The NFL Numbers Game Week 3: The Stats You Need to Know
Fantasy 101

The NFL Numbers Game Week 3: The Stats You Need to Know

By Lou Brunson · September 30, 2026

Apparently I've been accused of sounding like AI.

Which is honestly devastating. Not because I'm offended, but because I have spent an embarrassing amount of time staring at football stats, arguing with myself about whether a 25% target share is actually interesting, and coming up with increasingly stupid puns for player names. If that's AI, then apparently AI has also developed a very specific interest in fantasy football and the word "aDOT."

Anyway, Week 3 happened.

And I have questions. Not necessarily important questions. Not questions that need answers. Just questions.

Why is R.J. Harvey getting the same number of targets as Courtland Sutton? Why did C.J. Stroud go from throwing the ball approximately 47 times a game to 27? Why is Makai Lemon's positive aDOT something worth celebrating? Why did Kenneth Gainwell get more playing time and somehow end up with -4 rushing yards?

I don't know. I don't have the answers. I have the numbers, though.

So here are the numbers from Week 3 that made me stop scrolling, stare at my screen for a second, and go, "Huh."

The NFL Numbers Game Week 3: The Stats You Need to Know

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Kyle Pitts: 1 reception, 5 yards — The Pitts Keep Coming

After averaging 4.2 Yards Per Carry (YPC) through the first two weeks with Cooper Rush at QB, Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson averaged 6.2 YPC in Week 3.

Drake London earned a total of 10 targets in Weeks 1 and 2, then turned around and earned 10 targets in Week 3,  more than doubling his Weeks 1+2 yardage.

To be clear - these are all Michael Penix stats.

Kyle Pitts could still only manage a single reception for five yards.

Matthew Golden: 30 targets, 14.7 air yards/target — Going for the Gold

Of players with at least 30 routes run, Matthew Golden leads the Packers in targets (30) and air yards per target (14.7). He's second on the team in receiving yards (253) and in yards per route run (2.3). He's also the only non-Christian Watson player with a receiving TD (1). 

Golden is by far the team leader in incomplete air yards (287), more than double Watson.

Omarion Hampton: 42.2% snaps, 15 carries — Not So Hot Hand-ton

After handily leading the backfield the first two weeks with a 61% snap share and 35 rushing attempts, Omarion Hampton saw his role shrink in Week 3. His snap share fell to 42.2% and 15 rushing attempts, while Keaton Mitchell jumped from a 27% snap share and nine rushing attempts through the first two weeks to 35.9% and eight attempts in Week 3. 

James Cook: 346 rushing yards, 6.0 YPC — The Cook Is in the Kitchen

After Week 1, James Cook was 19th in rushing yards (57) and 20th in yards per carry (4.4, minimum 25 snaps). After Week 3, Cook is third in rushing yards (346) and first in YPC (6.0, minimum 75 snaps).

Brycen Tremayne: 6 targets, 18.2 air yards/target — Tremayne Event

WR Jalen Coker reaggravated his quad in Week 3, and Brycen Tremayne was second on the team in targets (6) behind Darren Waller's eight, and first in air yards with 109. Tremayne also averaged 18.2 Air Yards Per Target (AY/tgt), while Coker averaged 19.0 AY/tgt prior to leaving with his injury.

Harold Fannin: 30% target share in Week 3 — Fannin-tastic Growth

After a Week 1 target share of 13.6%, Harold Fannin has followed it up with target shares of 20% in Week 2 and 30% in Week 3. If he follows it up with a target share of 40% or more in Week 4, we will have the craziest "on pace" stats you've ever seen.

Braelon Allen: 100% RB snaps — All(en) or Nothing

Braelon Allen played 100% of the RB snaps after Breece Hall's hamstring injury in Week 2. RB3 Isaiah Davis was inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 with his own injury, and played 16 special teams-only snaps in Week 3. Allen has 24 opportunities for 72 total yards and one TD through three games so far.

Amon-Ra St. Brown: 25% target share — Reality Check

Amon-Ra St. Brown fell to "only" a 25% target share in Week 3 after putting up 35.9% and 34.2% target shares in Weeks 1 and 2. Likewise, Sam LaPorta had an 18.2% target share over the first two games, and followed it up with 12.5% in Week 3.

C.J. Stroud: 27 pass attempts — Where the Passes At?

After averaging almost 47 passing attempts per game through the first two games, C.J. Stroud almost chopped that in half in Week 3, attempting only 27 passes. WR Xavier Hutchinson has caught exactly 3 passes every game, despite earning six, nine, and six targets respectively.

