NFL Barometer: Larry Legend

Week 3 served to shed further clarity on the fortunes of multiple players. We'll stick to highlighting new names, while past mentions such as Tarik Cohen, Kareem Hunt and Todd Gurley should naturally be kept under consideration given their continued success.

RISING

Quarterback

Jacoby Brissett, Colts: Granted, it was against the Browns, but Brissett certainly looked the part in Week 3, following a solid Week 2 effort against stiffer competition in the Cardinals. He scored with both his arm and legs Sunday and looks set to make at least two more starts at minimum before Andrew Luck (shoulder) potentially returns. While a tough matchup in Seattle awaits in Week 5, a tantalizing home tilt against the 49ers is on tap for Week 6.

Josh McCown, Jets: Three games is still a modest sample size, yet McCown has looked solid in each contest thus far and has not thrown an interception in the last two. The Jets air attack has been mostly conservative, but the veteran signal caller has completed a stellar 69.8 percent of his passes. He also flashed some nice downfield chops by hitting Robby Anderson for a 69-yard scoring strike Sunday and has a serviceable trio of pass catchers to work with Jermaine Kearse, Anderson and Jeremy Kerley.

Running Back

Wendell Smallwood / Corey Clement / LeGarrette Blount, Eagles: The Eagles' three-headed monster gets lumped together for now, as it may be a challenge to figure out who could take the lead role in any given week. The one certainty is that Darren Sproles (arm/knee) won't return to the field this season, which could mean plenty of pass-catching opportunities for Smallwood. However, Blount and Clement project to vulture the majority of goal-line opportunities, affording all three fantasy value, with Smallwood's slanting more towards PPR formats.

Chris Thompson, Redskins: On that subject, Thompson already has a share of the team lead in targets (19) and compiled 150 yards receiving in Week 3. The pass-catching specialist even logged eight carries with Rob Kelley (ribs) sidelined and Samaje Perine (hand) suffering a fourth-quarter injury, and he could see a slight bump in rushing touches moving forward, given the general ineffectiveness of that duo.

Joe Mixon, Bengals: Mixon has seemingly taken the reins of the lead-back role, particularly with the Bengals' recent change at offensive coordinator to Bill Lazor. The rookie hit new highs with 18 carries and 62 yards versus the Packers in Week 3 and added 39 yards through the air, significantly outpacing both Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. Mixon brings a potentially lethal combination of power and speed at 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, meaning he should eventually do some serious damage if he continues to see Week 3-type of volume going forward.

Duke Johnson, Browns: An opener in which he didn't see any carries and logged just two receptions had Johnson's prospects looking rather dim, but he's progressively proving that it was simply an outlier. Johnson's targets have risen in each game thus far, and with them, his receiving yards. He topped out with six catches for 81 yards in Week 3 and seems to have strong rapport with DeShone Kizer.

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers: McCaffrey was due to eventually break out, and serious injuries to Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen appear to have accelerated the process just a tad. He racked up nine receptions for 101 yards while seeing 11 targets in the blowout loss to the Saints, and that type of volume could start to become the norm moving forward.

Wide Receiver

T.Y. Hilton, Colts: It took a week for them to start clicking – and a matchup against the Browns likely helped – but Hilton and Brissett seem to be on the same page now. The speedster brought in seven receptions for 153 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown, and now has 22 targets through the first three weeks. Factor in the likely return of Andrew Luck (shoulder) within the next month and Hilton's season could well be on the rise.

Devin Funchess, Panthers: Funchess was already in line to benefit from Greg Olsen's foot injury, and Kelvin Benjamin's own knee issues in Week 3 just gave his outlook another bump. An MRI revealed no structural damage for Benjamin, but he could certainly miss at least one game. Funchess would become the No. 1 wideout in such a scenario, practically guaranteeing improved production.

Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: Fitzgerald exploded with 13 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown Monday night against the Cowboys and has compiled 34 targets through three games. He has solid-to-excellent production in two of his first three contests and is the Cardinals' most trusted offensive weapon with both David Johnson and John Brown sidelined.

