Every week in the NFL season seems to be a totally different entity. This week is no different.  Remember a couple of weeks ago when the season was new and every team had hope? Now, some of those teams are already changing their focus to how they can improve next year. (I know, NFL teams aren’t really doing that…But their fan bases are).  It’s strange how all the things that we knew in week 1 have changed, and now we have as many questions as we do answers.  Who is good? Who isn’t? Who are contenders? And, who are the pretenders? For fantasy purposes, we are also questioning our own rankings and depth charts. This is the world I live in. I find myself reviewing my pre draft rankings every week, just so I can see where my process was successful, and where I missed the mark. Let’s take a look and see what we learned in Week 3.

Teams are evolving

The first thing we need to know is that every team in the NFL is evolving. Just because a team comes out hot(or cold) doesn’t mean that is how the season is going to end. Every week brings more data that the teams can use in an effort to match the changing landscape around them. Teams that have been incredibly successful with this so far include the Dolphins and the 49ers. These are, in my opinion, the two top teams in the NFL as it stands today. Both teams have shown an incredible ability to evolve in ways that allow them to stay a step ahead of the competition. Yes, both teams are loaded with playmakers, but do not underestimate the impact that coaching can have on the ebb and flow of the season.

On the flip side, some of the worst teams at this are the Bears and Titans. I feel bad saying this about both teams, but for different reasons. As a Bears fan, it pains me to say this about my team, but they have proven to be inflexible and continue to try and do the same things expecting to see different results. The Titans, on the other hand, have been good at this in the past. This year, however, the coaching staff seems intent on utilizing a scheme that continues to be unsuccessful.

Depth matters

We all love our studs. It is amazing to watch guys like Christian McCaffery and Justin Jefferson perform at a high level and validate our high draft picks. But, as so many fantasy analysts (including myself) like to remind people, it is incredibly hard to win your fantasy leagues with your early round picks. The heavy lifting of our teams, and NFL teams for that matter, are done mostly by our mid to late round picks. This is why it is so important to grab value when you can. It is also why it is important to make smart waiver wire and free agency decisions. In this case fantasy football mirrors the NFL very closely. 

So far this season, many of your league’s best performing players  are guys that were drafted in the fifth round or later. Several of them may have even gone undrafted. None of us expected to see some of these guys explode. We may have been high on them, and recommended grabbing them late. But, we did not know that they would be some of the overall best performers to this point.

It is a long season

Never forget that your season isn’t over even if you may be 1-2 or 0-3. Keep working the waiver wire, make a trade or two, and keep setting your best lineups every week. In my home league, which I have won 2 of the last 3 years, I am likely going to start 0-3. I have every confidence that I will end up making it to the playoffs. The roster is strong, and it is deep. I have just had some bad injury luck early in the season. Please don’t give up. The rest of your league wants you to continue to play. It becomes less fun if there is someone who isn’t trying to win. An early struggle or two does not mean that your season is over. Take a page out of the Arizona Cardinals book, keep playing no matter how bad everyone else says you might be.

Preseason is finally over

The way the NFL calendar is set up, very few, if any teams are regular season ready when week one finally arrives. There is such a focus on player health and safety, that practices are less intense, preseason games aren’t taken quite as seriously, and many players have almost had as much rest as they have practice when we begin the regular season. As fans, we need to expect teams to show some signs of rust. Now, we have had a few weeks under our belt to knock the rust off. We are finally starting to see what teams are really going to be as the season continues. In some cases, we may like what we are seeing now far more than we did a couple of weeks ago. In others, we may have been happier with how things looked a couple of weeks ago.  Either way, that is just something that we need to accept in the modern NFL.

Officiating

As a former official, this is not a toe I like to tip my toe into very often. We ask officials to perform a thankless job. If they are great they get very little reward, but if they struggle there is a very public outcry. As a whole, I believe the NFL does a very good job with their officiating crews. I do believe that as the years continue, it is becoming evident that the NFL needs to employ more full-time officials. The league can absolutely afford it, and the game needs it. There are a few too many instances where very obvious calls are being missed that are impacting the results of games. And, with the monetization of these games due to the gambling industry, there is going to start to be more blowback as it continues. 

I have begun to settle into my standard NFL schedule, and I hope that you have too. As always, if you have any fantasy related questions, please reach out on X(Twitter) @2fatguysff and I will try to help as much as I can. Good tidings, and keep working to win your leagues!