Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to return for fantasy football managers in Week 3, but can you trust him? After missing the first two weeks as he continues to recover from a torn ACL, what role will Beckham Jr. play, and how valuable will it be for fantasy managers?
Odell Beckham Jr.’s fantasy value is hard to judge in Week 3
If you drafted Beckham Jr., it is hard to hold back the excitement of throwing him into your lineups this week. The Browns WR is an extremely enticing prospect when fully healthy because of his big-play ability. However, he also tends to go missing on any given week and return lower values.
Looking back to 2020, it demonstrates this perfectly. Using half-PPR scoring, Beckham Jr. was superb in Week 4, scoring 35.9 fantasy points and going ballistic with 3 touchdowns. However, he only scored double-digit fantasy points in one other week during the six games he played a significant part in.
Despite seeing 43 targets across the six weeks, OBJ could only average 10.8 fantasy points per game. If he didn’t have that monster performance in Week 4, that average would be significantly lower. Now, throw on top of that the caution he may personally experience in the return to game action — or a coaching staff that might be cautious for him — and it’s not an ideal mix.
The Browns appear to have a nice matchup in Week 3
Usually, when you think of the Bears, you think of strong defense. Well, against the WR position this year, they are the fourth-worst team in the league in terms of fantasy points allowed.
The Bears are allowing an average of 50 fantasy points to opposing receivers. That breaks down as 423 receiving yards on 29 receptions and 5 touchdowns over the two-game sample. Therefore, the potential is there for Beckham Jr. to have success, making the decision all the tougher this week.
Should you start Beckham Jr. in your Week 3 fantasy lineup?
Hardly a surprise that after the loss of Jarvis Landry to injury this week, Beckham Jr. is set to suit up for the game. While they play different roles in the offense, they both provide security for QB Baker Mayfield. However, if Beckham Jr. is out there for Mayfield’s confidence (or as a distraction), it could be a problem for fantasy managers.
Coming off an ACL injury, with the Browns having Super Bowl ambitions, you have to think Beckham Jr. will be on a limited snap count. That makes it increasingly harder to predict his usage. Could we just see him in high-leverage situations, or when the Browns go to three WR sets?
That unpredictability is not a fantasy manager’s friend with Beckham Jr. this week. What you have to weigh up is the risk/reward. Can your team still be strong if Beckham Jr. returns a score below 5 fantasy points? If yes, the upside is worth the risk. However, if your team is loaded with boom-or-bust options, you might be best looking elsewhere this week.
