If you happened to catch my fantasy sleepers article from last week, you may have reaped the benefits from Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, Kyren Williams, and Zach Ertz, all finishing inside the top seven at their respective positions.
Who are some of my top fantasy football sleeper targets for Week 3? Let’s take a closer look.
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Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson | Denver Broncos @ MIA
Wilson may have seen his final stat line of 308 yards and three scores through the air padded a bit with a 50-yard hail mary to wide receiver Brandon Johnson on the final play of regulation.
But the offense still managed to score more than 31 points for the first time in Wilson’s time as a member of the Broncos.
The Broncos offense looks far more competent than last season under new head coach Sean Payton. Wilson’s 485 passing yards and five scores have Russ currently sitting as a top-10 quarterback in fantasy football.
Wilson has Jerry Jeudy back in the fold, a talented rookie with Marvin Mims Jr., a reliable veteran with Courtland Sutton, and an emerging option with Johnson to form a very capable group of pass catchers in this revamped Broncos passing attack.
This week, they’ll face off against the Miami Dolphins, where Russ may be forced to go to the air to keep pace with Tua Tagavailoa and the explosive Miami offense. If it turns into a shootout, you may want to let Russ cook in your starting lineup.
Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams @ CIN
The touchdown production may not be there yet, but Stafford has looked miles better than he was in 2022.
He has two consecutive 300-yard performances to start the season and has managed to make household names of Nacua and Tutu Atwell through the first two weeks of the season.
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The Cincinnati Bengals pass defense has been stingy, allowing an average of 195 passing yards per game, but the Rams offense did just manage to dissect the San Francisco 49ers secondary in Week 2.
Expect another game of around 40 passing attempts with plenty of upside if Stafford can find the end zone on multiple occasions.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Running Backs
Roschon Johnson | Chicago Bears @ KC
Through the first two weeks of the season, Roschon Johnson is the highest-scoring fantasy running back in the Bears backfield in PPR formats.
Part of this development has to do with the fact that Roschon has caught more passes than starting running back Khalil Herbert in both games this season.
Johnson looks like the preferred pass-catching option, which bodes very well for their Week 3 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs because the Bears could find themselves trailing by multiple scores for a fair amount of the second half.
Expect Roschon to get a lot of runs in this contest, and don’t be surprised if Roschon finishes this week with the most snaps and touches from this Bears backfield.
Justice Hill | Baltimore Ravens @ CIN
For a second straight week, I’m willing to insert running back Hill into my lineup. He led all Ravens running backs in Week 2 with 14 total touches and managed to produce 53 total yards.
The Ravens will be facing off against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3, who may be without starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, who is in concussion protocol.
Even if Richardson is available, the Ravens’ defense has been stout against opposing rushing attacks, which could force Richardson and Gardner Minshew to throw the ball way more than they would like against Baltimore.
Hill is a good bet to see north of 10+ carries again in Week 3.
Joshua Kelley | Los Angeles Chargers @ MIN
Speaking of doubling down from last week, Kelley saw the majority of work out of the Chargers backfield, with Austin Ekeler unavailable due to an ankle injury.
Unfortunately, he ran into a stout Tennessee Titans defense that held Kelley to just 39 rushing yards on 13 carries with no scores.
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This week’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings is a bit more favorable, though. The Philadelphia Eagles bullied the Vikings front seven on Thursday Night Football when they ran the ball for 259 yards on 48 carries.
If Ekeler is unavailable for a second straight week, Kelley is a must-start. If Ekeler is active this week, then Kelley still represents standalone value in a favorable matchup against this Minnesota front.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Wide Receivers
Tutu Atwell | Los Angeles Rams @ CIN
While I can’t quite copy and paste my sleeper pick of Nacua from last week into the WR section, I do have a chance to insert another Rams wideout who has generated a minimum of 15 fantasy points in PPR formats in both weeks to start the 2023 NFL season.
Atwell managed to haul in seven of his nine targets for 77 yards against the Niners, which brings his season totals to 17 targets, 13 receptions, and 196 receiving yards through two games.
Atwell is a great compliment to Nacua and should see another healthy target share against a desperate Bengals team in search of their first win.
If the Rams fall behind against the Bengals early in the contest, it could be another big day for Atwell in Week 3.
Robert Woods | Houston Texans @ JAX
Would you have ever guessed that the Texans would ever ask their rookie quarterback to throw the 91 times through his first two games? Yeah, me neither.
One of the biggest beneficiaries of this surprising pass-heavy offense is veteran wide receiver Woods.
Woods has seen a healthy 19 targets through the first two weeks of the season while managing to catch a minimum of six passes a game to start his tenure in Houston.
Their Week 3 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars — who will likely come out aggressive offensively after failing to score a touchdown in Week 2 — could generate another pass-heavy game script to help give Woods a reliable fantasy floor in PPR formats and some sneaky upside to finish inside the top-20 at the position with some positive touchdown regression.
Kadarius Toney | Kansas City Chiefs vs. CHI
I have a quick question for you… Who led the Chiefs in receptions in Week 2 against the Jags?
Well, if you guessed the name that is at the top of the section, Kadarius Toney, you would be correct.
Eleven different players on the Chiefs roster caught a pass from Patrick Mahomes last week. While I understand the Chiefs aren’t opposed to spreading it around, one has to think a true second option has to emerge alongside Travis Kelce to be featured in this passing game eventually.
While Toney’s snap share doesn’t exactly scream breakout fantasy candidate, the Chiefs appear to make it a point to get the ball in his hands when he is on the field.
If he can continue to be cured from his nasty case of the dropsies in Week 1, then his role could continue to expand against a Bears secondary that just got torched for 171 yards receiving by Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans in Week 2.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Tight Ends
Hayden Hurst | Carolina Panthers @ SEA
You can make an argument that Hurst is the top pass-catching option on the Panthers’ roster. While some may scoff at that narrative, Hurst led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in Week 1 against Atlanta.
Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young will be seeing his first action at Lumen Field in front of the 12th man and could need a reliable target in the passing game.
Well, the Seattle secondary surrendered five receptions for 63 yards to Detroit Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta in Week 2.
If the Seahawks continue to struggle to slow down opposing tight ends, then Hurst is a great streaming option at the position in Week 3.
Zach Ertz | Arizona Cardinals vs. NYG
Did you know Ertz has finished both weeks one and two as a top-12 tight end in PPR formats? Then, I would love for someone to explain to me why his Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) heading into Week 3 is starting at TE25… it doesn’t make sense.
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His 18 targets are the most in the league at the tight end position through the first two weeks.
I fully understand it is hard to get excited about a Cardinals pass catcher this season, but his target share and production should not be ignored with these types of results.