Week 3 Thursday Night Football Preview: Are Jordan Love, Drake London Worth Starting in Fantasy?

Last week, we had an absolute smorgasbord of fantasy options in the Thursday night game. The Bills and Lions faced off and didn't disappoint, combining for 72 points and a ton of fantasy points; remember when the Thursday night game always used to be, like, the Jaguars vs. the Titans?

Well, things aren't quite so rosy this week, as we get the Falcons visiting the Packers, two teams that would be 0-2 if it weren't for a Green Bay comeback and field goal in overtime against the Jets. The fantasy options also aren't as appealing, but there are a few guys who probably belong in your lineup.

Let's run through the fantasy-relevant players for Thursday night's game between the Falcons and Packers in Green Bay. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

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Quarterback

• Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
• Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons

Love had good numbers in Week 1, throwing for 387 yards on 9.2 per attempt even as his team melted down in the fourth quarter against Minnesota. Last week against the Jets wasn't nearly as good, as Love reached just 145 yards on 5.0 per attempt. He did find the end zone twice in each game (with one total interception), but Love has been a little uneven overall.

Penix is making his season debut in this one after recovering from a torn ACL suffered last year. His numbers are fairly average in 14 career games, but coming back from a layoff, it's tough to expect him to be much better than that level, especially on a team that has struggled hard so far (16 total points).

Both Green Bay and Atlanta are among the 10 best in yards per pass attempt allowed and sit right in the middle in fantasy points given up to QBs this season. Green Bay was better than average against the pass last year and Atlanta right at average. Neither guy has a great matchup here, but it's also not a must-sit proposition for either play.

I don't like the idea of counting on either Love or Penix this week. We are a little short on stars, as Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, and Jaxson Dart might all miss Week 3, so you might also be short on options. There are better matchups, though, especially with two quarterbacks who are far from top fantasy options.

Running Back

• Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
• MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
• Kaleb Johnson, Green Bay Packers

Robinson is an easy one: you're starting him every week regardless of opponent. We don't need to waste any more time.

The Packers' backfield is a much bigger question mark, as Josh Jacobs' potential return is completely unknown, and Green Bay has had two different top rushers over the first two weeks. Lloyd led the way in the opener but gained just 37 yards on 13 carries (2.8 yards per attempt).

Lloyd was terribly inefficient again last week, racking up 20 yards on six attempts, though he did score a receiving touchdown (and had two catches for six yards). Johnson, who didn't play in Week 1, out-carried Lloyd on Sunday, taking the ball eight times for 32 yards.

It's tough to know who will get the most touches this week, bringing plenty of uncertainty in fantasy. To make it worse, the Falcons have rated out very well against the run this season, allowing the third-fewest yards per rush attempt and sixth-fewest fantasy points to RBs. I don't want any part of either Green Bay running back this week. They will probably split carries, and with yards potentially hard to come by, it'll take someone finding the end zone to have a decent performance.

Wide Receiver

• Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
• Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
• Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers

With multiple receivers generally under consideration for most teams, it's better to start with the defenses. I mentioned in the quarterback section that both teams are currently among the 10 best in yards per pass attempt allowed; Green Bay has given up the 12th-most fantasy points to wide receivers, while Atlanta sits right in the middle, meaning neither team offers a great or a terrible matchup.

London is the only player of note at the position for Atlanta. While the quarterback play for the Falcons has been abysmal, we can't realistically expect big things out of Jahan Dotson or anyone else on the depth chart on any given week. You're probably starting London, and that's fine unless you have a strong set of receivers and can count on a few good matchups.

Jayden Reed suffered an injury last week and will not play today, so Watson and Golden (who are tied for the team lead with 10 receptions apiece) will be the focal points. Watson has been better so far, gaining 188 yards (to 153 for Golden) and scoring three touchdowns, and he has the higher ceiling between the two.

Either Green Bay receiver is fine to consider as a WR3/4/flex guy, and you could argue Watson pushes toward WR2 territory. Whether you play either receiver depends on your roster and how many WR spots you have, but I'm not enamored with any of the guys listed here while acknowledging that they aren't terrible options.

Tight End

• Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
• Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

Back from his own torn ACL suffered last year, Kraft has started the season modestly, first catching three passes for 65 yards and then hauling in two receptions for 15 yards last week. It would make sense to expect him to look better as the season goes on, but Kraft hasn't done a ton in the first two games.

Pitts has started the season about as poorly as you can imagine, getting shut out in Week 1 before catching one pass for 15 yards last week. Quarterback play is part of the problem, but Pitts also just hasn't been very good for most of his career. I'm not looking to play him outside of the best matchups, and even then, it's a question.

We have already said that both teams have been successful against the pass so far, but the Falcons have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends, while Green Bay sits right in the middle against the position. Pat Freiermuth had 46 yards and a touchdown in the first game against Atlanta, and Darren Waller found the end zone twice last week; that's why the Falcons rate so poorly.

It's tough to tell who is going to score a touchdown on any given week, but things are looking up for Kraft based on 2026 numbers so far. Pitts has a middling-or-worse matchup, on the other hand, leaving his outlook much worse. I like the idea of starting Kraft this week unless you have a stud and sitting Pitts no matter what (unless you're absolutely desperate).