clean (0.22), compared to 26th when pressured (-0.48).

Offense: The Panthers have been out-scored 23-0 in first quarters this season (-11.5 PPG). The worst Q1 team over the past 15 seasons was the 2011 Buccaneers (-5.8 PPG).

Defense: All 5 Pass TD the Panthers have allowed this season have come in the 1st half. No other team has allowed more than 3 Pass TD in the 1st half this season.

Fantasy: Bryce Young is averaging 11.2 pass attempts for every rush and yet, 67.2% of his fantasy points this season have come via the rush.

Betting: The Panthers have failed to cover four straight games, falling to reach the spread by 78.5 points across those losses (cumulative score: 108-13).

Las Vegas Raiders

Team: The Raiders have seen a league-high 82.4% of their yards this season come through the air, thanks in large part to them trailing for 72.3% of their offensive snaps.

QB: Your NFL leader in CMP% through two weeks is Gardner Minshew (77.5%).

Offense: Most receiving yards by a TE since 2000 in his first two career games:

Brock Bowers: 156
Will Dissly: 147
Aaron Hernandez: 146
T.J. Hockenson: 138

Defense: The Raiders are blitzing more than they did last year – 23% (16th), up from 19% (30th). It’s not working though, as they’ve generated pressure just 20% when blitzing, the 3rd-lowest rate in the league.

Fantasy: Davante Adams posted a 9-110-1 stat line on Sunday, his 19th career game in which he hit each of those benchmarks. Tyreek Hill (13), Cooper Kupp (12), Keenan Allen (11), and Justin Jefferson (10) are the only other active players with 10+ such career games.

Betting: The Raiders have covered five of their past six games when favored (in large part to the defense: in those five covers, they’ve allowed an average of 14.2 PPG).

Miami Dolphins at Seattle Seahawks

Miami Dolphins

Team: The Dolphins have scored 30 points this season. Their number of 30-point games by season has been trending up entering 2024 but is in obvious danger.

Games with 30+ points for the Dolphins by year

2017: 2, 2018: 2, 2019: 2
2020: 3, 2021: 3
2022: 5
2023: 8

QB: In limited playing time, Skylar Thompson has been willing to air it out. Thompson is averaging 8.6 air yards per attempt (including playoffs). For context, that would rank as the 4th-deepest aDOT in the league since 2022 if he qualified.

Offense: The Dolphins have started slowly this season, averaging 8.5 PPG and 4.9 yards per play in the first half through two weeks. Last year, they ranked first in yards per play (7.1) and second in PPG (16.7) in the first half of games.

Defense: The Dolphins have generated the highest pressure rate when using a 4-man rush this season (47%).

Fantasy: Since joining the Dolphins in 2022, Tyreek Hill averages 22.4 fantasy PPG and a 35% on-field target share with Tua Tagovailoa as his starting QB. That drops to 15.7 fantasy PPG and a 26% on-field target share with any other starting QB.

Similarly, Jaylen Waddle goes from averaging 15.2 fantasy PPG and a 25% on-field target share with Tua at QB to 10.2 fantasy PPG and a 16% on-field target share with any other starting QB in his career.

Betting: The Dolphins have covered six of their past seven road September games (covering by an average of 4.0 points).

Seattle Seahawks

Team: The Seahawks have pressured the opposing QB at least 43.8% of dropbacks in both games – they are the only team that can claim that and are already halfway to reaching their 2023 total of such games.

Offense: The Seahawks have seen man coverage on a league-high 42% of dropbacks this season. DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba both have six receptions vs man coverage, tied for the league lead with Malik Nabers and Breece Hall.

Defense: Since the start of last season, the Seahawks rank third in zone rate (79.8%, league average checks in just under 70%). It’ll be interesting to see how they approach this Dolphins team – the Jaguars ranked fourth in zone rate last season, but led the league in Man% in Week 1 against these Dolphins – a Dolphins team with Tagovailoa under center.

Fantasy: Zach Charbonnet posted his second NFL game with 30+ rushing yards, 30+ receiving yards, and a rushing score. All other Seattle RBs since 2020 have two such games (Kenneth Walker and Alex Collins).

Betting: Geno Smith is 0-2-2 ATS in his past four starts as a home favorite – all four of those games have gone over the projected total (average over margin: 8.3 PPG).

Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys

Baltimore Ravens

Team: The Ravens entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, but the Super Bowl champion hasn’t opened a season 0-2 since the 2007 Giants (no team in the 2000’s has won the Super Bowl following an 0-3 start – three have after a 1-2 starts).

QB: Lamar Jackson continues to be effective in play-action situations as a passer (80% complete, 7.6 YPA), but the percentage of throws that come out of that action is down from 29.1% last season to 20% this season despite the presence of Derrick Henry.

Offense: Script struggles? The Ravens were easily the best team in terms of first-and-third combined point differential last season (+118). Through two weeks this season, they’ve been out-scored 21-17 in those spots.

Defense: The Ravens are allowing 6.2 yards after the catch this season, ranking in the bottom quarter of the league a year after they ranked in the top quarter.

Fantasy: Derrick Henry has scored in both games this season, but 22.3% of his rushing yards this season have come on a single angry run. It should be noted that his 65 rushing yards per game right now rank ahead of where he stood through September last season (54.3).

Betting: Lamar Jackson is 3-1 ATS when playing indoors with under-tickets cashing in all four of those games.

Dallas Cowboys

Team: The 25-point loss last week to the Saints was Dallas’ biggest since the 49ers beat them 42-10 in Week 5 last season. Worry not – Dallas won seven of their eight games as a response following that blowout.

QB: Dak Prescott failed to throw multiple TD passes in five of six games to open last season before closing with 2+ touchdown tosses in 10 of 11 – he’s opened this season with a pair of one-touchdown efforts.

Offense: The Cowboys have gotten off to great starts, ranking 1st in first downs per game (14.0) and 3rd in offensive PPG (18.0) in the 1st half of games. They haven’t sustained that, ranking 31st in first downs (3.5) and 28th in offensive PPG (4.5) in the 2nd half.

Defense: The Cowboys have the worst red zone defense in the league (TD on 85.7% of drives that reach the 20-yard line) but the 10th best three-and-out rate (41.7%) – they are break-don’t-bend defense through two weeks.

Fantasy: Brandin Cooks scored 9.1 PPR points in Week 1 when Cleveland brought an all-out blitz and he took advantage. That play counts, but the fact that he has just 9.0 fantasy points outside of that grab this season is concerning for a veteran who has shown signs of age.

Betting: There are three active QBs with a MVP trophy on their mantle (Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson) – here are Dak Prescott’s last five results in a game against one of them, including the playoffs.

31-28 loss as a 3.5 point favorite
19-9 loss as a 2.5-point underdog
34-24 loss as a 3.5-point underdog
35-31 loss as a 2.5-point favorite
34-31 loss as a 5.5-point favorite

That’s an 0-5 ATS record with a failure to cover rate of 8.5 points per game.

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Team: The 49ers are 10-4 in the regular season vs the Rams since 2017, when both Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay were hired. That includes nine straight wins in the series prior to last year’s Week 18 loss, when both teams sat starters.

QB: Purdy has started slow this season, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt and completing 57% of his passes in the 1st quarter. The 49ers have also yet to score a 1st quarter TD (6 points total). The rest of the game, Purdy is averaging 9.3 yards per attempt and completing 77% of his passes.

Offense: The 49ers averaged 3.1 yards after the catch vs the Vikings, their 4th-worst in 117 games under Kyle Shanahan. In Week 1 they averaged 3.4 YAC per reception, their 5th-worst under Shanahan and will now be operating without Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf).

Defense: The 49ers have dialed back their blitz rate from 19.7% last season to a league-low 11.3% through two weeks this season (we haven’t seen a sub-13% blitz rate extended for a season since the 2021 Raiders – 10.6%).

Fantasy: The next rushing yard that a 49er RB not named Jordan Mason will be the first of the season.

Mason: 48 carries for 247 yards
Isaac Guerendo: 1 carry for 0 yards

Betting: Under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers are 11-6-1 ATS when playing on the road the game following a road contest (last instance: 42-19 win in Philadelphia in Week 13 last season as a three-point favorite).

Los Angeles Rams

Team: The Rams are one of three teams without a first half touchdown this season (also: Broncos and Panthers).

QB: Matthew Stafford’s average depth of throw over his past four regular season games when not pressured:

Week 16: 6.7 yards
Week 17: 5.4 yards
Week 1: 5.1 yards
Week 2: 3.5 yards

Offense: Even without Puka Nacua for much of Week 1 and all of Week 2, the next offensive snap the Rams take without 3+ receivers on the field this season will be their first (NFL average hovers around 61% year-over-year).

Defense: The Rams rank last in EPA per play on defense (-0.24). In Week 2 vs the Cardinals, the Rams recorded -0.84 EPA per dropback, their worst in any game since at least 2000.

Fantasy: Kyren Williams had two games last season in which he didn’t have a touch gain more than two yards, a total he has already matched this season.

Betting: Sean McVay is 4-10-1 ATS against the 49ers with six of those ATS losses carrying a cover rate of double figures for San Francisco.

