Top 5 takeaways from week 3

Including Travis Hunter, Ladd McConkey, and more.

September 22, 2025

Yooo!

I’d like to start tonight’s newsletter by offering my sincerest condolences to all CeeDee Lamb managers. The big fat goose egg this week + a timeline of 4-6 weeks out is a tough pill to swallow. Here’s a shot of me getting the Sleeper notification at work today as someone who has rostered him for 5 years straight:

GIF by Salon des Entrepreneurs

Now let’s get into our top 5 takeaways from this weekend.

Giddy up.

WR - Travis Hunter (JAX)

  • Travis Hunter's fantasy outlook is concerning due to his split duties between offense and defense, logging 80 total snaps in Week 3 - 37 on offense and 43 on defense. This dual-role usage is significantly limiting his fantasy production.

  • Despite Dyami Brown's injury potentially opening up more opportunities, Hunter saw just two targets on 40 Trevor Lawrence pass attempts, catching one ball for 21 yards. He also struggled on defense, having difficulty covering Nico Collins and giving up multiple big plays.

  • The article recommends benching Hunter in all fantasy formats, suggesting that even waiver wire options might be better roster holds in shallow formats. While his talent isn't in question, his current role doesn't support reliable fantasy production.

  • Our take: I expected way more out of the Jaguars passing offense through 3 games. BTJ and Hunter have both been huge disappointments from a fantasy perspective. I agree with the article above and would be benching Hunter until further notice. I wouldn’t be buying or selling in dynasty either. Just gotta ride through this developmental stage if you own him.

WR - Tre Tucker (LV)

  • Tre Tucker had a breakout performance in Week 3, catching eight of nine targets for 145 yards and three touchdowns against the Commanders, plus adding a 4-yard rushing attempt. This marked Tucker's first career 100-yard game and only his second multi-touchdown outing, making him Week 3's top fantasy WR with 36.9 half-PPR points.

  • Tucker has seen increasing involvement in the Raiders' offense, accumulating 17 targets over the past two weeks - more than teammates Jakobi Meyers (16) and Dont'e Thornton (8) during that span. His early-season usage suggests an expanding role in Las Vegas's passing attack, though his Week 3 production came with two touchdowns in garbage time.

  • Tucker's recent volume and demonstrated big-play ability make him a viable waiver wire target heading into Week 4, though expectations should be tempered given the context of his breakout performance coming in a blowout loss. His increasing target share indicates he could maintain fantasy relevance moving forward.

  • Our take: Nobody saw this coming. In fact, the last time Tre Tucker had been mentioned in a fantasy football article pulled on our Dynasty Pulse Premium feed was May 22. Today (September 22), he was mentioned in 8 articles. I’m not making any drastic changes in my valuation of him after one game. But he’s worth a dart throw on the cheap.

WR - A.J. Brown (PHI)

  • A.J. Brown rewarded patient fantasy managers with a breakout performance against the Rams, following a slow start to the season. After failing to record a reception of more than eight yards in the first two weeks, Brown exploded for six catches, 109 yards, and a touchdown on 10 targets.

  • This performance was particularly notable given Brown's historical consistency - he had recorded at least one reception of 15+ yards in every game last season. The Eagles' need to pass more while trailing 26-7 helped create opportunities for Brown to showcase his big-play ability.

  • Brown's connection with the offense seemed to finally click, suggesting his early-season struggles may have been temporary. His performance came as part of a strong passing attack that also benefited teammate DeVonta Smith.

  • Our take: The Eagles can control the game on the ground and with defense, or they can throw it all over the field. This team doesn’t care about who gets the ball each game. They just want to win. For AJB managers, the highs will be great, and the lows will suck. I’d set my expectations accordingly.

RB - Quinshon Judkins (CLE)

  • Judkins made a significant impact in Week 3 against Green Bay, rushing for 94 yards on 18 carries and adding a touchdown, while also catching one pass for a yard on two targets.

  • His performance was particularly noteworthy as he completely took over the Browns' backfield, with only one other carry going to Dylan Sampson, suggesting a clear lead role.

  • The article notes that this dominant showing came despite Judkins having limited time with the Browns and no training camp, making his quick adaptation to the offense even more impressive.

  • Our take: The swing in his perceived dynasty value over the first 3 weeks of the season has been wild. He went from not being on the roster, to getting mixed in, to dominating the backfield. I expect him to rise in the rankings again this week, as he looks like he could be the steal of this year’s rookie class.

WR - Ladd McConkey (LAC)

🎁 2-FOR-1 SPECIAL

  • Ladd McConkey has underwhelmed so far, posting just 4 catches for 41 yards on 7 targets in Week 3, bringing his season totals to 15-163-0 with under 11 yards per catch.

  • Despite offseason hype that had him drafted as a top-10 dynasty WR, he is currently outplayed by both Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston, who have been producing at a 300-point pace.

  • Analysts believe McConkey is now the WR3 in LA behind Allen and Johnston, far from being an alpha option.

  • Dynasty-wise, he’s still valuable long-term, but his rank likely falls closer to WR19–20 alongside players like Xavier Worthy rather than the elite WR tier.

  • Ladd McConkey has experienced a significant role reduction, settling in as the WR1C for the Chargers behind both Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston. This represents a major shift from his rookie season when he was viewed as a potential WR1.

  • Through the first three weeks of the season, McConkey is averaging just 7.9 fantasy points per game, while his teammates Johnston (16.2) and Allen (15.6) have both significantly outperformed him, with each scoring three touchdowns on the year.

  • McConkey has been relegated to more of a possession receiver role, lacking Johnston's downfield playmaking ability and Allen's red zone prowess. While he may have occasional better performances, he's no longer considered an automatic start and has a severely limited ceiling as the third option in the passing attack.

Our take: I don’t know if I fully buy this. It’s a 3-game sample. He looked too good last year to think this is the new norm. I haven’t seen anything to suggest he has lost a step or anything like that, so I’d be holding/buying. This feels like the floor.

🤝 Want the latest insight on a player not featured here? Reply to this email with the player you’re interested in, and I’ll send you the newest insight we have on that player + our take on the situation.

Friday’s poll results:

🥇 Best subscriber comment (KC @ NYG): “I can't see the Chiefs going to 0-3 by losing to a Wilson led Giants team coming off an emotional loss the week before to a hated division rival.”

Our take: I left GB off Friday’s poll because it felt too chalky. Their loss to CLE wiped out 16.3% of the pool I’m in. I ended up going with SEA as my pick because this felt like their surest win on their schedule (28.7% of the pool picked them as well).

Today’s poll:

I’m thinking of creating a survivor pool for Dynasty Pulse newsletter subscribers. If there’s enough interest, I’ll throw one together! Vote below to show your interest.

Would you want to join a Survivor Pool starting Week 5? ($25 entry fee)

(Vote to see live results)

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

That’s all for today!

See ya pizza,

Joe

P.S. In case you missed it, catch up on our most recent newsletters below: