NFL Week 3 Fantasy Football Weather Forecast (2020)

Week 2 was awful. Not for the play on the field, but the amount of injuries to critical players is just mind-numbing. To think, if you had a top-two pick in fantasy football drafts this year, you are going to struggle to make the playoffs if you don’t manage your team right. And then just as far as NFL teams go with defensive players or just overall depth, it was like nothing I can remember. Imagine being the San Francisco 49ers, looking at your schedule, thinking you have two weeks of cupcake teams and end up just wanting to go back home as quickly as possible in one piece. I almost want to say it can’t get any worse, but I am not putting that kind of thought into the universe and instead will focus on what we have in front of us. That is the Week 3 NFL weather forecast and if it will have any impact on your fantasy football players.

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Note: All times are Eastern Standard time, and forecasts will be updated if any changes happen from the time of writing this up to kickoff. All betting lines are from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Chance of strong sustained winds

Los Angeles Rams at Buffalo Bills -2 (Sunday 1:00 PM) – 47 o/u

If you have read these articles before, you will notice that this is a common occurrence. Buffalo is the windiest place in the NFL more times than not. As of right now, we are expecting 16 to 20 mph winds and gusts up to 28 mph. The highest forecasted speeds will happen at kickoff, and we do expect it to taper off a bit, but it is still going to be north of 15 mph all game. When it gets to 15 mph is when I start to look at winds possibly impacting deep passes and kicks. These are the highest winds we have seen so far this season.

The key to the Buffalo Bills’ success in this game comes down to the matchup between Stefon Diggs and Jalen Ramsey. If he wins this matchup regularly on Sunday, Josh Allen and the Bills should see similar levels of success we have seen so far.

I don’t know if people realize that Diggs is currently WR4 in PPR and is tied for the third-most targets in the NFL. Diggs is off to the best start of his career from nearly every statistical aspect. Catching 16 of his 22 targets (72.7%) for 239 yards and a touchdown. Usually, a player who can capitalize on deep balls, Diggs has yet to have a reception beyond 20 yards. He has been Allen’s most reliable target and will be the key for the Bills as they try to keep pace with the Los Angeles Rams’ offense. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -6 at Denver Broncos (Sunday 4:25 PM) – 42.5 o/u

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Denver Broncos is the only other game with any weather concerns, but if we were to pick an element to have players in, it would be wind. I say that because, for the most part, it is consistent. When it comes to rain, and soon enough snow, it’s intensity will vary and be hard to nail down with the best radars and forecasts completely. When it comes to wind, it is there, and teams know how to work with it. 

Denver is looking at a Sunday afternoon forecast that brings increased wind speeds that will be around 17 mph at kickoff. However, as the game progresses, speeds will taper off to approximately 10 mph by 7:00 PM. Gusts will be relatively high at kickoff and could reach speeds of up to 25 mph. Other than this, it will be a beautiful fall day with partly cloudy skies and temperatures around 65 degrees.

Worry-free Week 3 NFL weather forecasts

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers -4 (Sunday 1:00 PM) – 46 o/u

Who is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ WR1? As far as fantasy has been concerned, it has been Diontae Johnson. Johnson is third in the NFL with 23 targets, catching 14 of them for 149 yards and a touchdown. Running only 11% of his routes from the slot, he has been making his living lined up wide, which has surprised me. Now, this is not to say that JuJu Smith-Schuster has struggled. It is just the volume of Johnson that has to be factored in, especially in PPR formats. 

As for the weather forecast, there won’t be any impact on the game as we expect 80-degree temperatures, mostly sunny skies, and four mph winds.

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles -4.5 (1:00 PM Sunday) – 47.5 o/u

If you can have a must-win game in Week 3, the Philadelphia Eagles are in a must-win game. They can not afford to start the season 0-3, and it will take every player at their best to try to get their season back on track. It all comes down to the Eagles’ ability to keep Carson Wentz in a clean pocket and open up lanes for Miles Sanders. If they can do this, they can get their first win, but it won’t be easy.

The weather will be beautiful thanks to 80-degree temperatures, sunny skies, and three mph winds.

San Francisco 49ers (-3) at New York Giants (1:00 PM) – 42.5 o/u

George Kittle, Jimmy Garoppolo, Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert, Dee Ford, Nick Bosa, Soloman Thomas, Deebo Samuel, Richard Sherman, and others, but you already get my point. No team was decimated more than the 49ers in Week 2. Yes, the Giants also lost Saquon Barkley and will be out Sterling Sheppard, but the sheer amount is staggering for the defending NFC Champions. 

At least the weather won’t hurt anyone as we will see 78-degree temperatures, mostly cloudy skies, and five mph winds.

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots -6 (1:00 PM) – 47 o/u

I feel like every week, we are going to keep asking if Cam Newton can keep up his pace. His 26 carries are tied with Dalvin Cook and more than Alvin Kamara, Chris Carson, and Lamar Jackson. Newton’s 122 yards rushing is 21st in the NFL, ahead of Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, Kamara, and is just eight yards less than Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes combined. Throw in his four rushing touchdowns (tied for NFL-most), and you end up with the QB2 in fantasy so far on the year.

Don’t expect the weather to slow him down as we will see 76-degree temperatures, mostly cloudy skies, and seven mph winds.

Washington Football Team at Cleveland Browns -7.5 (1:00 PM) – 45 o/u

Several games will get more attention than this matchup. However, I am oddly looking forward to watching this game. Did Cleveland turn a corner last week with their offense, or was that a product of the Bengals’ defense? Washington has been the surprise defense, especially their front seven, of the year. How will they match up against Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt? Can the Browns hope to contain Terry McLaurin with Denzel Ward out, or will he be a top 8 fantasy play this week? As I said, I think it is an intriguing under the radar NFL game. 

Luckily enough, we don’t need to worry about the weather for this Week 3 matchup as we will see 82-degree temperatures, sunny skies, and eight mph winds.

Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks -5 (Sunday 4:25 PM) – 56.5 o/u

While the Monday Night Football game will steal headlines, this could easily be the game of the week in what I expect to be a shoot out. Featuring two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, both offenses are firing on all cylinders. Pete Carroll has finally seen what it looks like to “Let Russ Cook”. Don’t expect any let-up in this game as both D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are locked-in starters for Week 3.

The traditional Seattle weather stays away for another week off as we will see temperatures in the mid-60s, cloudy skies, and eight mph winds.

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens -3.5 (Monday 8:15 PM) – 54 o/u

I will be honest with you; there is nothing I can really say about this game that you don’t already know. Both sides are filled with stars, and you are going to start every fantasy player you typically would any other week. I might temper expectations for Tyreek Hill, but he only needs one play to have a massive game, and you would never consider not playing him. I am going to sit back and just enjoy this game as a fan of the NFL and a fantasy player. I can’t wait to run this back in January when a trip to the Super Bowl is on the line. 

Indoor Games

Tennessee Titans -3 at Minnesota Vikings (Sunday 1:00 PM) – 50.5 o.u

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons -3 (Sunday 1:00 PM) – 47 o/u

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Chargers -6.5 (Sunday 4:05 PM) – 43.5 o/u

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts -11.5 (Sunday 4:05 PM) – 44.5 o/u

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals -5.5 (Sunday 4:25 PM) – 56 o/u

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints -3 (Sunday 8:20 PM) – 53 o/u

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @PFN365 to stay up to date with all things around the NFL and the 2020 fantasy football season. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis while also visiting our fantasy football section for more coverage and up-to-date rankings.

Tommy Garrett is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.