Dynasty Fantasy Football Top Performances and News as Week 3 Begins: Bo Nix, Braelon Allen, Marvin Harrison Jr., Brock Bowers and More

Taking a look at some news surrounding young and promising NFL players.

Dynasty fantasy football leagues are my favorite to play in. Redraft fantasy leagues are fun of course, but that added challenge of also thinking about the future and that extra little bit of realism really appeal to me.

Let’s go over some of the top performances from some notable dynasty players, and then we’ll discuss some injuries and other news going into week 3.

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Quarterback Performances

Denver’s Bo Nix threw for 246 yards in week 2 against a stout Pittsburgh defense. Nix was just 20-of-35, with no touchdowns and two interceptions, but to be able to rack up that many passing yards is at least worth mentioning.

Nix is a work in progress, and a dynasty player I’d hope to stash instead of actually start this season, but he’s at least shown a couple signs of being a decent starting quarterback. I like when NFL teams let rookies figure things out early in their careers, and all we can hope is that Denver gives him ample time to prove himself.

Speaking of which, Carolina decided to move on from Bryce Young - at least for now. Young has been awful this season, but he also is playing on an offense devoid of talent.

Young needs to be better, and maybe sitting behind Andy Dalton for a couple weeks can let him reset his mind. With a season-plus of mostly failures for Young, his trade value is about as low as it could be. If you have some aging quarterbacks on your dynasty team and have a roster spot open, I wouldn’t mind taking on Young - it won’t cost you much, and if he continues to struggle and never starts after this season, you can simply drop him.

I see a lot of people who are worried about Anthony Richardson. He threw three picks in week 2 and was just 17-of-34 overall.

We have to remember that he’s still very early in his career, after missing most of last season with an injury. There’s going to be growing pains with Richardson, but his talent and athleticism are off the charts, so I’m definitely not moving on from him. If anything, I’m seeing if I can buy him low off another dynasty owner who hasn’t been thrilled with his play so far.

Caleb Williams deserves to be mentioned after throwing two picks in week 2. He’s not looked very good through two weeks, and that’s with a pretty stacked group of offensive playmakers around him. 

Problem is, his offensive line is horrendous, and until that’s fixed, Williams is likely going to struggle. It likely won’t come this season, so if you were hoping Williams would immediately step in and be your starting QB, you might need to explore some other avenues for the season. 

But it is far too early to give up on Williams, or any of the other rookie quarterbacks for that matter. Try to roll with a veteran who can help you win/compete now and hope these young QBs develop into great fantasy options for the coming years.

Running Back Performances

New York Jets’ Braelon Allen scored twice in week 2, and looks destined for a bigger role in the team’s offense. Breece Hall is still going to be the lead back, but in an effort to keep him fresh and healthy, don’t be surprised if Allen gets a decent amount of work each week going forward.

Depending how deep your dynasty league is, Allen might already be a starting option. If he continues to produce, he’ll be starting in all types of leagues in a hurry.

Wide Receiver/Tight End Performances

Marvin Harrison Jr. enjoyed a breakout game in week 2. He had 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just four catches.

This is the type of production we all expected from Harrison, and after a week 1 dud, fantasy owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Harrison is going to be a star (both in real life and fantasy) for a long, long time. Enjoy the ride.

Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba went for 117 yards on 12 catches in week 2 against a good Patriots’ defense.

With DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in Seattle, JSN’s fantasy value is kind of capped for the time being, but he flashed his potential and showed he could one day possibly be a WR1 for a team. 

Smith-Njigba is going to have his ups and downs because of the nature of the team’s depth chart, and quarterback, but these big performances should be enough for you to want to hold the young wideout through the season and his career.

Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers had another good showing in week 2, going for 98 yards on nine receptions.

Bowers has looked great through two weeks, and is a weekly starting option in all formats already. If you took Bowers in your offseason rookie draft, or startup dynasty draft, you have to be thrilled with his start. Do not try to sell high - make him untouchable and enjoy a player who could one day be the top fantasy TE in the league.

IDP Performances

Indianapolis’ Nick Cross had a 15-tackle performance in week 2. That followed up a 14-tackle showing in week 1.

Houston’s Henry To'oto'o had 13 combined tackles and a sack in week 2. The second-year player had seven combined tackles and a pass defensed in week 1.

New York Giants’ Dru Phillips had 12 total tackles and a sack in week 2. He had four combined tackles and a forced fumble in week 1. 

Houston’s Kamari Lassiter tallied four combined tackles, picked off a pass and knocked down another pass in week 2. He had two tackles and a pass defensed in week 1.

Dynasty Player News

With Isiah Pacheco out for the next several weeks, Carson Steele has a chance to make himself a big-time dynasty asset.

Steele hasn’t done much through two weeks, but you just never know what might happen with a player given a large workload. He probably was already on a dynasty roster as the top backup to Pacheco, but he needs to be rostered in all dynasties now.

With Puka Nacua already out and now Cooper Kupp injured, the Rams have a big need at wide receiver. Demarcus Robinson seems like the best option to be the top guy after having some success to end last season.

Young wideouts Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell (who already has some NFL success) and rookie Jordan Whittington are some other lesser-known options who could step up. All of these guys are worth rostering and possibly playing depending how deep your dynasty leagues are. One of them could also emerge as a long-term option, so let the next several weeks play out instead of bailing on them after a week or two.

Green Bay rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd was placed on injured reserve. That not only keeps him out the next four weeks, but halts his progression.

I thought there was a chance he could show enough as a rookie to be considered the team’s lead back for 2025, but after the injury, that doesn’t seem very likely.

Dallas tight end Luke Schoonmaker had a solid outing (43 yards on six catches/targets) in the place of the injured Jake Ferguson.

The Cowboys could use another pass catcher to step up, and Schoonmaker could still have a decent role when Ferguson is back. Schoonmaker was a second-round pick for a reason, and if he makes the most of his opportunity, he could secure himself a good role for the future.

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