Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 3

Week 3 was the week of offensive wake-up calls. The Arizona, Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston and Buffalo offenses got jump-started by unexpected (to varying degrees) rushing breakouts, while two McCowns threw for more than 300 yards on the same day. Was it just a case of Bizarro World leaking into our universe, or will this be the way of things moving forward? Let's take a look.

Arizona RB -- Chris Johnson exploded out of nowhere in Week 3 against the Niners, carrying 22 times for 110 yards and two scores plus a 40-yard reception, because why not, right? Despite the game being a massive blowout, David Johnson saw only seven carries and three pass targets, modestly totaling 25 yards on the ground and 16 more through the air. Andre Ellington (knee) is expected to return next week, but it's unclear how the touches will break down if that does indeed transpire.

Arizona WR -- Seriously, what has gotten into Larry Fitzgerald? He looked like he was fading slowly into oblivion over the last three seasons, but this year, he's been a top-five receiver all over again. He followed up last week's massive effort with another one that nearly matched it this week, catching nine balls for 134 yards and two more scores. (And one of them was just gratuitous -- his second touchdown came on a short pass with 5:21 left in the game and the Cardinals already up 40-7.) That's five TDs in two games. At this point, it doesn't look like anyone else is going to be successful in the Arizona receiving game until they run into an elite corner who makes Carson Palmer look more to Michael Floyd and John Brown, whose 10 combined targets were one fewer than what Fitz saw by himself.

Atlanta RB -- With Tevin Coleman (ribs) out, Devonta Freeman exploded in Week 3, rushing 30 times for 141 yards and three touchdowns, and he caught all five of his targets for 52 yards to boot. No one else carried the ball for Atlanta except for a couple Matt Ryan scrambles. Coleman doesn't have a timetable for his return, but he's not practicing yet and it seems likely his injury is destined to hold him out another couple of weeks. If Freeman continues to wild in the meantime, he may not end up handing this job back. That said, this was a weird game, so we'll see how things play out.

Atlanta WR -- Julio Jones was the focus of the Atlanta passing game as usual in Week 3, with Matt Ryan looking his way 20 times, while Leonard Hankerson was again the No. 2 wideout, catching three of six balls for a quiet 45 yards. Roddy White has gone nearly entirely unused for two straight weeks now, making it look like the bell has rung on his career as a fantasy producer.

Baltimore WR -- Like Fitz, Steve Smith has drunk from the fountain of youth, reeling in 13 catches on 17 targets for 186 yards and two touchdowns Sunday and accounting for more than half of Joe Flacco's production. No other Baltimore wideout totaled more than 29 yards (Marlon Brown), and it looks like rookie Breshad Perriman's knee injury will keep him out another week, though his return may not even make a noticeable difference.

Baltimore TE -- Crockett Gillmore was quieter in Week 3, but did catch all three of his targets for 40 yards. He didn't play in the second half, though, due to an undisclosed injury. Maxx Williams, meanwhile, caught three of seven for 44 yards. It seemed like Gillmore had been seizing hold of the top spot, but we'll see where things stand once we find out the severity of his injury.

Buffalo RB -- LeSean McCoy's hamstring limited him significantly in Sunday's game, as he rushed for only 16 yards on 11 carries (but at least caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to save the day) before giving way to a mostly Karlos Williams-led rushing attack in the second half. Williams excelled, carrying 12 times for 110 yards and a score, and he's a promising candidate next week with the strong possibility that McCoy sits out a game.

Buffalo WR -- Sammy Watkins had only two targets go his way -- one of which he caught for a 39-yard gain -- before he left with a calf injury in the first half Sunday. Percy Harvin was used plenty, as he saw a team-high eight targets and caught a team-high seven passes for 66 yards. Chris Hogan was the only Bills wideout to catch a touchdown, and he saw twice as many targets as Watkins did. Weird.

