Fantasy Football Week 3 Wide Receiver Projections and Rankings: Davante Adams Erupts, Malik Nabers Tumbles
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the WR1 in fantasy football. He may not relinquish that status for the remainder of the season, but that is why we watch. You never can know what may happen. The following projections will attempt to foresee what may happen in Week 3. Davante Adams and DeVonta Smith are surging up the board, with fallers including Malik Nabers, Puka Nacua, and others.
Top-12 Wide Receivers
Ja'Marr Chase is clearly a WR1, but he has fallen outside of top-2 status. Chase's Week 2 was much better than Week 1, but a player who should have caught 6+ balls per game only had 9 through two games. There is nothing to worry about; just a mildly slow start.
If Puka Nacua is out again in Week 3, Adams may jump ahead of Amon-Ra St. Brown. As of now, I'm hedging on Nacua being out; he is ranked WR3 for the week. Davante Adams shelled out 195 yards as the Rams' WR1 on Monday night.
The gap between Chase and Higgins has narrowed. Higgins has 2 more targets and 67 more yards than Chase through two games. The Steelers play their opponent, and their biggest weakness is their coverage, especially now that they are without Joey Porter Jr.
Matthew Golden is the biggest climber in all of fantasy football. His volume has been on par with Christian Watson, as both average 9.0 targets and 75+ yards per game.
High-Upside Plays
The hope is that Zay Flowers can play this Sunday. He recorded 150 yards in his first 20 plays of the season. Flowers has not played since, but the Cowboys remain a bottom-3 coverage team in the NFL. Either way, I do like some Rashod Bateman on Sunday night.
Rashee Rice's breakout is imminent. Do not give in to the flop hype train rolling in Rice's name. He will be fine; he is the WR1 on the NFL's best offense. Facing an awful Dolphins team, he is, of course, a must-start.
Top WR separation scores in 2026 (via @FantasyPtsData )
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 23, 2026
1. Josh Downs
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
3. Davante Adams
4. Mike Evans
5. Dontayvion Wicks
6. Garrett Wilson
7. KC Concepcion
8. Denzel Boston
9. Antonio Williams
10. Stefon Diggs
Josh Downs will have tremendous volume without Alec Pierce. In fact, Downs is now projected to account for about 35% of the Colts' receiving offense. That is the exact yardage share that Downs had in Week 2, recording 72 of the team's 210 receiving yards on 9 targets and 7 receptions.
Fade These Wide Receivers
Fantasy managers must prepare to be without Puka Nacua, who is out this week. There is a ton of uncertainty surrounding his game status. We must also consider that Nacua could play at less than 100%.
Malik Nabers is expected to struggle in the world he plays in. Deepak Chona, MD. SMA raises serious concerns about his ability. Ensure a capable backup is lined up for your fantasy roster. Nabers was deemed a very high-risk draft pick entering this season.
Sleeper of the Week
Through two weeks, the Cowboys rank 30th in EPA/Pass Allowed. Through two weeks, Rashod Bateman has played 37 more snaps than LaJohntay Wester and 48 more snaps than Chris Moore. There is no WR2 threat. Nothing even resembling it.
I absolutely love Bateman on Sunday night. Lamar Jackson will feast, and whether or not Zay Flowers plays does not matter.
Week 3 Projected Leaders
- Targets: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11.2)
- Receptions: Amon-Ra St. Brown (7.4)
- Receiving Yards: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (101.6)
- Touchdowns: Smith-Njigba, St. Brown (0.7)
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.