Making lineup decisions can be the most frustrating — or most rewarding — part of fantasy football. We’re to help you make those decisions with our fantasy start ’em/sit ’em picks.
It’s only Week 3. Our opinions should shift based on what we’ve seen so far, but we still don’t have quite enough in-season data to work with. Nevertheless, we are still evaluating matchups and trying to start the correct players. With that in mind, let’s take a look at our top Week 3 start/sit plays.
Which Players Should You Start in Week 3?
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. WAS)
This is now the third year in a row Joe Burrow has gotten off to a cold start. He may be “Joe Brrrr,” but it would be great if he could be a little hotter over the first couple weeks of the season. Fortunately, the stage is set for Burrow to smash in Week 3.
Burrow is already starting to look more like himself. He was much better in Week 2, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception.
Burrow’s 17.6 fantasy points were solid but still not quite QB1 numbers, at least in the historical sense. QB scoring is down, in general, but we want to see QB1s reach 20 fantasy points. That looks to be in play this week.
The Washington Commanders are just what the Bengals need to truly unlock their offensive upside. Last year, they allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Through two weeks this season, the Commanders’ pass defense does not look to have improved at all.
Look for Burrow to post a top-five finish with his first three-touchdown game. Getting Tee Higgins back wouldn’t hurt either.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders (at CIN)
The fantasy community appears to have underrated Brian Robinson Jr. for a second consecutive year. Although he won’t face the Giants every week, there’s nothing flukey about Robinson’s 17 carries for 133 yards from Week 2.
The Commanders’ backfield has been pretty predictable so far. Robinson is the early-down and goal-line back, while Austin Ekeler is the passing-down back. That is the role Ekeler wants to play at this point in his career, and it’s been working out.
I do worry there’s a chance the Bengals could completely blow the doors off the Commanders this week and put up 35+ points. That might take Robinson out of the game early. But when he’s in, he should thrive.
The Bengals continue to struggle against the run, as they did last season. Last week, Isiah Pacheco ran for 90 yards on 19 carries. That was one week after Rhamondre Stevenson ripped off 120 yards on 25 attempts. I do believe Robinson’s talent level is on par with those two. Fire up Robinson and hope the game stays competitive long enough for him to produce RB1 numbers.
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. CAR)
Last week, Zamir White was a very easy fade. He is going to end up disappointing fantasy managers on the season, but there will be situations where he is a very appetizing option. This week looks to be one of them.
The 2024 Carolina Panthers are an early candidate to be one of the worst teams in NFL history. Part of their many, many problems is their inability to stop the run.
Last week, J.K. Dobbins ran the ball 17 times for 131 yards and a touchdown. In Week 1, Alvin Kamara had 83 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushes. It’s only been two weeks, but they’ve allowed the second-most fantasy points to running backs.
White hasn’t been able to get going because the Raiders haven’t had many moments for a positive game script. The Panthers will be better offensively with Andy Dalton (they can’t be worse), but the Raiders should still avoid a negative game script in this one. They should be able to execute the offense they want, allowing White to see his biggest workload of the season. I’m expecting him to find the end zone this week.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. WAS)
Early reports suggest Tee Higgins might be returning this week. Obviously, if that is not the case, do not start him. If he does, everything about why I love Burrow applies to Higgins.
The Commanders allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers last season. They were just completely torched by Malik Nabers for 127 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions.
Obviously, everyone is starting Ja’Marr Chase. But if the Bengals have the offensive day I think they will, there will be plenty to go around.
A returning Higgins should immediately step back into his WR2 role. At his peak, Higgins was a borderline WR1 for fantasy. It’s been a rough start to the season with Higgins’ hamstring strain, but he is set to reward fantasy managers’ patience in Week 3.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens (at DAL)
I really can’t tell if this Dallas Cowboys defense is good. It certainly didn’t appear so against the New Orleans Saints last week.
The Cowboys gave up long reception after long reception after long reception. Derek Carr completed passes of 39 yards, 70 yards, and 57 yards.
After being used mostly underneath in Week 1, Zay Flowers saw his average depth of target increase significantly in Week 2. Flowers caught seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
.@ZayFlowers scores and pays tribute to Jacoby Jones 💜
📺: #LVvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/kNTG8nqu2V— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
Most importantly, Flowers has established himself as Lamar Jackson’s clear top target. He is well ahead of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. In a game that should be high-scoring between two potent offenses, Flowers shapes up as a borderline WR1 this week.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills (vs. JAX)
It was admittedly tough to pinpoint a tight end to start this week. Given the state of the position, even if you’re disappointed with Dalton Kincaid through two weeks, you’re probably still starting him due to the lack of an alternative.
Kincaid’s Week 1 usage was a disaster. He only saw four targets in Week 2, but fantasy managers should actually be encouraged. He caught all four of them for 33 yards.
Most importantly, those four targets represented a 21% target share. Josh Allen only attempted 19 passes in a game where James Cook ran wild. That is not going to be the norm.
Curtis Samuel is clearly just a situational role player. Mack Hollins is out there running wind sprints. Keon Coleman is not ready. Khalil Shakir can’t be the only guy.
Kincaid is probably not going to be an elite TE1, but he is definitely startable. I expect him to have his best game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.
Which Players Should You Sit in Week 3?
