2014 Fantasy Football Week 3 Start'em, Sit'em

Hopefully your Week 3 matchups began with a lot of Falcons on your roster and Buccaneers on your opponent’s roster.

For the rest of this week’s games, here are some players to consider inserting into your fantasy lineup(s):

QB – Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (at NYJ)

Cutler has not played nearly as well as I had expected this season yet he has back-to-back top-10 performances including last week’s QB2 finish boosted by his three fourth-quarter touchdowns to Brandon Marshall last Sunday night. While it’s difficult to run on the Jets, who lead the NFL in rush defense, their secondary is exploitable and have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. Compared to other experts tracked by FantasyPros, I’m higher than most on Cutler this week (QB4 vs. his QB8 ECR).

QB – Geno Smith, New York Jets (vs. CHI)

If you’re looking for a deeper option as a potential starter, Geno is just inside my top-12 fantasy quarterbacks this week. One of the great things about Smith is his rushing production. Tied for a position-high six rushing scores as a rookie, Smith has scored 8.17 fantasy points per game from his rushing stats alone over his past six games. During that stretch, he has rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns on 48 carries. That’s the equivalent of a 16-game pace of 667 rushing yards and 10.67 rushing touchdowns.

RB – Rashad Jennings, New York Giants (vs. HOU)

Likely a slam-dunk starter for most fantasy teams, Jennings was drafted as someone that would be a low-end RB2 based on his ADP or potentially as a flex option for teams that started RB/RB/RB in their drafts. Beginning the season with difficult matchups in back-to-back weeks against the Lions and Cardinals, respectively, Jennings has put up respectable numbers and especially so in PPR formats. Jennings has 205 yards from scrimmage, eight receptions and a touchdown through two games and a more favorable matchup this week. No team has allowed more yards per carry than the Texans (5.8) this season and I have Jennings ranked higher than some big-name backs with difficult matchups (e.g., Eddie Lacy, Matt Forte, etc.).

RB – Joique Bell, Detroit Lions (vs. GB)

In both games this season, Bell has more touches and snaps played than backfield mate Reggie Bush. Against a tough Panthers run defense last week, Bell had only 10 carries for 36 yards, but he added six catches for 61 yards on 11 targets. In a game with the highest over/under (53.0 points), there should be plenty of opportunities for Bell to score fantasy points. The Packers have allowed 176.5 rushing yards per game and four rushing touchdowns, both of which are the second-most in the NFL.

RB – Khiry Robinson, New Orleans Saints (vs. MIN)

Not only have the Saints lost back-to-back games to start the season, but they have lost Mark Ingram for the next month with a broken hand. With as many carries as Robinson and Pierre Thomas combined through two weeks, Ingram has averaged nearly 6.0 yards per carry with a league-high three rushing touchdowns. With Ingram out, Robinson should lead the team in carries and get most of the goal-line opportunities with the Saints being double-digit favorites this week.

RB – Ahmad Bradshaw, Indianapolis Colts (at JAX)

With five receptions in each of the team’s first two games, Bradshaw has 10 receptions and a total of 181 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns this season. Even though Trent Richardson had 22 touches last week and solid production (95 YFS), I prefer Bradshaw over T-Rich this week again. The Jags have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season and Bradshaw is a solid RB2 in standard and PPR formats this week.

WR – Mike Wallace, Miami Dolphins (vs. KC)

Wallace and Ryan Tannehill have struggled to connect on deep throws, but Wallace has 12 catches for 137 yards and two scores on 19 targets through two games. Through two weeks, the Chiefs have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and Wallace has an excellent chance of scoring double-digit fantasy points for a third game in a row.

WR – Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. WAS)

One of a handful of receivers with double-digit targets in each of the season’s first two weeks, Maclin has only eight catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. With a favorable matchup against Washington, however, I expect Nick Foles and Maclin to connect more frequently than they have thus far and Maclin is my 13th-ranked fantasy wide receiver this week.

WR – Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills (vs. SD)

We should expect inconsistency from rookie receivers, especially for ones with inconsistent quarterbacks, but Watkins was fed the ball with 11 of the team’s 25 targets and he put up monster numbers in Week 2: 8/117/1. Going against a Chargers defense that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers so far this season, Watkins should be able to put up WR2 numbers on an expected high volume of targets this week.

WR – Brian Quick, St. Louis Rams (vs. DAL)

Technically, Quick is outside my top-24 receivers for this week, but he’s definitely worth starting as a WR3/flex option in fantasy leagues this week as my WR27. In each of the first two weeks, Quick has finished as a top-25 fantasy receiver with seven catches on nine targets and at least 74 yards in each game. With such a favorable matchup against the Cowboys, it wouldn’t be a shock if he finished as a WR2 (or better) this week.

