Week 3 Booms & Busts: Saquon Barkley saves Eagles (and fantasy football managers)

It looked like the safest game of the early slate. Eagles at Saints, total set at 49.5. Yards projected, points expected. Settle in for three hours and watch them score.

Of course, it’s a snow globe league. Variance stings. Some results aren’t satisfying, and some results don’t make a lot of sense.

The Eagles escaped with the 15-12 victory Sunday, and that was a fair result. Philadelphia dominated the game, collecting 460 yards to 219 for the Saints. It’s astounding this match was in doubt for three hours.

At least the production was steered to most of the key fantasy players. Saquon Barkley scored both Philly touchdowns and rumbled for 147 yards on the ground, making up for his late-game drop Monday against the Falcons. Barkley also had four short receptions and a two-point conversion run.

It’s only an hour and a half from Giants HQ to Eagles HQ, but Barkley’s living in a different world in 2024. He was comfortably seated as the RB1 this week as we went to press.

Although Jalen Hurts threw for 311 yards, he lost a fumble, threw a pick, took four sacks and didn’t account for a touchdown. He didn’t run much either, limited to 25 yards. Hurts won’t be a top-12 fantasy QB this week. The Eagles were able to dust off Dallas Goedert and unleash him for a shocking 10-170-0 line (11 targets), but it hurt to lose DeVonta Smith (concussion) in the midst of a productive game in the second half. The Philadelphia passing game isn’t the same without A.J. Brown, and there would be bottom-out potential if both Brown and Smith missed time together.

Hey, at least the Eagles won the game. The New Orleans offense, NFL darlings through two weeks, came crashing down to earth. The Saints managed just 12 first downs and struggled to produce chunk plays.

The Saints hitched their wagon to Alvin Kamara, giving him 26 carries and three receptions. He didn’t get in the end zone, but 127 total yards make for a credible fantasy game. Keep an eye on the New Orleans offensive line, which was dinged up during this loss. Chris Olave secured all six of his targets, good for 86 yards and a touchdown. Score one for all of America, as Olave was a universal recommendation in the fantasy world this week.

Rashid Shaheed went catchless on his five targets, although one of them was a near-touchdown, a pass slightly underthrown by Derek Carr. It was that type of day for Carr, who completed just 14-for-25 passes for 142 yards, a measly 5.7 per attempt. After two weeks of pinball, the Saints went tilt in this matchup.

Both teams could be in line for fun performances in Week 4 — the Saints travel to Atlanta, while the Eagles visit the Buccaneers. Fun matchups on paper, but nothing is ever guaranteed in this number-chasing game we play.

As for some of the other early-window booms and busts:

Colts lean on Taylor as Richardson struggles again

Jonathan Taylor was a bit player in the Week 2 loss at Green Bay, but the Colts got it right Sunday, Taylor collected 23 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns, shouldering the offense on a day where Anthony Richardson struggled mightily (two picks, just 24 rushing yards). The Colts threw just 20 passes and all of their wideouts were fantasy disappointments; nobody had more than five targets.

Darnold continues redemption story

At the beginning of the year, we just wanted Sam Darnold to play well so we could roster Justin Jefferson and feel great about it. But Darnold looks like a fantasy star all by himself. Darnold tossed four touchdowns and didn’t have a turnover as the Vikings romped over the Texans. Jefferson (6-81-1) had the best of it, but Aaron Jones, Jalen Nailor and Johnny Mundt also caught scoring tosses.

Stroud quiet in loss

C.J. Stroud managed 6.9 YPA on the other side, but the Houston offense was held back by sacks (four) and interceptions (two). At least the Houston passing game kept things centered where we like, as Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell combined for 28 targets, 19 catches and 242 yards. Cam Akers did little as a running back streamer, but did grab some deodorant from a short touchdown catch.

Willis gets his revenge

Coaching matters, man. Kevin O’Connell is doing a wonderful job with Darnold in Minnesota, and how about what Matt LaFleur has done with two weeks of Malik Willis? The Packers easily won at Tennessee and Willis was sharp against his former team, competing 13-of-19 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown (that’s 10.6 YPA) while also rushing for 73 yards and a score.

Willis just joined the Packers right before the season — this is miraculous.

Hopkins lone bright spot for Titans

Tony Pollard was bottled up by the Green Bay defense (29 total yards), but DeAndre Hopkins finally charted in the fresh season (6-73-1). Will Levis continues to make constant mistakes, throwing two picks and taking eight sacks.

Note: I’ll follow up with additional Week 3 analysis as the day unfolds.