The predictable: Tom Brady led all quarterbacks in fantasy points through the 1 p.m. ET game block, his 35.72 giving him the 19th instance of at least 30 in his NFL career.
The unpredictable: The Nos. 2, 3 and 4 quarterbacks in fantasy points during the 1 p.m. ET block -- Case Keenum (28.56), Jacoby Brissett (27.8) and Blake Bortles (27.6) -- combined were started in just 1.98 percent of ESPN leagues.
Welcome to the wild, wacky world that is Sunday football!
As we do each week, we recap the week's winners and losers from a fantasy perspective, complete with applicable game and historical data. Check back after the conclusion of the 1 and 4 p.m. ET (and, when applicable, Sunday Night Football) games for our picks of the week's best and worst.
Winners
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings: Say hello to your leading scorer from Sunday's 1 p.m. ET game block, as Diggs' 37.3 PPR fantasy points led the way. Diggs shredded the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense en route to a career-best day in both PPR and non-PPR (29.3) fantasy scoring, showing chemistry with fill-in quarterback Case Keenum that wasn't at all evident in Week 2. Most remarkably, Diggs' score could've been even greater if not for multiple drops, but this was an extremely encouraging outing for an underrated player who had already shown an outstanding effort working with Sam Bradford in the season opener. Started in just 40.5 percent of ESPN leagues in Week 3, Diggs' number should rise dramatically in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions.
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: His heroics led his team to a stunning 36-33 victory, with his 35.72 fantasy points good for the fourth-best total in any of his 239 career NFL games. Started in 94.2 percent of ESPN leagues, Brady now has 77.2 fantasy points through three games this season, his third most through three team games of any season behind only 2011's 88.18 (he finished with 366.30) and 2015's 78.58 (he finished with 344.70). Reminder: Brady is 40 years old, and he's already 27.2 percent of the way to Brett Favre's all-time record of 283.58 fantasy points (2009) in a player's age-40 season or older. Brady is on pace for 411.63 fantasy points.
Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears: So much for sweating over Tarik Cohen's emergence. Howard, who scored the winning touchdown in overtime, finished with a career-best 31.4 PPR fantasy points, and his 26.4 non-PPR fantasy points were his second-best total behind only his 29.7 of 2016 Week 13. This was the fifth time in his 16 NFL starts that he managed at least 23 carries -- he had exactly that number -- and his five receptions represented a new personal best. That's not to take anything away from Cohen, who had healthy numbers in terms of PPR (14.2) and non-PPR (10.2) fantasy points, but the Bears remain likely to give Howard the larger rushing share of the two to keep the smallish Cohen healthy over the long haul. Howard was started in just 53.0 percent of ESPN leagues, down more than 40 percent from Week 1, but that number is sure to rise significantly next week.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs: He just continues to rewrite the record books, posting 25.3 PPR fantasy points on Sunday, his third consecutive week with at least 25. He joined Marcus Allen (1982 Weeks 1-3) as the only two players (at any position) since at least 1950 to score at least that many in each of their first three NFL games, and Hunt's 96.8 total PPR fantasy points and 87.8 non-PPR fantasy points are second most behind only Billy Sims' 98.2 and 92.2 (1980 Weeks 1-3) through the first three games of an NFL career. Hunt was started in 98.6 percent of ESPN leagues in Week 3, and continued to cement his status as an every-week, front-of-the-RB1-class weekly fantasy play.
Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: Congratulations if you were one of the fantasy managers who constituted the 0.03 percent of ESPN leagues in which Lewis was active in Week 3. He managed career bests with 24.2 non-PPR and 28.2 PPR fantasy points, and both of those were the second most by any tight end in a game in London, trailing only Rob Gronkowski's 26.6 and 34.6 in 2012 Week 8. Most unusually, Lewis was targeted three times in the red zone, his most in a game since 2011 Week 12 (also three), harkening back to his 2010 season when he managed 14 red zone targets resulting in a career-best seven of his 10 touchdowns. Was this a new trend, or a one-game aberration? The latter is the wiser guess, but the red zone usage makes Lewis a name to track in the coming weeks.