Carolina WR -- This time around, Ted Ginn was Cam Newton's most-targeted wideout, reeling in four catches on six looks for 93 yards, but he was roundly outproduced by TE Greg Olsen, who should be expected to be this team's primary receiving weapon. Devin Funchess caught just one of his four targets, so despite finishing second among Panther wideouts in targets, he remains near-totally useless for fantasy purposes. Philly Brown, who's been the ostensible No. 1, had more rushing attempts (one) than pass targets, while Jerricho Cotchery (ankle) didn't play. This situation is a mess to be avoided.

Chicago QB -- Jimmy Clausen's start in Seattle turned out to be exactly as terrible as you'd expect, as he completed just nine of 17 passes for all of 63 yards in a shutout loss. Jay Cutler's hamstring strain may mean that Clausen remains this team's starter until midseason, which is just a disaster for all of the Bears' skill players.

Chicago WR -- To be fair, it didn't help Clausen that Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) missed Week 3, leaving Eddie Royal as the only Bears wideout who caught a pass. (In fact, he caught three… for 17 yards.) Marquess Wilson and Josh Bellamy both were targeted twice and both caught no passes. Jeffery's potential participation in Week 4 against Oakland will depend on whether he can get back to practice this week. Hurry back, Alshon!

Cincinnati RB -- Giovani Bernard again took more rushes than Jeremy Hill (13-12) in Week 3, with Hill sadly managing only 21 yards while Bernard was a bit more respectable at 49, plus 34 more through the air. Not a great showing by either, but things certainly appear to be consistently trending Gio's way this season after Hill brutalized Bernard owners by displacing him last year.

Cleveland QB -- Josh McCown returned from his concussion in Week 3, going 28-for-49 for 341 yards, two touchdowns and a pick against the Raiders. Hey, that looks a lot like the sort of line he put up once upon a time in Chicago, as opposed to the disastrous McCown we remember from Tampa Bay. Of course, the Browns still lost, but it looks like Johnny Manziel's butt is firmly planted on the bench again.

Cleveland WR -- Everyone keeps waiting for the Travis Benjamin ride to end, but it just won't. Benjamin tied for the team lead in targets Sunday, and though he only caught four of the 10 balls sent his way for 45 yards, he did score a touchdown for the third straight week to open the season.

Cleveland TE -- Apparently, McCown and Gary Barnidge get along, as Barnidge's six catches on 10 targets for 105 yards and a score made him Cleveland's most productive receiver in Week 3. Hard to expect much going forward here, but Barnidge has already shown more this year than ever before in his career. In fact, he already has more receiving yards than he totaled all of last season.

Dallas QB -- With Tony Romo (collarbone) out, Cowboys fans got their first taste of Brandon Weeden, and it wasn't too bad of a flavor -- he completed 22 of 26 passes for 232 yards, though he did throw a pick and failed to find the end zone. This is going to be Weeden's offense for a while.

Dallas RB -- In a game that was a running fiesta, Joseph Randle matched Devonta Freeman's three rushing scores with a trio of his own, totaling 87 yards on 14 rushes (with basically all of that coming in the first half) and catching two balls for 18 yards. While Lance Dunbar carried only one time, he was the team's leading receiver, catching all 10 of his targets for an even 100 yards. Darren McFadden was even relevant for a day, as he carried only six times, but scored a touchdown to go with a respectable 35 yards.

Dallas WR -- With no Romo and no Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley was only Cowboys wideout who caught a pass in Week 3, collecting all four of his targets for 49 yards. Terrance Williams went 0-for-2. This is a crew to avoid, as the Cowboys are rolling out a low-risk passing offense right now.

Denver RB -- The C.J. Anderson disaster continues. While Anderson did manage to lead the Broncos in carries with eight Sunday, he turned them into only 18 yards and missed a chunk of time while being evaluated for a concussion (negative; he returned). Ronnie Hillman didn't look much better, turning seven rushes of his own into 13 yards, but he picked up a one-yard TD plunge to save his day.

Denver WR -- While Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders led the way, as you'd expect, we saw a new name show up as a target for Peyton Manning: Bennie Fowler. An undrafted and unused rookie for the Broncos last season, he recorded the first catches of his career Sunday, reeling in all four of his targets for 50 yards. Cody Latimer is awful, and Andre Caldwell and Jordan Norwood are nothing more than depth, so it could be that the sure-handed Fowler is worming his way into that No. 3 spot.

