Fantasy Football Week 3 lineup decisions: Who to start, who to sit, must-start plays, flex plays and more
Fantasy Football is all about the matchups. Even though you drafted your team with certain hopes and intentions, your weekly lineup decisions shouldn't be determined by the order you picked your players in. You need to check who your players play and make sure you've got the right guys in -- and the wrong guys out.
It's too early to be absolutely sure on which matchups will be easy and which ones will be tough, but we can take some educated guesses based on healthy personnel, defensive schemes, track records, and key details of offenses. The things we know can help us minimize the impact of the things we don't know. This should lead to better decisions being made.
We'll go through every game and highlight the players who aren't obvious starts and sits (because you don't need to be told to start Bijan Robinson). You should feel more comfortable starting or sitting players based on the information given, and feeling comfortable with your Fantasy lineup before the games start is the best feeling in the world.
All lines from Caesars Sportsbook.
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
Week 1 Fantasy darling Keon Coleman was mostly shut down by the Jets in a run-heavy game script in Week 2. He was wide open in the end zone on a red-zone pass play last week and had some solid separation when he wasn't covered by Sauce Gardner, but he ran just 20 routes. The Dolphins secondary is nothing like the Jets -- they're among the worst in the league -- so there should be more chances for Coleman to deliver at least a solid stat line as long as the Bills don't run up the score like they did last week. The good news on that front is that Miami has kept up in five of its seven against Buffalo with Mike McDaniel as head coach. You should feel okay using Coleman as a No. 3 receiver this week and next week when the Bills host the Saints.
MUST-STARTS: Josh Allen, De'Von Achane, James Cook
STARTS: Tyreek Hill (No. 2 WR), Bills DST
FLEX: Keon Coleman (No. 3 WR), Jaylen Waddle
SITS: Tua Tagovailoa, Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Dalton Kincaid, Ollie Gordon II, Dolphins DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
Though Carolina got more pressure with its pass rush in Week 2 compared to Week 1, they still had just one sack. It's their only collective sack on the season. The Falcons offensive line hasn't been great, and Michael Penix Jr. has had issues with pass rushes through two weeks (25% off-target rate when pressured, 7% when not), but even they should be able to handle the Panthers' front, even with an uptick in blitzing expected. The Panthers remain committed to zone-heavy coverage, especially Cover-3, and Penix has been very passive with a 1.2-yard average depth of throw against that specific coverage this year. Drake London has a very good 34.1% target per route run rate versus zone coverage in two games; the only other Falcon with 20%-plus in that is Bijan Robinson. The situation hurts the upside case for Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts, along with Penix. ... Not enough people are starting Tetairoa McMillan, who has turned 19 targets into a 13.9 PPR average, which includes a 6-100-0 stat line last week against the Cardinals. If the Falcons play without top cornerback A.J. Terrell then there shouldn't be anything stopping McMillan from another double-digit target week provided the Panthers take the extra steps to protect Bryce Young against an up-and-coming Falcons pass rush.
MUST-STARTS: Bijan Robinson, Chuba Hubbard
STARTS: Drake London, Tetairoa McMillan (No. 2 WR), Kyle Pitts (borderline starting TE), Falcons DST
SITS: Michael Penix, Bryce Young, Hunter Renfrow, Darnell Mooney, Ja'Tavion Sanders (stash), Tyler Allgeier, Panthers DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
The Commanders waited until Jordan Love did damage in the first half before attempting to really pressure him and it cost them big-time. The Browns may not wait nearly as long nor struggle with it given that they're top-10 in blitz rate, pass rush pressure rate and sack rate. They'll also play a lot of man-to-man coverage as they have been dating back to 2023, though hopefully top cornerback Denzel Ward plays a full game this week instead of leaving early. This will come down to the Packers O-line: If they protect Love he should put up good numbers (all four of his passing touchdowns this year have come against man coverage), and if they can't consistently protect him then Love will disappoint. Without starters Zach Tom and Aaron Banks in Week 2, the Packers allowed a pressure on 16 of Love's 34 dropbacks (47.1%). In Week 1 with Tom and Banks the Packers allowed just a 26.1% pass rush pressure rate. I'd lean on Love as a low-end starter.
