Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts & Sits (2021)
We have made it through the first two weeks of the fantasy football season and we are already seeing some unpredicabtle things happen. Tyreek Hill for example had 31.6 fantasy points in Week 1 and he followed that up with only 4.4 in Week 2. Now, we head to Week 3 Fantasy Football matchups!
So with that said let me give you some start and sit options on offense and defense that will get you ready for Week 3 of the Fantasy Football Season!
Here are your 4-EYED Starts & Sits of the Week!
Quarterbacks
Start: Daniel Jones, New York Giants against the Atlanta Falcons
In continuation with how weird the fantasy football season has been so far, I am apparently going to recommend you start Daniel Jones this week. Jones is currently the QB5 in fantasy and has proven to be quite versatile on the ground. This week, he takes on the Falcons who have given up a QB6 finish to Jalen Hurts and a QB3 finish to Tom Brady. Playing against a bad defense, you could do worse than Jones for your Week 3 fantasy football lineup.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts:
Matthew Stafford against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sam Darnold against the Houston Texans, and Teddy Bridgewater against the New York Jets.
Sit: Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans against the Indianapolis Colts
The Tennessee Titans are 1-1 as they head into Week 3 and Derrick Henry is coming off of a monster game. Through two games, the receiving duo of AJ Brown and Julio Jones have taken turns for who will be the productive one while the other one loses almost all fantasy relevance. With how good Henry is and with the switch off of his receiving options, I don’t trust Tannehill this week against a defense that ranks in the middle of passing yards allowed per game.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Sits:
Kirk Cousins against the Seattle Seahawks, Ben Roethlisberger against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Joe Burrow against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Running Backs
Start: Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cincinnati Bengals
It was revealed Tuesday during a Steelers press conference with head coach Mike Tomlin that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with a pec injury. The Steelers haven’t done the best job incorporating first-round running back Najee Harris into their gameplan, but their hand may be forced if this injury lingers. Whether it is a banged-up Big Ben or Mason Rudolph under center, their best bet is going to be getting Harris involved.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts:
Ty’Son Williams against Detroit Lions, Chris Carson against the Minnesota Vikings, and David Montgomery against the Cleveland Browns.
Sit: Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Henderson is banged up with a rib cartilage injury. It is unclear whether or not Henderson will be able to go this week. Even if he is, the Buccaneers are allowing the second-fewest rushing yards per game and the overall matchup just isn’t a favorable one. This is unfortunate as Henderson is coming off of a strong game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Sits:
Clyde Edwards-Helaire against the Los Angeles Chargers, Elijah Mitchell against the Green Bay Packers, Mark Ingram against the Carolina Panthers.
Wide Receivers
Start: Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos against the New York Jets
Fantasy managers had to be wondering when Sutton was going to return to form and it appears the answer was Week 2. Sutton was the WR7 for the week totaling 20.4 fantasy points on nine receptions for 159 yards. This week, Sutton and the Broncos host the struggling New York Jets. While the Jets looked solid in Week 1 against the Panthers, they lost all momentum in Week 2. This is a prime striking point for Sutton to repeat his dominant performance for Week 3 fantasy football lineups.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts:
Marvin Jones Jr. against the Arizona Cardinals, Marquise Brown against the Detroit Lions, and Sterling Shepard against the Atlanta Falcons.
Sit: Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cincinnati Bengals
This would normally be a matchup that we would attack as fantasy managers. Unfortunately, Johnson enters this one banged up with a knee injury suffered in the latter part of last week’s game. Add that to Roethlisberger’s injury and that doesn’t spell success for Johnson. Plan to avoid him this week.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Sits:
Antonio Brown against the Los Angeles Rams, DeVante Parker against the Las Vegas Raiders, and JuJu Smith-Schuster against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tight Ends
Start: Noah Fant, Denver Broncos against the New York Jets
Clearly, I think that the Broncos’ passing options are going to be able to do damage against the Jets. Fant enters this one as the overall TE5. The Jets just gave up a TE11 performance to Dawson Know who rarely is featured in the Buffalo Bills offense. Fant is primed for a dominant week and his usage should be there.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts:
Tyler Higbee against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jared Cook against the Kansas City Chiefs, and Kyle Pitts against the New York Giants.
Sit: Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys
Goedert is entering Week 3 fantasy football matchups as the TE8 overall. Goedert only has seven targets so far this season which has him tied for 23rd overall for tight ends. Yes, he has been productive with the targets he has gotten. But you have to be hoping that he can secure more usage in the passing game.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Sits:
Mike Gesicki against the Las Vegas Raiders, Robert Tonyan against the San Francisco 49ers, and Jack Doyle against the Tennessee Titans.
With IDP options being so plentiful in fantasy football, each week we’re going to list for you an option at each position with honorable mentions to help set your lineups with confidence.
Defensive Linemen
Start: B.J. Hill, Cincinnati Bengals against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been hit 18 times over the first two weeks of the season. 15 of those hits have come inside the pocket. The Steelers’ offensive line was expected to be bad and it is. Hill leads the Bengals with two sacks and he has six total tackles. Because of Hill’s role, he will be in a prime position to get into the backfield. He will also try and tackle Najee Harris if the Steelers go more run-heavy with a banged-up Big Ben.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts:
Brian Burns against the Houston Texans (TNF), DeForest Buckner against the Tennessee Titans, Gregory Rousseau against the Washington Football Team.
Linebackers
Start: Isaiah Simmons, Arizona Cardinals
Simmons brought his versatility with him to the NFL and it looks like the Cardinals are finally tapping into it. As a result, he has 17 tackles and a forced fumble through the first two games. They have played Simmons in different looks and formations and he has taken to it really well. Look for him to be heavily involved in this week’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts:
Shaq Thompson against the Houston Texans, Patrick Queen against the Detroit Lions, and Denzel Perryman against the Miami Dolphins.
Defensive Backs
Start: Mike Edwards, Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Los Angeles Rams
This matchup is going to feature solid defensive back play on either side of the ball. Edwards enters this one with 47 fantasy points on the season making him the current DB1. He has two interceptions and eight tackles and he is a beneficiary of the Buccaneers defensive line stopping the run and forcing opposing defenses to pass the ball.
Additional Week 3 Fantasy Football Starts:
Tyrann Mathieu against the Los Angeles Chargers, James Bradberry against the Atlanta Falcons, and Marcus Maye against the Denver Broncos.
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