Detroit RB -- Somehow, both Joique Bell and Ameer Abdullah managed to have terrible, yet mildly fantasy-relevant games Sunday, as Abdullah caught a touchdown to go with his 42 total yards while Bell rushed for one to go with… four total yards. It was Bell who saw more touches -- he rushed 10 times for six yards and lost two on his only catch -- but it's hard to see that situation persisting for long, considering his 1.1 YPC through three games. Not that Abdullah's blown the doors off, but he's at least been competent. Theo Riddick didn't carry the ball, but easily outproduced the other two yardage-wise, reeling in eight of 10 pass targets for 66 yards.

Green Bay RB -- Eddie Lacy's probable for Monday night's game despite his ankle issue, so hopefully you didn't get too excited about James Starks. Still, Starks will be on hand to spell Lacy if he can't handle a full load against the Chiefs.

Houston QB -- Ryan Mallett was better in his second start of the year, completing 24 of 39 passes for 228 yards, a touchdown and a pick against Tampa Bay. The Texans came away with a win, which should solidify his hold on the starting role.

Houston RB -- After two weeks of fantasy-irrelevant performances, Alfred Blue busted out thanks to a big workload against the Bucs on Sunday, rushing 31 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Backups Jonathan Grimes (six rushes, 19 yards) and Chris Polk (five rushes, five yards) were quite ineffective. Arian Foster's ailing groin appears to be progressing well though, and it'd be no surprise to see him taking the handoffs next week.

Indianapolis WR –T.Y. Hilton is back to full strength, and he led the Colts in receiving yards (94) Sunday while tying with Donte Moncrief for the lead in targets (seven). While Moncrief collected only a modest 32 yards, he scored a touchdown for fantasy relevance. Phillip Dorsett caught a touchdown too, one of his two receptions on the day. Meanwhile, clocking in with zero catches for zero yards and zero fantasy utility was Andre Johnson. It's truly bizarre to see the Colts bring Johnson in and then not use him at all, but he might be No. 4 on the chart at this point.

Jacksonville WR -- Despite Blake Bortles throwing it up 33 times, only Allen Hurns achieved fantasy relevance in Week 3, thanks to a 59-yard touchdown that was one of only two catches on the day. He was targeted just four times while Allen Robinson saw nine, but Robinson had a quiet day (four catches, 68 yards).

Miami RB -- Lamar Miller's balky ankle (plus a huge deficit that gave the Dolphins little to play for in the second half) limited him to just seven rush attempts Sunday, though he did good things with them, delivering 38 yards (5.4 YPC) and another 27 on three catches. Jonas Gray, freshly signed from the practice squad, led the team in carries with nine for 49 yards, mostly in that second half. Don't expect to see the carries break out like that again, but it's clear that Miller -- never exactly what you'd call a workhorse -- isn't capable of carrying a full load right now.

Miami WR -- Rishard Matthews made me look like a damn genius for recommending him in FanDuel this week, going off for six catches on 10 targets (second only to Jarvis Landry's 13) for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That's hot stuff. Landry had a quiet day despite the many targets, totaling just 67 yards, while first-round rookie DeVante Parker saw his first real action after being slowed by a foot injury in the early weeks, reeling in three out of seven for 46 yards.

New England RB -- One week later than expected, we got the LeGarrette Blount we thought we'd see, as he carried 18 times for 78 yards and three touchdowns -- pretty much all of it in the second half while the Pats ran away with a win. He even caught a 14-yard pass! Dion Lewis ran eight times for a strong 37 yards and a touchdown while catching five passes for 30 yards in the first half, then went entirely unused in the second half. Isn't Bill Belichick just great? It'll be interesting to see how the touches break out here after the Patriots return from their Week 4 bye, but it seems for now like Lewis is still the primary rusher when the game is close.

New England WR -- Aaron Dobson predictably disappeared in Week 3 (one catch, five yards), with Tom Brady instead finding his way to Danny Amendola and Keshawn Martin, who saw five and three targets, respectively, and both caught touchdowns. Julian Edelman, of course, was still the most-targeted receiver.