Josh Downs: 30.6% target share — Downs the Field

While Josh Downs led the Colts with a 21% target share over their first two games, he earned a 30.6% target share in the wake of Alec Pierce's absence with his heel injury. Tyler Warren experienced a similar jump, going from 19.4% over the Colts' first two games to 27.8% in Week 3. 

Travis Kelce: 2 targets — The Tortured Tight End Department

Travis Kelce earned only two targets in Week 3 after starting off the season with five in Week 1 and a Kansas City-leading 11 in Week 2. Kelce has remained among the top three on the team in routes run every week. The big difference is that after running 25 routes in Week 1 (a blowout win over Denver) and 39 routes in Week 2 (a close win against Indianapolis), he only ran 19 in Week 3 (a relatively easy win over Miami).

Ollie Gordon: 100% RB snaps, 17 carries — Main Character Energy

After De'Von Achane left with what turned out to be a torn ACL (heal up, king), Ollie Gordon handled 100% of the snaps for Miami at RB, where he logged 17 carries for 41 yards and added 25 routes run. Jaylen Wright was inactive for Week 3 due to a foot/stinger injury he suffered in Week 2.

Wan'Dale Robinson: 11 targets, 7 receptions — There's No Place Like Home

Who says you can't go home again? Wan'Dale Robinson set season highs in Week 3 against the New York Giants with 11 targets and 7 receptions, after totaling only 7 targets and 6 receptions over Tennessee's first two games.

Cam Skattebo: 24 opportunities — Skattebo Unchained

For the first time this season, RB Devin Singletary was inactive. After averaging ~60% of snaps over the first two games, Cam Skattebo played 77.6% of the snaps in Week 3 and saw a season-high 24 opportunities (carries + targets). Najee Harris also carried the ball nine times in this game, leapfrogging Tyrone Tracy in the RB pecking order.

Mike Gesicki: 3 targets — Thanks for Nothing

Popular Week 2 waiver wire pickup Mike Gesicki followed up his goose egg in targets from Week 2 to earn three in Week 3. He's running effectively the same number of routes every week, going from 17 to 18 to 21 in Weeks 1- 3, fifth on the team every week.

Roman Wilson: 6 targets, 87 air yards — All Roads Lead to Rome

Roman Wilson managed to lead Pittsburgh in targets in Week 3 with six, despite Michael Pittman's return. Wilson also put up a healthy 14.5 air yards per target to lead Pittsburgh with 87 air yards, with D.K. Metcalf coming in second with 76.

Jadarian Price: Fumbleitis — The Price Is Wrong

Jadarian Price fumbled with 11:06 left in the 1st quarter. He didn't see another snap until 6:26 remained in the 2nd quarter. Over that stretch, Emanuel Wilson played 12 snaps and carried the ball five times, while George Holani played four non-special teams snaps, carrying the ball once and earning one target. 

Stefon Diggs: 22 targets, 13 receptions — Math Ain't Mathing

Despite running 24 fewer routes on 43 fewer snaps over the course of the young season, Stefon Diggs is tied with Terry McLaurin for the team lead with 22 targets and leads him in receptions, 13 to 10, as well as TDs, 3 to 1. McLaurin leads the team in receiving yards with 143 to Diggs' second-place 135.

Hunter Henry: 3.3 targets/game — The Invisible Man

After averaging 5.1 targets/game in 2025 with Stefon Diggs as the primary WR, Hunter Henry is averaging 3.3 targets/game in 2026 despite supposed alpha A.J. Brown's absence. 2025 holdovers Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas are out-targeting Henry with 16 and 14 targets earned, respectively.  

Parker Washington: 17.2% target share — The Washington Monument

After Parker Washington led the team in target percentage in Weeks 1 and 2 with 26.1% and 41.4%, he fell to 17.2% in Week 3. This is more about his staying power than anything, to the point where even Christian Gonzalez couldn't relegate Washington to the third wheel in the Jacksonville passing offense.

Jacoby Brissett: 52 pass attempts — Everything Old Is New Again

After Jacoby Brissett attempted 37 and 28 passes in the first two weeks, he returned to his 2025 ways and threw the ball 52 times in Week 3. We saw Brissett average 40.3 passing attempts per start in 2025, and it looks like we're heading for a similar volume in 2026.

Brock Purdy: 0.91 fantasy points/dropback — Purdy, Purdy Good

Through three games in 2026, Brock Purdy is averaging 0.91 fantasy points per dropback on 89 dropbacks (25 yards passing/point, -2 points/INT, 4 points/passing TD). To put this in perspective, Josh Allen put up 0.66 fantasy points per dropback in 2025 (and is at 0.93 so far in 2026).

