As Round 3 kicks off tonight with Brisbane taking on the Bulldogs at Marvel, we've looked at five players to watch this weekend.

Here are some of the standout players you should have your eyes on for Round 3.

Josh Dunkley (Brisbane)

Coming up against his former side the Western Bulldogs for the first time tonight, Dunkley will be hoping to have big impact for Brisbane.

Dunkley has left a large hole in the Dogs' midfield, with their clearance and contested possession differential numbers declining. They've gone from being No.1 in the AFL for centre bounce clearance differential and points from clearances in 2022 to 18th so far this season.

Champion Data finds that Dunkley ranks as elite this season for groundball gets, contested possession rates and clearances, finding himself in the midfield for 91 per cent game time this year, as opposed to 58 per cent last year.

Dunkley has been named in the Lions' best in both of their games so far, creating impact around the ball and averaging seven tackles.

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Kyle Langford (Essendon)

Essendon are preparing for a massive clash against St Kilda this weekend, as St Kilda looks to celebrate their 150th anniversary with a win.

Both teams are currently undefeated under their new coaches and will be hoping to sit 3-0 after.

Langford was Essendon's best last weekend, earning seven AFLCA votes for his five-goal, 14-disposal haul as he led the Dons to victory against the Suns without key forward Peter Wright and livewire Jake Stringer.

Langford was often playing as the deepest forward last weekend and has proved he is able to fill the gap that Wright has left, as he recovers from a shoulder injury for the first half of the season.

Langford has added a bit of fire to the game this weekend, suggesting that "St Kilda booked their 150th match against the Bombers because they expected to beat them," he said when speaking to The Age.

Luke Jackson (Fremantle)

Fremantle sit 0-2 heading into the Western Derby this week and so far and Luke Jackson has failed to fire. After heading home to Perth from Melbourne at the end of last year, Jackson was tipped for a big year but has not yet kicked a goal and has only taken one mark.

Freo are currently last in the AFL for marks inside 50, having only been able to take two contested marks inside 50 so far.

Last weekend against North Melbourne, Freo had 40 forward entries after half-time for only two goals.

The Melbourne premiership player and former No.3 pick will be hoping to get back to his best, kicking 15 goals in 21 games in Melbourne's premiership year, rotating through the forward line and the ruck. Jackson received the 2021 Rising Star Award as a result.

This weekend appears a prime opportunity for Jackson to establish himself once again and get Freo back on track against the Eagles in front of a big crowd.

Tim Taranto (Richmond)

With Jacob Hopper, Dustin Martin, Jayden Short and Nathan Broad all out against the Pies on Friday night, Tim Taranto is primed for a big game in the Tigers' midfield.

Taranto has added defensive pressure and allowed Dusty to move around forward of the ball, having 32 disposals, four score involvements and eight tackles in his Richmond debut against Carlton and was arguably one of the best on ground for the game.

Taranto was named in Richmond's best again last week against Adelaide, finishing with 28 disposals and another eight tackles to earn four AFLCA votes.

Taranto turned his back on Collingwood last year after Richmond offered him a massive deal and will be looking to prove that they missed out.

Richmond's Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto during the 2023 AFL pre-season (Image: Richmond FC Twitter)

Brodie Grundy (Melbourne)

Grundy will take the lead ruck duties this weekend against the Swans after skipper Max Gawn sustained a knee injury in Melbourne's loss against Brisbane last weekend.

Although the plan was for Gawn and Grundy to play together as a duo to help relieve Gawn's duties, Grundy is no stranger to being the sole ruckman, having played that role for the majority of his career at Collingwood.

In Gawn's absence after the first quarter last weekend, Grundy had 45 hit-outs, 12 disposals and three clearances.

Expect Grundy to dominate in the ruck against an inexperienced Swans ruck duo this weekend in Peter Ladhams and Hayden McLean as Tom Hickey battles injury.