Starts and Sits: Week 3
Week 3 is here, so we need to know who to start and who to sit. Our start/sit article is not going to discuss the obvious players who should always be played. We examine matchups and usage from week to week, which should give you the best chance at winning your weekly matchup. Good luck this week and don’t forget to not overthink it. Here are the Starts/ Sits for Week 3:
Quarterback
Starts
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans Vs. Indianapolis Colts
Tannehill hasn’t been as good as we expected him to be this year but I think this week’s matchup against the Colts will turn him around. AJ Brown has been having some drops issues over the first two weeks of the season, which hasn’t helped Tannehill by any means. The matchup this week is good enough that I would consider starting Tannehill. It looks like the offense is heading in the right direction as a whole and Tannehill seems to be having a better connection with Julio Jones. Tannehill is a high end QB2 with upside in week 3.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings Vs. Seattle Seahawks
Kirk has been great so far this year and his chances at continuing his success are very high. With a solid running game and three great wide receivers, Cousins should have no problem getting the ball down the field this week against Seattle. Cousins is a QB2 with a solid floor and decent upside in week 3.
Sam Darnold, QB, Carolina Panthers Vs. Houston Texans
Darnold has been pleasantly solid over his first two weeks as the starting quarterback of the Panthers. This week he faces a great matchup against the Houston Texans. Darnold has all the talent that he needs to continue to have the kind of production that he has had the last two weeks. Darnold is a mid tier QB2 with upside in week 3.
Sits
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Burrow has brighter days ahead of him but it doesn’t look like this week is going to be one of them. Burrow did not look too good against the Bears last week and this week’s matchup is decently more difficult. The Steelers defense is one of the elite defenses in the NFL and they should give Burrow a hard time this week. Burrow is a low-end QB2 with limited upside against a stingy Steelers defense in week 3.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars Vs. Arizona Cardinals
Everyone had really high expectations for Lawrence coming into the NFL and for good reason. The issue is that it usually takes time for a rookie quarterback to acclimate to the NFL. It also seems that the Jaguars coaching staff is not necessarily helping Lawrence either, which only limits his upside going forward. This matchup against the Cardinals is rough and the Cardinals should have no problem penetrating the Jaguars O-line. Lawrence is a low-end QB2 in week 3 and should be left on your bench/waivers.
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions Vs. Baltimore Ravens
Surprisingly Goff has been decent for fantasy so far this year. This week’s matchup against the Ravens presents the hardest challenge that he has faced so far this year. Although the Ravens defense is a bit banged up they should still be a top 10 defense against the Lions offense. The chances that the Ravens pressure Goff often is very high. Goff is a desperation play this week against Baltimore. He is better off left on the waivers until he has an easier streaming matchup.
Running Back
Starts
Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Edmonds hasn’t been amazing but he has been the picture of consistency for those who drafted him this year. He offers upside in both the passing and running game, which also adds to why you would want to play him on a weekly basis. This week he has a great matchup against the Jaguars. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals are playing at the top of their game and that shouldn’t change this week. The Cardinals should be up for most of this game which should give Edmonds plenty of time to rack up yardage. Edmonds is a high-end RB3/ flex with upside in week 3.
Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos Vs.New York Jets
Gordon has made this article every week so far this year, I promise you I am not a Broncos fan. His potential is what keeps pulling me back to throwing him in my lineup week in and week out. The Broncos have not given Williams the lead role yet so that means it is Gordons to lose going forward. This week’s matchup is as good as it gets. The Broncos should be in the lead and I like Gordon’s ability enough to handle the bulk of the workload in an easy matchup. Gordon is a high-end flex in week 3.
Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. Los Angeles Rams
Before the season started we were all concerned with the Bucs backfield and that was totally understandable. It truly had 3 headed monsters written all over it, but now that we are in week 3 I think it is a little easier to see what we are working with. Fournette is the lead back in this offense. He might not be a 3 down back but he is getting the majority of the snaps and has the most upside out of all the Bucs running backs. This week’s matchup is not exactly perfect but the chances that it will be a shootout are high, which means there should be plenty of scoring opportunities. Fournette is a mid-tier flex with a solid floor and plenty of upsides.
Sits
Mark Ingram, RB, Houston Texans Vs. Carolina Panthers
Ingram has been receiving the lion’s share of the carries for the Texans but that does not mean that he will always have fantasy success. This week’s negative matchup against the Panthers is the main reason why Ingram should be left on your bench. The Panthers defense has been better than most could have expected. They were totally able to shut down the New Orleans Saints just one week ago and should have no problem doing that against the Houston Texans and a rookie QB. Ingram is a low-end flex with limited upside.
James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars Vs. Arizona Cardinals
The Jaguars offense is a mess of Marvin Jones Jr. and it is hard to believe that it is going to get any clearer this week against a tough opponent. It is also the fact that the Jaguars coaching staff have a hard time committing to one running back. Robinson is a flex play with a limited ceiling. If you are looking for an upside play look elsewhere.