TE – Jared Cook, St. Louis Rams (vs. DAL)

A boom-or-bust player throughout his career, Cook has finished as TE17 in each of the first two weeks with 4/56 and 4/46 receiving lines so far. If there’s a week where he is set up for a “boom” performance, this is it against the Cowboys, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. The Cowboys allowed 4/44/2 to Vernon Davis in Week 1 and 10/142/1 to Delanie Walker in Week 2.

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Here are some players to consider keeping on your fantasy bench(es):

QB – Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (at STL)

It’s not necessarily a difficult matchup for Romo, but it’s hard to have confidence in him after two disappointing performances as the QB29 and QB25, respectively. While I think Romo has his best game yet this season, I have him ranked as my QB14 and would actually prefer someone like Geno (QB12) this week. I expect the Cowboys to try to control the clock (they actually lead the NFL in time of possession) with DeMarco Murray, who leads the NFL in rushing and has a combined 51/428/2 rushing line in his two career games vs. St. Louis.

RB – Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers (at ARI)

After two favorable matchups against the Cowboys and Bears, Gore has carried the ball for a total of 29 times for 129 yards and a touchdown. Aside from the touchdown last week, Gore’s modest 64.5 YPG average will be tougher to get this week. Through two weeks, the Cardinals have allowed just 66.5 rushing YPG and 2.6 YPC after allowing a league-low 84.4 YPG and only 3.7 YPC last year. That said, he had mixed results against the Cardinals last year: (good) 25/101/0 at home and (bad) 13/14/0 on the road.

RB – Toby Gerhart, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)

The Jaguars offense (and defense, for that matter) and Gerhart have struggled so far. Through two games, Gerhart has 25 carries for just 50 yards and 48 of those yards have come after contact, according to PFF. Not surprisingly, the Jaguars have the lowest grade for run blocking through two weeks. Gerhart suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 and although he returned to that game and played in Week 2, that could be part of the issue as well, but I’d like to see a more productive outing from Gerhart before I’m putting him back into my starting lineup.

RB – Donald Brown, San Diego Chargers (at BUF)

With Ryan Mathews (knee) sidelined for the next month, Brown will become the team’s primary early-down running back even though Danny Woodhead‘s role should increase some as well. Brown will have some very favorable matchups over the next month, but this week’s matchup is not great against an improved Bills run defense and I have Brown ranked just outside my top 24 as a flex option. Buffalo currently ranks fifth in run defense (83.0 YPG allowed) and they have allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

WR – Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans (at CIN)

In his breakout sophomore campaign, Wright had the third-most games (13) with at least five catches and 50 yards last season. Only Antonio Brown (16) and Demaryius Thomas (14) had more such games. With just nine catches for 77 yards and a touchdown through two weeks, Wright is off to a disappointing start.

Considering the targets have been fairly evenly split among the team’s top three receivers — Justin Hunter (14), Nate Washington (12) and Wright (12) — and all of them trail Delanie Walker (19), it’s hard to trust any of the team’s receivers this week. In addition, the Bengals have the top grade from PFF in pass coverage so far this season.

WR – Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens (at CLE)

It’s unclear whether Joe Haden will shadow (Torrey) Smith as Steve Smith has been targeted so heavily in Gary Kubiak‘s offense. Regardless of whether or not Haden shadows Torrey, he has only four catches for 60 yards through two games including a 1/10 line on three targets last week. While I believe Torrey is the most talented Smith on the roster, the target distribution between the Smiths — Steve (24) and Torrey (11) — is too concerning to have the confidence to start Torrey this week.

WR – Wes Welker, Denver Broncos (at SEA)

With an agreement on a new drug policy, Welker is eligible to return this week, but it’s unclear how heavily he’ll be involved in the game plan after missing time due to concussion and suspension. In addition, the matchup is clearly not favorable against the league’s best secondary. In addition, Welker’s return has a little of a negative impact on Emmanuel Sanders, but I have Sanders ranked higher than Welker.

TE – Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (at STL)

Witten is second on the team behind only Dez Bryant in targets, but he has just 46 yards and no touchdowns through two weeks. Last year, no team allowed fewer fantasy points to opposing tight ends than the Rams so I’d prefer to keep him on my bench this week. That said, he had a solid game in a 31-7 rout over the Rams last year with 5/67 on six targets.

To see who I would start based on your team, please consult with my Week 3 rankings:

• Week 3 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings
• Week 3 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
• Week 3 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings
• Week 3 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

Looking for an in-season resource that tailors advice to all of your specific teams, check out the My Playbook tool from FantasyPros.

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