Start 'Em List
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr vs PHI
If you would've told us that after Week 2, Derek Carr would be a front runner for the MVP award I would've laughed you out of the building. Fast forward to this point in the season and that's exactly what happened. With a matchup looming against the Eagles who are giving up the 7th most points to QBs this season.
Carr's averages of 220 yards and 3 TDs a game has been absurd through 2 weeks and is expected to continue against the lowly Eagles secondary. With dynamic receiving threats like Olave, Shaheed and Kamara, it looks like Carr may be a lock to start for your team from this point on.
Kyler Murray vs DET
Another unlikely MVP candidate, Kyler Murray was UNSTOPPABLE vs the Rams last week. Not only unleashing his chemistry with rookie-receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Murray led his offense to 489 yards of offense, with 325 yards and 3 TDs coming from Murray alone. He would also have a perfect 158.3 passer rating while only throwing 4 incomplete passes.
Murray and the Cardinals will host the Lions this week, who have the 6th worst pass defense and a middling pass rush besides Aidan Hutchinson. With the Lions secondary being a work in progress, Murray will most likely carry on with his electric performances this week and light up the Lions.
Brock Purdy vs LAR
After a weird Week 2 at Minnesota, Purdy has a chance to go back to his 2023 form this week at the Rams. Coming off a game where Kyler Murray lit them up like a tiki torch, the Rams will have to combat this 49ers offense who even without McCaffrey and Samuel, have the ability to overwhelm them.
Purdy heads into Week 3 with the most passing yards in the league at 550. Yes, he will be without two of his best pieces on offense for this week and likely several more. However, Purdy still has Aiyuk, Kittle and a plethora of great depth pieces like Jennings and Mason. Going against this weak and rebuilding Rams' defense should allow for Purdy to get the 49ers back in the win column and have a brilliant day.
Gardner Minshew vs CAR
Gardner Minshew has the second-most passing yards in the league... Go ahead and fact-check me I'll wait.
Now that you're back, let's talk about Gardner Minshew. First of all, he is at home this week vs the Panthers. Second of all, he already has elite relationships with Davante Adams and Brock Bowers this season which is critical for any Quarterback who wants to be successful on a weekly basis.
Minshew may not be even be rostered in most leagues out there, (currently rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues) but the stars are aligning for him to have not only his best game in years, but potentially his best season of his career.
Running Backs
Rhaomndre Stevenson vs NYJ
Stevenson has been the bell cow for the Patriots offense and averages over 100 yards rushing through 2 weeks this year. Going against a Jets defense who ranks 23rd in the league against the run, look for the Patriots to feed Rhamondre early and often.
Stevenson ranks 5th in the league so far with rushing yards and 4th in carries. With his output improving every year since he came into the league and the Patriots lack of offense outside of him, look for Stevenson to be a consistent start 'em option this year especially when facing a below-averaging run defense like the Jets.
Jordan Mason vs LAR
Mason has picked up very closely to where McCaffrey would've left off and has made the most out of his starting opportunity. Leading the league with 266 rushing yards ranking 6th in Fantasy points by an RB, Mason will be getting the start for multiple weeks it seems while CMC deals with tendinitis.
The Rams were poor against the run in Arizona last week, allowing 231 rush yards on almost 6 YPC to mostly James Conner. If Jordan Mason can continue his hot form and follow his monstrous O-Line, there's no reason to expect anything less than a 100+ yard performance again this week.
James Cook vs JAX
James Cook went off against Miami this week and in an offense that was looking for their identity in a #1 option, James Cook has certainly staked his case for why it should be him. Cook had 95 yards and 3 TDs last week but most impressively had almost all of it in the first half and would've added to his stat line if the Bills hadn't brought in backups to coast through the second half.
Cook got touchdowns on the ground and through the air and in Fantasy Football, having a RB who can do both always makes that little bit of difference. Cook will be facing a Browns' defense this week who gave up 6 YPC last week to the Jaguars.
Wide Receivers
Chris Godwin vs DEN
What a start to the year for the Buccaneers who in large part have relied on Chris Godwin as their WR1. Godwin ranks second in the league in catches and receiving yards while being tied for 1st in receiving TDs. Godwin has back-to-back games with 7+ catches and a TD to start the season and will be facing the lowly Broncos this week to boot.
While Pat Surtain is one of the best CBs in the league, the 1-2 punch of Godwin and Evans means that Godwin will likely line up in front of Surtain less than 50% o the game and will FEAST on anyone else in that defense.
Devonta Smith vs NO
Devonta Smith is carrying a very similar role as Chris Godwin this year as a high volume target without too many red zone opportunities. However, with A.J. Brown likely to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury, the passing offense goes through Smith now. With 7 catches in both games so far this season, Smith is best used in PPR or Half-PPR leagues with likely a performance this week that sees him get at least 12 targets.
