The Wednesday waiver claims have been processed and hopefully you were able to gain more depth to your team with this week’s adds. Usually in Week 3, fantasy owners are more likely to test their bench players out a little more than they do in Week 2. For the first two weeks, it doesn’t do you any good to alter your starting lineup much. So if you need to stream a position for Week 3, I may be able to help you with some lineup decisions in this week’s fantasy football start/sit.
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Quarterback Starts
Josh Allen Vs Cincinnati
Josh Allen will face the Bengals at home in Week 3. If you have been keeping an eye on the Cincinnati team, you will know they are throwing the ball quite a bit. In fact, right now they are the number two offense in passing yardage (686). Their passing offense looks great for fantasy, however, their defense has turned into a gold mine for opponents. In fact, Cincinnati is third to last in the league against rushing yardage (331). Allen has the ability to throw the ball, but also brings added rushing ability to the Bills offense. So far this season, Allen has 59 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. With Devin Singletary potentially facing some rest due to a hamstring injury, Frank Gore and Josh Allen will be due for larger chunks of rushing yardage.
Jameis Winston Vs New York Giants
Winston has had a disappointing start to this season. The hype surrounding him was largely due to the coaching change in Tampa. At this point, many people are abandoning him as their QB. However, just because he has started slow, it doesn’t mean that he can’t be useful. Many people take the streaming approach to the QB position, especially since in 2018 we saw 41 quarterbacks have a top-12 week. This week, Winston will face the Giants, who are third from last against passing yards. If there is one game to start Winston before his Week 7 bye, it is this one. Winston was highly-drafted this year and may not be available for streaming, however, the reaction to the start of his season has been very negative. He may be available on waivers, or could be traded for easily.
Quarterback Sits
Russell Wilson Vs New Orleans
It is funny how much an opponent’s offense can affect the play of your quarterback. Before Drew Brees was ruled out with an injury, I was going to have Wilson as a Start this week. However, I don’t project the Saints to be scoring lots early in games until Brees can return. Therefore, opponents of the Saints won’t need to get the ball down the field quickly in order to keep up with the score. I project that the Seahawks will be rushing the ball quite a bit in this game. Wilson is able to do this himself, but Seattle have Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, who they are more than willing to give the ball to. Last week, Jared Goff wasn’t pressured to throw late in the game. Goff ended up with 283 yards and one touchdown, which is a fine game, but it doesn’t get you that boom potential that you need sometimes at the QB position. I expect similar results for Wilson this week.
Jared Goff Vs Cleveland
The Browns have a fairly efficient passing defense. So far, they have held opponents to an average of 192.5 passing yards per game. This may be due to their opposition’s lack of offensive prowess. However, with a cornerback arsenal containing Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams and TJ Carrie, it is hard to believe that this Browns defense cannot hold off a superior offensive strike. As the QB position is streamable, I would be looking for a more QB-friendly matchup.
Running Back Starts
Miles Sanders Vs Detroit
Philadelphia has been leaning on their passing ability so far this season. However, in Week 3 Philadelphia will be giving DeSean Jackson some rest due to injury. Both Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery were also dealing with some injury concerns this past week. In order to protect their passing assets, I am assuming that the Eagles will look toward their rushing options. Detroit has allowed on average 124 rushing yards per game so far this season. If there is a week to get Sanders into your starting line up, it will be this week.
Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert Vs Pittsburgh
The San Francisco rushing attack looks pretty good after Week 2. In total, the team had 259 rushing yards against Cincinnati. In reality, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson all had excellent fantasy weeks against the Bengals. I am willing to start both Breida and Mostert against the Steelers. As a whole, the Steelers have not looked great, and now they are missing Ben Roethlisberger for the rest of the season. The Steelers will be working out some of their bugs going forward with Mason Rudolph. Other than the Steelers’ woes, the 49ers have had a high performing offense so far this year. Both Breida and Mostert have a high chance of gaining large amounts of yards.
Running Back Sits
Damien Williams Vs Baltimore
Damien Williams has been in a position battle with LeSean McCoy and I don’t like where it is going. Week 1, Williams was in on 66% of the offensive plays, then Week 2 on 51%. McCoy had 29% Week 1 and moved up to 41% in Week 2. It is a bad sign to me that Williams is getting less total snaps in an Andy Reid offense. Regardless of who gets playing time against the Ravens, Baltimore has held opponents to 41 total rushing yard this season. Not a good sign.
