What We Saw: Week 3

Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals

Turnovers were the story of this game. Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray threw for exactly 272 yards and 2 touchdowns each, but Stafford was turnover-free while Murray was picked off three times. Adrian Peterson continued to turn back the clock, finishing as Detroit’s leading rusher for the third consecutive week. This one came down to the wire, with Matt Prater banging home his fourth field goal of the afternoon to win the game as time expired.

Detroit Lions

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford: 22/31, 272 yards, 2 TD’s, 0 INT’s, 4 Sacks | 1 carry, -3 yards

The 12-year veteran put together a vintage performance on Sunday. Matthew Stafford was clinical late in the game, zipping the ball all over the field to lead his team to a win. Stafford got everybody involved in the offense, connecting with nine different receivers throughout the afternoon. The Georgia Bulldog has lived up to his high floor, low ceiling expectations thus far. He is averaging about 17 points per game through three weeks and should remain a reliable streaming option, or even a low-end starter in deeper leagues.

Running Backs

Adrian Peterson: 22 carries, 75 yards, 0 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 10 yards

Kerryon Johnson: 3 carries, 16 yards, 0 TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 14 yards

D’Andre Swift: 2 targets, 1 reception, 19 yards

Living legend Adrian Peterson put together his second impressive performance of the season against Arizona, shouldering the load for the Detroit run game. “All Day” carried the ball 22 times, just the fourth time he has eclipsed the 20 carry mark since 2019. The Detroit backfield is one of the more precarious in the league, and in this game, Peterson served as the lead man. He is worth consideration on the waiver wire, but at his age it is unlikely he will be responsible for the lions’ share of the ground game (pun intended). Expect Kerryon Johnson and D’Andre Swift to see bigger roles and form a true Running Back by Committee for Detroit. Swift’s usage was a major disappointment, and it is hard to understand why he was so left out of the gameplan in Week 3. Keep an ear out for news of an injury or mistake from the rookie second-rounder.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Kenny Golladay: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD

T.J. Hockenson 7 targets, 4 receptions, 53 yards

Marvin Jones: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 51 yards

Jesse James: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 28 yards, 1 TD

Jamal Agnew: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards | 1 carry, 2 yards

Danny Amendola: 2 targets, 1 reception, 18 yards

Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are one of the better receiving duos in the league, and their ability to spread the field takes a lot of pressure off of Stafford. Add in the development of tight end T.J. Hockenson and all of a sudden the Lions have a potent passing attack. This is outstanding news for Lions fans… but not so much for fantasy owners. The balanced air game limits the ceilings of the Detroit receivers, but Stafford appears to be leading an offense that will support three fantasy-relevant pass catchers. Those who rostered Golladay can breathe a sigh of relief, as the talented pass-catcher made it through the game without incident, and got right back to his touchdown scoring ways in his first game back from a hamstring injury.

Arizona Cardinals

Quarterback

Kyler Murray: 25/35, 270 yards, 2 TD’s, 3 INT’s, 1 sack | 5 carries, 29 yards, 1 TD

It was a mixed bag for Kyler Murray in week 3. Murray made a handful of ridiculous throws and scored on a dazzling touchdown run, but threw three costly interceptions that led to 10 points for the Lions. Murray’s third interception was his worst, throwing across his body in an attempt to force a ball to Deandre Hopkins that ended up in the hands of rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah. Murray finished with 21 points despite his turnovers and will continue to be an elite fantasy option going forward.

Good luck trying to bring Kyler Murray down in the open field.#FantasyFootball | #Cardinals pic.twitter.com/CsbKbrXT7N

— QB List (@TheQBlist) September 27, 2020

• Lions takeaways through the first two games of the season? 0️⃣

• Lions takeaways today? 3️⃣

The Detroit D with their third INT of the afternoon. #FantasyFootball | #Lions pic.twitter.com/5zVXeVEYoT

— QB List (@TheQBlist) September 27, 2020

Running Backs

Kenyan Drake: 18 carries, 73 yards, 0 TD | 1 target, 1 catch, 6 yards

Chase Edmunds: 3 carries, 13 yards | 2 targets, 2 catches, 21 yards

This was another productive day for Kenyan Drake, who fell just short of picking up 80 yards in consecutive weeks. However, simply being productive is not enough for fantasy owners who invested a lot of draft capital in Drake. He has gotten in the end zone just once so far and is due for some positive regression. For now, Drake is an RB2 with RB1 upside if the touchdowns start coming, Edmunds has value as a handcuff in the case of a Drake injury. This rushing game has lacked explosiveness (outside of Murray), a bit of a surprise after some of the dominant performances on the ground in 2019. The Cardinals would be wise to focus on getting the ground game on track to take some pressure off of Murray and DeAndre Hopkins.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

DeAndre Hopkins: 12 targets, 10 receptions, 137 yards

Andy Isabella: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 47 yards, 2 TD | 1 carry, -6 yards

Darrell Daniels: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards

KeeSean Johnson: 7 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards

Dan Arnold: 2 targets, 1 reception, 11 yards

Larry Fitzgerald: 3 targets, 1 reception, 0 yards

With 37 targets through three games, DeAndre Hopkins is a full-blown volume machine. With injuries to Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, and Davante Adams, Hopkins is without a doubt the best receiver in the league right now. His chemistry with Murray is off the charts, and his mere presence on the field will lead to opportunities for other receivers. Andy Isabella was the man who took advantage of those opportunities on Sunday, doubling his 2019 touchdown total with two scores. It was a rough day for KeeSean Johnson, who managed just two receptions despite being targeted seven times. With Christian Kirk missing the game due to injury, this offense is still searching for a secondary option to step up. Isabella made the first move and will be an interesting waiver wire target ahead of Week 4.

-Josh Kurzer (@jkurzer52 on Twitter)