MUST-STARTS: Josh Jacobs
STARTS: Jordan Love (low-end starter), Tucker Kraft, Harold Fannin (low-end starter), Packers DST
FLEX: Jerry Jeudy, Romeo Doubs and Cedric Tillman (all are low-end deep-league flexes)
SITS: Joe Flacco, Quinshon Judkins (stash), Dontayvion Wicks (stash), Matthew Golden (stash), David Njoku, Dylan Sampson, Jerome Ford, Browns DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
It's never easy to lower expectations or even bench really good players, but Brian Thomas Jr. has not looked good, nor has his quarterback shined. Thomas is credited with two drops in two games, and though it's really hard to criticize effort, there have been a couple of plays where it looked like Thomas wasn't as locked in as he could have been. Apparently he's playing through a wrist injury. Thomas is third among receivers with 10-plus targets on his own team in explosive catch rate and fourth in yards per target. Not helping his case is an 84.7% catchable target rate from Lawrence, which is not only worst among receivers with 10-plus targets on the Jaguars but is 37th out of 58 NFL receivers with 10-plus targets. Through two weeks the Texans secondary is startingly bottom-10 in PPR points allowed to wideouts as well as completion rate and defensive EPA per dropback to WRs. Some of that can be pinned on who they've played; Lawrence is the least-effective quarterback they'll have played up to this point. You'll start Thomas but expectations should be lowered.
MUST-STARTS: Nico Collins
STARTS: Travis Etienne, Brian Thomas Jr., Texans DST
FLEX: Nick Chubb, Bhayshul Tuten (low-end non-PPR flexes)
SITS: Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud, Christian Kirk (stash), Woody Marks (deep stash), Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange, Dyami Brown, Parker Washington, Jayden Higgins, Dalton Schultz, Jaguars DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
I'm reasonably certain the Bengals run defense isn't very good -- their D-line got stood up a bunch against the Jaguars last week, yielding 5.3 yards per rush to their running backs. Assuming left tackle Christian Darrisaw is back, the Vikings front five should be able to consistently do the same to the Bengals. Mason isn't the same kind of runner as Travis Etienne or even Bhayshul Tuten, he's much more of a physical punishing back with running downs experience. That may mean he won't see many catches against Cincy, which is where they've really been beat up by running backs. But it does mean Mason should land a lot of carries, and when he's had that he's delivered: three career games with 20-plus carries and has over 100 rush yards and a score in each; he has seven career games with at least 15 touches and has at least 75 total yards in six. Unless the Vikings lose total control of the game (anything's possible with Carson Wentz at quarterback), Mason is a safe bet for those 15-plus touches and should be viewed as a must-start No. 2 Fantasy running back with top 10 upside. ... One other Viking to mention: T.J. Hockenson has stunk out loud for two weeks, but Carson Wentz had a 20.2% target rate to tight ends in 2021 and 2022 (it was 33.2% in five years with Philadelphia). The Jaguars didn't take advantage of the Bengals' linebackers like the Browns did with their tight ends; it would make sense for the Vikings to keep things easy for Wentz and have him lean on Hockenson given the matchup.
MUST-STARTS: Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Chase Brown
STARTS: Jordan Mason, Tee Higgins, T.J. Hockenson (borderline starter)
SITS: Jake Browning (high-end No. 2 QB), Carson Wentz, Zavier Scott (look him up), Jalen Nailor, Adam Thielen, Mike Gesicki, Noah Fant, Bengals DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
Surprisingly, the Patriots lead the NFL in sacks (nine) despite not being anywhere near the top in pass rush pressure rate (33.3%) or blitz rate (24%). I think a lot of it has to do with who they've played: Las Vegas and Miami, two teams with not-so-great offensive lines (each one allowed at least four sacks to the Pats). The Steelers have been solid in pass protection and Rodgers has done a nice job getting the ball out fast, so there's some hope he'll be able to connect with DK Metcalf and Jaylen Warren enough to keep them afloat in Fantasy. ... Warren looked great last week, especially on his long catch-and-run where he weaved his way past three Seattle defenders with good speed and vision. He's clearly the Steelers' top skill-position weapon -- finally.