New Orleans QB -- Drew Brees' shoulder kept him out in Week 3, but fortunately the injury appears to be less serious than originally thought and he might be back next week. In his absence, Luke McCown somehow delivered a 310-yard day against the stout Carolina defense, going 31-for-38, but he threw a pick with no touchdowns, robbing the nice effort of much fantasy value.

New Orleans RB -- Mark Ingram again led the Saints backfield Sunday, as you'd expect, and he delivered a solid effort, rushing for 50 yards and a touchdown while collecting another 49 through the air. His evolution as a pass-catcher has been astounding, but his YPC continues to lag -- this week's 3.6 represented his highest in the season's first three games. Khiry Robinson stole a late goal-line score, but was otherwise useless, rushing seven times for 12 yards with two catches for another eight. C.J. Spiller was almost equally useless, rushing only one time for four yards while catching two balls for 22 yards.

New Orleans WR -- Willie Snead continues to grow his role in this offense, as he was second in targets Sunday with seven, though he only gained 44 yards (with your usual McCown-based disclaimers). Brandin Cooks led the way, as usual, with Marques Colston finishing one target behind and three yards ahead of Snead.

New York Giants RB -- The Giants' running game was brutal again Thursday, with Andre Williams seeing the most work and providing all the fantasy utility thanks to a one-yard touchdown plunge. It's promising that he's seeing goal-line work, but just 29 yards on 14 rushes won't cut it. Rashad Jennings was barely better, turning 11 rushes of his own into 32 yards, while Shane Vereen was 0-for-3 in pass-catching and gained 23 yards on six carries. Jennings' finest work came on special teams, where he blocked a punt.

New York Giants WR -- Finally, once I put him on my bench or outright cut him, Rueben Randle decided to show up for the 2015 season, catching all seven of his targets for 116 and a score against the Redskins on Thursday. Yes, he even outproduced Odell Beckham, although Beckham still was targeted more. Victor Cruz (calf) said he'll return next week, but it's hard to say what his role will look like if and when that does transpire, as Randle did a good job reminding the Giants of what he brings to the table, while Cruz is still on a big contract.

New York Jets QB -- Head coach Todd Bowles gave Ryan Fitzpatrick the vote of confidence after last week's win, but one has to imagine his confidence is a bit shaken after he watched Fitz underthrow receivers all day in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. Fitzpatrick managed to attempt 58 passes without reaching 300 yards for the day, which is quite the accomplishment. Geno Smith (jaw) was active and served as the backup in this one; it wouldn't be a surprise to see him get back into the starting role soon.

New York Jets RB -- Chris Ivory (quad) suited up Sunday, but watched the Jets' loss from the sidelines. Bilal Powell stepped into his place and didn't find a lot of running room, gaining 31 yards on 10 carries, but he did reel in seven catches for 44 yards.

New York Jets WR -- With Eric Decker (knee) unable to go Sunday, Quincy Enunwa served as the No. 2 wideout -- a role that yielded 10 targets, but only five catches for 50 yards. Brandon Marshall, meanwhile, managed to make a play worse than Mark Sanchez's famous buttfumble, which is truly impressive and pretty much cost the Jets this game. Well, you live and learn.

Oakland WR -- Amari Cooper is clearly an instant star (though he did lose a fumble, he also gained 134 yards), but Michael Crabtree showed why you can't count on him in fantasy, catching only four of his nine targets for 36 yards. Undrafted second-year man Seth Roberts (he spent last year on the practice squad) was third in targets and caught a touchdown for the second straight week Sunday as part of a three-catch, 56-yard effort.

Philadelphia RB -- DeMarco Murray (hamstring) being inactive was apparently the cure for what ailed the Eagles' offense, as Philadelphia handed it off to Ryan Mathews 25 times Sunday, and he produced 108 yards (though he did lose a fumble). Mathews scored a touchdown through the air, making up for a brutal drop earlier in the game on what might have been a 74-yard TD catch, as he only had open field in front of him. In a role reversal, Darren Sproles rushed one in from one yard, but only totaled 17 yards on his 11 carries and actually got narrowly outproduced by Mathews through the air.

Pittsburgh QB -- Disaster time in the Steel City. Ben Roethlisberger went down with a knee injury Sunday that projects to keep him out 4-to-6 weeks. That leaves Michael Vick as your starting Steelers quarterback, and everyone's favorite ex-con completed five of six passes for 38 yards in his place. Considering the weapons at his disposal, Vick should be a popular pickup this week for owners of Big Ben, Tony Romo and Drew Brees.

Pittsburgh RB -- Le'Veon Bell's return to the field predictably marginalized DeAngelo Williams, and for all the Steelers' talk about keeping him involved, he touched the ball one time in Week 3. Despite showing some rust on the ground (3.3 YPC), Bell still caught seven balls and rolled up 132 total yards and a touchdown in his season debut. He's just getting started.

Seattle RB -- Marshawn Lynch left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury after being iffy with a calf issue all week, but neither is considered serious. He'll have an extra day to recover, as the Seahawks' Week 4 game will be the Monday night affair. Thomas Rawls carried the torch in Lynch's place and quite effectively at that, rushing 16 times for 104 yards. Meanwhile, Fred Jackson didn't see any extra use, as he had just four touches (two carries, two catches), gaining 22 yards.

St. Louis RB -- Todd Gurley's NFL debut didn't exactly go amazingly Sunday, as he carried six times for only nine yards, adding a five-yard catch. But we'll give him a mulligan on that one -- he is just coming back from a knee injury, after all. The rest of the Rams' running game was awful, too. Tre Mason managed only 16 yards on nine rushes, with wideout Chris Givens leading the team in ground yardage (24) on just one carry.

Tampa Bay WR -- Mike Evans' transition back to action is still a work in progress. While Jameis Winston targeted him a whopping 17 times Sunday, he caught only seven of those, albeit for 101 yards. Louis Murphy, meanwhile, was used more heavily than Vincent Jackson, beating him out in targets (six to four), catches (three to two) and yards (61 to 40).

Tennessee RB -- Things are getting more and more muddled here, as Bishop Sankey and Dexter McCluster only saw five carries each in Sunday's loss to Indy, while Antonio Andrews led the rushing attack with 12 carries, 49 yards and a score. Jalston Fowler was seeing some short-yardage use, but ended up leaving with a knee injury. Andrews merits a pickup in deeper formats, but it's getting impossible to know who'll see the lion's share of the work here from week to week.

Tennessee WR -- Dorial Green-Beckham caught a touchdown for the second straight week Sunday, but it was one of only two catches on three targets. Kendall Wright led the way, as you'd expect, while Justin Hunter made one big play but was otherwise silent. Harry Douglas saw the second-most WR targets (six), and yet he only gained 20 yards on three catches.

Tennessee TE -- Delanie Walker (wrist) got back on the field in Week 3, finishing second on the team in targets (10) while catching seven balls for 68 yards.

Washington RB -- Less than one week after his big breakout game, Matt Jones again controlled a majority share of the rushes in Thursday's contest against the Giants, but his 11 carries went for a modest 38 yards and his day got turned on its head by a fumble into the end zone. If he holds onto that ball, Jones probably goes on to a pretty big fantasy day; instead, he picked up 1.8 points in most formats. Don't give up on Jones over one game, but deploy with caution. Alfred Morris still only carried six times for 19 yards, but Chris Thompson picked up an unexpected boatload of work -- he carried twice, gaining an impressive 29 yards, and caught eight passes for another 57 and a score. The undersized Thompson may see use in passing situations moving forward, but Jones can catch the ball too, so we'll have to see how this plays out in the coming weeks.

Washington WR -- Another day with the clearly not-good Kirk Cousins at quarterback (300-plus yards or no, he was awful) and no DeSean Jackson left Pierre Garcon to catch only five of a dozen targets for a quiet 64 yards. Jamison Crowder emerged from nowhere to catch all six of his targets, though he only gained 45 yards for it. Jackson could be back as soon as next week to face his old Eagles mates, which would be a relief for this offense as it currently has no deep threats to keep defenses honest.