BY EVAN PASCAL, STAFF WRITER

What we learned: 

1. Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are WAY too good. 

In a highly anticipated matchup, these two young quarterbacks lived up to all the hype and did not get rattled. Mahomes and Jackson combined for 51 fantasy points on 696 total yards and 4 touchdowns. What may be the most impressive part of this matchup is that Jackson was able to put up QB1 numbers while only accounting for one of those touchdowns. These two players are essentially matchup-proof so keep firing them out into your starting lineups. 

2. Terry McLaurin is Legit. 

Scary Terry is the name, don’t forget it. The Washington Redskins’ third-round pick from a year ago has turned into the one bright spot for this team through three games. Currently sitting at WR9, McLaurin is killing his round 14 average draft position. Additionally, Scary Terry became the first player in league history to catch at least five passes and a touchdown in each of his opening three games. Expect him to stay hot and for the depleted Redskins offense to continue to feed him the ball. It will be an added bonus once rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins eventually steps in under center, as the two have their Ohio State connection, Haskins found McLaurin for 11 touchdowns last year. 

3. Dalvin Cook is a League Winner. 

Possibly the biggest fantasy bust from last season, Cook, has flipped the script in 2019. Cook is the number one running back in fantasy football through three weeks and is doing it as efficiently as it gets. With 375 yards on the ground (6.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns, the Vikings should plan on sticking to their run-first game script. Cook is currently fourth in the league in carries (57) and top-20 among running backs in receptions (9). Just based off of volume, Cook should continue to put up stats to help you win week in and week out. Keep firing him up. 

Disappointments:

4. Todd Gurley (running back, LA Rams): It pains me to see Todd Gurley playing the way he has so far this season. Gurley can easily be and has been, the best running back in football when healthy and with the right volume — however, Gurley is not healthy, or at least so says his game-usage. In Week 3 vs. the Browns, Gurley saw 14 carries and had 43 yards for an abysmal 3.1 yards per carry. So far, Gurley hasn’t topped 16 carries in a game this season, and only had four catches through three games to top it all off. Gurley averaged over 22 touches per game last season for the Rams, but after reports of an arthritic knee, it is obvious that the Rams wanted to slow Gurley down a bit. With all of that being said, I don’t think it’s time to hit the panic button on Gurley quite yet. There are still reports of head coach Sean McVay wanting to get Gurley more involved for the remainder of the season, and we’re only three weeks in. 
5. Saquon Barkley (running back, NY Giants): If you are A) Saquon Barkley, B) a Barkley owner or C) a Giants fan, your worst fear became a reality this past weekend. Congrats! You may have found your franchise quarterback, but your sure-thing generational running back suffered a nasty high ankle sprain at the same time. Barkley is expected to miss somewhere between 4–8 weeks, leaning towards the latter. The good news is that he should be back at some point this season, but for a guy you spent your first pick on, that is going to be hard to recover from. 
6. Duke Johnson (running back, Houston Texans): It was almost perfect. Starting Pro Bowl running back, Lamar Miller, went down with a late summer ACL tear — you went online to look at the Texans’ backup running back and saw Duke Johnson — you probably drafted him late as your “sleeper” pick and had dreams of him winning your league for you. Next thing you know, you’re on your couch with a stale bag of Doritos and crying because Carlos Hyde is taking all of the carries for the Texans. It’s a bad déjà vu for Johnson as he was an afterthought for his former team, the Browns, as a result of playing in Hyde’s shadow there as well. Johnson hasn’t seen double-digit carries in any games this year and only saw two in Week 3 against the Chargers. I’m sorry Johnson owners, but it’s time to give Duke up.

Surprises: 

7. Daniel Jones (quarterback, NY Giants): Daniel Jones just shocked the world and may be the king of New York after this weekend. In his rookie debut, the formerly-dubbed “overrated top-10 pick” put together a pretty stat line of 353 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for an additional 28 yards and another pair of scores. It should also be noted that Jones did all of this with a collapsing pocket on nearly every play AND without his stud running back for part of the game. Jones also won the game almost single-handedly on a very late fourth-quarter scramble. The kid’s got a pair of big apples on him. He has a plus matchup in Week 4 against the Washington Redskins who were just shredded by Mitchell Trubisky a week ago. 
8. Kyle Allen (quarterback, Carolina Panthers): Kyle Allen filled in for the injured Cam Newton (foot) this weekend and made the most of his opportunity. Allen threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns on 19 of 26 passes. Allen’s efficient day helped the Panthers beat the Cardinals 35-20 in Arizona. He hopes to have a similar game next week against the Texans who just allowed 318 yards and two touchdowns to Phillip Rivers in Week 3. With reports of Cam Newton having a Lisfranc injury and already being ruled out for Week 4, expect to see some more of Kyle Allen at the helm for the Panthers. 
9. Frank Gore (running back, Buffalo Bills): Frank Gore continues to prove to everyone that he is, in fact, not human. The 36-year-old ageless wonder had another good week for the Bills as he scored a last-minute go-ahead touchdown to win the game for Buffalo against the Bengals. Gore had 14 carries for 76 yards on the ground to go along with his touchdown. Gore is being used as the workhorse back for the Bills which bodes well for all of his fantasy owners. Put the old man in your lineups until he gives you a reason not to. He has a matchup with the Patriots in Week 4 where he will be a solid FLEX play. 

Waiver-Wire Targets 

1. Daniel Jones (QB, NY Giants) 
2. Wayne Gallman (RB, NY Giants) 
3. Phillip Dorsett (WR, NE Patriots) 
4. Kyle Allen (QB, Carolina Panthers) 
5. Cole Beasley (WR, Buffalo Bills) 
6. Gardner Minshew (QB, Jacksonville Jaguars) 
7. Rex Burkhead (RB, NE Patriots) 
8. Marquez Valdez-Scantling (WR, GB Packers) 
9. Golden Tate (WR, NY Giants) 
10. Darrel Williams (RB, KC Chiefs)