NFL Fantasy Recap: Egbuka Consistent, Etienne Stumbles
Week 3 of the NFL season kicked off with a Thursday Night Football thriller. In what was supposed to be a one-sided matchup, the Miami Dolphins held their own against the Buffalo Bills, but could not find a win on the road.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers endured a rollercoaster victory against the New York Jets, putting them at 3-0 for the first time since 2005. Thanks to more of quarterback Baker Mayfield’s heroics, the Bucs are one of just the six undefeated teams this season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars saw a nail-biter of their own with the Houston Texans. A low-scoring battle and Travis Etienne Jr. allowed the Jags to pull out their second win of the year.
Check out this week’s fantasy football winners and losers:
Winners
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle
Waddle was the only winner to come out of Week 3 with a loss.
The Dolphins receiver totaled 14.9 fantasy points Thursday, his second highest of the season. Could he have had a better night? Yes. Did wide receiver Tyreek Hill finish with 15.9 points? Also yes. And has Waddle now proven in back-to-back weeks that he can be a fantasy starter? That’s a third yes.
The Alabama product reeled in five catches on six targets for 39 yards and a touchdown. It was not Waddle’s statline that makes him a Week 3 fantasy winner. It is the impact he had on the field.
Going into Thursday night, the entire country thought Miami would be dominated in Buffalo. Hard Rock Bet opened the Bills as 12.5-point favorites.
The Dolphins ended up losing 31-21, but were in the game for 52 minutes before quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception. A major reason for the closer game was Waddle.
The Dolphins drove 67 yards late in the third quarter. The touchdown drive lasted 5:40 and was extended on a 15-yard Waddle completion on the Buffalo 36-yard line. It was fourth down and Waddle kept the drive alive. Tagovailoa would later find Hill in the end zone to tie the game at 21 apiece.
Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka
Egbuka was questionable heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Buccaneers and the Jets.
Once being cleared to play, it was reported that his snap count would be limited, making him a risky start.
And yet, he still proved reliable. The rookie finished with 14.5 points on six catches for 85 yards. While Sunday marked his first NFL game without a touchdown, the receiver still managed to be productive.
Wide receiver Mike Evans went down late in the contest with a hamstring injury, immediately slotting the already-injured Egbuka as WR1.
Depending on Evans’ future, Egbuka could see an even greater increase in targets.
Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange
Strange showed out on Sunday with his most productive performance of the season. The third-year man had 12.1 fantasy points. While not the highest total, he is placed in the “winners” category for two reasons: he finished with his most yards since Week 15 of last season, and he led the team in receptions.
Sunday featured his highest point total thus far, and he played a major role in the Jags’ win.
With Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter not having the most productive receiving seasons, Strange did his job in taking some of the load.
While he is not a day one fantasy starter at tight end, Strange was a winner in Week 3.
Losers
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr.
Since Week 1, Etienne has seen a progressive decline in fantasy points. The Jacksonville starter came out of Sunday with 11.6 points.
He finished with 56 rushing yards and a touchdown. The running back maintained 16 rushes, tying his season high, but was not explosive enough, although Etienne had the game-winning score with under two minutes left in the contest.
The Clemson product came into the 2025 season as a relatively low-tier ball carrier. After Week 1, that narrative was erased. Etienne had 18.6 points against the Carolina Panthers, but has slowly declined over the course of the season.
Also, running back Bhayshul Tuten has seen an increase in carries and notched a touchdown Sunday. Jacksonville has been showing signs of a running back room by committee.
Buccaneers RB Rachaad White
Unlike the Jags, Tampa Bay has made it clear that there will not be a committee in the backfield. Running back Bucky Irving has been given the keys to this offense, while White watches from the sideline.
White disappointed fantasy owners with just 2.4 points on five carriers and 12 rushing yards. Last week, he had double the amount of carries, 65 yards and a score. On the other side, Irving was given 25 carries this week.
Was Week 2 a fluke for White? Racking up 14.6 fantasy points in one game would have been a normal occurrence last season. Now, it’s a major surprise.
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Has there been a greater fantasy disappointment than Thomas? The second-year standout totaled 7.5 points in Jacksonville’s matchup with Houston.
The total is his lowest since Week 10 of last year. Heading into this season, he was ranked highly among all fantasy wide receivers. The 2025 Thomas has seven catches. Thomas caught seven passes in each of his final five games in 2024.
While the offensive production has not been there for the Jaguars, Thomas was supposed to be their star.
It’s safe to say that he cannot be regarded as one of the league’s best fantasy wideouts any longer.
Category: Fantasy Football, NFL
