Leaders of the Pack After Week 3 2026

by Dennis Michelsen

Total Fantasy Football points and even Points per Game can be deceiving. In Fantasy Football, we want to know not only who the hot players are early in the season, but also which players have been productive over a longer period. My rankings use four separate indexes, explained below, to rate each player. Let’s look at who the leaders of the pack are in Fantasy Football after week three. 

MVP Index Explained

Every week in Fantasy Football, a player’s stats can fall into three categories. They can help your team win by having a huge points week. They can cause your team to lose with a very low-scoring week. They can keep your team in contention by performing above the historic median output. The MVP Index combines these three outcomes into one easy-to-understand number. While the historic median for Fantasy Football points differs by position, using the same expected performance level for RB, WR, and TE gives us a score to compare while making Flex starting decisions all season. 

MVP26 Explained

This index uses the same formula as the MVP Index above, but uses data only from this season. It uses all games played to give a true value on each player, as if they started every game this year in Fantasy Football. 

Upside Index Explained

While consistency matters in Fantasy Football, weekly upside consistency matters even more. The UPSIDE INDEX calculates a player’s best 1/3rd of his games over the past 2 seasons plus the current season. This extended database gives us a better idea of a player’s long-term form, not just the few data points represented by the current season. Each week, the data is weighted more heavily toward the current season. 

GOOD Index Explained

In the NFL, young players often struggle early in their careers. While the MVP Index does a solid job of keeping up with the latest player developments, the GOOD Index only counts their best games over the past 2 seasons plus the current season. This index values rookie and second-year players lower because they have fewer total games to post a high GOOD Index, but it rewards players who stay healthy and productive over a longer time frame. 

Scoring System Used

Regular 1-point-per-reception scoring is used, with no TE premium. Players get 1 point for every 10 rushing or receiving yards and 1 point for every 25 passing yards. TDs count 6 points, including passing TDs. 

