Fantasy Football Week 3: Chuba Hubbard Poised for Top-10 Performance

The theme for Week 3 -- and maybe the season -- is surviving injuries. It's been a rough start so far with players getting hurt.

At quarterback, we just lost Jaxson Dart (knee) for the season, and Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Caleb Williams (hamstring) could miss several weeks. That's a lot of star power out for that position.

Running back has a lengthy list of injuries that we need to monitor, including Saquon Barkley (shoulder), Jadarian Price (shoulder), Travis Etienne (hamstring), Aaron Jones (knee), Rico Dowdle (toe) and all three Broncos running backs. J.K. Dobbins (hip), RJ Harvey (hamstring), and Jonah Coleman (ankle) are all hurt heading into Week 3 against the Rams, and whoever is the healthiest might be a must-start Fantasy running back.

At wide receiver, we're keeping an eye on Puka Nacua (groin), Malik Nabers (shoulder), Mike Evans (hip), Nico Collins (hamstring), D.J. Moore (shoulder) and Zay Flowers (hamstring), among others. With A.J. Brown (ankle) on injured reserve, this position has taken a beating so far this season with several players who were selected in the early part of the draft.

The big injury at tight end is Dallas Goedert (knee), who is expected to miss several weeks. But we might get good news in Week 3 with Brock Bowers (knee) set to make his 2026 debut.

Injuries stink for everyone, including Fantasy managers. And there's a trickle-down effect -- pro and con -- to other players as a result.

For example, we're downgrading the receivers in Chicago and Washington due to the quarterback injuries, but the Giants' pass catchers might benefit from Jameis Winston starting for Dart. Jaylen Warren and Rashod Bateman are two players who could become must-start Fantasy options because of injuries in Week 3. And, as you'll read below, the Start of the Week is in a great spot with Chuba Hubbard taking over Carolina's backfield with Jonathon Brooks (abdomen) on injured reserve.

Ideally, we'd never have to worry about injuries, but that's not a reality. In Fantasy, injuries impact your roster in a major way. Hopefully, you can overcome them and still win, and we're all trying to do that in Week 3 -- and for the rest of the season.

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Start of the Week Projections powered by Sportsline

Chuba Hubbard

RB

CAR Carolina

• #30

Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ CLE CAR -2.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS RB

12th

PROJ PTS

14.3

RB RNK

16th

YTD Stats

RUYDS

102

REC

5

REYDS

49

TD

3

FPTS/G

19.1

Hubbard was already playing well to start the season prior to Week 3, but he might be headed for stardom. Jonathon Brooks (abdomen) was placed on injured reserve, and Hubbard should dominate touches for the Panthers. I like him as a No. 1 Fantasy running back in all leagues in Week 3 at Cleveland. Hubbard had 10 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown on three targets in Week 1 against Chicago. He followed that up with 12 carries for 53 yards and two catches for 11 yards and a touchdown on two targets at Atlanta in Week 2. It's not like Brooks was doing much through two games, but he was the only other running back to get significant touches with Hubbard. Now, the No. 2 running back in Carolina is A.J. Dillon, and I don't see him doing much to hinder Hubbard's upside. The Browns have yet to allow a running back to score a touchdown, but Bhayshul Tuten had 88 total yards in Week 1, while Bucky Irving had 89 total yards in Week 2. I'm expecting Hubbard to have a standout performance, and Brooks being out is great for Hubbard's outlook for Week 3 and beyond.

START 'EM & SIT 'EM

Quarterbacks

QBs to Start Projections powered by Sportsline

Jared Goff

QB

DET Detroit

• #16

Age: 31 • Experience: 11 year

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs NYJ DET -6.5 O/U 47.5

OPP VS QB

10th

PROJ PTS

23.2

QB RNK

5th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

533

RUYDS

9

TD

6

INT

0

FPTS/G

29.1

Goff is off to a solid start so far this season with 533 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions, and he scored at least 20.4 Fantasy points in each game against New Orleans and Buffalo. He should stay hot against the Jets at home, and Goff has now scored at least 20 Fantasy points in five of his past six games in Detroit, dating back to last season. I like Goff as a top-five Fantasy quarterback in Week 3.

Patrick Mahomes

QB

KC Kansas City

• #15

Age: 31 • Experience: 10 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ MIA KC -11.5 O/U 46.5

OPP VS QB

25th

PROJ PTS

28.5

QB RNK

7th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

566

RUYDS

40

TD

6

INT

1

FPTS/G

30.3

Mahomes looks awesome so far in two games against Denver and Indianapolis, with at least 25.7 Fantasy points in each outing. And now he gets the Dolphins in Week 3. Miami has already allowed six total touchdowns to Kirk Cousins and Brock Purdy in the first two games of the season, and Mahomes should stay hot in this matchup. This might be the last time we can mention Mahomes as a starter because he's trending back toward becoming an automatic Fantasy option in all leagues.

Bryce Young

QB

CAR Carolina

• #9

Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ CLE CAR -2.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS QB

24th

PROJ PTS

19.9

QB RNK

10th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

648

RUYDS

16

TD

7

INT

1

FPTS/G

33.7

We'll see which version of Cleveland's defense shows up in Week 3, but the Browns allowed Trevor Lawrence to score 33.8 Fantasy points in Week 1, while Baker Mayfield was limited to 14.2 Fantasy points in Week 2. I don't think Cleveland will stop Young, who is hot right now with at least 30.1 Fantasy points in each of his first two games against Chicago and Atlanta. Young has now scored at least 20.5 Fantasy points in seven of his past 10 games going back to last season, including the playoffs, and he should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues for Week 3 against the Browns.