Tight End

Charles Clay, Bills: Clay and Tyrod Taylor have been clicking, with the latter finding him for two touchdowns through the first three games and sending 18 targets in his direction overall. Clay can certainly explode for the occasional big gainer but really knows how to roam the middle of the field. With a somewhat thin receiving corps in Buffalo, Clay figures to continue in a prominent pass-catching role.

KEEPING AN EYE ON

Curtis Samuel, WR, Panthers: Early numbers aren't encouraging, but there could be a potential spike in volume if Benjamin (knee) misses multiple weeks.

Tyler Kroft, TE, Bengals: Projects as starting tight end with Eifert set to miss multiple games.

Case Keenum, QB, Vikings: Not likely to repeat Week 3 performance, but could be serviceable fantasy-wise while Bradford (knee) remains sidelined.

Alex Collins, RB, Ravens: Offense in need of playmakers might mean more opportunities after encouraging nine-carry, 82-yard effort in London.

Kenny Britt, WR, Browns: Mostly inefficient with targets thus far but can't help but see plenty of volume going forward.

D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texans: Has seen 20 carries over the last two weeks and ripped off long reception Sunday.

Orleans Darkwa, RB, Giants: May be on verge of big boost in opportunity with Paul Perkins' struggles.

Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars: Needs to prove it for a multi-game stretch, but hard to ignore London output.

Robert Woods, WR, Rams: Opened eyes with Week 3 effort and could see increased short-term opportunity if Sammy Watkins (concussion) misses Week 4.

FALLING

Quarterback

Joe Flacco, Ravens: Flacco's disastrous Week 3 performance in London virtually defies description, but he's had a lackluster three games overall to open the season. His 121 yards on 17 attempts in the opener was largely explained by it being his first game action since last season, but Sunday's tally could be a harbinger of something much more concerning. Flacco will certainly bounce back – considering how low he set the bar – but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to generate anywhere near the same type of production of years past.

Running Back

Kerwynn Williams, Cardinals: There was plenty of hype in fantasy circles regarding Williams following David Johnson's catastrophic injury, but a combined 10 carries for 25 yards over Weeks 2 and 3 has made that a distant memory. Chris Johnson has logged 23 totes over that same span, and even Andre Ellington outpaced Williams in carries by a 5-1 margin on Monday night.

Wide Receiver

Martavis Bryant, Steelers: Bryant's long-awaited return after a year-long suspension has mostly been a dud thus far. A 51-yard gain versus the Vikings in Week 2 provided the one glimpse of Bryant's trademark explosiveness, but he had a would-be touchdown bomb bounce off his fingertips on the opening play of Week 3 and had a combined four receptions for 44 yards in Weeks 1 and 3. While Bryant will always have plenty of upside going into any given week, he's yet to prove he's back in sync after an extended absence from the game.

John Brown, WR, Cardinals: Brown missed a second straight game Monday night with a quadriceps injury, and he's now been absent for two full weeks of practice. There's no hint of a return at this time, so Brown's fantasy prospects are significantly depressed for the foreseeable future.

Tight End

Tyler Eifert, Bengals: Latest reports indicate Eifert's ailing back will cause him to miss multiple games. The fifth-year tight end could prove to be an ideal fit for new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor's pass-centric scheme, but that theory will apparently need at least a few more weeks before it has a chance to be validated.

Austin Hooper, Falcons: There was plenty of preseason talk of Hooper being one of this season's top sleepers, but two consecutive lackluster performances after a big opener have taken some of the shine off his star. Even Hooper's 128-yard Week 1 effort seems to have been somewhat of an outlier, considering the bulk of that production came on an 88-yard score. Hooper has just three receptions on four targets for 16 yards in the last pair of contests and has seen no more than two targets in any game.

Hunter Henry, Chargers: Much like Hooper, Henry is having trouble generating anything resembling consistency, having not seen a single target in two of his first three games of the season. A seven-reception, 80-yard effort in Week 2 provides a glimpse of what he can do, but his perplexing usage thus far has him trending downward.

Kyle Rudolph, Vikings: Rudolph has taken a back seat to Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen in the early going this season, as he's a distant fourth on the team in targets with 11. His reduced usage has even held true over the last two weeks despite backup Case Keenum helming the offense, while standout rookie Dalvin Cook has also seen 13 looks, furthering marginalizing Rudolph's role.