Are offenses beginning to round into their season-long identities after two weeks? Or are we seeing anomalous, bad football? Hard to say, but that doesn't mean some of the underperformers are safe from my 2023 Fantasy Football Week 3 Drop List.
Saquon Barkley, Nick Chubb, Diontae Johnson, Anthony Richardson, David Montgomery—these are some of the marquee Fantasy names who managers are going to be looking to replace with bold waiver claims this week. You're going to need to clear some roster spots.
Some offensive schemes and situations have been ugly enough, Fantasy-wise, that I've got a few names for you to feel comfortable kicking to the curb this week to make room for replacements. Let's get to it.
2023 Fantasy Football Week 3 Drop List
Become an All-Access Member to get access to the Award-Winning Rankings, DFS Tools, and more.
If you are already a member, sign in.
Any Patriots Wide Receiver
One observation from last night’s game was Bill O’Brien’s hesitancy to switch up play calling despite a change in personnel. Here’s an example:
After Demario Douglas was benched post-fumble, JuJu Smith-Schuster took over the majority of reps as the slot receiver for the… pic.twitter.com/xt1C5nrNLn
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) September 18, 2023
Hunter Henry may be making waves from the tight end slot in terms of roster percentage this week, but folks in regular leagues should feel just fine dropping the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and DeVante Parker.
There's just no standout among them worthy of FLEX consideration. I know Bourne had his 24.4 PPR-point performance Week 1, and Parker saw seven targets in Week 2, but that sort of week-to-week inconsistency is to be expected at almost any skill position on the Patriots offense.
You likely didn't spend much draft capital on any of these guys, anyways. They're probably riding your bench, and you should feel totally fine swapping them out for even a streaming defense as early as this week.
Cam Akers, Obviously
KYREN WILLIAMS RB1 SZN 🚀
pic.twitter.com/XuvOGqtow4— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) September 17, 2023
Pretty simple one here. Akers got the healthy scratch again for the second season in a row. His 29 yards on 22 carries in Week 1 was enough to get him back in McVay's dog house, and understandably so. Kyren Williams is now the starter.
The Rams say they're shopping Akers around for a trade. Don't be fooled, and don't get excited. Maybe the RB-needy Browns will trade for Akers, but even still. He's just no good anymore.
Drop him without a second thought. And if you're one of the lucky ones who grabbed Williams off the wire last week while you were still rostering Akers, pat yourself on the back.
Jerick McKinnon On the Bubble
What's going on, here? McKinnon had such a massive impact on the Chiefs offense in the final stretch of last season, and now he's just—gone?
He's posted fewer than three Fantasy points each game so far, which simply doesn't add up. The Chiefs offense—with a young-and-inconsistent corps of wideouts, a dinged-up Travis Kelce, and a yet-to-sort-itself-out bellcow situation between Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire—could seemingly use McKinnon's electricity.
He's seen plenty of snaps on third down. Maybe that'll translate to more points going forward. But I'm a little bit concerned this Chiefs offense under Matt Nagy has yet to find its identity. It's hard to justify getting excited about McKinnon's role just yet.
I said "on the bubble" above because I'm not quite sure I'm ready to let him go. But I'm certainly not FLEXing him until I see it.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert to Quentin Johnston⚡️ pic.twitter.com/6WH5eU1MQ9
— Chargers Country (@ChargersCountry) September 10, 2023
So the Chargers are doing their whole Charger thing through two weeks, what with their two head-scratching losses. Perhaps what's been most consistent about them, however, is how little big-hype rookie Quentin Johnston has been involved.
In Week 1, he scored 2.9 PPR points. He sputtered out 1.7 in Week 2. The Chargers have put up 58 points total across both of these weeks, and Johnston has seen virtually zero action. He's seen two targets total, and only 19 air yards from his gunslinger of a franchise quarterback.
He nearly had a one-handed touchdown grab on Sunday, but he couldn't reel it in. Johnston isn't coming close to producing as much as fellow late-round rookie receiver Zay Flowers, and it really doesn't seem like Kellen Moore wants to get him involved just yet. He certainly doesn't have Herbert's trust, either.
This is a must-win, get-right week for the Chargers as they head to face Minnesota. I don't think he'll be featured whatsoever. Drop him, and don't feel bad if he has his first big game on the wire.
Check out more Fantasy Football content from the writers at F6P!
