Fantasy Football Rankings Week 3: PPR Running Backs Including Jordan Mason, Tony Pollard, Carson Steele & More

Week 3 of the NFL season is here and it’s time to clean up the mess. If you’ve managed to avoid any major injuries to your fantasy team(s), you’re probably in a good position to extend your lead or make an early move. Yes, we say it every year, but we’re only two weeks in and multiple early round picks are injured and it feels bad.

The good news for running backs in general is that several teams are running the ball well and we’ve seen running backs lead the way in fantasy so far this season. It’s great to see JK Dobbins break out, while UDFA Jordan Mason has put up big numbers in place of Christian McCaffrey. And how about De’Von Achane? He’s a threat as a receiver and big playmaker as usual. But the leader of the pack is someone we thought had taken a step back, but with OC Klint Kubiak making hay in New Orleans, Alvin Kamara has gone full-on wild. He’s vintage Kamara, and that’s great for his draftees.

Running back injuries in week 3

Christian McCaffrey, 49ers

You already know that CMC is nursing an Achilles injury, but this is just a reminder that his replacement, Jordan Mason, is still a Top 5 player and is my #1 fantasy player this week against a struggling Rams defense.

Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs

Pacheco broke his fibula last week and will be out for 6-8 weeks. Behind him is a confusing fantasy group, as Carson Steele and Samaje Perine are next on the depth chart, but Kareem Hunt is also coming in for a tryout. This is probably a situation to avoid until we know more, but as it stands, Steele should get early down/goalline work while Perine should see receiving and backup work. Hunt is probably too far gone at this point, but his familiarity with the offense could get him into the mix.

Joe Mixon, Texans

Mixon suffered an ankle injury in Week 2, but the severity is unknown. It doesn’t appear he’ll be out long and there’s a chance he could play this week against the Vikings, but it’s still unclear whether or not he practices this week. Cam Akers would likely be his primary backup, as Dameon Pierce is also nursing an ankle injury.

Kenneth Walker, Seahawks

Walker missed Week 2 with an oblique injury, and his status for Week 3 against the Dolphins is questionable. The team seemed optimistic that his injury wasn’t serious, but he didn’t practice all week. He was listed as questionable instead of out, but we should see him return to practice sooner rather than later. Zach Charbonnet would once again step in as the leadoff man if Walker were to miss.

Raheem Mostert, Dolphins

Mostert missed Week 2 with a pectoral injury, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be out long. There’s a chance he plays this week, but we need to get him in some practice sessions first. If he does play, he’ll likely get a lot of work with Tua Tagovailoa out and the team starting Skylar Thompson.

Week 3 running back sleepers

Tony Pollard, Titans vs. Packers

The Packers run defenses have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs. Tony Pollard looked good as the lead back in Tennessee and I don’t expect Jordan Love to be back this week. If we bring back Malik Willis, the Packers wouldn’t have to get that big of a lead and limit the Titans’ running opportunities. But even if they did, Pollard has done a solid job as a receiver with eight receptions on 10 targets. That ranks fourth in running back targets and fifth in receptions this season, while also ranking 10th in rushing attempts.

Kenneth Walker/Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks vs. Dolphins

The Dolphins travel from Miami to Seattle for this game and will be without their starting quarterback. The Dolphins shouldn’t be able to get a big lead in this game, so the run game will likely be available to the Seahawks the entire time. Add to that the fact that Miami has given up the fourth-most PPR points to running backs, and I like whoever plays for Seattle.