STARTS: Drake Maye, Jaylen Warren (No. 2 RB)
FLEX: DK Metcalf, Rhamondre Stevenson
SITS: Aaron Rodgers, TreVeyon Henderson (stash), Jonnu Smith (sneaky PPR streamer), Hunter Henry, Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte (stash), Calvin Austin III, Demario Douglas,
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
A.J. Brown moved better in Week 2, winning consistently on slants, hitches and other in-breaking routes against the Chiefs' zone-leaning coverage. That part's good, but Jalen Hurts has yet to throw more than 23 passes in a game this season and he didn't throw more than 22 passes in either of his two games against the Rams in 2024 (one in the playoffs). You already know Brown's done nothing big this year, and he only came through with a 6-109-1 stat line at the Rams in part because DeVonta Smith was sidelined (the playoff game was partially played in a snowstorm but Brown still saw seven targets). If there's hope it's that the Rams cornerback room took a hit with Ahkello Witherspoon getting hurt last week, pressing Emmanuel Forbes into the starting lineup opposite Cobie Durant. Forbes has not played well throughout his career, including allowing three touchdowns in two games as a rookie against the Eagles -- all to Brown. I'd still be cautious with Brown until we see the Eagles passing game begin to regain its form from 2024, but that specific matchup is awfully enticing.
MUST-STARTS: Saquon Barkley, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams
STARTS: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown (low-end No. 2 WR), Eagles DST
FLEX: DeVonta Smith
SITS: Matthew Stafford, Blake Corum (stash), Tyler Higbee, Rams DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
Jets shut-down cornerback Sauce Gardner (groin) looks like he'll play, but slot cornerback Michael Carter II, safety Tony Adams and pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II all missed practice Wednesday. Johnson's the biggie -- if he's out then the matchup is much better for the Bucs. And given the injuries in the secondary, it might make the most sense for the Jets to stick Gardner on Bucs target and receiving yardage leader Mike Evans, especially in red-zone situations. Evans was similarly kept under wraps when he played at Aaron Glenn's Lions defense in 2024. That should make Emeka Egbuka's matchup all the better provided he's healthy and Chris Godwin isn't back.
MUST-STARTS: Bucky Irving
STARTS: Baker Mayfield, Garrett Wilson (No. 2 WR, especially in PPR), Breece Hall (No. 2 RB), Emeka Egbuka (No. 2 WR), Buccaneers DST
FLEX: Mike Evans
SITS: Tyrod Taylor, Rachaad White, Braelon Allen, Chris Godwin (getting closer), Cade Otton, Mason Taylor, Jets DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
Jones seems to have overcome some (not all) of the sensitivity he's had to pass rush pressure. There were multiple times against the Broncos he stayed poised in the pocket and threw accurately, even with defenders coming at him. It's really saying something because the Broncos blitzed him on 71.1% of his dropbacks and he completed 67.6% of his throws (64% when specifically blitzed!) for 316 yards and was sacked once. Through two weeks (and for much of 2024) the Titans haven't blitzed more than 32.4% of the time in a game and have had weak results despite getting some decent pressure on Matthew Stafford last week. Tack on any rushing stats Jones figures to give and there's really optimism for Jones to stay hot; next week against the Rams in L.A. might be when he turns into a pumpkin. ... I don't love Tony Pollard playing without right guard Kevin Zeitler and right tackle J.C. Latham, but the left side of the Titans line has been very good opening space for him, especially on zone-scheme runs. Indy's allowed over 5.0 yards per carry regardless of run scheme and has given up at least 15 PPR points per game to De'Von Achane (to be expected) and J.K. Dobbins (less expected). Pollard's been practically invisible in the pass game but has averaged 19.0 carries in two not-so-close losses.
