Week 3 WR Rankings: Amon-Ra St. Brown and Rome Odunze Could Continue Dominant Starts
Matthew Freedman delivers his favorite wide receivers from his Week 3 wide receiver rankings for fantasy football.
It's Week 3 of the NFL regular season. We're in the grind now.
Dudes are getting injured. Players are booming one week and then busting the next. Some mediocre NFL teams are 2-0, and a great one is 0-2.
In the words of Life of Agony—maybe my second-favorite Brooklyn-based '90s metal band—"the river runs red."
Whether you're a warrior or a fisherman, it's time to wade in the water.
You can find each of my weekly positional breakdowns here:
Here's the Week 3 WR edition of Freedman's Favorites.
Wide Receiver Rankings for Week 3
See below for my top 12 wide receivers for Week 3. You can find my full Week 3 fantasy football rankings in Rankings HQ.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions) at Ravens
Even though he's a back-to-back first-team All-Pro, Amon-Ra St. Brown doesn't often get the praise he should because he's a slot-centric receiver who lacks the explosive playmaking usually associated with top-tier pass catchers, like Ja'Marr Chase or Malik Nabers (as examples).
But St. Brown is every bit as productive as those guys are, and he reminded everyone of that last week, when he was the No. 1 WR with 34.7 fantasy points on 9-115-3 receiving and 2-7-0 rushing.
He probably won't get 30+ points again this week … but he definitely could.
The Lions are sizable +5.5 road dogs: They might need to throw the ball at an elevated rate. And with HC Dan Campbell, the Lions have been elite on the road and as dogs (per Action Network).
- Lions on Road: 25-11 ATS | 32.2% ROI
- Lions as Dogs: 24-11 ATS | 31.3% ROI
The Ravens might be without slot CB Marlon Humphrey (groin), and last year they were No. 29 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (21.0%, per FTN).
Even without former OC Ben Johnson, the Lions offense is still ferocious enough to put up points on almost any defense.
Deebo Samuel (Commanders) vs. Raiders
Although he still trails No. 1 WR Terry McLaurin in snap rate (88% vs. 85%) and route rate (91% vs. 87%), Deebo Samuel has smashed over the past two weeks with 14-121-1 receiving on 18 targets and 1-19-1 rushing.
As the team's primary slot receiver, Samuel has enjoyed a steady influx of high-conversion targets via the short passing game, and he has a sublime matchup this week against slot CB Darnay Holmes, who has allowed 11.4 yards per target this year and last year had a 49.5 coverage grade (per PFF).
In 2024, the Raiders were No. 28 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 2 WRs (13.4%).
The Commanders are in the elite "widowmaker" spot: They're at home, they have three extra days coming off Thursday Night Football, and the Raiders have one less day than usual off Monday Night Football. Teams with this compounded edge are 11-5 ATS (34.1% ROI).
QB Jayden Daniels (knee) is questionable, but backup QB Marcus Mariota played great last year for the Commanders in limited action (10.1 AY/A).
As -3.5 favorites, the Commanders should put up points. This game has a total of 44.5, but the over is a five-star bet (per our Fantasy Life Game Model).
While Samuel is +150 to score a TD this week (DraftKings, per our Fantasy Life Prop Bet Finder), I have him projected at +113.
Rome Odunze (Bears) vs. Cowboys
I was skeptical about Rome Odunze entering the year, but he's the No. 2 WR in Utilization Score (95, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report) and the No. 3 WR in snap rate (97%).
With that usage, he has flashed with 13-165-3 receiving on 20 targets.
Simply put, Odunze is breaking out.
And now he has a matchup with a Cowboys defense that …
- Just allowed Malik Nabers (9-167-2 receiving, 13 targets) and Wan'Dale Robinson (8-142-1, 10 targets) to go off.
- Is coming off an exhausting overtime game that went the full 70 minutes.
- Will probably be without CB DaRon Bland (foot).
Under new DC Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys secondary has been helpless … and given that Eberflus was the 2022-24 Bears HC, some of the offensive players might have extra insight into how to exploit his defense.
Troy Franklin (Broncos) at Chargers
This offseason, I had an abundance of enthusiasm for Broncos WR Marvin Mims.
I was evidently wrong.
The guy I should've been hyping was Troy Franklin, who in his second season has catapulted himself from part-time rotator to full-time contributor. Through two games, he has 12-133-1 receiving on 15 targets and 1-11-0 rushing.
He hasn't overtaken No. 1 WR Courtland Sutton, but Franklin has seemingly locked himself in as the No. 2 pass catcher in HC Sean Payton's offense.
The Broncos are on the road, but the Chargers have a one-day rest disadvantage, and last year they were No. 30 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 2 WRs (20.5%).