Smith may never be a physically-imposing WR who is looked at in the red zone, but a common game for him is 7 catches for 80 yards meaning an easy 15 points for PPR leagues with a chance of a big TD any week.
Davante Adams vs CAR
Davante Adams was one of the biggest question marks going into the season but has quickly melded a relationship with Gardner Minshew and has averaged 7 catches for 75 yards per game. With the 7th most targets seen through two weeks it's clear that the Raiders' game plan will be to get 17 the ball.
Being a matchup nightmare for the Panthers this week, it's likely Adams has his best game of the season so far and potentially his best game he'll have ALL season. Carolina's defense has averaged 36.5 ppg allowed and with the Raiders offense clicking after a win in Baltimore last week, Adams has a chance to be very special.
Jameson Williams vs ARI
Don't look now but Amon-Ra St. Brown fantasy owners hate this dude...
Jameson Williams is tied for the second-most receiving yards in the league and is 6th for WR Fantasy points. With only 5 catches a game you won't get a lot of extra help with Williams in PPR leagues, but his run-after-catch ability means he can have a 40+ yard-play bonus ANY game along with TD potential.
Williams will be facing the Cardinals defense this week who haven't played a truly elite wide receiver room at the caliber of the Lions. Look for both Williams and St. Brown to have great weeks but for Williams to have the huge plays.
Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith vs SEA
Jonnu Smith started to see some targets last week and with Tua heading to IR, should continue to see more in the coming weeks. Smith has had an up-and-down career but has a real chance of turning it around this year in Miami. As with every Tight End, his real potential will come with his red zone targets and a potential TD which is even higher with a backup QB who usually favors the closer targets, (slot WRs and TEs.)
Seattle's defense may be the best option to have a great game against as they've given up the 6th most Fantasy points to TEs this year. Allowing Hunter Henry to get over 100 yards and a TD is a prime example of the potential Smith has this week. Smith is certainly worth adding to your team, (currently rostered in only 8% of leagues,) and may be a great start too.
Kyle Pitts vs KC
I am VERY weary of Kyle Pitts in Fantasy Football, but this week may be his best chance to finally become elite. Pitts had a couple targets last week in a game where Kirk Cousins looked very good in and this week will be facing the Chiefs who are allowing an average of 132.5 yards and a TD to TEs so far this season.
Pitts has probably been the most disappointing player in Fantasy Football the past two seasons and is off to another VERY slow start for a player of "his caliber", but for some reason I see this game as a great chance for him to step up and have an elite day.
Brock Bowers vs CAR
Brock Bowers is tied for 2nd-most Fantasy points of any TE this season. He leads (by some distance,) his position in both receptions and receiving yards as well. Bowers may still be searching for his first ever NFL touchdown but with he's playing, he may only have to wait until this Sunday for it. Leading the team in receptions and trailing Davante Adams in targets by only 1, it's clear the Raiders have found an explosive difference maker and plan to get him the ball... A LOT.
Similarly to Davante, we have Bowers here not only for his great season so far but because of his matchup against Carolina. Bowers should feast on targets against them and like I said, most likely find the end zone for the first time.
Dalton Schultz vs MIN
With Houston's dynamic trio at receiver usually keeping Schultz off this list, a bright spot against Minnesota's defense combined with C.J. Stroud's stellar play to start the year find him as a Start 'Em for Week 3. Minnesota has given up the 5th most points to TEs so far this season and will likely have to game plan against the receivers this week leaving a lot of potential for Schultz.
Only having 5 receptions for 37 yards on the season, Schultz is often looked to on 3rd downs or check downs. His big play potential is slim, but his ability to create space and win contested catches may prove to be optimal for the Texans especially this week and especially in the red zone.
Sit 'Em List
Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers vs NE
A disappointing start to the season for Rodgers so far doesn't look to get any better as he faces the impressive Patriots' defense. Rodgers has faced good-to-great defenses in both of his first two games this year but is still only averaging 171.5 pass yards.
New England's defense did let up a lot of yards to Seattle last week, but with the Jets' offense struggling to get into a rhythm it's likely we see another 170 yard, 1 TD game out of Rodgers for only 10 points in Fantasy Football.
Justin Herbert vs PIT
A similar pattern will happen in Sit 'Ems as we saw in Start 'Ems, which is DON'T play teams against the Steelers defense just as you SHOULD start tems against the Panthers' defense.
Herbert is still a great passer but is now firmly based in a run-first offense and to top it all off, doesn't have an elite receiver. Averaging only 11.6 Fantasy points per game, look for the Chargers to have a very quiet game out there this week in Pittsburgh.
Anthony Richardson vs CHI
From being a dark horse-MVP candidate to one of the most inaccurate QBs in the NFL, Anthony Richardson will have to show me something spectacular before I'm ready to start him again. Yes his rushing upside is still there, but throwing multiple interceptions will always place you on the bench to me.
Richardson has another tough matchup this week against the Bears who have given up the 6th fewest Fantasy points to QBs so far this season. Averaging 3 sacks and 2 turnovers a game, Richardson will likely never be comfortable in the pocket and have to rely on huge plays to win this game.
