Fantasy Football DvP Mismatch Report For Week 3: Jonathan Taylor Facing Tough Texans Defense

Who was excited to see what these Bears would do in Week 2? Oh, stop lying. I know you raised your hand.

We wanted another look at this Bears offense, but outside of D'Andre Swift, none of its fantasy stars showed up at home. Then things got nasty. The weather was nasty, but you know what else was nasty? Brian Flores and that Vikings defense.

Flores created bad matchups everywhere, holding Chicago to just 3 points. Now, let’s find the matchups to target and avoid in Week 3 using our Fantasy Life DvP tool.

Week 3 Fantasy Football DvP Matchups to Target

WR Zay Flowers vs. Dallas Cowboys

Fantasy gods, it’s your boi! Not to be greedy, but can you please spare Zay Flowers’ hamstring?

Flowers is a major piece of this Ravens offense, and that became painfully obvious last week. Baltimore ranks inside the top 10 in explosive-play rate. Those chunk gains were everywhere in Week 1, but disappeared in Week 2 with Flowers’ absence playing a major role.

Now Baltimore and Dallas meet in Brazil, with neither team wanting to leave 1-2. Baltimore ranks seventh in scoring at 29 points per game, while Dallas sits eighth at 28.5. If Flowers is healthy, this has the makings of the kind of game where Baltimore needs its explosive playmaker involved.

The field at Maracanã Stadium is worth monitoring, but the NFL reportedly has a plan to ensure a quality playing surface. Don’t overthink this one: if Flowers is playing, you play him.

TE A.J. Barner vs. Washington Commanders

Looking for a plus matchup doesn’t always lead to a household name. That’s where we find AJ Barner, aka Captain Hook. Although after Week 2, “Barnyard” might be better. That was the play Seattle called when Barner took a direct snap and barreled into the end zone from one yard out.

Now Barner gets a Commanders defense that has already surrendered 4 touchdowns to TEs. Detroit is the only other defense that has allowed that many.

Barner already has a role in Seattle’s passing game, and now the Barnyard package gives him another route to the end zone. Captain Hook could steal some fantasy points in Week 3.

RB Quinshon Judkins vs. Carolina Panthers

Finally, Quinshon Judkins gets a matchup we should be excited about. After two tough matchups, the reward for our patience is Carolina, which has allowed 31 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs.

And don’t look now, but Deshaun Watson is moving the football, creating more scoring opportunities for Judkins. Carolina has already surrendered 4 touchdowns and more than 200 total yards to opposing backfields.

Volume? Check. Matchup? Check. Touchdown opportunity? Check.

That completes the trifecta for Judkins in one of Week 3’s more underrated fantasy matchups.

Week 3 Fantasy Football DvP Matchup to Avoid

RB Jonathan Taylor vs. Houston Texans

There’s no denying the success Jonathan Taylor has had against the Texans. It doesn’t get much better than 10 touchdowns in 10 career games against Houston. However, in his last two meetings with the Texans? A big fat zero.

Going against Taylor is frightening, but so is this Texans run defense. Houston has surrendered just 7.5 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs through two weeks, and it’s not like they’ve faced nobodies. James Cook and Chase Brown were on the other side of those matchups.

Houston might still have some things to figure out against the pass, but stopping the run hasn’t been one of them.

Could Taylor make us look stupid? Absolutely. He’s Jonathan freaking Taylor. This Texans run defense makes Taylor one of the scarier matchups on the Week 3 slate.