Michael Carter, RB, New York Jets Vs. Denver Broncos
Carter looked good this past week, but I would have a wait-and-see approach when thinking about starting him this week. The matchup against the Broncos is not sublime and there’s a chance that the Broncos may be in the lead for a majority of the game. Which may make the Jets rely more upon the passing game than the running game. Carter is better left on the bench until we see him get consistent usage.
Wide Receiver
Starts
Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers Vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Williams was on this side of the list last week and it looks like he should continue to be a start from here on out. The main issue in the past was Williams health, as long as he is healthy he is a solid high-end flex with massive upside every week. With his high target share and his red-zone prowess, Williams should be in your lineup until he proves that he shouldn’t. This week he has a solid matchup in what should be a high-scoring game. Williams is a low-end WR2 with upside this week against the Chiefs.
Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens Vs. Detroit Lions
Similar to Williams, Brown was a start last week. This week he faces an even better matchup and should once again be the WR1 for his team. I know that in the past Brown has frustrated those who have rostered him but it looks like consistency will not be an issue going forward. He has been one of Lamar Jackson’s targets dating all the way back to the end of last year. Brown is a high-end flex with upside in week 3.
Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants Vs. Atlanta Falcons
I was negative on Shepard coming into this season as I thought that there were just too many receivers in the offense for him to have any relevance on a weekly basis. I was wrong. Shepard has been everything we could have wanted him to be. This week he has a great matchup against a Falcons defense that has been bleeding points to the opposing offenses. I like Shepards chances at continuing his success in week 3. Shepard is a high-end flex with solid upside in week 3.
Sits
Corey Davis, WR, New York Jets Vs. Denver Broncos
Those who started Davis last week were left with a big ole goose egg, so it is understandable why he would be on the sit list for week 3. The Jets as a whole don’t look too good. That being said I would waiver my expectations on Davis until we see him have better consistency on a weekly basis. Davis is a flex play with a very low floor in week 3.
Zach Pascal, WR, Indianapolis Colts Vs. Tennessee Titans
Zach has been great through two weeks and has definitely looked like the best WR on the Colts. That being said we do not know if Wentz is going to be able to start this week as he is dealing with two ankle injuries. If Wentz is out, I would consider benching Pascal until we see how he is targeted by their backup QB. Pascal is a low-end flex in week 3.
Devante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins Vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The Dolphins offense is a mess. With Tua’s injury, Will Fuller coming back, and a decently hard matchup I would be looking elsewhere for a WR/Flex. Parker has been alright through two weeks but it does not look good going forward. His floor could be extremely low and his ceiling is almost non-existent with Brissett throwing him the ball. Parker is a low-end flex in week 3 with limited upside.
Tight Ends
Starts
Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos Vs. New York Jets
We were all looking for the tight end that could breakout in 2021 and it looks like Fant could be that guy. He has been solid for two weeks for those who started him and this week’s matchup against the Jets is as juicy as it comes. As the number 2 or 3 passing option for the Broncos, I would be confident in starting Fant. Fant is a low-end TE1 with a high upside in week 3.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles Vs. Dallas Cowboys
Goedert didn’t have much of a role this past week against the 49ers, but I am optimistic this week about his potential. The matchup against the Cowboys has a shootout written all over it. I think the Eagles will see that they need to utilize Goedert across the middle of the field. That combined with his red-zone ability should give Goedert a safe enough floor and a decent ceiling in week 3. Zach Ertz is also dealing with Covid so it is not certain if he will play/ how active he will be if he does play. Goedert is a low-end TE1 with an upside in week 3.
Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers Vs. San Francisco 49ers
We know that for the most part tight ends are touchdown or bust and that is most likely how it will be for Tonyan going forward. Tonyan should be the third receiving option for the packers but as we have seen in the past it doesn’t amount to a lot. When starting Tonyan we are banking on his red-zone ability. This week I like Tonyan’s chances at having success against a 49ers defense that should be busy trying to cover Davante Adams and Aaron Jones. Tonyan is a high-end TE2 with an upside in week 3.
Sits
Maxx Williams, TE, Arizona Cardinals Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
I understand why you would want to roll the dice on Williams in week 3 after what he was able to do in week 2. The problem is that we don’t know what the truth is about Maxx. Is he the guy we saw in week 1 who did nothing or the target monster from week 2? We should be able to see what he is in this easy matchup against the Jaguars, that is why I am recommending holding on the bench. If you need upside at the tight end position then I can see why you would start him this week. Williams is a boom/bust play at the tight end position. He is a low-end TE2 in week 3.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Dallas Cowboys Vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Cowboys tight end group has upside but as long as both are healthy the upside for each other will be capped. I would say that Schultz has looked like the better of the two tight ends, at least from a fantasy perspective. This week the Cowboys are facing an Eagles defense that has been extremely strong against the tight end position. This is not a streaming-worthy type of matchup if you are looking for an upside play. Schultz is a low-end TE2 with limited upside in week 3.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears Vs. Cleveland Browns
Kmet looked like he could have a very promising season after what we saw from his week 1 production. After last week it is not clear how he will be used on an every-week basis. The fact that the Chicago Bears are going through a QB change is also a reason to be hesitant to have Kmet in your starting lineups. Kmet is a low-end TE2 this week against the Browns.