Running Backs
J.K. Dobbins vs PIT
NOBODY expected Dobbins' start to this season. Leading the league in rushing yards at 266 with an unbelievable 9.85 YPC mark has been incredible. However, 3 runs of 40+ yards has greatly supercharged his numbers and it's very likely he won't be able to keep up this pace. Add that to a tough matchup vs the Steelers' defense and it's safe to say Dobbins will disappoint this week.
While Dobbins has taken over the RB1 role in Los Angeles, he will also be losing carries to Gus Edwards especially in the red zone. Dobbins doesn't have great receiving back potential either, meaning he will have to break out more large gains against Pittsburgh to have any Fantasy relevance this week.
Tony Pollard vs GB
Tony Pollard has had a decent start to this season with averaging almost 100 yards from scrimmage per game. However, his TD potential seems to be low on this Titans' offense especially against a team like the Packers.
While the Packers' defense has given up the 7th most Fantasy points to RBs this season, Pollard saw a drop in production last week as the Titans moved to a more pass heavy offense centered around Calvin Ridley. Pollard may be able to prove us wrong and find the end zone this week but if he doesn't, look for Pollard to only have 6-8 points.
Travis Etienne Jr. vs BUF
Etienne is a good player and I would usually start him every week. However, the Jaguars are showing real limitations on offense and Buffalo's defense has been very good this year.
Besides an incredible game from De'von Achance last week, the Bills front seven has given very little breathing room in the run game. With the Jaguars offensive line being the worst they've seen so far this season, it's likely not only Etienne will have a quiet week but the entire Jaguars' offense will too.
Wide Receivers
Malik Nabers vs CLE
After an incredible breakout game for the rookie last week most would have Nabers locked for a start. I'm here to tell you he did it against the least efficient pass defense in the NFL in the Commanders. Don't forget how bad the Giants and Daniel Jones are just because they almost beat the Commanders, this offense WILL crumble when they meet the Browns tis week.
While Nabers potential is there, most likely averaging 10-15 targets per game this year, teams will soon be doubling the rookie knowing that he is the only bright spot on this team. Nabers will no longer get a rookie treatment and may have seen his best sta line of the year already this season.
Drake London vs KC
Drake London has had a slow start to the season even after a great performance against the Eagles. London's money-maker this year is his TD-potential and in an upcoming matchup against the KC defense who ranks 22nd against WRs and hasn't allowed more than 53 yards to any individual WR yet, it's heard to see how London could get back into that 12+ Fantasy point realm.
The Chiefs defense has looked sharp against two great offenses so far this year and while Atlanta looked good last week, shapes up to be the easiest matchup for the Chiefs so far.
Brian Thomas Jr. vs BUF
Another rookie sensation, Brian Thomas Jr. has been the Jaguars' best receiver through 2 games and is averaging 23.5 yards per catch so far. A similar feat to Nabers, teams will be keying in on the rookie's role in the offense and will likely start blanketing him, especially in a game vs the tough Bills' secondary.
Thomas Jr.'s potential this year is the long ball; being one of the fastest players on the field he will be given "Go" routes often. Only averaging 3 catches per game, it's unlikely we'll see a 6 or 7-reception game with 12 targets anytime soon ESPECIALLY against the Bills' defense who has given up the 5th fewest Fantasy points to WRs this season.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz vs CIN
Zach Ertz makes this list after a 4-catch, 62 yard performance last week that is unlikely to be duplicated. With a similar warning to Nabers, last week Ertz played a terrible defense and will turn around to play a solid one in Cincinnati. While Ertz may find a good connection With Jayden Daniels, this will not be the game to bank on it.
Ranking 18th against TEs in Fantasy this year, the Bengals were able to shut down Travis Kelce last week and will look to carry on this game plan against a similarly older TE in Ertz.
Hunter Henry vs NYJ
Hunter Henry's fantasy value skyrocketed after last week's 8 catch-109 yard performance but we're here to tell you not to buy in to it. Unfortunately the title of "fluke" will have to be give here with New England's offense seeming to be very run-heavy and the plethora of receiving options they have.
While Henry may have started a good relationship with Jacoby Brissett last week, it's unlikely this will carry on a week-to-week basis and with a tough TNF matchup upcoming this week, it's probably best to stay away from all non-RB Patriots.
Mike Gesicki vs WAS
Gesicki had a breakout game last week and looks to be becoming a real threat in the Bengals' offense. However, there are many factors in why he could be heading for a nosedive Fantasy-wise.
The Bengals #1 option Ja'Marr Chase has struggled early this season but will likely turn it around sooner-or-later. Adding to the fact, Tee Higgins looks to make his debut this week against a Washington defense that made Daniel Jones look great last Sunday. Gesicki may have become TE1 in Cincinnati but will likely fall back to earth and may never rise as high as he did again this season.
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