On the latest Fantasy Football Today podcast, Dave Richard unveiled Justin Fields as one of his Fantasy winners after a season-high 20.4 Fantasy points in Week 3. The first couple of weeks, you could sense Fields getting his sea legs under him, and that he was merely trying to manage the game, and as a result, his Fantasy numbers were less-than-stellar. In Week 1, Fields put up just 11.9 Fantasy points in a win over the Falcons and only performed slightly better in a Week 2 victory over the Denver Broncos with 13.4 Fantasy points.
In Week 3, Fields exploded for 20.4 Fantasy points in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and this may prove to be a Seminole moment for the former No. 11 overall pick. During the podcast, Dave stated that he believes Fields can "work his way back into being a top 15-ish Fantasy quarterback," and I'd argue he's already that and could be a top-10 quarterback by season's end. Confidence is key for a young quarterback, and what's allowing Fields to be more decisive this year is his consistency with pre-snap recognition and quickly confirming his reads post-snap.
He's seeing where pressures are coming from and has answers for each test defenses are throwing at him so far this season. The more experience he gets this season, the more comfortable he'll become. While Fields is still playing cautiously, evidenced by his 6.9 yards per pass attempt, which is good for 24th in the NFL, his willingness to take the checkdown should be applauded. He was often criticized for holding on to the ball too long during his days in Chicago, and now he's simply flipping the ball to his playmakers and allowing them to make plays in space. As the old saying goes, you can't go broke making a profit, and Fields has learned to check the ball down and live to fight another day.
As Dave astutely pointed out during the podcast, Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa exited the game early with an injury, but it wouldn't be wise to use Bosa's early departure as a means to take credit away from Fields' performance. He was calm and unflappable under pressure, and he's seemingly found another playmaker on the opposite side of George Pickens in Calvin Austin III. Let's not forget that Austin had the fifth-fastest 40 time at the 2022 NFL Combine, clocking a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash. His speed, coupled with his lateral quickness and releases off the line of scrimmage, allows him to gain separation early in his routes.
In instances where Pickens should encounter bracket coverage, Austin has the ability to win one-on-one matchups consistently. On top of Austin's emergence, Fields also has tight end Pat Freiermuth, who he can rely on underneath.
Fields was never as bad of a passer as widely reported, but the lack of talent in Chicago while playing in an offense that didn't fit his skill set contributed to the slow start to his career. He's always been capable of what he's doing now. Now that he's paired with an offensive coordinator who has adjusted to his quarterback as opposed to Fields having to adjust to the offensive coordinator, we're seeing his confidence grow weekly.
Fields might have only rushed for six yards this week, but his legs and Pittsburgh's run game will certainly be more of a factor as we enter the winter months. As it stands, Fields is rostered in 46 percent of leagues and is the 22nd-ranked QB. And though he's averaging just 14 fantasy points per game at the moment, he's projected to reach 18.2 Fantasy points in Week 4.
Fields' arrow is certainly pointing up and now might be the perfect time to jump on the Fields bandwagon. At a minimum, he's a player you can stash that might eventually help you win your league. For more conversation on Fields and Dave's Week 3 winners, be sure to check out the rest of the podcast for further Fantasy insight.