MUST-STARTS: Jonathan Taylor
STARTS: Daniel Jones (borderline starter), Tony Pollard (borderline No. 2/3 RB), Tyler Warren, Colts DST
FLEX: Calvin Ridley, Josh Downs and Michael Pittman (low-end PPR flexes)
SITS: Cam Ward, Elic Ayomanor (stash), Chig Okonkwo, Alec Pierce, Titans DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
Marcus Mariota posted a sweet 205-2-0 stat line, with 34 rush yards, in 2024 when he replaced Jayden Daniels in the first quarter against a Panthers defense that had major pass rush issues. There's no such thing as a defense with pass rush issues when Maxx Crosby is on the field, and the Commanders front five has had its fair share of struggles not only with the Packers last week but the Giants the week before. In a battle of teacher, Pete Carroll, versus the student, Dan Quinn, I might expect the Raiders to put a lot of pressure on Mariota and force him to get the ball out quick. That should spell another week of decent numbers for Deebo Samuel on low ADOT opportunities.
MUST-STARTS: Brock Bowers
STARTS: Ashton Jeanty (No. 2 RB), Jakobi Meyers (No. 2 WR in PPR)
FLEX: Deebo Samuel, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Terry McLaurin
SITS: Geno Smith, Marcus Mariota, Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez, Dont'e Thornton, Zamir White, Dylan Laube, Commanders DST, Raiders DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
The Broncos lead the NFL in three really huge categories: man-to-man coverage rate (49.1%), blitz rate (51.4%) and pass rush pressure rate (51.4%) with seven sacks (fifth-best). They worked similarly against Herbert in Week 6 last year and held him to a pedestrian 237-1-0 passing game while JK Dobbins ran for 96 yards and a touchdown to help the Chargers win. In the Week 16 rematch the Broncos went passive with more zone coverage and Herbert threw for 284-2-1 and beat the Broncos again. It's only a guess but given how bad the Chargers run game has been I would expect the Broncos to stick with their blitz-happy ways. Herbert's been a different quarterback when pressured (46.2% completion rate, one touchdown, 15.4% off-target rate) compared to not pressured (79.2% completion rate, four touchdowns, 4.2% off-target rate). If Denver can stop missing tackles and corral Omarion Hampton (and/or Najee Harris) like the Raiders did, then it should have a shot at hanging on to a win instead of giving it away on a penalty like last week.
STARTS: Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, Courtland Sutton, Ladd McConkey J.K. Dobbins and Omarion Hampton (both No. 2 RBs), Chargers DST and Broncos DST (low-end starters)
FLEX: Keenan Allen, Quentin Johnston (low-end flex)
SITS: Evan Engram, R.J. Harvey (stash), Najee Harris, Marvin Mims, Tyler Conklin
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
The Seahawks running back duo essentially rotated drives last week, save for situations where the Seahawks wanted to lean into Zach Charbonnet's pass-catching versatility. This will probably be the case again this week, even though Kenneth Walker III was clearly the faster of the two and looked better in and out of his cuts compared to Week 1. New Orleans somehow held Christian McCaffrey to 4.2 yards per carry last week and James Conner to 3.3 yards per carry in Week 1, so they have some semblance of run defense. They have given up just one run of 12-plus yards through eight quarters. You're rolling the dice with Walker or Charbonnet, but at least you can feel better about Walker's health after last week.
