The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 3 matchup between the Saints and Eagles.
Find a breakdown of every Week 3 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Philadelphia | Rank | @ | New Orleans | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | Spread | -1.5 | ||
| 24 | Implied Total | 25.5 | ||
| 27.5 | 5 | Points/Gm | 45.5 | 1 |
| 25.5 | 27 | Points All./Gm | 14.5 | 4 |
| 71 | 2 | Plays/Gm | 59 | 22 |
| 58 | 12 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 60.5 | 16 |
| 5.5 | 16 | Off. Yards/Play | 6.9 | 1 |
| 6.9 | 31 | Def. Yards/Play | 4.5 | 4 |
| 52.82% | 8 | Rush% | 64.41% | 1 |
| 47.18% | 25 | Pass% | 35.59% | 32 |
| 42.24% | 16 | Opp. Rush % | 33.88% | 3 |
| 57.76% | 17 | Opp. Pass % | 66.12% | 30 |
- The 91 points scored by New Orleans are the second-most scored through two games in franchise history. In 2009, they scored 93 total points through two games.
- The Saints are the 18th team in league history to score 40 or more points in Week 1 and Week 2 to open a season. None of those previous teams did so for a third straight game in Week 3.
- The 4.33 points per drive for the Saints is the best rate for any team through two games in the 2000s.
- Only 37.5% of the New Orleans set of downs have reached 3rd down, 4th in the league so far. That rate was 55.2% last season, which was 27th.
- The +62-point differential for the Saints is the 2nd largest through 2 games for a team in the 2000s. Only the 2019 Patriots (+73) were better.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: Hurts has been a top-10 scorer in the opening two games this season, finishing as QB10 (16.4 points) and QB2 (21.8 points).
We got to see Hurts used heavily as a rusher in Week 2, with him rushing 13 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.
We wish we had A.J. Brown here, but Hurts is a top-end QB1 for fantasy purposes due to his rushing ability and touchdown equity.
The only bugaboo early this season for Hurts has been 4 turnovers.
There is still much to clean up, but the early results of the transition to Kellen Moore have been positive.
The Eagles have used motion on 56.2% of Hurts’ dropbacks through two games, compared to a 28.0% rate a year ago.
With the use of motion, Hurts is 5th among quarterbacks in rating (107.9). He completed 23-of-35 (65.7%) of his passes for 8.3 Y/A with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Without motion early this season, he is 26th in rating (55.5), throwing for only 5.9 yards per attempt with zero touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Even more important has been keeping Hurts clean.
Under pressure, Hurts is 11-of-25 (44.0%) for 4.1 Y/A with a 35.8 rating.
Kept clean, Hurts has connected on 32-of-39 passes (82.1%) for 9.2 Y/A and a 111.4 rating.
Through two games, New Orleans is second in the league in passing points allowed per attempt (0.197).
The New Orleans pass defense had a hall pass in Week 1 against Carolina, but they were strong in Week 2 in Dallas, even without Marshon Lattimore.
They only allowed 11.7 passing points to Dak Prescott (QB20).
Derek Carr: Carr only threw the ball 16 times in Week 2, but he kept up his blistering start to the season, closing as the QB3 (19.9 points) despite the limited passing volume.
Even though he had limited attempts due to the game script, Carr still tossed a pair of touchdowns, posted 243 yards, and converted a sneak for a rushing touchdown.
We asked Carr and the Saints to take what they did in Week 1 against Carolina and show us that this passing game had a high floor on the road against a tough defense, and they passed that first test with flying colors.
I have been bullish on the upside potential of this offense.
I want to make sure that I do not double-count things because we expected the pre-snap motion and play action rate to rise significantly this season after New Orleans was dead last in both areas.
Over the opening two weeks a year ago, Carr had only 8 dropbacks using play action.
Through two games, Carr is already 14-of-20 for 263 yards with 3 touchdowns using play-action.
At this point of last season, Carr was 30th in dropbacks using pre-snap motion.
He leads the NFL with an 83.3% dropback rate using motion.
After last week’s showing in Dallas, I do not see why Carr should not be considered in the same vein as how we handled Brock Purdy for fantasy a year ago.
He should be a back-end QB1 in 1QB formats with more significant upside when everything comes together.
The Saints will not score 40 points every week, but they will also be pushed at some point.
Through two games, Carr has had 14 total dropbacks in the second half, which is the fewest in the league.
The matchup this week is also solid.
Carr and the Saints are at home facing a Philadelphia team traveling on a short week since they played on Monday Night.
The Eagles have opened the season ranking 27th in passing points allowed per attempt (0.532).
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 3 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Patriots @ Jets -- FREE | Thursday Night Football |
| Giants @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Colts | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Vikings | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Raiders | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Dolphins @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Ravens @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| 49ers @ Rams | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Lions @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Falcons | Sunday Night Football |
| Jaguars @ Bills -- FREE | Monday Night Football |
| Commanders @ Bengals -- FREE | Monday Night Football |