Kyler Murray: 5.4 yards/attempt — Short Bus Energy

Over his 10 starts in 2025, J.J. McCarthy averaged 6.72 yards/passing attempt. Over Kyler Murray's 2 starts in 2026 (one of which was injury-shortened), Murray is averaging 5.4 yards/passing attempt. McCarthy also threw 12 interceptions compared to 11 TDs. So far, Murray has thrown a single TD compared to two interceptions.

Kenneth Gainwell: 3 carries, -4 yards — Gainwell? More Like Gain-less

Well, Todd Bowles did promise "increased playing time" for Kenneth Gainwell.

And Gainwell did see increased playing time in Week 3 (a 48.4% snap share compared to 46.2% and 37.1% in Weeks 1 and 2), which amounted to a grand total of… three carries for negative four yards. I suppose he did chip in for two receptions on five targets, but even that only equaled Bucky Irving's two receptions, so it's not like he's surpassing Irving as a primary pass-catching option.

Lamar Jackson: 10.4 air yards/target — Air Lamar

After averaging 8.3 air yards per target in 2025, the Ravens are averaging 10.4 air yards/target through three games in 2026. In the 10 full games he played in 2025, Lamar Jackson averaged 206 yards passing per game. Through three games in 2026, Jackson is averaging 248 yards passing per game.

Ryan Flournoy: 8 targets — Same Old Cowboys?

Dallas seemed to want to get –  wait, this can't be right, Ryan Flournoy?!  – involved in Week 3, as he had a season-low 66.2% snap share, but turned it into a 20% target share to tie him with CeeDee Lamb. Of course, Flournoy could turn those 8 targets into only two receptions for 22 yards. This offense remains the same as it ever was.

Brock Bowers: 39.4% target share — Brock Like He Never Left

Oh, you thought Brock Bowers could come back like that and not get talked about? Ha.

Just a casual 39.4% target share for Bowers in his (triumphant) return to the field. Along the way, he was tied for first in end zone targets (2), red zone targets (3), and held first by himself in targets of 10+ air yards (6).

Those ranks aren't on the Raiders; they're in the entire NFL for Week 3.

Alvin Kamara: 16 snaps after Etienne's exit — Old Reliable

Travis Etienne left with a little over six minutes left in the 3rd quarter with a hamstring injury. From that point on, Alvin Kamara played 16 snaps (of his 25 total for the game) and got six of his nine carries; Kendre Miller played 9 (of his 18) and got all four of his carries, and C.J. Donaldson played seven of his 13 non-special teams snaps, but didn't register any carries or targets.

If this feels messy to you, I have to agree. Godspunravelingling it.

Kyren Williams: 70% snap share — Hostile Takeover

After a very even snap share split in Week 2 (55/45), Kyren Williams and Blake Corum saw more clearly defined roles in Week 3, with Williams holding a decisive 70/30 lead in snap share. Snap share wasn't the only difference. Kyren took a five-to-two lead in carries in Week 3 after being one-to-one in both Week 1 and Week 2.

R.J. Harvey & Courtland Sutton: 7 targets — Never Trust Sean Payton

Every week that he's played, R.J. Harvey has led the Denver RBs in routes run by a healthy amount. In Week 1, he led second-place J.K. Dobbins 14 to 5, and in Week 3, he led second-place Dobbins and Tyler Badie 16 to 5.

If you're trying to make sense of the Denver WR hierarchy beyond Jaylen Waddle (17 targets over Weeks 2 and 3) - good luck. Cortland Sutton is probably WR2 behind him, but he saw the same number of targets as Harvey in Week 3 (7). 

Makai Lemon: Positive aDOT — The Bar Is on the Floor

For the first time all year, rookie Makai Lemon saw a positive aDOT and more than a single target in a game. Reasonably good things happened, as he turned four targets with an aDOT of 11.1 into 3 receptions for 29 yards. I say "reasonably good" because while it's not good, that was good enough for third in receiving yards for Philadelphia for the week 

Da Bears: 153 passing yards allowed — Defense? In This Economy?

Before we get into this section, I just have one thing to say: CASE MF'IN KEENUMMMMMMM.

Ok, now that we got that out of the way...

I know the offense gets all the glory, but a quick word for the defense. The Chicago defense allowed 361 passing yards to Bryce Young, who completed 23 of 36 (23/36) passes in Week 1. Since then, they've allowed 143 yards (11/20) to Carson Wentz and 153 (16/25) to Jalen Hurts.

FIN:

Three weeks in, and there are still plenty of questions. Luckily, there are also plenty of numbers. We'll be back next week with more of them.

Lou Brunson serves as a Senior Analyst and designer of the Two Rivers, GUTS, and Injury Response Protocol projection systems used across Optimus Fantasy.

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