Number 1 QB: Andrew Luck's 9 touchdowns are the most by any quarterback through three games.

Rising

Andrew Luck, IND
Luck is currently on pace for 48 touchdowns through three weeks. He probably won’t sustain that pace, but has a good chance of being a big difference maker from week to week in fantasy. If every league out there was forced to hold a new draft this week, there’s a good chance Luck would be the second quarterback off the board behind Peyton Manning.

Nick Foles, PHI
Another guy off to a great start, Foles is currently on pace for 5,216 passing yards. Based on the way the season is unfolding for the Eagles, I definitely wouldn’t rule out a 5,000-yard season for Foles. The Eagles are running plays at a rapid pace and their defense can’t stop anyone, meaning lots and lots of passing. This is great news for Foles owners, who should now consider themselves locked in at the quarterback position.

Austin Davis, STL
An interesting thing has happened in St. Louis: Davis may have swooped in and stolen the starting job from Shaun Hill. Hill began the season as the Rams’ starter because of Sam Bradford’s injury. Midway through Game 1, Hill got hurt. Since entering the picture, Davis has come in and completed 72.3 percent of his passes. Davis’ three-touchdown, two-interception performance in Week 3, gave a glimpse of the level of performance he can provide when the matchup is right. As long Davis remains the starter in St. Louis, he is another name to put on your streaming radar.

Falling

Aaron Rodgers, GB
In Week 1, we could all give Rodgers a pass for a mediocre fantasy outing against the Seahawks. But after coming to life in Week 2, Rodgers turned in another poor outing, this time against the Lions. If you own Rodgers, you have to putting him out there weekly, but so far Rodgers doesn’t look like he was worth drafting so many rounds ahead of guys like Andrew Luck and Foles.

Tom Brady, NE
Brady has now appeared three weeks in a row. I will not include him next week because he is now approaching rock bottom. I understand wanting to hold on in hopes of seeing the old Tom Brady reappear, but it’s hard to have high hopes after two completely average games against the Vikings and Raiders. I’d have no problem with dropping Brady if you need roster space. I can’t believe I just wrote that.

Ryan Tannehill, MIA
Coming into the season, Tannehill was looking like a popular streaming target for fantasy owners. Just three weeks into the season, he’s not even a lock to hold onto the Dolphins’ starting quarterback job. After seeing him complete less than 50 percent of his passes against a not-so-great Chiefs pass defense, Tannehill should not be rostered in anything but deep, multi-quarterback leagues. Look another direction if you need a streaming option or bye week fill-in.

Running Back

Rising

Rashad Jennings, NYG
After his monster game against the Houston Texans, it is abundantly clear that Jennings is the focal point of the Giants offense. New York ran 71 plays against the Texans and 34 of them were Rashad Jennings rushes. Being the clear No. 1 in an offense that is going to at least try to be run-heavy makes Jennings a very valuable fantasy commodity right now.

Lamar Miller, MIA
With Knowshon Moreno out due to an injury, Miller has the opportunity to lead the Dolphins offense, and he delivered. He only had 15 carries because of the deficit Miami faced, but with those carries he turned in a 108-yard performance. No other player on the Dolphins received more than two carries, so the job is clearly Miller’s at the moment. He also continued to contribute in the passing game, catching four passes on five targets. Owners who stuck it out with Miller through the brief fall behind Moreno now have themselves a solid RB2.

Le’Veon Bell, PIT
Here is a statement you may or may not consider bold: Bell has a legitimate chance to finish the season as the No. 1 player in all of fantasy. After rumbling for 147 yards against one of the toughest defenses in the NFL, Bell is clearly matchup-proof. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do when he actually gets to play against an easy-run defense. Start him weekly without a second thought.

Falling

Shane Vereen, NE
It’s possible that Vereen is getting swept up in Brady’s fall from grace. If Brady isn’t a high-scoring quarterback anymore, then there’s less to go around in the Patriots offense, as well. With Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski the top guys in the passing game and Stevan Ridley suddenly re-emerging as the leader in the run game, Vereen is left as the fourth wheel in an offense that can’t support four at the moment. It’s probably tough for Vereen’s owners to bench him based on where they had to draft him, but confidence in him (even as a PPR back) is waning.

Eddie Lacy, GB
Through three games, Lacy is managing only 3.1 yards per carry. He has dealt with a concussion and played against three tough run defenses, but this isn’t what you want to see out of a guy who was selected in the top half of the first round. I would stick it out with Lacy in hopes that he turns it around, especially because he’s still the featured back in his offense and that alone brings him value many running backs don’t have. Keep plugging him into your lineup, but also keep your expectations tempered.

Montee Ball, DEN
In each of the previous two installments of this article, I was tempted to include Ball as a faller, but I resisted. A third uninspiring performance means I can’t hold off any more. Yes, his most recent showing came against the Seahawks, so I’d let it go if he didn’t also disappoint the two previous weeks. For now he’s still the top guy in the Broncos backfield, so he’ll be startable because of volume, but it’s also becoming clear that we shouldn’t have assumed he would just pick up where Moreno left off.