MUST-STARTS: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Alvin Kamara
STARTS: Juwan Johnson
FLEX: Kenneth Walker III (borderline No. 2/3 in non-PPR), Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed (low-end flex), Zach Charbonnet (low-end PPR flex)
SITS: Sam Darnold, Spencer Rattler, Cooper Kupp (desperation PPR flex), Kendre Miller, Seahawks DST (desperation starter), Saints DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
The Cowboys should have a great shot to pull off the win given defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus' knowledge of the Bears on both sides of the ball. Typically this defensive boss revenge narrative works out, but the Cowboys defense is so mediocre that you shouldn't count on them being Dallas' driving force. Even the Bears should be able to handle their rare-blitzing, zone-dominant scheme and find ways to put some points up. The problem is that Chicago also has a rare-blitzing defense that's struggled to generate sacks, and their secondary has been smashed by injuries. It should lead to a big week for all the main Cowboys players.
MUST-STARTS: CeeDee Lamb
STARTS: Dak Prescott, Caleb Williams, Javonte Williams, D'Andre Swift (low-end No. 2 RB), Rome Odunze (No. 2 WR), Jake Ferguson
FLEX: George Pickens (high-end flex), D.J. Moore (low-end PPR flex)
SITS: Kyle Monangai, Miles Sanders, Olamide Zaccheaus, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, Cowboys DST, Bears DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
The 49ers have seen 48 RB carries, seventh-most in football, and they've allowed just 3.6 yards per carry and one rushing touchdown (a goal-liner) to the Seahawks and Saints. James Conner has been under 15 PPR points in two of his past three against San Francisco but more importantly, has not looked quite like the spry veteran we saw last season. He's averaging 11.5 carries per game and 3.2 yards per rush thus far with zero games of 60-plus total yards, and Trey Benson is taking third-down reps. Conner may be evolving into a touchdown-or-bust running back, particularly as defenses key in on him and take their chances with the Cardinals passing game.
MUST-STARTS: Christian McCaffrey, Trey McBride
STARTS: Ricky Pearsall (No. 2 WR), Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jauan Jennings (both borderline No. 2/3 WRs), 49ers DST
FLEX: James Conner
SITS: Mac Jones and Kyler Murray (both high-end No. 2 QBs), Trey Benson, Brian Robinson Jr., Michael Wilson, Jake Tonges, Cardinals DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
A friendly reminder: Xavier Worthy averaged 21.6 PPR points on 8.7 targets per game in his final six games with Patrick Mahomes last season -- all with an aging Travis Kelce and without Rashee Rice. That includes five games with 15-plus PPR points. The Giants gave up 15.3 PPR points to KaVontae Turpin, 17.8 to George Pickens, 20.2 to CeeDee Lamb and 22.6 to Deebo Samuel so far this season. They're the only four wide receivers with at least four receptions against the Giants.
MUST-STARTS: Malik Nabers
STARTS: Patrick Mahomes, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, Chiefs DST
FLEX: Wan'Dale Robinson (PPR), Isiah Pacheco (non-PPR)
SITS: Russell Wilson, Cam Skattebo (stash), Tyrone Tracy Jr., Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Giants DST
Start 'em 10.0-7.00 6.99 - 5.01 5.00 - 0 Sit 'em
Jared Goff has continued to prove that when he's pressured, he struggles and the offense follows. But through two games the Ravens have not gotten lots of pass rush pressure on opposing quarterbacks, including last week against the Browns when they barely blitzed and only had two sacks. The Lions also haven't been big in the pressure department even though they tried hard in their Week 1 loss to the Packers. The hunch is that the Ravens will build a lead and force the Lions to throw, and Goff could end up having a solid game as a result. Maybe that's not enough to trust Goff in Fantasy lineups, but you should expect his top targets to still be key factors. I'd be shocked if this were a one-sided blowout.
MUST-STARTS: Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown
STARTS: Zay Flowers, Sam LaPorta
FLEX: Jameson Williams
SITS: Jared Goff (high-end No. 2 QB), DeAndre Hopkins, Rashod Bateman, Isaac TeSlaa, Mark Andrews (low-end non-PPR starter), Ravens DST, Lions DST