After ups and downs over the first two games of the season, Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys was an easy get-right opportunity for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears' offense. A proficient first half for the Bears' signal caller (249 passing yards) was punctuated by a 19-play drive in the second half of a 31-14 victory, so mission accomplished.
As might have been expected going in, Williams had a big performance for his fantasy managers against the Cowboys (298 yards, four touchdowns, 12 rushing yards) on his way to 29.1 fantasy points. He was the top-scoring fantasy quarterback for the week, in a week where seven quarterbacks topped 20 fantasy points.
Williams has finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback in two of three weeks this season, and he's the QB3 on the season thus far. It's fair to wonder if that breakthrough performance in Week 3, even taking into account how easy a matchup it was, will be a launching point to the rest of the season.
PFF analyst pushes Caleb Williams' Week 3 performance toward logical end
In a look at boom-and-bust fantasy performances from Week 3, and what the outlook for each player looks like going forward, Beckett Mesko of Pro Football Focus of course included Williams' QB1 performance against the Cowboys.
"What a glorious time to be a Caleb Williams fantasy manager. "
"Williams is the fantasy QB3 through three games and finished as the ninth-highest-graded quarterback (76.8) in Week 3. He carved up the Cowboys‘ defense all day long, notching 298 yards, four passing touchdowns, two big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays."
In his "temperature check" for Williams, Mesko took things to a logical rest of season conclusion.
"Temperature Check: Top-10 QB for rest of season."
Starting with this week against the Las Vegas Raiders, seven of Williams next eight opponents enter Week 4 in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks (Yahoo! scoring). Five of those seven opponents enter this week in the bottom-10 against the position, and the Cincinnati Bengals may get there by the time Williams faces them in Week 9.
After a bye in Week 5, it'd be hard to find a more favorable stretch of schedule for a quarterback than what Williams has.
Week 6-at Washington Commanders
Week 7-vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 8-at Baltimore Ravens
Week 9-at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 10-vs. New York Giants
Week 11-at Minnesota Vikings
Week 12-vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Vikings are a tough matchup, but Williams had 268 total yards, two total touchdowns, and no turnovers against them back in Week 1 (24.2 fantasy points).
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The schedule does get tougher from there Williams, just in time for the fantasy playoffs, including two games against the Green Bay Packers (Week 14 and Week 16) around a matchup with the Cleveland Browns (Week 15). But maintaining his current status as a top-10 fantasy quarterback for the rest of the season is far more likely than not, and Week 3's QB1 finish might not be his last.