Wide Receiver

Rising

Jeremy Maclin, PHI
Did you know Maclin is the No. 3 wide receiver in standard scoring leagues right now? I didn’t realize that either until I just looked it up. As mentioned above with Foles, the Eagles are going to continue having a high volume passing game for the foreseeable future. As the number one target in that high volume passing game, Maclin may be working his name into the WR1 conversation.

Emmanuel Sanders, DEN
It was obvious Sanders would be useful this season just by joining the Broncos, but no one could have seen this coming. With an 11-catch, 149-yard performance against the Seahawks, it now seems impossible to ever bench Sanders. His only downfall at the moment is a lack of touchdown scoring. As long as Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas are around, Sanders will have a tough time getting shots in the end zone. The lack of scoring keeps him in the WR2 zone, but in the must start WR2 zone due to his seemingly high floor.

Brian Quick, STL
Over the first three weeks, Quick has established himself as the top wide receiver in the Rams offense. He has twice as many targets as Kenny Britt, the current No. 2 wide out on the team. Quick has more targets, receptions and yards than any other player in St. Louis. He even has the best yards per reception average on the team. With a start-worthy fantasy score every week of the season so far, Quick should gain fantasy lineup consideration when the Rams return from their bye week.

Falling

Keenan Allen, SD
Take a look at Allen’s yardage totals in the first three weeks: 37, 55, 17. Yikes. Allen is third on the Chargers in targets and fourth in receiving yards. Five of his teammates have a higher average yards per reception. I wouldn’t trade Allen unless you get proper value back, but that’s probably unlikely right now. I would definitely consider benching him until he turns it around, however.

Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
It’s now pretty clear that the No. 1 wide receiver torch in Arizona has been passed to Michael Floyd. In an offense that probably isn’t good enough to sustain two weekly starters at wide receiver in fantasy, that’s not good news for Fitzgerald. He does have almost as many targets and receptions as Floyd, but can’t seem to do anything with them. You probably have to keep him rostered because he’s Larry Fitzgerald, but you don’t have to keep him in your lineups.

Andre Johnson, HOU
Speaking of torches being passed, we might be seeing the same thing happen in Houston. Johnson is still number one when it comes to targets, but thus far this season, DeAndre Hopkins has passed him in production. Johnson has never been a big touchdown scorer and that’s holding true this season as he has zero. He’s still a fantasy starter, but not the high-end starter he has been the last few years.

Tight End

Rising

Martellus Bennett, CHI
Entering 2014, there were three tight ends being considered head and shoulders above the rest. We were right about how many would be up there, but so far we’ve been wrong about who the third would be. Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas are doing what we hoped they would do, but it’s Bennett who has stepped up as the third elite tight end up to this point. With Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery unable to get completely healthy, Bennett is the one leading the team in targets, receptions and touchdowns. In what has been a down year for tight ends, Bennett is shining.

Travis Kelce, KC
In each week of the season, Travis Kelce’s snap total has increased. While he hasn’t increased his production, he should eventually make an impact at the tight end position with the added opportunities. As it is, Kelce sits in 12th in standard league scoring at tight end. With more opportunity, that can only go up from here.

Jared Cook, STL
Cook got attention over the weekend for shoving his quarterback Austin Davis, but what he really should be getting attention for is his sudden relevancy in fantasy football. Cook has always been at tantalizing player that could never quite lives up to his potential, but this season he’s becoming a safe starter, especially in PPR leagues. He’s eighth among NFL tight ends in receptions, with at least four catches in each game this year. A few more weeks of solid production and Cook will have to be considered a weekly starter in leagues that score receptions.

Falling

Zach Ertz, PHI
For the moment, the predicted major breakout may be on hold. He’s actually No. 9 at tight end in standard leagues, so his owners aren’t exactly complaining yet. After his Week 3 performance, however, it’s clear he might have a problem consistently starting. There are a lot of passes to go around in the Eagles offense, but Ertz is currently only tied for fifth in targets in Philly. If you own him, you’re probably starting him, but he could be very frustrating at times.

Antonio Gates, SD
I don’t love that I’m marking a guy as “falling” one week after saying he’s “rising,” but it might apply here. Gates got off to a very strong start through the first two weeks, but he came tumbling back to earth in Week 3 against the Bills. He will still be a helpful fantasy player, but he isn’t the guy we saw in Weeks 1 and 2. From here on out, consider Gates a guy that is fine to have in your lineup on a weekly basis, but not necessarily a must-start if you have a better option.

Jordan Cameron, CLE
It’s possible he’s still being held down by his shoulder injury, but Cameron might not have the big-time production people expected this season. Even when he is healthy, the upside of Cameron was supposed to come from all the targets he would get with no Josh Gordon in the picture, but it appears Andrew Hawkins is the one becoming the beneficiary of all those targets. With a lack of depth at the tight end position so far this year, Cameron owners will still be using him, but don’t expect the elite production you envisioned at draft time.

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