We're seeing rookies break out early this year, and every spot in the "Three Up" section this week is occupied by a rookie. As we get later into the season, the advice from this column becomes a bit more actionable. Every player on the "Three Down" section should be on your fantasy team's roster bubble.
Three Up
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Only Cam Newton and Justin Herbert have accumulated more passing yards than C.J. Stroud through their first three NFL starts. His 906 yards are the fourth-most in the NFL. He's yet to throw a single interception, and only eight quarterbacks have thrown a higher percentage of their passes for a first down. Simply put, his numbers to start his NFL career are staggering. The identity we imagined for this Texans' offense would be one that would control the clock through a steady run game and strong defense. It's been anything but. Their defense ranks in the league's bottom half in points allowed, yards allowed, and yards per play. Their 63.8% pass rate is the league's sixth-highest. Stroud is on pace for 685 pass attempts, which would be the sixth-most in NFL history. There's no guarantee that Stroud can maintain the numbers he's provided thus far, but he's worth a stash in all formats.
RB De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
Despite missing Week 1, De'Von Achane is fantasy's RB5. Obviously, a lot of that comes in the wake of a four-touchdown performance in Week 3, but it shouldn't be ignored. Achane saw just one carry and one target in his Week 2 debut but exploded for 223 yards on 22 touches the following week. Achane fits in with the Dolphins' primary strength: speed. On a team flush with track stars, Achane's 4.32 40-yard and 10.14-second 100-meter are both the fastest. He showcased that speed by carving up the Broncos on Sunday. In addition to the big outside runs, though, Achane was involved as a pass-catcher and got some unexpected work between the tackles. Raheem Mostert isn't going to disappear. Jeff Wilson Jr.'s return is imminent. But Achane did enough on Sunday to carve out and hold onto a role in this offense.
TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Who says rookie tight ends can't get it done? Through Week 3, only T.J. Hockenson has outscored Sam LaPorta in PPR leagues. His 14.2 points per game was outpaced by only Travis Kelce last year. He's averaging over seven targets per game, including 11 in his Week 3 breakout. LaPorta was touted as a target magnet coming out of Iowa, and his 22.7-percent target share is extremely promising. Only Mark Andrews, Kyle Pitts, and Travis Kelce maintained a better target share through the 2022 season. This Lions' offense will have a lot of output, and LaPorta appears to be a key piece. Going forward, he deserves to be ranked a top-six weekly tight end.
Three Down
RB Dalvin Cook, New York Jets
Rushing yards over expectation per attempt is a great measure of a running back's effectiveness. Through Week 3, only Cam Akers' is lower than Dalvin Cook's. Cook's -1.75 is worse than any running back has ever recorded since Next Gen Stats started charting the metric in 2018. If RYOE/attempt is a bit too nerdy for your liking, Cook has amassed just 58 rushing yards on 25 attempts, coming out to 2.3 yards per carry. That, too, is second-worst in the NFL, behind only Cam Akers. Cook started to show signs of decline in 2022. The league's fifth-highest opportunity share buoyed his fantasy productions. At this point, it's improbable that Cook provides any output relevant in fantasy in the Jets' offense.
WR Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
A former first-rounder with lofty expectations, Treylon Burks is faceplanting in Year 2. He's playing clear second fiddle to DeAndre Hopkins, being out-targeted 25 to 13. On those 13 targets, Burks has accumulated just six receptions for 99 scoreless yards, 70 of which came on one play. I know, I know, you can't take away plays from a player's overall sample. But in weeks without a big play, Burks has been a massive liability. He's scored 4.7 and 1.5 PPR points in the two other outings. Derrick Henry is not the player we've seen in years past. Ryan Tannehill is showing serious regression in his age-35 season. Being the secondary pass-catcher on an inefficient run-first team will make fantasy points hard to come by. Burks' name value might return some value on the trade market. But as bye weeks approach, don't feel bad if you have to cut Burks from your roster.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots
Averaging just 5.5 PPR points per game, Smith-Schuster doesn't belong anywhere near your fantasy lineups. Mac Jones has the third-most pass attempts in the league, and Smith-Schuster still can't find a path to relevance. Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, and Hunter Henry are all out-targeting Smith-Schuster on a per-game basis. Of the eight pass-catchers in New England to catch more than two balls, only Ezekiel Elliott has fewer yards per reception. We've heard some odd rumors about Smith-Schuster this year. From his “knee could explode” to “he's not a top-five pass-catcher on the team,” there hasn't been much positivity coming his way. You could stash him in deep leagues if you're hurting at the wide receiver position, but he's safe to drop in most formats.