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- NFL Fantasy 2023 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Quarterbacks for Week 3 <\/li>\n
- NFL Fantasy 2023 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Running backs for Week 3 <\/li>\n
- NFL Fantasy 2023 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Wide receivers for Week 3 <\/li>\n
- 2023 fantasy football flex rankings: Top 150 RB\/WR\/TE options in Week 3 <\/li>\n
- 2023 NFL Offensive Player Rankings, Week 3: Three offensive surprises who aren't flukes <\/li>\n
- NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: New Orleans Saints crack top 10, while Cincinnati Bengals keep sliding <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Quarterbacks<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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A couple of weeks ago, the narrative around the Rams\u2019 passing game was that Matthew Stafford was trying to figure out how to reach these kids<\/span>. Two weeks into the season, the new narrative is that maybe we didn\u2019t give the Rams enough credit. They surged in the second half to pull away from the Seahawks. Then they gave the 49ers’ defense all it could handle in the first half of Week 2. Puka Nacua is getting the headlines, but none of it happens without Stafford dealing from the pocket. <\/p>\n
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He\u2019s thrown for 300 yards in back-to-back weeks and gets to take aim at Cincinnati. The Bengals are coming off a loss to Baltimore in which they allowed Lamar Jackson to throw for 237 yards and two touchdowns. There\u2019s also concern about Joe Burrow\u2019s calf injury. If he\u2019s limited or can\u2019t play, that would put a bigger onus on the defense to make plays. Stafford should be more heavily rostered and is gaining steam as a fringe QB1 option.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s been a slow start to the fantasy season for Prescott. While his Week 2 outing was far more productive than his showing in the season opener, he\u2019s still been outside the top 15 among QBs in both weeks. It hasn\u2019t mattered on the real-football scoreboard. The Cowboys’ defense has been more than good enough to deflect attention away from a (so far) middling passing game. <\/p>\n
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But this feels like a get-right game for Dak. The Cardinals put up a fight against Daniel Jones and the Giants in the first half last week. In the second half, Danny Dimes and Big Blue\u2019s passing game came to life. Jones racked up 259 passing yards and threw both of his touchdowns after the break. Prescott hopefully won\u2019t wait as long to break out against the Redbirds’ defense. He has low-end QB1 upside this week. <\/p>\n
DEEP SLEEPER<\/strong><\/p>\n
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There weren\u2019t high fantasy expectations for Stroud this season. The Texans aren\u2019t expected to contend. The weapons around him aren\u2019t considered top tier. He wasn\u2019t drafted in the majority of leagues, and as of Sunday, he was still rostered in less than five percent of NFL.com leagues. But after his Week 2 performance against the Colts, it\u2019s time to acknowledge the No. 2 overall pick.<\/p>\n
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He went for 384 passing yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort vs. Indianapolis, totaling nearly 21.5 fantasy points. Unsurprisingly, Houston has been in pass-heavy game scripts in the first two weeks of the season. That shouldn\u2019t change this Sunday against the Jaguars. Forget Jacksonville\u2019s nine-point outing against the Chiefs — this offense can score. Houston will have to try and match. Stroud should again approach 40 pass attempts against a defense that has allowed two 20-point fantasy QBs. For anyone dealing with quarterback injuries or streaming the position, Stroud could be a low-end QB1 in Week 3.<\/p>\n
Running backs<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Etienne popped in Week 1, with more than 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. His Week 2 encore was underwhelming, with fewer than 45 total yards and no scores. That is the way of things with Etienne: consistently inconsistent. At least he didn\u2019t have Tank Bigsby pushing him for snaps and touches in Week 2, so he\u2019s got that going for him.<\/p>\n
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And he’s got more going for him in Week 3 — namely, a matchup with the Texans. Houston was one of the league\u2019s worst run defenses in 2022. There was hope that new head coach DeMeco Ryans would shore things up. It\u2019s only been two games, so there\u2019s still plenty of time to turn things around. But so far, the Texans have allowed more than 100 rushing yards in both games. That bodes well for Etienne and the Jaguars’ ground game. Etienne is an RB2 in most situations, but he has RB1 upside in Week 3.<\/p>\n
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You either believed in Isiah Pacheco this offseason or you didn\u2019t. He was an afterthought at the start of last season. Eventually, he worked his way into a larger role, only to be usurped late in the year by Jerick McKinnon. Shortly into 2023, he\u2019s retained his status as Kansas City\u2019s lead running back — even if the early returns have been lackluster. <\/p>\n
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That could change this week. The Chiefs host a Bears team with a host of issues. Not the least of which is a defense that was victimized by Aaron Jones in Week 1 and Rachaad White in Week 2. Chicago was one of the NFL\u2019s most friendly units to fantasy running backs in 2022. It looks like things haven\u2019t changed much this season. Pacheco is a strong RB2 candidate for fantasy folks this week. <\/p>\n
Wide receivers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Jordan Addison isn\u2019t a secret. He\u2019s rostered in almost 98 percent of NFL.com fantasy leagues. But while fantasy managers are aware of Addison, it seems they don\u2019t trust him. He was started in fewer than a third of fantasy leagues last week. That number is about to change. <\/p>\n
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The rookie has had 60-plus yards and a touchdown in each of his first two games. It\u2019s gone relatively unnoticed because they\u2019re already engraving Puka Nacua\u2019s name on the Fantasy Rookie of the Year trophy. But it\u2019s been a great start to the season for Addison. That shouldn\u2019t change this week against the Chargers. Los Angeles has been in a pair of high-scoring contests and has given up some big plays in the passing game. Kirk Cousins has shown a willingness to take downfield shots with Addison. That should be a big part of Minnesota\u2019s Week 3 plan of attack. He’s a strong WR2 candidate this week. <\/p>\n