Leaders of the Pack at QB

20 Point Games Week One: 13

30+ Point Games Week One: 2

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 0

1. Josh Allen: Still number one, but his distance over QB6 has shrunk

2. Lamar Jackson: Slow start last week, but a strong finish keeps him 2nd 

3. Jared Goff: One of the best value picks again this season

4. Patrick Mahomes: KC offense is looking solid so far

5. Joe Burrow (+1): If he can stay healthy, he will be worth his ADP

6. Brock Purdy (+1): Another great late-round pick at QB

7. Jalen Hurts (-2): Will they ever find him the right OC? 

8. Dak Prescott: Kind of like the vanilla ice cream of Fantasy Football QBs   

9. Matthew Stafford: The old man can still get it done

10. Jayden Daniels: Injury doesn’t look too bad

11. Baker Mayfield: Injury will cost him 2-3 weeks 

12. Caleb Williams (+1) Offense sizzled without him on MNF 

13. Tyler Shough (NEW) Turning into a solid option in Fantasy Football every week

14. Bo Nix (NEW) Inconsistent at times, but when he is on, he is on

15. Trevor Lawrence (-1) Woke up last week with his first solid game of the season

Leaders of the Pack at RB

10 Point Games Week One: 24

20+ Point Games Week One: 9

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 2

1. Jahmyr Gibbs: Getting more volume, and it shows

2. Bijan Robinson: Still losing the occasional TD to a vulture

3. Derrick Henry (+1): Tied for the most rushing TDs with Josh Allen

4. Christian McCaffrey (+1): Easing back his volume a bit but still elite

5. Jonathan Taylor (-2): Consistency of this offense is a concern

6. Kylen Williams (+3): One of the best RB values because FF Analysts are in love with Corum

7. James Cook: Allen’s goal-line work does cap his upside 

8. De’Von Achane (-2): Last time on this chart due to season-ending knee injury

9. Chase Brown (-1): Solid but lacks the upside of the Top 6 guys

10. Ken Walker (+1) Should be in the Top 5 with a few more great games

11. D’Andre Swift (-1): Managed volume will cap his fantasy value 

12. Bucky Irving: Injury is a concern again

13. Ashton Jeanty: His ankle seems to be bothering him a bit

14. Chubba Hubbard (+2): Getting fed the volume to rise to the Top 10

15. Saquon Barkley: Is it the O-Line? The OC? Or Father Time? 

16. Breece Hall (-2): Injury could sideline him for a few weeks

17. Javonte Williams: The solid but unspectacular RB I expected

18. Cam Skattebo (+2): Inconsistent QB play could limit his upside

19. David Montgomery (-1): HOU O-Line doesn’t look good

20. RJ Harvey (+2): Might be the best RB on the team

21. Aaron Jones: Should get the volume to be a solid starter until Mason returns  

22. TreyVeon Henderson (-3): Inconsistent QB play is hurting his value

23. Alvin Kamara (NEW): Could return to enough volume to justify a Top 20 ranking

24. Jeremiah Love (NEW): Rookie starting to get into the groove and should be rising

25. Jaylen Warren (+3) With Dowdle out, he got the needed volume

26. Travis Etienne (-3) Injury could sideline him for a while

27. Omarion Hampton (-3) Chargers offense looks out of sync 

28. Rhamondre Stevenson (-3) Patriots need Russini back

29. Rico Dowdle (-3) Injury and uncertain volume ahead

30. Rachaad White (-3) Getting enough work in the passing game to be viable in FF

31. Tony Pollard (+1) He ain’t exciting, but he gets the job done most weeks

32. Bhayshul Tuten (+3) Could be a rising star as this offense starts to heat up

33. Brian Robinson (NEW) Vultured his first TD of the year

34. JK Dobbins (-1) Has looked very ordinary this season

35. Ollie Gordon (NEW) Takes over for Achane

Leaders of the Pack at WR

10 Point Games Week One: 42

20+ Point Games Week One: 11

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 2

1. Amon Ra St Brown: Tied with JSN for the top spot, two most reliable WRs in FF

2. Jaxson Smith Njigba: I thought the new OC was supposed to be a problem?  

3. Ja’Marr Chase (+1): Gives you the best highlight-reel catches in the NFL

4. Puka Nacua (-1): The injury is a big concern going forward

5. Cee Dee Lamb: The undisputed WR1 on the Cowboys 

6. Davante Adams (+1) Has feasted with Nacua out

7. Nico Collins (-1) Should return from injury this week

8. Chris Olave: The best value in FF for the second straight year 

9. Zay Flowers (+1) This offense should keep him in the top 10 all season

10. Justin Jefferson (-1) Injury is a big concern going forward

11. Garret Wilson (+1) Imagine what this guy could do with a great QB? 

12. Drake London (+6) Penix at QB is a big improvement

13. Tee Higgins (+4) The best WR2 in the NFL

14. DJ Moore (-3) Should be even better going forward

15. George Pickens (+1) Clear second choice in this offense behind Lamb

16. Mike Evans (-1) His injury is a big concern

17. Stefon Diggs (-3) Didn’t perform well on an off track

18. Malik Nabers (-5) Injuries and QB play will rob us of seeing the best of Nabers 

19. DeVonta Smith (+1) O-Line and rushing game are hurting this offense’s potential 

20. Rashee Rice (-1) Is he playing his way into shape? 

21. Ladd McConkey: Chargers offense is a disaster  

22. Jameson Williams (+1) His lack of targets with LaPorta in the lineup is very consistent.

23. Terry McLaurin (+3) Backup QB preferred: Scary Terry

24. Christian Watson (+4) If this guy could stay healthy for 17 games, watch out

25. Courtland Sutton (-1) WR volume being split differently every week

26. Jakobi Meyers (+5) Has the knack of finding the end zone

27. Deebo Samuel (-2) Set record for most receiving yards without a reception last week

28. DK Metcalf (+9) Just not sure of how consistent this offense will be all season

29. Brian Thomas (-7) I sure miss the rookie version of BTJ

30. Wan Dale Robinson (+8) Came up big in bad weather last week

31. Josh Downs (+3) Solid 1-2 punch at WR with Allen

32. Mike Wilson (NEW) Second-best receiver on the team to McBride right now

33. Parker Washington (+2) Yes, he was the best WR on this team 

34. Emeka Egbuka (-4) Buccaneers offense could struggle even more without Baker

35. Chris Godwin (-2) The rookie Hurst is grabbing some of his volume

36. Jaylen Waddle (-4) He is the guy teams try to contain every week

37. Denzel Boston (-8) Rookie off to a solid start 

38. Jordan Addison (NEW) Injury to JJ helped him last week

39. Keenan Allen (NEW) Getting into a rhythm with his new QB

40. Luther Burden (NEW) Might be emerging as the top playmaker for the Bears

Leaders of the Pack at TE

10 Point Games Week One: 18

20+ Point Games Week One: 6

Perfect MVP26 Scores After 2 Weeks: 1

1. Trey McBride: 12th most points among all RBs, WRs, and TEs after 3 weeks

2. Brock Bowers (NEW) came back from injury, ready to rock

3. George Kittle: The old man can still get it done

4. Travis Kelce (-2): Mahomes favorite target on an improved Chiefs offense

5. Harold Fannin (+7): Bounced back with a huge week last week

6. Sam LaPorta: Solid but behind 2 other great playmakers on the Lions

7. Juwan Johnson (+6): Third most points at TE so far this season

8. Mark Andrews (-1) Might continue to slide down the rankings

9. Dalton Kincaid (-4) Down week for Josh Allen cost him too 

10. Tyler Warren (-1): Could be headed to the Top 5 on this list soon

11.  Darren Waller: Another old guy getting it done

12. Jake Ferguson (-4): Lots of guys to target ahead of him on the Cowboys

13. Mike Gesecki NEW): A great red zone target

14. Tucker Kraft (NEW): The volume has been there, so production is coming

15. Kenyon Sadiq (NEW): The rookie is turning into a solid playmaker

Conclusion

Ratings are weighted for the 2026 season and will be quite volatile for the first five weeks. The system makes it tougher for rookies to make the list, so when a rookie does it after three weeks, that’s impressive. Good luck this week!