Fantasy football is an emotional game, and that's a large part of why we love it. But "love" isn't the only emotion that comes with this game ... the flip side is just as strong of an emotion.
What if I told you that it was possible to take the emotion out of the decision-making while retaining the sheer joy that comes with watching the games every week?
That's where IBM Insights comes in, as it uses Watson AI to break down all of the content you're consuming and then some. And by "some," I mean every inch of the interwebs. Below are the highlights for NFL Week 3 -- good and bad. Now all you have to do is avoid the bust players and watch the points pile up!
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans
Big Ben is off to a nice start, but he is relying more on his pass-catchers than in years prior and that can lead to weekly fluctuations in fantasy value. Roethlisberger's average depth of throw through two weeks is down over 24% from his rate over the decade prior.
Watson's Insight: Roethlisberger is projected as a top-10 quarterback this week, but in his range of outcomes is a 9.9-point floor. The average floor of the other nine signal-callers: 13.9 points.
Running back
David Johnson, Houston Texas at Pittsburgh Steelers
Johnson was RB47 last week and faces a tough Steel Curtain this week, but the game script should lend more of a hand this week than it has in the first two for the former fantasy star. The Texans have trailed by at least seven points for 74.8% of their offensive snaps, the third-highest rate in the league, but the betting line for Sunday has been swinging in the favor of the road team and now sits at Pittsburgh -4. Houston needs this game, and the longer it stays tight, the more Johnson's fantasy floor rises.
Watson's Insight: Across all positions, no one has a great difference when comparing their boom to their bust potential than Johnson (19 percentage points).
Wide receiver
DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys
The man, the myth, the muscle ranks as the seventh-best receiver in fantasy through two weeks (38.7 points), but there are 25 receivers with more targets than Seattle's budding star. In fact, he is not one of the 62 receivers with an end zone target, which is a bit of a concern given that he led the league in such looks a season ago.
Watson's Insight: Among our top 50 projected players for Week 3, Metcalf's 19.5% bust chance heads the list.
Tight end
Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears
Remember 12 months ago when the fantasy world was going ga-ga over Austin Hooper as an elite tight end? Well, let's check the tale of the tape through two weeks: 2019 Hooper vs. 2020 Hurst ...
Hooper: 69 routes, 15 targets, 111 receiving yards and 0 drops
Hurst: 74 routes, 14 targets, 110 receiving yards and 0 drops
Watson's Insight: Among TEs projected for at least 10 points this week, Hurst's ceiling-over-expectation percentage of 41% leads the way.
Insights by IBM Watson brought to you in partnership with ESPN