Plenty of people expected Nico Collins to be a prominent name in the Texans’ passing game. Unsurprisingly, he leads the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards. Some people thought Tank Dell could be an impact player. Not nearly as many people believed it could happen so soon. Dell\u2019s route participation jumped from 46 percent in Week 1 to 82 percent in Week 2. That led to seven catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.<\/p>\n
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Houston’s offense figures to be pass-heavy all year. Only four teams have thrown the ball at a higher rate. The Texans will likely have to take to the air again this week against the Jaguars. If they continue their early trend of heavily using three-receiver sets (72.8 percent of plays), Dell will be on the field plenty. Look for C.J. Stroud to continue incorporating his fellow rookie into the passing game.<\/p>\n
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If I was going to talk about a Falcons wide receiver, I didn\u2019t think this was going to be the guy. Seeing Drake London get seven targets was reassuring. (I\u2019m not mentally in a place to talk about Kyle Pitts.) Seeing another six targets for Mack Hollins was jarring. But maybe it shouldn\u2019t have been. Hollins was targeted on four of Desmond Ridder\u2019s 18 attempts in Week 1. He\u2019s obviously a part of Atlanta\u2019s plan in the passing game. <\/p>\n
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Hollins should be in the mix again in Week 3 against the Lions. Detroit\u2019s defense is still vulnerable to opposing passing games. It\u2019s true that Kansas City\u2019s receivers didn\u2019t do much in Week 1, but that was due to a slew of dropped passes. The Seahawks’ receivers didn\u2019t have much issue in Week 2. The Falcons won\u2019t have the same level of passing volume as those other two offenses, but they will have to throw the ball to keep up with Detroit. Hollins has a upside as a third receiver in Week 3.<\/p>\n
DEEP SLEEPER<\/strong><\/p>\n
Choosing a Chiefs receiver to ride with this season has odds akin to a sidewalk game of three-card monte. (You\u2019re most likely to lose.) But if you do win, the payoff still might not be as big as you\u2019d like. In the season opener, the inability of Kansas City\u2019s receivers to make any plays was the story of the night. That group was far more productive in Week 2, though the targets were widespread. The tough part of this receiving corps is that no one has really great route participation. But a few guys offer intriguing target rates. <\/p>\n
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One of those players is Justin Watson. He only participated in 36 percent of the routes in Week 1. That number didn\u2019t jump significantly in Week 2, but <\/em>he has earned a target on 23 percent of his routes. What gives him upside is his average depth of target. Watson has a team-high 23.6 air yards per target so far this season. If you\u2019re not going to get the heavy target share of a Travis Kelce (or formerly Tyreek Hill), give me the guy who can make some plays down the field — especially against a woebegone defense like Chicago’s. Watson\u2019s value is greatest as a WR3 in deeper leagues.<\/p>\n
Tight ends<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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This might be the last week we can reasonably call LaPorta a sleeper. More than anything, this is a call for fantasy managers to add him to their rosters. LaPorta was rostered in fewer than 20 percent of NFL.com leagues entering Week 2. Then he posted his second top-10 weekly positional finish in as many weeks. Jared Goff has 70 pass attempts over the first two games. There will be opportunities, and so far, LaPorta has been a big part of what the Lions are doing. <\/p>\n
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That\u2019s not going to change in Week 3. Detroit\u2019s offense is built around throwing the ball. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the lead target, but after that, the targets are up for grabs. LaPorta not only has a 16 percent target share — he\u2019s also earned a target on 21 percent of his routes and even has 10 percent of the air yards. That might not sound like a lot, but it\u2019s significant for a tight end — even more noteworthy for a rookie tight end. Until further notice, he\u2019s a TE1 in all formats.<\/p>\n
DEEP SLEEPER<\/strong><\/p>\n
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We haven\u2019t been in the business of recommending starting players against the Eagles over the past couple of years. But sometimes you have to go against the norm when you see an opportunity. This season, the opportunity comes in the form of a defense that has suffered injuries at linebacker and in the secondary. It\u2019s also a defense that has had issues with tight ends in the first two weeks. <\/p>\n
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Otton doesn\u2019t have the upside of Hunter Henry or T.J. Hockenson. But he has seen his fair share of chances from Baker Mayfield. Don\u2019t get it twisted: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are still the alphas in this passing game. But Otton is operating as the No. 3 target. If the Eagles can score points — which isn\u2019t a ridiculous notion — the Bucs will need to be aggressive through the air. That should open things up for Otton. He\u2019s normally a TE2, but this week, he has low-TE1 vibes.<\/p>\n
Defenses<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The Bills’ defense looked soft against the run in Week 1. There were mild alarm bells going off after the Raiders marched down the field and scored on their opening drive. Buffalo settled in after that, forcing three turnovers and limiting Las Vegas to three points the rest of the game. Maybe it was uncertainty after a shaky opening week, but the Bills were started in less than 70 percent of leagues. <\/p>\n
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That number should be much higher this week, with Buffalo headed to D.C. Washington might be 2-0, but those wins haven’t come easy. The Commanders have turned the ball over three times and allowed 10 sacks over the first two weeks. The Bills should be able to get after Sam Howell and cause havoc. They should be started in all formats. <\/p>\n