This early in the NFL season, we’re always in for a surprise or two. But this year has magnified that quite a bit, keeping fantasy owners on their toes (and some likely pulling out their hair) and making it hard to project who the top performers are going to be each week.
Week 3 was no different, with a lot of top names struggling and some not-so-household names stepping up big. Let’s take a look at five guys who did just that and were big fantasy surprises this week.
5. Johnathan Franklin, Green Bay Packers: 103 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards and one touchdown - 16.60 fantasy points.
Franklin supporters collectively rejoiced when they learned that James Starks wouldn’t be coming back into the game after injuring his knee, as Franklin was the only healthy running back left on the roster and Mike McCarthy finally had no choice but to see what he could do. And boy, did he produce. Franklin gave Green Bay their second-straight 100-yard rusher, after going 45 games without a single player reaching the milestone. Franklin as the seventh best fantasy ‘back and 25th best fantasy player and could’ve finished even higher if it weren’t for a costly fumble late in the game.
4. Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns: 321 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions - 18.64 points.
Hoyer started for the Browns in place of the injured Brandon Weeden and fantasy owners really weren’t expecting a whole lot, especially after the Browns traded Trent Richardson earlier this week.
But Hoyer came out of the gate firing, and was surely added by the return of Josh Gordon. Hoyer finished Sunday as the 10th best fantasy quarterback and would’ve finished even higher if it weren’t for his three interceptions.
3. Geno Smith, New York Jets: 331 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and two interceptions - 24.64 points.
Smith continues to get the job done in New York, leading the Jets to a surprising 2-1 record. He put the team on his shoulders today, putting up an impressive 331 yards through the air and was the fourth best fantasy passer on Sunday, despite two interceptions.
2. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys: 175 rushing yards, 28 receiving yards and one touchdown - 26.30 points.
Murray proved this week why the Cowboys haven’t given up on him yet - when he’s healthy, he’s one of the most talented ‘backs in football. Murray put up huge numbers against a stout St. Louis Rams’ defense and finished Sunday as the top-ranked fantasy running back.
1. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans: 299 passing yards, 68 rushing yards and two total touchdowns - 28.76 points.
Locker has basically been written off as nothing more than a bench or streaming option by most fantasy owners at this point, but boy did he make those who did start him happy this week. Locker was all over the place, accounting for 367 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, which was good enough to land him at No. 3 among fantasy quarterbacks this week.