Start’em, Sit’em Fantasy Football Week 3 – All Positions

Week 3 of the NFL season is upon us and to be quite frank, it’s a mess. We’re talking major injuries to several big-time names, including…Tua Tagovailoa, Cooper Kupp, Jordan Love, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, AJ Brown, Isiah Pacheco, Joe Mixon, and Justin Herbert to name a few.

And obviously, the fantasy implications are many. Who is worthy to try and grab on the waiver wire? Who are the “next guys up” that will try and fill the shoes of perennial Pro Bowl players. Again, it’s Week 3 and it feels like we’re in November as it pertains to injuries.

Check out my article below as we kick around a couple names to “start” or “sit” and try to still get a fantasy win thsi weekend. As always, tell me where I’m right/wrong…

Quarterbacks

Start ’em – David Carr

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Derek Carr – If you drafted Tua, Herbert, Rodgers, Stafford, or even someone like Anthony Richardson you might be looking around for help. Plus, if you missed out on Baker Mayfield then Carr might be your best chance to grab a streaming QB for the next several weeks. Combine this with his relationship with new OC Klink Kubiak and a favorable matchup with the Eagles’ messy defense and I’d considered Carr a “start” in many fantasy situations.

Sit ’em – Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott – I told you last week that I try not go to with obvious starts/sits. For instance, I really wanted to write about Trevor Lawrence or Matthew Stafford, but the average football fan knows not to start them. But what about Dak? How quickly we forget he threw for over 4,500 yards last season, had just 9 picks, and 36 touchdowns! Through two weeks Dak sits at just 2 TD and 2 INT in an offense that hasn’t found its groove. Combine this with an angry Baltimore defense and I’d pass on Dak in week 3.

Running Backs 

Start’em – D’Andre Swift

D’Andre Swift – It’s been 40 years since we’ve seen a rush defense as bad as the Colts, and that’s who Swift will see on Sunday. Through two weeks the Colts have allowed 474 total rushing yards. Individually, Joe Mixon had 159 and Josh Jacobs 151. Listen, I get it. Swift and the Bears’ running game has been terrible. He’s averaging just 2 yards per carry. But my gamble here is that the Colts continue to be lackluster in rush defense and that Swift could be involved more in the passing game. This is a gamble, and I’d only use him in the Flex, but it’s worth a thought if you rely heavily on matchups or are dealing with an injury to someone like Isiah Pacheko/Christian McCaffrey/Raheem Mostert.

Sit ’em – Devin Singletary

Devin Singletary – I hate sitting a really good player who is going to get touches, but it’s just a brutal week 3 matchup as the Giants visit the Browns. Again, I think Singletary will give us good fantasy weeks in the near future, but I don’t see it this week. Cleveland has allowed just 4 rushing touchdowns in the last 10. But really, this is a gamble against the Giants. They’re one more implosion away from sinking this season and it could happen on Sunday.

Wide Receiver 

Start ’em – Khalil Shakir

Khalil Shakir – I’m reading several start/sit lists and I’m seeing names such as Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, and Brandon Aiyuk. Who isn’t starting those guys? I mean, c’mon! That’s too easy. So, let’s go a tad off the board. How about Bills WR Khalil Shakir? He’s been double digits fantasy points each of the first two weeks and already has a TD. Combine this with Jacksonville’s defense giving up the 4th most passing yards in the first two games and there’s potential for an 18-22 point day from Shakir.

Sit ’em – Jaylen Waddle

Jaylen Waddle – It seems to be a popular thought that Waddle’s production is going to dip even more now that Skylar Thompson is the starting QB. Unfortunately, the numbers support that sentiment. According to Jared Smola of Draft Sharks, Thompson has been the QB for Waddle and teammate Tyreek Hill for 3 games in 2022. In those games Hill averaged 9 targets and 5 catches while Waddle averaged just 5 targets and 3 catches. Let’s sit Waddle for a week and see how the Dolphins look on Sunday.

Tight End

Start ’em – Mike Gesicki

Mike Gesicki – I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve had Gesicki on a fantasy team for the last decade…and I may again this season. It’s a gamble but if your TE room is a mess (and many are) he might be worth a flier. Gesicki is only rostered in 16% of ESPN leagues, and if Tee Higgins misses week 3 I could see 7-8 targets coming his way.

Sit ’em – Isaiah Likely

Isaiah Likely – While the TE position is a roller coaster this season for most fantasy owners you just can’t gamble on guys who could give you a goose egg…and that fits the early season from Likely. After a dazzling week 1, Likely was back to earth on week 2. His snap rate dropped from 70% to 49%. In fact, he was on the field for just 32 snaps with only 19 of those on passing downs. Plus, his matchup isn’t great as the Ravens travel to Dallas. The Cowboys have allowed the fifth-fewest points to TE since the start of last season. He could pop again but it’s an extreme gamble.

Defense

Start ’em – Buffalo Bills

Bills – I gambled with Buffalo last week and they got me over 20 points in multiple leagues…so I’m coming back for more this week. As I’ve said a couple times earlier in this article, there are many “must starts” such as Cleveland, the Jets, Raiders etc. but I always try to go a little off the board. In fact, the Bills are ranked just 15th on ESPN’s week 3 rankings. Consider me totally off the Trevor Lawrence bandwagon as I expect him to struggle in Western New York on Sunday.

Sit ’em – Miami Dolphins

Dolphins – I’m guessing gameplay is going to be working against Miami most if not all of Sunday. I expect Seattle to score early and often and some heads to start hanging on the Dolphin sideline.