NFL Week 3 Target Report 2026: Fantasy Football Targets, Rankings & Usage

Two weeks down, which now means we have DOUBLE that data. Some of our worries from Week One were completely erased, like with Jaylen Waddle. With other players, like Marvin Harrison, it seems some of our fears have been confirmed. Two weeks is still a small sample size, but big decisions still need to be made because the football season itself is not that long. This isn’t fantasy baseball, folks.

So, with that, we will try to piece together the puzzle and predict the future. It sounds like a tall order, but we now have a LOT to work with, especially compared to the offseason. So let’s dive in and make sense of it all. 

2026 Fantasy Football NFL Week 3 Target Report Preview

Here’s what we do with the target report. We take every team, and we rank the pass-catchers in terms of who we think gets the most targets over the course of the season from left to right. Then we color-code those players based on the confidence we have in them meeting certain thresholds. So these are not weekly predictions but more general feelings for the rest of the season.

We set these thresholds as, statistically, 125+ targets is what you need to be a WR1 in fantasy, and 100+ is what you need to be top 24. We have had a few examples of guys finishing top 24 with less than 100, like Deebo Samuel that year; he got a ton of carries or some field stretchers hitting big plays on limited targets, but for consistency week to week, we are shooting for 100.

Same goes for tight ends. Truly elite guys will get 125+. For fantasy-relevant guys, we generally want 100. Technically, you can finish top five at tight end with 90+ targets or 10+ touchdowns, but most of the meaningful fantasy-relevant guys get 100+.

Historically, it is very rare for three guys to all get 100+ targets on the same team. Even with injuries factored in, it happens less than 4% of the time. For instance, last year the Cowboys did it, but Jake Ferguson was not on a 100+ target pace without CeeDee Lamb being hurt for those ~5 games. So we are focusing on guys who can be top two targets on their team. 

Fantasy Football Target Chart 2026 NFL Week 3

Fantasy Football Week 3 Risers, Fades, and Takeaways

Fantasy Football Week 3 Target Risers

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers 

In Week One, Kraft got six targets but ran fewer than 50% of the routes. In Week Two, Kraft only got 3 targets, but he played 98% of the snaps and ran 87% of the routes. That usage is actually more important to us than the targets. Plus, Jayden Reed got hurt, and he operates in the same area of the field as Kraft. 

Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens

We speculated on this last week, but it was confirmed this week. With Ja’Kobi Lane on IR, Bateman will play more in general, but with Zay Flowers out, he was clearly the featured wide receiver. 

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills

Kincaid continues to enjoy his increased playing time this season, and he improved on his numbers from Week One. If you drafted Kincaid, you have to be happy with his place within this target pecking order. With DJ Moore nicked up, he’s the top target on the team. 

Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers

Coker proved last week was not a fluke as he once again played a massive snap share (34 routes out of 39) opposite Tetairoa McMillan (34). Both players got 9 targets. 

Darren Waller, TE, Carolina Panthers

Right now, Waller is still just a touchdown-dependent option. But he went from a ~40% route participation last week to 56% this week, so hopefully that will continue to trend up. 

Denzel Boston, WR, Cleveland Browns

We mentioned last week that Boston led the Browns in routes run and even caught that big touchdown pass. Well, he proved that was not a fluke by once again leading the team in routes run. This week he got two targets towards the endzone and converted one again for a big touchdown. 

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Josh Downs continued on his great usage from last week, proving that he’s now a full-time WR in this league. And, with Alec Pierce landing on IR

Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Another player from last week’s article who confirmed his spot in the Risers section this week by delivering on the opportunity. Tucker has now led this team in routes run two weeks in a row, so we’re willing to crown him the WR1. Which is important because, when Brock Bowers gets back, there isn’t room for multiple fantasy-relevant WRs here. 

Oronde Gadsden, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

Gadsden was squarely in the “fallers” section of this article after only running 7 routes in Week One. Well, this week saw David Njoku carted off with a knee injury, and it also saw Charlie Kolar in a sling. Kolar is more of an inline blocking tight end, so he doesn’t matter much to use, but Njoku being out means Gadsden is the top pass-catching tight end on the team. 

Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets

The question coming in was Adonai Mitchell vs. Omar Cooper Jr. Well, Mitchell not only played more in Week One, but Omar Cooper Jr. landed on IR. This week Mitchell basically went snap for snap and target for target with Garrett Wilson, solidifying them as the top two targets on the team. I don’t expect Mitchell to get 11 targets to 7 for Wilson like this week, but he’s clearly heavily involved. 

Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans

We mentioned Dalton Schultz in this article last week as a guy you should consider streaming - this week confirmed that he is a featured part of the offense. 