Case Keenum, QB, Vikings: What a game by Sam Bradfo ... wait, what? That was Case Keenum under center for the Vikings? It would have been understandable if anyone was thrown off by the box score or Keenum's fantasy point total of 28.56, as the sixth-year passer making only his 26th career NFL start moved the ball with ease against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that had tied for the Week 2 lead in fantasy points. Owned in just 0.40 percent and started in 0.18 percent of ESPN leagues, Keenum was almost universally doubted entering the week. Remarkably, this was only his third-best single-game fantasy point total: He scored 29.54 in 2016 Week 6 (then starting for the Los Angeles Rams) and 28.60 in 2013 Week (then starting for the Houston Texans). That's not to say that Keenum should suddenly be trusted for future play in games Bradford is forced to miss nursing a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee -- Keenum remains a Hail Mary option only in two-quarterback leagues -- but it's a reminder that the Vikings' passing game as a whole shouldn't be significantly downgraded when Keenum is called upon to start. If you've got Diggs or Adam Thielen you should be especially encouraged.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings: Perhaps the least-celebrated of the rookie running backs in Weeks 1 and 2, Cook managed 27.9 PPR and 22.9 non-PPR fantasy points on Sunday, the second most at the position during the 1 p.m. ET game block. Through three games, he has a 4.7 yards-per-carry average and 10 receptions. Cook was started in 84.7 percent of ESPN leagues in his breakout game.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Indianapolis Colts: Thanks largely to a pair of rushing touchdowns, Brissett managed a career-best 27.76 fantasy points, just 4.50 shy of his total in his previous three NFL starts combined (32.26). It was, however, still likely more of a statement about the Cleveland Browns' defense than Brissett himself. FYI: The Seattle Seahawks are next up on Brissett's schedule.
Todd Gurley, RB, Rams: Though his was a Thursday night performance, it's one that shouldn't be overlooked among "winners." Gurley's 37.9 PPR fantasy points were the 10th most by any running back in a Thursday game since at least 1950, and they were the third most at the position since Thursday Night Football began in 2006, trailing only Kareem Hunt's 45.6 in 2017 Week 1 and Brian Westbrook's 40.0 in 2008 Week 13. They also gave Gurley a new career high, as did his 32.9 non-PPR fantasy points. He continues to look like a borderline RB1 thanks to his role as the team's clear goal-line back, though his 3.8 yards-per-carry average through three games should serve as a reminder not to get overzealous with your expectations from him.
Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars: Well that was ... unexpected. Bortles' 27.56 fantasy points were the fifth most in his 49 career NFL games, they were the fourth most by any of the 36 quarterbacks to start a game in London, and they were just 0.90 fewer than Tom Brady's 28.46 all-time record for a game there (2012 Week 8). More notable, however, was the way in which Bortles accumulated this time. By far the league's leader in fantasy points accumulated while his team trailed on the scoreboard during his four-year NFL career (571.22, 73.02 more than anyone else), Bortles managed 24.70 points on Sunday with his Jaguars leading on the scoreboard, easily his most in any game in his career and only the sixth time in his career that he managed at least 10 fantasy points in a game with his team leading. That it happened against a Baltimore Ravens defense that had allowed an NFL-low 6.10 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the season's first two weeks made it all the more puzzling a performance. Bortles does face the New York Jets in Week 4, though, so it's not unthinkable he'll have something more to offer.
Brandin Cooks, WR, Patriots: It was his catch that sealed the victory for the Patriots, pushed him past the 30-point PPR fantasy plateau for the fourth time in his 45 career NFL games, and resulted in a 32.1 final score that was his third-best single-game effort. It was a key performance for Cooks, whose fantasy managers might have begun to doubt his borderline-WR1 potential after he disappointed facing a superior matchup in Week 2. Cooks' ownership percentage dropped to 71.3 percent on Sunday, down from 97.6 percent in each of the season's first two weeks. If you had been concerned about him, consider this: Since the beginning of 2016, he now has 296.5 PPR fantasy points, eighth most among wide receivers (though Davante Adams, Doug Baldwin and Michael Crabtree have a decent chance of passing him in later games this week).
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts: Speaking of encouraging performances, Hilton's 28.3 PPR fantasy point effort, his eighth-highest single-game score in his 81 career NFL contests and nearly double his Weeks 1-2 total (15.6), should keep him teetering on the WR2/3 map even in future games Andrew Luck misses. Yes, it was mostly a matchups-driven effort, and Hilton and the Colts do face the Seahawks on the road, but this was also a big plus in the chemistry department for him and Brissett. Hilton was started in 65.3 percent of ESPN leagues.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants: He put on yet another spectacle on Sunday, quelling most fantasy players' fears about the ankle injury that limited him to just 7.6 PPR fantasy points and 33 of 56 offensive snaps played in Week 2. Beckham's 28.9 PPR fantasy points were third most among wide receivers through the Sunday 1 p.m. ET game block, and they gave him 947.6 in the first 45 games of his NFL career. That's a record by a significant margin, as Randy Moss' 861.9 rank second.
