Navigating injuries in the fantasy football world is bad enough but trying to figure out what to do with underperforming stars is another challenge in itself. While Week 3 was littered with close games, not all of the biggest names in the league lived up to the hype.
Drake Maye is back in the spotlight for the second time in three weeks after a disastrous showing in Jacksonville while others got swallowed up by a combination of bad weather, poor performance or injuries to their supporting cast. How should you handle the biggest fantasy busts of Week 3 as the calendar flips to October?
Drake Maye
The bloom is fully off the rose with Maye, who has continued to showcase his extreme difficulty competing against top defenses. The Jaguars made Maye look incompetent in a 35-6 blowout that was the only contest from Sunday not to be a one score game in the end, with Maye tossing two more interceptions and losing a fumble in Duval County.
Turnovers have been a huge issue for Maye, who has thrown six interceptions in three games after tossing just eight in the entirety of the 2025 season. The absence of A.J. Brown isn't helping as Romeo Doubs looks ill-equipped to be a No. 1 receiver, leading Maye to try forcing things instead of taking what the defense gives him, which is not a recipe for starting in fantasy even with a few friendlier matchups coming up.
Verdict: Bench
Tucker Kraft
Kraft wasn't thrilled by the reception the Packers got at Lambeau Field on Thursday night when they heard boos after getting blown out by the previously hapless Falcons. A lackladaisical offense certainly didn't help matters with Kraft contributing a mere four catches for 26 yards on the night, part of a slow return for him off of a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season early.
The overall numbers for Kraft don't look great as he has registered only nine catches for 101 yards in three games without finding the end zone. Target volume still looks good for Kraft, who has caught Jordan Love's eye at least six times in two of Green Bay's first three games, and a bad Packers' team could be good news for Kraft if Love has to throw the ball more chasing points.
Verdict: Start
David Montgomery
We covered Montgomery in this space last week and recommended that he draw a start against the lackluster Colts' run defense. After watching Montgomery stumble his way to just 33 yards on 11 carries in a 19-17 loss, we offer the following rebuttal to those who listened to us: our bad.
The oof-worthy effort wasn't aided much by two catches for 15 yards and Montgomery will likely keep running into brick walls as teams stack the box against Houston while Nico Collins is sidelined. There is a chance Collins could return in Week 4, which could generate more running room for Montgomery, but he could start to cede work to backup Woody Marks if the Texans are concerned Montgomery's best days are behind him.
Verdict: Bench
Chris Godwin
Few teams in the NFL are in a worse situation than the Buccaneers, who dropped to 0-3 after losing at home to Minnesota on Sunday. The offense has been pretty disastrous following the loss of Mike Evans in free agency and Godwin hasn't stepped up to true top dog status yet either.
Baker Mayfield was spreading the ball around and Godwin secured just three catches for 25 yards on four targets, putting him behind Emeka Egbuba, Cade Otton and Kenny Gainwell in the receiving hierarchy on Sunday. Things went from bad to worse as Mayfield left the game with a dislocated thumb that should cost him time, meaning Godwin is either catching passes from undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels or a street free agency for a bit, which should tank his fantasy value.
Verdict: Bench with the potential to drop in shallow leagues
Malik Nabers
The loss of Jaxson Dart raised significant questions about how much passing the Giants will try to do with Jameis Winston and his immaculate vibes under center. The early answer was not much, which took Nabers' production down significantly as he caught five passes for 26 yards in New York's 12-7 win over Tennessee.
It is important to note, however, that the Giants were playing in the middle of a massive nor'easter that led John Harbaugh to call for a run-heavy game plan, with New York calling 33 rushes compared to 25 pass attempts for Winston. Nabers also led the team in targets so if Winston is willing to push the ball down the field more in better weather conditions he should be just fine.
Verdict: Start
Kyle Pitts
We are petitioning the editorial staff to rename this column the Kyle Pitts conundrum as he has now made appearances in this space in three straight weeks. Pitts did get Michael Penix back as his quarterback on Thursday but was still left with primarily blocking duty, recording only one catch for five yards on two targets.
Penix only had eyes from Drake London, who was shredding his coverage to the tune of nine catches for 194 yards on 10 targets, while Bijan Robinson was fed the football with 29 carries for 194 yards and two scores. While past precedent suggests holding Pitts for another week since he and Penix did have good chemistry last season, it is definitely not a starting situation and we can't blame you for dropping him given the intriguing waiver options at tight end like Jets' rookie Kenyon Sadiq.
Verdict: Bench
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