Justin Fields, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. LAC)
I need to take a big fat L on Justin Fields to start the season. One of the biggest additions to my analysis for next season is going to be applying even more emphasis to the offensive scheme. This is not the same Fields who ran wild in Chicago and was a fantasy QB1 as long as he was starting.
The Steelers being a better overall team than Fields’ Bears is making Fields a better quarterback but a worse fantasy quarterback.
I am sure Fields is still very much capable of dropping back 40 times and scrambling for 100+ yards. But as long as the Steelers can win with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, as well as by playing good defense, he won’t have to.
Fields has never been a high-volume passer, but he’s attempted a total of 43 passes through two weeks. His rushing numbers are fine, but the Steelers aren’t good enough offensively for him to have enough opportunities to run or throw for many touchdowns. He has one total on the season.
This week, the Steelers get a Los Angeles Chargers team that wants to be just like them. Both of these teams want to run the ball and play defense. That is likely to lead to a slow-paced game featuring minimal passing. While we don’t start Fields for his passing, we do need him to drop back to throw to potentially scramble. Their game plan is too conservative for Fields to have any upside.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (at PIT)
Through two weeks, J.K. Dobbins is averaging 9.9 yards per carry. Obviously, that leads the league. He’s posted back-to-back 130-yard rushing efforts and scored in both.
Perhaps I will be proven a fool for not buying it, but … I don’t buy it. This week will be the first real test of whether Dobbins is truly back.
The Steelers are not an exciting team, but they quietly have one of the best defenses in the league. Limiting Bijan Robinson to 18 carries for 68 yards in Week 1 is mighty impressive. In Week 2, they completely shut down Javonte Williams to the tune of 11 carries for 17 yards.
I suspect the Steelers will look at what the Chargers have done over the first two weeks and make it a point to not let Dobbins beat them. If I’m wrong, I will capitulate on Dobbins as a legitimate RB1 candidate. But I think we’re looking at something like 13 carries for 58 scoreless yards in this one for Dobbins.
Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos (at TB)
This may be low-hanging fruit, but the Javonte Williams breakout does not appear to be happening anytime soon. He’s averaging a career-low 2.1 yards per carry through two games. The Broncos are completely inept offensively and have a head coach who does not appear to be legitimately trying to win games. It makes everything Denver a nonstarter for fantasy.
I think there’s a real chance we get to the second half of the season and not a single Bronco is worth rostering in fantasy. It’s that bad.
Through two weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have actually struggled against the run statistically, but most of that was due to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery having a lot of success as pass-catchers.
Last season, the Bucs were an extreme pass-funnel defense, allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. With Bo Nix posing absolutely no threat through the air, they should be able to shut down everything the Broncos do this week. Williams cannot be trusted in fantasy lineups.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (at BUF)
Through two weeks, I am quite confident in saying that Brian Thomas Jr. is good at football. The Jaguars got themselves their WR1 of the future. There will come a time when he is a weekly WR2 in fantasy as well. That time is not now.
The fantasy numbers have been pretty good for fantasy managers who spent an eighth- or ninth-round pick on the rookie receiver. He scored 14.7 points in Week 1 and 11.4 points in Week 2. We can work with that. Unfortunately, it’s been mostly smoke and mirrors.
Thomas has seen exactly four targets in each of his first two games. Last week, he didn’t make his first reception until the third quarter. It was an impressive 66-yard grab. But fantasy managers cannot expect a touchdown or a huge reception each week. We need more consistent usage.
The Bills have made their defensive policy abundantly clear to start the season. They are not going to let anyone beat them deep. Kyler Murray averaged 5.2 yards per attempt in Week 1 against them. Tua Tagovailoa averaged 5.8 yards per attempt in Week 2.
As the deep man attached to a below-average quarterback in Trevor Lawrence against a team that takes away the deep ball, I don’t have enough confidence in the Jaguars to game plan underneath stuff for Thomas. He is best left on fantasy benches in Week 3.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (at TEN)
In the absence of Jordan Love, I thought the Packers might funnel more touches toward Jayden Reed, utilizing his dual-threat skill set to manufacture his opportunities. Instead, he saw two targets and had two carries.
It’s extremely impressive that the Packers were able to win a game with Malik Willis under center. I think there’s a chance they can do it again. This is a Willis revenge game after all.
However, we now know the plan. They are hiding Willis as a passer and utilizing his strengths as a runner. Josh Jacobs saw 32 carries.
Even if Reed sees a couple more carries, the targets aren’t going to be there. He’s looking at a maximum of around six opportunities per game until Love returns. As talented as Reed is, he cannot be started in fantasy.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans (at MIN)
The Texans are great. C.J. Stroud is great. In a differently constructed offense, perhaps Dalton Schultz could be great. Unfortunately, he is on the Texans, who have three wide receivers above him in the target hierarchy.
Schultz has now seen exactly three targets in each of his first two games. Even at a depleted tight end position, that’s nowhere near enough.
Nico Collins is the clear and unquestioned alpha. He will dominate targets in most games. Stefon Diggs appears to be Stroud’s guy in high-leverage situations like short third downs and near the goal line. Tank Dell is more of a joker, taking handoffs and running downfield routes. Stroud looks for those three first.
As great as Stroud is, he can’t support four fantasy-relevant pass-catchers. Very few QBs in history have. Schultz is very clearly the odd man out.
It’s tough to tell fantasy managers to bench any tight ends, as anyone starting in real life is worth a shot in fantasy. But Schultz is not a viable TE1 this week or any week.