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks: After scoring just 23.64 fantasy points in Weeks 1-2 combined, Wilson managed 33.52 on Sunday, which remarkably was the ninth of his 83 career NFL games with at least 30 fantasy points. Wilson was started in 51.7 percent of ESPN leagues, and he'll carry the hot performance into another favorable matchup against the Colts in Week 4.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seahawks: Now that's the kind of game we wanted to see from Baldwin, a 26.5 PPR fantasy point effort that represented his 11th with at least 25 in his career, nine of which have occurred since the beginning of the 2015 season. Most notably, he managed a tops-among-all-players (through the 4 p.m. ET game block) 15 targets, despite departing in the fourth quarter with a groin injury. Baldwin's status should be closely monitored, as he'd be one of the position's top starters in Weeks 4 (versus Colts) and 5 (at Rams) if he's good to go for those contests.
A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: His fantasy managers should also feel better about receiving a "vintage A.J. Green" point total on Sunday, as he dropped 27.1 PPR points on the Green Bay Packers in what was reportedly the hottest game in Green Bay history at kickoff time (90 degrees). Those who drafted Green remained faithful despite his somewhat ordinary -- albeit both double-digit in PPR scoring -- performances the first two weeks, activating him in 98.1 percent of ESPN leagues in Week 3.
Chris Thompson, RB, Washington Redskins: He scored a touchdown less than 10 minutes into Sunday Night Football, marking his third consecutive game with a touchdown to begin the season, and finished with career bests in both PPR (30.6) and non-PPR (24.6) fantasy points, breaking the marks he set just one week ago. Thompson, who was started in 33.7 percent of ESPN leagues, is already almost halfway to his 2016 PPR fantasy point total (147.5) with 72.0 points through three games.
Losers
Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Now it's time to panic. Newton, who was started in 66.9 percent of ESPN leagues as he faced a New Orleans Saints defense that had surrendered a most-in-the-league 56.3 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the season's first two weeks, dropped an 8.3-point stinker on Sunday, his sixth-worst single-game effort in his 96 career NFL contests. Even more troubling: He was benched in the fourth quarter -- granted, with the Panthers trailing by 21 points -- and, a week after losing Greg Olsen for at least the next seven weeks due to a broken foot, he lost Kelvin Benjamin to a knee injury that threatens to cost the No. 1 wideout additional time. Newton, who is coming off March shoulder surgery, doesn't appear his usual self, making him a surefire sit until he begins to show some improvement.
Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins: If Newton wasn't the week's biggest matchups-related head-scratcher, Ajayi sure was. Facing a Jets defense that allowed 72.1 PPR fantasy points to opposing running backs in the season's first two weeks, fourth most in the league, Ajayi scored just 4.5 PPR and 2.5 non-PPR fantasy points on Sunday, his fewest in either format in any of his 14 career NFL starts. His 11 carries can be explained by the Dolphins playing a large chunk of the game from behind, which deflated any chance at his putting forth anything close to the 28 he had in Week 2, but that doesn't excuse his awful 1.4 yards-per-carry average in the game. Perhaps the knee injury that had him listed as questionable for the game contributed, and the hit below the belt he took in the first quarter probably didn't help, but Ajayi's low score probably cost a lot of matchups for the 96.1 percent of ESPN managers who started him.
Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs: He was started in 99.0 percent of ESPN leagues, so his 1.1 PPR fantasy point effort on Sunday was particularly painful. Kelce caught his only target for a gain of 1 yard, resulting in the second-worst performance in his 52 career NFL games, trailing only his NFL debut in 2013 Week 2, when he played just one snap, that coming on special teams.
Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens: Though he was started in just 3.56 percent of ESPN leagues, Flacco's minus-2.88 fantasy points on Sunday were the second fewest by any skill player in a game so far this season, trailing only Andy Dalton's minus-3.00 in Week 1. It was also the worst single-game effort by any skill-position player in history in a game in London. Flacco now has six consecutive regular-season games with fewer than 15 fantasy points, rekindling questions about the back injury that cost him the entirety of preseason. He's not even a consideration for starts in two-quarterback leagues, especially not facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4.