Tyler Shough

QB

NO New Orleans

• #6

Age: 26 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs LV NO -3 O/U 43.5

OPP VS QB

6th

PROJ PTS

23.7

QB RNK

8th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

662

RUYDS

31

TD

5

INT

2

FPTS/G

26.8

Shough followed up his 29.2 Fantasy points in Week 1 at Detroit with 24.4 Fantasy points at Baltimore in Week 2. He has now scored at least 20 Fantasy points in seven of his past eight games dating back to last season, and he should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues heading into Week 3 against Las Vegas. The Raiders have done a great job so far against Malik Willis and Justin Herbert, holding both to fewer than 17 Fantasy points, but I'm expecting Shough to stay hot in this matchup at home.

Jordan Love

QB

GB Green Bay

• #10

Age: 27 • Experience: 7 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs ATL GB -5.5 O/U 43

OPP VS QB

21st

PROJ PTS

20.8

QB RNK

11th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

532

RUYDS

0

TD

4

INT

1

FPTS/G

20.6

The Packers have offensive line concerns heading into Thursday night's game against Atlanta, but I'm still starting Love as a low-end No. 1 quarterback. Bryce Young just torched the Falcons for 287 passing yards and three touchdowns, and Atlanta cornerback A.J. Terrell (groin) is now on injured reserve. Love only scored 17.8 Fantasy points in Week 2 at the Jets, but he was great in Week 1 at Minnesota with 23.5 Fantasy points. Green Bay is struggling to run the ball, and Love should have to carry the offense in Week 3. Sleepers (Start/Sit) Projections powered by Sportsline

Kyler Murray

QB

MIN Minnesota

• #1

Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.

I'm excited to see what Murray can do after he suffered a concussion early in Week 1 against Green Bay and missed Week 2 at Chicago. Tampa Bay's defense struggled with Deshaun Watson in Week 2 as he scored 23.7 Fantasy points, and Murray will hopefully follow suit. The Buccaneers are allowing 21 yards per game on the ground to Joe Burrow and Watson, and Murray should get production in this matchup with his legs. He's worth using as a low-end starter in deeper leagues.

Geno Smith

QB

NYJ N.Y. Jets

• #7

Age: 35 • Experience: 14 yrs.

This is a great matchup to trust Smith if you need a quarterback. The Lions are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks so far after Tyler Shough and Josh Allen combined for 658 passing yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions and 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first two games. Smith just scored 17.6 Fantasy points in Week 2 against Green Bay, but I like him as a flier in deeper leagues in Week 3 at Detroit.

C.J. Stroud

QB

HOU Houston

• #7

Age: 24 • Experience: 4 yrs.

We'll see if Nico Collins (hamstring) can play in Week 3 at Indianapolis after being out in Week 2, but Stroud can be a low-end starter in deeper leagues even if Collins sits again. The Colts have allowed a season-high 706 passing yards in two games against Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, with four touchdowns and no interceptions, along with 57 rushing yards and a touchdown. Stroud has passed for 627 yards and rushed for 44 yards through two games, but he only has two touchdowns and has scored a combined 37.5 Fantasy points against Buffalo and Cincinnati. This could be a big game for him on the road in Week 3. QBs to Sit Projections powered by Sportsline

Drake Maye

QB

NE New England

• #10

Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

@ JAC JAC -3 O/U 45.5

OPP VS QB

12th

PROJ PTS

18.6

QB RNK

14th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

386

RUYDS

64

TD

1

INT

4

FPTS/G

9.9

The Jaguars haven't exactly faced great quarterbacks so far this season in Deshaun Watson and Bo Nix, but that duo is averaging just 16.1 Fantasy points and has combined for 493 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Maye has combined for just 19.8 Fantasy points in two games at Seattle and Pittsburgh, and this should be another down game for him at Jacksonville. I would only start Maye in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.

Baker Mayfield

QB

TB Tampa Bay

• #6

Age: 31 • Experience: 9 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs MIN MIN -1.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS QB

13th

PROJ PTS

16.5

QB RNK

22nd

YTD Stats

PAYDS

398

RUYDS

59

TD

2

INT

1

FPTS/G

12.9

I had high hopes for Mayfield in Week 2 against Cleveland when he was the Start of the Week, and he struggled with 14.2 Fantasy points. He has now scored fewer than 20 Fantasy points in eight of his past 10 games going back to last season, and you can't start him in one-quarterback leagues in Week 3 against Minnesota.

Bo Nix

QB

DEN Denver

• #10

Age: 26 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

MATCHUP

vs LAR LAR -2.5 O/U 45.5

OPP VS QB

9th

PROJ PTS

17.1

QB RNK

18th

YTD Stats

PAYDS

419

RUYDS

8

TD

2

INT

2

FPTS/G

11.8

Nix scored 16.1 Fantasy points in Week 2 against Jacksonville, and he has now combined for just 23.5 points on the season. He'll have some big games as the season goes on, but he shouldn't be started in one-quarterback leagues in Week 3 against the Rams. Nix has now scored fewer than 20 Fantasy points in eight of his past 10 regular-season games going back to last season.

Malik Willis

QB

MIA Miami

• #2

Age: 27 • Experience: 5 yrs.

YTD Stats

PAYDS

417

RUYDS

45

TD

2

INT

1

FPTS/G

15.6

The Chief

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/jamey-eisenberg-week-3-fantasy-football-start-em-sit-em-start-of-the-week/)._