Cincinnati Running Backs Vs Buffalo
Joe Mixon has been dealing with a sprain in his right ankle, which has made his involvement limited. If Mixon were to miss time, Gio Bernard has shown in the past to be a great fill-in at the RB position. However, if Mixon is merely limited by injury, neither Bernard nor Mixon is going to produce in fantasy. One of these backs needs the primary workload or it is going to be bad times in Buffalo. Even if one of these guys gets the majority of the workload, Buffalo has held opponents to 98.5 average rushing yards per game. Making them the 10th ranked team against running backs, and I fully expect them to rise in this ranking as the season progresses.
Wide Receiver Starts
John Brown Vs Cincinnati
John Brown is an interesting piece in the fantasy football landscape. He has had boom/bust potential for the majority of his career. Hesitant as I was at the beginning of the season to think about his potential, I am back on board in a big way. In this particular matchup, Brown will be the primary receiving option for Josh Allen. Brown has received seven throws each game this season on eight and ten targets. With 17.6 yards per catch in Week 1 and 10.3 in Week 2, I am excited to plug Brown into my roster this week.
Deebo Samuel Vs Pittsburgh
Deebo Samuel is an interesting case for this week. As Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert are two of my RB starts of the week, I am throwing another piece of this offense in my starting lineup. Samuel is an odd piece, and I understand some of the skepticism that will come along with this start. As of now, Dante Pettis has become completely irrelevant. Marquise Goodwin and Samuel stepped up in Week 2 as the primary passing weapons for the Niners. In Week 1, Samuel was in on 88% of the offensive snaps, but only had three targets. Week 2, he only saw 40% of the offensive snaps, but he got more targets (7). This week, the Niners will be facing the Steelers, who have not been able to stop the passing attack. They have allowed 640 total passing yards. I fully expect the Niners to use Goodwin and Samuel as effective threats in this game. If you are not willing to start Samuel, I would at least pick him up to escape waiver worries next Tuesday.
Wide Receiver Sits
D.J. Chark Vs Tennessee
DJ Chark is looking like the preferred target for rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew. Chark has had two excellent outing this season, earning him the number five ranked receiver in standard formats. He will continue to have value in further weeks, however, I am skeptical for Week 3. Chark and Minshew will be facing the Titans defense, and for a quarterback as inexperienced as Minshew, the Titans will prove difficult. Cornerbacks Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan and Adoree’ Jackson are one of the best team-ups in the league. The Titans held the Browns to 13 points and the Colts to 19 points. I don’t see things going any better for Jacksonville. The only thing that will save Chark’s value will be a touchdown, which is more than possible, but it can be heartbreaking to rely on.
Terry McLaurin Vs Chicago
McLaurin has been a proficient receiver for the Washington Redskins so far this season. Last week, he was a waiver mire must-add. Unfortunately, he is simply not an every week starter yet. This week is one of the weeks you should try to avoid him. Right now, the Bears are the 12th-ranked defense against the pass. They have allowed an average of 244 average passing yards per game. All being fair, McLaurin could find some value here, however, the Bears have easily one of the best pass rushes in the league while Washington has one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Even if McLaurin is open down field, who knows if Case Keenum will be able to throw the ball.
Tight End Start
Mark Andrews Vs Kansas City
Mark Andrews has been on fire this season, in both Weeks 1 and 2 he has gained over 100 yards. As one of the primary targets for Lamar Jackson, the matchup with the Kansas City will be very profitable for Andrews owners. The Chiefs have one of the best offenses in the league. They are pass-heavy and put a lot of points on the board. In order for the Ravens to keep up in this game, they must pass the ball. Make sure Andrews is in your lineup this week.
Tight End Sit
Austin Hooper Vs Indianapolis
In the first two weeks, Indianapolis has faced the Chargers and the Titans. Both of whom have, or had, tight ends that are worth starting. Hunter Henry in Week 1 had four receptions for 60 yards, which is fine, but not excellent. Delanie Walker in Week 2 had four receptions for 39 yards. Unfortunately for these tight ends, neither of them found the end zone against the Colts. I do not believe that the Falcons will feature Hooper this week, since they aren’t dealing with any major injuries. In the first two games, Hooper has been used to help get their offense moving when they are playing from behind. I anticipate this game will be evenly matched, which may keep Hooper from gaining lots of yardage and may even keep him out of the end zone.
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