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Team: The Lions held a 83-47 play edge over the Bucs last week in a losing effort (Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 catches on 19 targets in the same game Baker Mayfield completed 12 of 19 passes).

QB: Jared Goff has thrown 18 red zone passes this season and none of them has resulted in a score. Last season, one of every 4.1 Goff red zone passes resulted in six points.

Offense: The Lions have reached the red zone a league-high 11 times. But they’ve scored only three TDs, a 27% red zone TD pct that ranks 5th-worst. Last season Detroit was the 3rd-best red zone offense (64% TD pct).

Defense: Aidan Hutchinson has 17 pressures and 5.5 sacks, both most in the NFL. He has the most pressures through 2 games since 2021 Maxx Crosby (19) and the most sacks through 2 games since 2012 Clay Matthews (6.0).

Fantasy: Jameson Williams hadn’t reached a 69% snap share in a single game of his career prior to the 2023 playoffs. He hit that threshold twice during the postseason and has carried over that momentum into 2024: 85.2% in Week 1 and 90.4% on Sunday).

Betting: Much was made this offseason about Detroit rarely playing outdoors – Jared Goff is 6-2 ATS in his past eight outdoor starts.

Arizona Cardinals

Team: The Cards scored 41 points last week, their most since dropping 42 on the Saints in Week 7, 2022. That’s the good. The bad? Arizona went 1-9 following that offensive outburst

QB: Kyler Murray has dropped back to pass 18 times on third down this season – he’s 11-11 for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

Offense: The Cardinals lead the NFL in third down conversion rate (58%), going 14-24 this season. Last season they ranked 14th in that category at 39%.

Defense: The Cardinals are doing a great job converting pressure to sacks. Arizona has the highest sack rate in the NFL when they pressure the QB (47%). However, Jared Goff has been sacked at the lowest rate of any QB when pressured this season (7.4%).

Fantasy: After a dud debut, Marvin Harrison Jr. flashed last week, highlighted by a pair of 20+ yard first-quarter touchdowns. He is the first player with two such grabs in a first quarter since Tyreek Hill (Week 12, 2020 at Bucs).

Betting: Over tickets have cashed in eight of Kyler Murray’s last 12 starts as a home underdog.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons

Kansas City Chiefs

Team: When trailing with five minutes left in the fourth quarter during the Mahomes era (playoffs included), the Chiefs, after beating the Bengals in such a spot on Sunday, win 36.6% (15-26) of the time. The rest of the NFL wins 14.1% of the time in such spots (256-1,572).

QB: Patrick Mahomes has at least as many interceptions as touchdown passes in both games this season and in six of his past seven regular season games.

Offense: The Chiefs are averaging a league-high 8.3 yards per catch after the reception. Patrick Mahomes has the 2nd-shortest aDOT through Week 2 (5.1), ahead of only Jayden Daniels (4.6).

Defense: The Chiefs are actually playing more man through two weeks this season (29.6%) than last season (26.1%) despite the departure of lockdown corner L’Jarius Snead.

Fantasy: Clyde Edwards-Helaire is going to be a popular add with the hope of long-term value in replacing Isiah Pacheco – of the 64 qualified RBs since 2022, CEH ranks 62nd in percentage of carries that have gained 10+ yards (6.4%, ahead of only AJ Dillon and Ezekiel Elliott)

Betting: The Chiefs covered an indoor Super Bowl last season – their four consecutive indoor cover when Mahomes starts (cumulative score in those four games: 114-72).

Atlanta Falcons

Team: This is the first of three straight home games for the Falcons (New Orleans next week and Tampa Bay in Week 5) – they pay it back in the second half of the season with four of five games (Weeks 10-14) coming on the road.

QB: Six Falcons saw a target on Monday night, five of them earned 4-7 looks in the passing game.

Offense: Atlanta brought in Kirk Cousins this offseason with the hope that their passing game would level up. Through two weeks:

2023: 326 pass yards, 7.0 yds/att, 2 pass TD
2024: 370 pass yards, 7.2 yds/att, 3 pass TD*
- 70 yards and a touchdown came on their final drive of Monday night

Defense: The Falcons are one of 10 teams yet to intercept a pass this season (the Chiefs are also on that list). This was an area of struggle last season too – 1.5% interception rate, sixth lowest (2023 Chiefs: 1.4%, fifth lowest).

Fantasy: Kirk Cousins has cleared 18 fantasy points in seven of his past nine games played on short rest (think ATL losses this game? No worries, he’s lost four of those games and still managed 22.9 FPPG in those contests).

