The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 3 matchup between the Seahawks and Saints.
Find a breakdown of every Week 3 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| New Orleans | Rank | @ | Seattle | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.5 | Spread | -7.5 | ||
| 17.0 | Implied Total | 24.5 | ||
| 17.0 | 26 | Points/Gm | 22.0 | 16 |
| 23.0 | 17 | Points All./Gm | 17.0 | 7 |
| 68.0 | 7 | Plays/Gm | 57.0 | 23 |
| 64.5 | 24 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 65.5 | 28 |
| 4.6 | 27 | Off. Yards/Play | 5.5 | 13 |
| 4.8 | 9 | Def. Yards/Play | 5 | 11 |
| 38.24% | 22 | Rush% | 48.25% | 8 |
| 61.76% | 11 | Pass% | 51.75% | 25 |
| 41.09% | 12 | Opp. Rush % | 43.51% | 20 |
| 58.91% | 21 | Opp. Pass % | 56.49% | 13 |
- Only 2.2% of New Orleans' plays have gained 20 or more yards, the lowest rate through two weeks.
- The Saints have forced a three and out on only 20% of opponent possessions, 31st in the league.
- The Saints are averaging 3.6 yards per play on first downs, the fewest in the league.
- After a league-low 4.3% play action rate in Week 1, Seattle used a 30.3% play action rate in Week 2 (10th).
- The Seahawks have allowed a 36.4 rating defending play action passes, the best rate in the league. The league average is 106.7.
- New Orleans has a 22.2% pressure rate, 30th in the league.
- Seattle running backs have faced eight or more defenders in the box on a league-high 64% of their runs.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Sam Darnold: Darnold was better on Sunday than he was in Week 1, completing 22 of 33 passes (66.7%) for 295 yards (8.9 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns.
The only blemish was that he was unable to avoid a few negative plays, throwing 2 interceptions.
A week after Seattle used the lowest rate of play action in the league (uncharacteristic for a Klint Kubiak offense), they were a top-10 team using play action in Week 2.
Darnold did throw both of his interceptions off play action, but he also threw for 12.0 yards per pass attempt on those 12 dropbacks with a touchdown.
Without the use of play action, he averaged 7.6 yards per attempt.
Darnold is in a good spot here for Week 3 if you are a gamer who lost a key quarterback in 1QB formats or are playing matchups in 2QB leagues.
The Saints have allowed 18.3 points to Kyler Murray and 21.8 points to Mac Jones to open the year.
They have had next to no pass rush, which has always been Darnold’s undoing.
When he was not pressured on Sunday, Darnold was 17 of 21 (81%) for 10.1 yards per pass attempt.
Spencer Rattler: Rattler turned in the first strong fantasy outing of his career on Sunday, closing as the QB9 (21.7 points).
Rattle threw for only 6.1 yards per pass attempt and 207 yards, but he tossed 3 touchdowns, tacking on 14 rushing yards.
I don’t know if it will last all year, but the Saints have played back-to-back competitive games to open things up.
They have not been a complete pushover.
Kellen Moore has done a good job early on giving us solid game environments.
That said, this is a road game in Seattle where the Saints have a 17-point team total.
That is the exact total of points Seattle has allowed to the 49ers and Steelers to open the year.
We are not going to push things with Rattler as more than a back-end QB2.
Seattle is 12th in passing points allowed per attempt (0.367) at the start of the year.
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 3 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Dolphins @ Bills | Thursday Night Football |
| Packers @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Vikings | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Rams @ Eagles | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Commanders | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Jaguars | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Cowboys @ Bears | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Giants | Sunday Night Football |
| Lions @ Ravens | Monday Night Football |