Welcome to my Week 3 Start/Sit advice article. Hopefully you followed my advice last week and it was helpful to you. Let’s get going on Week 3.
Quarterback
Start:
Kirk Cousins (MIN vs LAC) Cousins is back home, fire him up. Cousins has a 101 QB Rating and 258 yards per game and 2 TDs per game. He is facing a Chargers defense that has been shredded by opposing QBs this season. Tua Tagovailoa was QB1 in Week 1 and Ryan Tannehill was QB14 in Week 2. Also, the Chargers are only pressuring QBs 20.8 percent of their drop backs and Cousins has a passer rating of 125.7 when in a clean pocket. You can expect good things from Cousins in Week 3.
Tua Tagovailoa (MIA vs DEN) Denver’s defense has been allowing QBs to throw on them. They allowed 19.1 fantasy points to Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1 and 25.3 fantasy points to Sam Howell in Week 2. Tua should be good to provide you with 15-20 fantasy points this week.
Sleepers: Matthew Stafford (LAR @ CIN), Jared Goff (DET vs ATL), Geno Smith (SEA vs CAR)
Sits:
Justin Fields (CHI vs KC): Avoid this situation. It seems like Fields is regressing and this whole team feels like they are unraveling. Fields even stated that he is playing “robotic.” Fields isn’t seeing the field, he’s not making progressions, and he isn’t running the ball. You would think facing the Chiefs, this would be a start, but I can’t tell you to start Justin Fields with confidence. The Chiefs defense played well last week after Chris Jones came back and I expect the same this week. Sit Fields if you can.
DeShaun Watson (CLE vs TEN): This isn’t 2020 anymore and Watson reminds us of that every week. It feels like he’s lost it and now he doesn’t have a running game either. He needs a running game to work off of and Tennessee will clearly take that away. Until Watson finds his groove (if he does) I would leave him on the bench.
Bust Alert: Dak Prescott (DAL @ ARI), Jordan Love (GB vs NO) Russell Wilson (DEN @ MIA)
Running Back
Start:
Ken Walker (SEA vs CAR): Walker has operated as the clear lead RB. He owns 67 percent of the carries and 65 percent of the passing down routes. There is nothing about this matchup that is overly imposing after Carolina has allowed 4.47 YPC (12th-most) through two games. This leaves Walker as a high-upside RB2.
Kyren Williams (LAR vs CIN) Since the loss of safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates, the Bengals defense has gone from one of the best to one of the worst, especially against the run. They are 31st against the run allowing 192 rushing yards per game. The Rams love Williams so much that they traded Cam Akers to Minnesota. This is Williams’s backfield and with this juicy matchup, you need Williams in your lineup.
Sleepers: Craig Reynolds (DET vs ATL), Kendre Miller (NO @ GB) Joshua Kelley (LAC @ MIN)
Sits:
Dameon Pierce (HOU @ JAX) With all the injuries to RB you may have to start Pierce and hope that he breaks a couple and scores. This just hasn’t been the magic that we thought it would be coming into the season. The Texans have lost 4 out of 5 starting offensive linemen, leaving Pierce very little to work with. Pierce ranks 44th in yards before contact (0.15 yards per carry). The Jaguars on the other hand are only allowing 83 yards a game. I would leave Pierce on the bench if you can.
James Conner (ARI vs DAL): The Dallas defense is one of the best against the run and haven’t allowed a runner break 10 yards on a single rush yet this season. James Connor has been a solid RB2 all season but unless Dobbs is able to check down the ball to Connor, he may have trouble with that RB2 designation this week.
Bust Alert: D’Andre Swift (PHI @ TB), Alexander Mattison (MIN vs LAC), Brian Robinson Jr. (WSH vs BUF)
Wide Receivers
Start:
Mike Williams (LAC @ MIN): “Big Mike” is doing “Big Mike” things this season. The Chargers have a bad defense and therefore they are going to be throwing the ball, a lot. WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are sharing the “first read” spotlight and Minnesota is one of the worst teams against the “outside” WRs. Williams is a strong WR2 play.
Nico Collins (HOU @ JAX): As good as Jacksonville has been against the run, they have been susceptible to the pass. Collins has been the No. 1 WR and target of QB CJ Stroud. The No. 1 WR had scored at least 16 fantasy points per game in each of the first two games this season. You can fire up Collins and Tank Dell against the Jags.
Sleepers: Zay Flowers (BAL vs IND), Chris Godwin (TB vs PHI), Josh Reynolds (DET vs ATL)
Sit:
Jahan Dotson (WSH vs BUF): The Commanders have thrown the ball around. Terry McLaurin is the lead on this team. Dotson has only been targeted 12 times and caught 6 for 72 yards and no TDs. You can’t count on any WR in this offense outside of McLaurin, especially against the Bills solid defense.
Marquise Brown (ARI vs NYG): Even though he received 10 targets and he scored, I am leaving Brown right here on the sit list. He is deep threat WR in an offense with a journeyman career backup QB as the starter (Josh Dobbs). Dobbs doesn’t throw the ball deep and this offense will not be efficient until Kyler Murray comes back. He also facing a Cowboys defense that is one of the best in the league. Leave Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on our bench if you can.
Bust Alert: DeAndre Hopkins (TEN @ CLE), Garrett Wilson (NYJ vs NE), Romeo Doubs (GB vs NO)
Tight End
Starts:
Hunter Henry (NE vs MIA): It is nearly impossible to find good TEs to tell you to start that you can trust outside of the Top 3. Hunter Henry had 52 yards and a TD last week on 7 targets. Someone has to catch the ball in New England. Henry took over as the slot receiver after JuJu was demoted, he ran 76 percent of the slot routes in Week 2. I would lean toward a 10-point week from Henry and hope he finds the endzone.
Sleeper: Sam LaPorta (DET vs ATL), Hayden Hurst (CAR @ SEA)
Sit:
Kyle Pitts (ATL @ DET): I think we need to stop thinking that he is special and a “starter” until we see something change in Atlanta. Atlanta should have to throw in this game, but they are a run first, have a strong defense and hide the QB team. Someone is going to say “but they are facing Detroit.” I understand that but I can’t trust him.
Bust Alert: Durham Smythe (MIA vs DEN), Luke Musgrave (GB vs NO)
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A United States Air Force veteran, Jeremiah Orcutt lives in Wilmington and produces fantasy football content on various platforms including — www.fantasyholics.com; www.facebook.com/thefantasyholics; www.youtube.com/channel/UC_8FTjJO0k5BFL-4hNv6-xw.