As a 2024 rookie, Franklin played just one game with a full-time role (snap rate of at least 65%). It was against the Chargers. He had 2-31-1 receiving on three targets with 1-5-0 rushing.
With his newly expanded role, Franklin could double that yardage and once again find the end zone.
The Deep Route
Drake London (Falcons) at Panthers: London did little in Week 2 (3-49-0 receiving, four targets), but the Falcons attempted only 21 passes. I expect them to be more aggressive this week against the Panthers, who last year were No. 32 in defensive dropback SR (50.3%, per RBs Don't Matter). In his two 2024 games against the Panthers, London went off with 16-261-3 receiving on 28 targets.
Zay Flowers (Ravens) vs. Lions: Flowers has continued to improve in his third season, building on last year's 1,115-yard campaign with 230 yards and a TD on 20 targets and three carries in Weeks 1-2. He's the No. 1 WR in yards after catch (117) and No. 2 WR in WOPR (99%), and last year the Lions were No. 2 in most fantasy points allowed to WRs (28.9).
"WOPR" stands for "weighted opportunity rating," and it measures the overall quality of a player's aerial role in his offense by considering his share of targets and air yards.
Tyreek Hill (Dolphins) at Bills: Hill got back on track last week with 6-109-0 receiving on seven targets. Last year the Bills were No. 29 in defensive dropback SR (49.3%), and they could be without slot CB Taron Johnson (quad).
Tetairoa McMillan (Panthers) vs. Falcons: Despite being a rookie, McMillan has impressed with 11-168-0 receiving on 19 targets. With his size and athleticism, he already looks like a Drake London-esque alpha dominator. The Falcons last year were No. 2 in largest fantasy boost allowed to WRs (+4.7), and No. 1 CB A.J. Terrell (hamstring) might miss this contest after exiting Week 2 early.
Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers) vs. Jets: Slot CB Michael Carter (shoulder) exited last week with an injury, and I expect No. 1 CB Sauce Gardner to shadow WR Mike Evans, which means Egbuka could face perimeter Brandon Stephens and backup rookie CB Azareye'h Thomas for almost the entire game. Stephens last year had a 49.4 PFF coverage grade, and this year he has allowed 10.2 yards per target while Thomas has played literally zero NFL cover snaps. Egbuka has gotten the job done with 105 yards and three TDs on 13 targets and a carry through his first two NFL games.
George Pickens (Cowboys) at Bears: While his 8-98-1 receiving statline fails to overwhelm, it doesn't include the 79 yards of defensive pass interference penalties Pickens has drawn. He'll have a big performance soon. Why not against the Bears? They seem likely to be without CBs Jaylon Johnson (calf, groin) and Kyler Gordon (hamstring).
Romeo Doubs (Packers) vs. Browns: Jayden Reed (collarbone) is out, and rookie Matthew Golden is struggling, so Doubs is the de facto No. 1 WR for the Packers. Coming off Thursday Night Football, the Packers have three extra days to adjust following Reed's injury, and the Browns last year were No. 31 in defensive pass DVOA against No. 1 WRs (25.9%). Doubs is worth a waiver bid in deep leagues (including Guillotine Leagues).
Abbreviations And Process Notes
In this piece I highlight some WRs I expect to perform better than they usually do.
What causes me to upgrade a guy?
Usually some combination of these components.
- Favorable betting factors and situational spots
- Advantageous defensive matchup (perhaps aided by injury)
- Increased usage expectation (again, maybe aided by injury)
Some notes.
Defensive matchups: For one more week, I'll rely on last year's defensive data more than this year's.
Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Tuesday, I have rather incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will be reflected in my weekly rankings and my weekly projections. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.
Access: To see our full rankings and projections, use the promo code FREEDMAN for 20% off the FantasyLife+ package.
Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings and projections schedule.
- Tue AM: Publish rankings and projections
- Thu AM: Refresh rankings and projections
- Thu PM: Make necessary TNF rankings changes
- Sat PM: Update rankings and projections
- Sun AM: Revise rankings
- Sun PM: Finalize rankings based on news prior to 1 pm ET kickoff
Accuracy: I'm a six-time top-20 ranker in accuracy and a long-time profitable player prop better. We'll see what 2025 brings.
Scoring: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated.
Cohesion: My positional breakdowns are published separately, but I think of them as comprising one whole, so check out the rest of my favorite Week 3 fantasy football plays (via my Fantasy Life author page).
- Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
- Against the Spread (ATS)
- Over/Under (O/U)
- Team Total (TT)
- Moneyline (ML)
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
- Expected Points Added (EPA)
- Success Rate (SR)
- Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
- Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
- AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
- Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
- Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
- Short Down and Distance (SDD)
- Long Down and Distance (LDD)
