With Week 3 upon us our fantasy leagues are beginning to take shape. We are also getting a feel for what different teams and players are offering us. Here are the players you should start and sit in Week 3.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em
Daniel Jones, New York Giants – The Giants may have begun the season 0-2, but don’t let that dissuade you from starting Jones. He has proven himself to be a reliable fantasy scorer and is QB4 through two weeks. This weekend he will face an Atlanta Falcons defense that have given up 80 points in just two games. They also rank 32nd in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, giving up 29.1 per game. Jones should do well here.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders – Somehow Derek Carr is rostered in just 32.7% of NFL fantasy leagues. My advice is to get him now before it is too late. Josh Jacobs’ absence saw them take a much more pass-heavy approach against the Steelers last week and with Jacobs likely absent again, this should continue. The Raiders come up against a Miami defense who are struggling to live up to their reputation from last season, ranking 21st in EPA per play.
Sit ‘Em
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers offense continues to suffer from the same problems they faced in 2020. The offensive line gives Big Ben no time to throw, leaving them incapable of pushing the ball downfield. Roethlisberger himself has looked shaky, ranking 28th in big-time throw rate whilst ranking 2nd in turnover-worthy play rate. He also enters Week 3 nursing a pectoral injury. I don’t see any reason to trust Big Ben to perform.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons – Could it already be time to hit the panic button with the Atlanta Falcons? Perhaps the biggest surprise has been how underwhelming they have looked on offense through two games. Their passing game has not been as effective as many hoped and Ryan finds himself as QB28 entering Week 3. This weekend he faces a talented Giants defense who will provide a real test for the Falcons passing game.
Running Back
Start ‘Em
Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals offense has looked explosive so far this year and Edmonds has been a reliable feature, racking up 181 scrimmage yards through two games and averaging over five yards per carry. He has also out-snapped James Conner in both games. He faces a Jags defense that have struggled to stop the run this season and who are allowing an average of 26.9 points per game to running backs.
Ty’Son Williams, Baltimore Ravens – Williams finds himself on the start ’em list for the second week in a row, and for good reason. Baltimore’s running game has shown no signs of dropping off without their starters and they currently rank 4th in EPA per run. Williams has been a big part of that success and has averaged 6.5 yards per carry through two games. This weekend he faces a Lions team who rank 31st in points allowed to running backs, averaging 37.4 points per game.
Sit ‘Em
Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos – Gordon produced well in Week 1, but his numbers so far this season have been juiced by his 70-yard touchdown against the Giants. On his other 24 carries he has averaged just 2.6 yards per attempt. The Broncos also look set to give rookie Javonte Williams an increased role after impressing against the Jags last weekend. I can only see Gordon’s role decreasing as the weeks go by.
Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Fournette seems to have established himself as the Bucs’ leading runner this season, accounting for 65% of the teams carries. That said, he hasn’t produced to a high-level, ranking as the RB29 entering Week 3. He is also yet to have a single run of 10+ yards. This weekend he will face a tough Rams defense who held a talented Colts rushing attack to just 3.4 yards per carry in Week 2.
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals – Moore always looked like a great fit for Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and he has wasted no time in establishing himself as a key part of the Cardinals’ passing attack. Through two weeks, Moore leads Arizona’s receiving corps in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. His 183 receiving yards rank ninth across the NFL. In Week 3 he will face a Jags who have allowed an average of 83.5 yards per game to receivers lined up in the slot.
Juju Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers – I don’t love this Steelers offense, but starting Juju makes sense this week. For starters, Diontae Johnson is still dealing with a knee injury and Smith-Schuster should take on the bulk of his vacated workload. There is also the fact that the Steelers are incapable of running the ball effectively. They will need to lean on their passing game to beat the Bengals and Smith-Schuster will be the biggest beneficiary.
Sit ‘Em
Corey Davis, New York Jets – I really rate Corey Davis, but I’m not sure how much we can rely on him from a fantasy production perspective. The Jets’ offensive line is a shambles and it is leaving Zach Wilson under near-constant pressure. Their passing game has suffered as a result and that doesn’t bode well for a tough matchup against the Broncos this weekend. Denver’s defense rank 10th in EPA allowed per play this season.
DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins – There are a few reasons I’d steer clear of Parker this weekend. The obvious one is the uncertainty surrounding Miami’s quarterback situation. The other is the way that Miami’s passing game has changed this year. The Dolphins are committed to spreading the ball around and they already have five players averaging 4+ targets per game. Parker’s target share has fallen to just 22.3 per cent and you can’t rely on him for WR1 production anymore.
Tight End
Start ‘Em
Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Vintage Gronk is back! He has been a key part of the Bucs’ success through the first two weeks and leads the NFL with four receiving touchdowns. His 129 yards puts him fourth amongst tight ends and he ranks as TE2 in fantasy scoring. The Rams defense will make things difficult this weekend, but he and Tom Brady should still put up some good numbers.
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles – It seems obvious to say that you should start Goedert, but people seem spooked by his underwhelming showing in Week 2. He is available in 36.1% of NFL fantasy leagues and if you can pick him up you really should. This weekend he faces a Cowboys defense who have struggled to contain tight ends this season, allowing an average of 18.8 points per game to the position.
Sit ‘Em
Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints – I was one of many who predicted a breakout season for Trautman this season. If he is going to do it, he is certainly taking his time. He had just three receptions for 18 yards in Week 1 and was not targeted once last weekend against the Panthers. Add to this the fact that the Saints are facing a Patriots defense allowing the second fewest points to the position. There are far better options out there this weekend.
Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns – The Browns’ tight end room is fast becoming the equivalent of the 49ers’ running back room. They have three quality tight ends on their roster and they share the workload. Hooper and David Njoku both have eight targets this season, whilst Harrison Bryant has six. The Browns lack of depth at receiver should help Hooper in theory, but we just can’t be sure who will get the targets this weekend.
Defense
Start ‘Em
Carolina Panthers – I still have no clue how this defense is available in almost three quarters of NFL fantasy leagues. They rank third in fantasy scoring through two weeks. Last weekend they held the Saints to 128 yards. They have also allowed just 21 points and have had 10 sacks. This weekend they come up against the Texans and Davis Mills, who struggled when deputising for Tyrod Taylor last week.
Sit ‘Em
Indianapolis Colts – The Colts had one of the NFL’s more reliable defenses last season, but they have struggled through two games. They have allowed at least 370 yards and 27 points in each of their two games so far. This weekend they face Derrick Henry and the Titans, who looked much improved against the Seahawks last weekend.