Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings Early Look: Kenneth Walker Reigns Supreme

We're now two full weeks into the 2026 season, and data points are piling up as the first stretch of bye weeks approaches in a couple of weeks. Let's take an early peek at Matthew Freedman's Week 3 fantasy football rankings to see how the first two weeks of action have shifted them.

Risers In Early Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings

Kenneth Walker | RB | Chiefs (RB2)

Overtaking both Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey in the RB rankings is no small feat, but Walker's role (and production) have been that good through his first two games as a Chief. Through those eight quarters of action, Walker has posted a 99 Utilization Score with a 76% snap rate, 81% rush share, and over 23 attempts (and 6.5 targets) per game. Averaging 30 opportunities per game is prime-CMC-level stuff and it's clear the entire offense is going to revolve around him. In a game where the Chiefs are heavy favorites against the Dolphins, we're likely to see another nuclear performance from Walker with potential late-game rest as the only hindrance I can forecast.

Chris Olave | WR | Saints (WR4)

Not only is Olave leading the NFL in air yards (340), he has 56 more than the next closest wide receiver (DeVonta Smith; 284). These haven't been empty air yards, either. Olave ranks second in the NFL in receiving yards (268) behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba, second in receptions (18) behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, and seventh in target share (29%) with a 95 Utilization Score. The Saints are running a ton of plays and Tyler Shough has proven more than capable of supporting a high-end WR1. Against a beatable Raiders defense, there's no reason to believe Olave won't produce high-end WR1 numbers for the third consecutive week.

Zay Flowers | WR | Ravens (WR7)

Had Flowers not aggravated his hamstring injury in Week 1, we'd likely be talking about him in the same vein that I just talked about Olave based on how the game was trending for him. In his half of action this season, Flowers posted 150 receiving yards on 5 catches (6 targets) with 83 air yards, a 13.8-yard aDOT and 26 PPR points. He was dominating utilization in the WR room, and if active in Week 3, the expectation should be for that to continue. Lamar Jackson has been honing in on his WR1 each week (Flowers in Week 1, Rashod Bateman 7/88/1 on 9 targets in Week 2), and the Ravens draw one of the best matchups for a wide receiver in Week 3: the Dallas Cowboys. So long as Flowers suits up, he's a strong mid-range WR1.

More Week 3 Rankings Risers: Brock Purdy (SF, QB4), Patrick Mahomes (KC, QB5), Dalton Kincaid (BUF, TE2), Oronde Gadsden (TE15, LAC), Jaylen Warren (RB21, PIT)

Early Fallers In Week 3 Fantasy Rankings

Justin Herbert | QB | Chargers (QB14)

It feels like an annual conversation whether or not Justin Herbert (and the Chargers) is a fraud (dramatic label, sure, but you get the point). After two weeks, the discourse is back on the table after an 0-2 start with losses to the Cardinals and Raiders.

Yikes.

Herbert simply has not been good so far, completing only 59% of his passes and struggling to keep the ball moving (he had three fumbles in Week 2, but none were lost). He's now up to 3 interceptions, 3 fumbles, 6 sacks, and only 2 passing touchdowns through two games while failing to crack 15 fantasy points in either outing.

A Week 3 game in Buffalo looks like a potential shootout on paper, but it could also spell disaster for Herbert in a game that the Chargers are likely going to get steamrolled. He's far too difficult to trust as a QB1 in your lineups this week if you can afford to look elsewhere.

Luther Burden | WR | Bears (WR36)

The hype train has officially fallen off the rails. Week 1 was slightly concerning for Burden, running under 75% of the routes while ceding the team lead in target share to *checks notes* Kalif Raymond. Unfortunately, Week 2 was only a continuation of what was thought to potentially be a one-week thing.

In Week 2, Burden maintained his 71% route rate from Week 1, but Raymond saw his 58% route rate from Week 1 balloon to 76%. Burden did out-target him 24% to 17%, but there is a clear cap on his ceiling as long as Raymond is involved. The other caveat for Week 3 is the ambiguity surrounding Caleb Williams. If he misses and Tyson Bagent starts, the offense as a whole will get a massive downgrade.

All of this makes Burden hard to trust as anything more than a low-end WR3 in Week 3 and is someone worth seriously considering benching until we see an expansion in his role.

Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Cardinals (WR51)

The dream is dead. Whether it's lack of effort, skill, role, etc., when it comes to fantasy football, Marvin Harrison Jr. stinks.

Through two weeks, he has one (1!) catch for 33 yards on four total targets. He's played under 80% of the snaps in both games and has most recently headlined Adam Pfeifer's players to drop in fantasy football for Week 2.

It's crystal clear he is not even close to a focal point in this offense, now sitting as arguably the No. 4 option on the team, and he's not someone that should be sniffing your starting lineup. If you want to keep him on your bench and hold out hope, be my guest, but me? No thanks.

More Week 3 Rankings Fallers: Baker Mayfield (TB, QB22), Colston Loveland (CHI, TE12), Terry McLaurin (WAS, WR30), Rhamondre Stevenson (NE, RB28)