Betting: Overs are 25-14 (64.1%) when Kirk Cousins starts as a home underdog. He went 0-4-1 ATS in his final five such games with the Vikings.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills

Jacksonville Jaguars

Team: Over their past 10 games, the Jaguars rank 28th in win percentage (.300) but 16th in point differential (-8, 13 points better than a Browns team that is 6-4 over that stretch).

QB: Trevor Lawrence has completed just 3-14 third down passes this season, easily the worst CMP% (21.4%) in the league through two weeks.

Offense: The Jaguars have 12 plays of 20+ yards, which is actually tied with the Cardinals for most in the NFL through Week 2. But they also have 16 plays that have lost yardage, T-6th most.

Defense: The Jaguars have played man coverage at the highest rate in the league this season (56.2%). They ranked 29th in man coverage rate last season at 14.9%.

Fantasy: Brian Thomas Jr.’s first two targets of his career totaled six air yards – his next six have come 125 yards down field.

Betting: The Jags covered (by 0.5 points) in their season opener in Miami, improving them to 9-4 ATS in their past 13 games against AFC East competition (they’ve covered their past two games against the Bills by a total of 28.5 points).

Buffalo Bills

Team: The Bills have not lost a regular season game in regulation since Joe Brady took over in Week 11 last season (their lone loss came in overtime the next week against the Eagles.

QB: Josh Allen hasn’t been asked to be Superman with his arm. In his past six regular season games, he’s completed more than 18 passes just once – he had reached 19+ completions in 13 of 14 regular season games prior.

Offense: The Bills have rushed for at least 100 yards in 10 straight games, the 3rd-longest active streak behind the Ravens (35) and 49ers (12). Since Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator in Week 11 last season, the Bills are averaging 143 rush yards per game, 4th-highest in the league.

Defense: The Bills are not allowing anything downfield. Opposing QBs are 4-22 (18%) passing 10+ yards downfield against Buffalo through 2 weeks, the lowest comp pct in the league. Last season, the Bills allowed a 53% completion percentage on passes of 10+ air yards, 4th-worst in the NFL.

Fantasy: Rookie Keon Coleman is a clear starter, running a team-high 45 routes through 2 weeks. However, he’s only been targeted on 6 of those routes. That 13.3% target rate ranks 77th among qualifiers (on par with Lil’ Jordan Humphrey and Calvin Austin III).

Betting: The Bills are 2-6 ATS over their past eight home games, the same mark that overs have in those contests.

Washington Commanders at Cincinnati Bengals

Washington Commanders

Team: The Commanders have lost five straight Week 3 games and have been outscored 169-67 over the course of those games.

QB: Learning curve. Jayden Daniels is just 3-of-8 passing when inside the opponents 30-yard line (37.5%, otherwise: 82.2%).

Offense: Brian Robinson has a 30+ yard touch in both games this season. – he can become the first Commander RB to do it in three straight this millennium (the last Commander, regardless of position, to do it was Terry McLaurin in the first three weeks of 2022).

Defense: Opponents are 13-of-21 on third down against the Commander. That’s a 61.9% rate – the fourth worst rate through two weeks over the past 15 years (the worst? The 2019 Commanders at 64.3%).

Fantasy: Start everyone at all times against the Commanders. Since the start of last season, they are the only defense allowing a higher pass TD rate (6.9% of pass attempts) than sack rate (5.9%).

Betting: Since 2007, rookie QBs are 21-8-1 ATS on Monday night’s (72.4%).

Cincinnati Bengals

Team: The Bengals have started three straight (and five of the past six) seasons 0-2. They get the Commanders and Panthers at the perfect time – over the past three season, Cincinnati is 6-3-1 in Weeks 3-4. Since 2019:

Weeks 1-2: 1-11 (.083, 32nd)
Weeks 3-4: 6-3-1 (.650, T-7th)

QB: It’s early, but the Bengals have just three first quarter points this season – Joe Burrow’s first quarter Passer Rating is down 23 points from last season (109.9 to 86.9).

Offense: Cincinnati has faced man coverage 34.9% of the time this season (seventh highest), a stark contrast from their 22.8% (rank: 17th) rate last season.

Defense: Trey Hendrickson has accounted for 57% of the Bengals’ pressures this season, T-3rd highest through Week 2. Hendrickson has 12 pressures; no other Bengals defender has more than four.

Fantasy: Ja’Marr Chase has turned 11 catches into just 21.7 PPR fantasy points during his last three games in which Joe Burrow has started. His rate states in those games compared to what he produced prior:

NFL Week 3 (2024) Stats and Insights: Fantasy, Betting, and Other Notes For Every Game