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York Jets

This is more speculation than anything we are seeing just yet. But first, Omar Cooper Jr. went on IR. Now Mason Taylor is dealing with a thumb injury. Conditions could not be playing more into Sadiq’s favor, so now it’s all on him to make the most of whatever opportunity he gets. 

Fantasy Football Week 3 Target Fallers

Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears

We were willing to forgive one down week because the deployment was good in terms of routes run, WR snaps, etc. This week was big-time concerning. Sure, Loveland did have a catch called back due to penalty. But that would have boosted his number to two catches. Even worse, he ran only 69% of the possible routes. Not great.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Running backs usually don’t make this article unless it’s something meaningfully positive or negative in the pass game. Well, with Hampton, you were drafting him early hoping that he might be used like De’Von Achane. Instead, they are rotating backs on pass downs where none of Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, or Kimani Vidal ran more than 30% of the routes. Not ideal. 

Luther Burden WR, Chicago Bears

As with Loveland, we can’t blame everything on the weather. With Burden, he was not a full-time player either, running 71.4% of the routes. He was actually behind Kalif Raymond in both snaps and routes, even if he did lead the team with 7 targets. Not ideal for a guy you likely drafted early on. 

Jerry Jeudy WR, Cleveland Browns

Jerry Jeudy was in this article trending down last week - this week his snap share was even lower, and he only got one target, which he did not catch. Jeudy does not need to be rostered. 

Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

The role for Rashee Rice seems to have shifted. Before, he was a low-aDot slot guy, which saw him get peppered with targets from week to week. Now they seem to be using him more out wide, with Xavier Worthy operating more in the role Rice used to have. A touchdown in Week One and a big garbage time catch really helped boost the numbers for Rice and disguise what is going on, so we are looking to sell.

Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints

Juwan Johnson salvaged his day at the very end last week with late-game heroics, but it was a little scary along the way. This week, he actually lost some snaps to guys like Noah Fant and Oscar Delp, which we don’t want to see. Johnson only played 53% of the snaps, which is not great considering Jordyn Tyson will be back at some point. 

Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Marvin Harrison Jr followed up his tough Week One with an even worse Week Two. He’s currently unstartable and is maybe one more bad game away from potentially being droppable. 

Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Tennessee Titans

There is some big concern here all of a sudden, and not just because of the singular target. Wan'Dale Robinson quietly only played 52.8% of the snaps, which was behind Carnell Tate and Calvin Ridley and tied with Elic Ayomanor. Did the Titans really pay him all that money to be a part-time guy?   

Fantasy Football Week 3 Target Takeaways and Uncertainty

Obviously we want as many guys in the blue or green as possible. In the early rounds, we want certainty. But as we get later in drafts and onto waivers, uncertainty becomes your friend. The real opportunity comes from those yellow or even orange sections. The farther left on the chart we have yellow, the more uncertainty we have. That’s where breakouts can be found.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are still our top source of mystery and intrigue. Caleb Douglas and Malik Washington still lead the team in routes run - it was Caleb Douglas in Week One in targets, but Malik Washington this week. Kevin Coleman Jr. and rookie Chris Bell are both operating at about 50% snap share, but Bell is the one coming off a major injury and could get ramped up. Greg Dulcich tied Caleb Douglas with three targets but only ran 17 of a possible 28 routes, so hard to trust him. 

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have been a fairly peculiar team so far. After drafting Carnell Tate early and paying Wan’Dale Robinson a bunch of money, we expected them to be a little more involved. Tate is at least getting a full workload, but Wan’Dale was operating behind Calvin Ridley, splitting snaps with Elic Ayomanor. There is room for someone to emerge, if they can do it. 

New England Patriots

A high ankle sprain is no joke, so we need to brace for A.J. Brown to miss most of the fantasy season. That leaves guys like Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, Demario Douglas, and Hunter Henry to battle for snaps. Their success hinges on Drake Maye hopefully looking more like the MVP candidate from last year than what we have seen so far. 

Chicago Bears

This team remains a curiosity as we like the offense, but it’s oddly hard to trust any of the pass-catchers. With Caleb Williams set to miss some time, we’ll now have to see who Case Keenum likes (and possibly Tyson Bagent once he clears concussion protocol). Colston Loveland has obviously been especially disappointing. 

Philadelphia Eagles

The Dallas Goedert injury makes the Eagles a point of interest. DeVonta Smith is plugged in, but there is room behind him. Dontayvion Wicks has been the WR2, but we’ve seen rookies start slow, so we have an eye on Makai Lemon still. And they signed Zach Ertz to the practice squad, so we’ll have to see how quickly he can get ramped up.

Houston Texans

Even when Nico Collins is back, there is an opportunity for someone to emerge as the second target here. So far it’s been the veterans Dalton Schultz and Xavier Hutchinson, but we are watching Kayshon Boutte as he learns the playbook, as well as Jaylin Noel. Tank Dell will be back at some point as well.