Mike Gillislee, RB, Patriots: Here's what happens when the Patriots don't run a single play from within 3 yards of the goal line, and do nothing but throw all three times they run plays from 5 yards out. Gillislee, who entered Week 3 with a league-leading five rushing attempts from 3 yards out or closer, had a whopping zero on Sunday, resulting in a 3.1 point fantasy outing (whether PPR or not). Gillislee, started in 71.0 percent of ESPN leagues, is going to be a frustrating player in fantasy this season, a touchdown-dependent player.
Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Buccaneers: If he's to keep the starting job once Doug Martin returns from suspension in Week 5, Rodgers will need to fare better than the 1.5 fantasy points (either PPR or non-PPR) he scored on Sunday. He was started in 35.0 percent of ESPN leagues, but he scored by far the fewest fantasy points in any of his 12 career NFL starts. Before this week, Rodgers had averaged 15.5 PPR and 12.5 non-PPR fantasy points in a starting role.
C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos: After he carried the football 20-plus times in each of the first two weeks and had 30.4 PPR fantasy points in Week 2, Anderson saw his carry total shrink to eight and his PPR fantasy point total to 6.3 on Sunday. Additionally, Jamaal Charles ran nine times and had 12.7 PPR fantasy points, resuming the debate about a potential timeshare between the two. Anderson was started in 89.3 percent of ESPN leagues.
Jeremy Maclin, WR, Ravens: Where Flacco's score goes, Maclin's will follow. After consecutive games of 13-plus PPR fantasy points to begin his Ravens career, Maclin managed just 1.8 points on five targets on Sunday. It was his lowest score in a game that wasn't injury influenced since he was shut out in 2012 Week 11, though his fantasy owners recognized the challenging matchup, starting him in only 34.2 percent of ESPN leagues.
Kyle Rudolph, TE, Vikings: While Diggs and Thielen thrived working with Keenum on Sunday, Rudolph's day was almost completely quiet, as he caught 1 of 2 targets for 1.4 PPR fantasy points. It's especially troubling for Rudolph, who was started in 78.1 percent of ESPN leagues, that the Vikings have been targeting wide receivers at a greater rate than usual. Keenum threw 19 of his 33 passes to Diggs and Thielen alone, and 23 of his 33 passes total to his wideouts on Sunday.
Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers: For only the eighth time in his 183-game NFL career, Rivers was intercepted as many as three times, resulting in a ghastly 3.5-point fantasy score on Sunday. That was the 11th-worst single-game effort of his career, and it was yet another stinker against the division-rival Chiefs, who certainly seem to have had Rivers' number during his 14-year career. Rivers has managed only 39 career games with fewer than 10 fantasy points, and nine of them have come against the Chiefs. He has averaged just 12.78 fantasy points in his 24 career games against them.
Terrelle Pryor Sr., WR, Redskins: His Redskins career hasn't begun quite as well as his fantasy owners had hoped, as he managed just 3.9 PPR fantasy points on Sunday Night Football, his worst single-game score since 2016 Week 14 (1.3) and second worst since the beginning of the 2016 season. Pryor was started in 69.3 percent of ESPN leagues, and as his point production continues to slide, so soon will his start rate. That might well be true in Week 4 facing a much tougher matchup against the Chiefs.
Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders: He and the entire Raiders offense couldn't get things going on Sunday Night Football, as Carr finished with 5.2 fantasy points, his sixth-worst single-game total in 50 career NFL games. Carr was started in 75.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
Amari Cooper, WR, Raiders: For the second consecutive week, Cooper was held in single digits, following up his 7.3 PPR fantasy points with 1.6 on Sunday night. That was the third-lowest total in his 35-game NFL career, and he was started in 91.2 percent of ESPN leagues.
Justin Tucker, K, Ravens: Kickers can be wholly unpredictable, at the mercy of their offense, such as in Tucker's case in a game his Ravens lost 44-7. His one-point fantasy score qualified for the "losers" list, though, as he was started in 93.8 percent of ESPN leagues in Week 3. Only five times in his 83 career NFL games has he scored one or zero points, and this was the first time that Tucker did so since 2015 Week 10 (also one).