Week 3 Monday Review: Big Plays on Special Teams and Defense Rule the Day

Kevin Szafraniec
September 22, 2025

Kevin Szafraniec breaks down the biggest fantasy storylines from an NFL Week 3 that featured plenty of standout performances on defense and special teams.

I know, I know. Fantasy football is all about offense.

So why highlight the defensive side of the ball? Well, because heading into Monday night’s game between the Lions and the Ravens, we have already seen five defensive touchdowns, four special teams TDs, five blocked kicks, and four game-winning field goals. While I could have chosen a different headline, it does not feel like we will be getting another Sunday featuring so many big performances on defense and special teams for a very long time.

I am not going to use this space to highlight which defense and special teams units you should be adding this week; that’s Ross Durham’s area of expertise. Instead, I will mostly be debating whether Sunday’s biggest defensive performances are sustainable enough to give us pause when setting our lineups or if they will merely be an outlier when we look back on the 2025 season.

As always, I will be relying heavily on the Monday Review app — as well as a multitude of offerings from RotoViz’s industry-leading suite of tools — to break down all of the action from Week 3.

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Please subscribe For Full Access to all RotoViz content and tools!

What’s included in your subscription??

Exclusive Access to RotoViz Study Hall
- A treasure trove of our most insightful articles that will teach you the metrics that matter, time-tested winning strategies, the approaches that will give you an edge, and teach you how to be an effective fantasy manager.
Revolutionary Tools
- Including the NFL Stat Explorer, Weekly GLSP Projections, NCAA Prospect Box Score Scout, Combine Explorer, Range of Outcomes App, DFS Lineup Optimizer, Best Ball Suite,and many, many, more.
Groundbreaking Articles
- RotoViz is home of the original Zero-RB article and continues to push fantasy gamers forward as the go-to destination for evidence-based analysis and strategic advantages.
Weekly Projections
- Built using RotoViz’s unique GLSP approach.
Expert Rankings
And a whole lot more…

Kevin Szafraniec

Full-time Cat Dad, Sneakerhead, Record Collector, LOTR Fanboy, and Jeopardy Enthusiast. Fantasy football writer and beatmaker in my free time. Follow me on X and Bluesky @thecatdadff

Week 2 WR Advanced Stats: Was Wan’Dale Robinson’s New Role Against Dallas a Sign of Things to Come or Simply an Aberration?

Kevin Szafraniec September 18, 2025

Kevin Szafraniec uses RotoViz’s Advanced Stats Explorer to uncover under-the-radar trends at the wide receiver position from Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. The offensive explosion that was Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season led to plenty of wide receiver scoring. And it wasn’t just the stars who put on a show, as Wan’Dale Robinson, Troy Franklin, and Hunter Renfrow all finished as WR1s…....

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Week 3 Waivers: A Rash of QB Injuries Could Lead to Uncharacteristic Heavy Bidding at the Position, Plus Last Call on a League-Winning RB

Kevin Szafraniec September 16, 2025

Kevin Szafraniec highlights the best players available on waivers in 50% or more of ESPN and Yahoo leagues heading into Week 3. A string of quarterback injuries was one of the biggest storylines in Week 2. For a position that usually doesn’t get a ton of attention in this space, perhaps this is the week when the right QB pickup will trump all other needs…....

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Week 2 Monday Review: An Offensive Explosion Makes Up for 2025’s Lackluster Opening Weekend

Kevin Szafraniec September 15, 2025

Kevin Szafraniec breaks down the biggest fantasy headlines from Week 2 of the NFL season with the help of RotoViz’s suite of industry-leading tools. Saying that teams around the NFL were able to shake off the rust in Week 2 may be the understatement of the year. During Sunday’s early slate, the lowest combined point total was 40 between the Bills and the Jets. Six…...