24 Sep Joe’s Must Starts Of Week 3
Joe’s Must Starts of Week 3
Is it me or does the work week go by even slower during football season? Week 3 is finally here and there are plenty of juicy matchups to look forward to. One tip before we dive into my Starts of the Week: when making start/sit decisions, try not to get too cute. A lot of people overthink their choices when the best thing to do 99% of the time is, “start your studs”.
My QB Starts of the Week:
Kyler Murray @ Jax
It would be difficult not to include the top-scoring QB in fantasy this season. Definitely does not hurt that he also has a mouth-watering matchup against a struggling Jacksonville defense. Expect Kyler to light the league on fire for a third-straight week. I was tempted to put Russell Wilson as my overly blatant start of the week here, but expect Kyler to be even better.
Justin Herbert @ KC
The time is coming for an explosion of fantasy points for Justin Herbert. He is currently the QB25 on the season, but I do not think that the numbers tell the full story here. Coming off of a tough loss, Herbert will have his work cut out for him against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. I expect a very high-scoring game in this one, with plenty of fantasy points to go around. His early turnover issues do not concern me and I think he is a rock solid start.
Kirk Cousins vs. Sea
Kirk Cousins has looked spectacular so far this season. He has elite weapons to throw the ball to in Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and emerging second-year WR, KJ Osborn. I project Kirk to get the job done yet again in this matchup with the Seahawks. He will have to attempt to out-duel Russell Wilson, which is a very tall task. The team will also most likely lean on the passing game a bit more with Dalvin Cook banged up heading into the weekend.
Daniel Jones vs. Atl
There is going to come a week where Daniel Jones absolutely stinks and loses a lot of teams their fantasy matchups. This week is not the week. Jones is currently the QB4 through the first two weeks of the season… Let that sink in for a second. The man is an anomaly. It is head-scratching how he can be so unbelievably fast, yet so unbearably uncoordinated. Every reader should be experiencing a cringe-worthy flashback to his 80-yard run-and-trip from Week 7 last year. Yikes. Regardless of how I feel about him, he is almost a sure bet to put up at least twenty fantasy points against a dreadful Atlanta defense. Start him with confidence.
*Side note: I have received a lot of questions on whether to start him or Tom Brady this week. This is what I meant by, “start your studs”. The Rams defense might very well be the best in the league, but there is no shot I’m starting Jones over Brady.
My RB Starts of the Week:
Ty’Son Williams @ Det
Williams by far has the most juice left in the tank out of any player in Baltimore’s RB room. He has looked electric in his first two games of the season and has a great matchup in Week 3 vs. Detroit. I expect his usage to continue to rise as he earns the team’s trust. He is averaging 6.45 YPC (yards per carry) through 2 games and has looked very impressive in the passing game. Expect a statement game from the young RB in this one.
Chase Edmonds @ Jax
The entire Cardinals offense has looked unstoppable through two weeks of the season. Kyler and Co. have been magnificent and have earned the majority of the spotlight from the fantasy football industry. We should not let the early production of Chase Edmonds go unnoticed. Although he does not receive many carries, he makes the most of them, averaging 5.45 YPC. The explosive RB does most of his damage in the passing game. Through 2 weeks, he has caught all 9 of his targets for 72 yards. I am expecting a big game out of Chase and have a gut-feeling he will break free for a TD in this matchup.
Javonte Williams vs. NYJ
It is easy to ignore Javonte’s production so far this season due to an impressive start from his teammate, Melvin Gordon III. The team has already shown their trust in Javonte, providing him with 27 carries through 2 games. He made the most out of those carries, totaling 109 yards. He looked pretty incredible last week vs. Jacksonville and I think he continues to build on this performance. The bruising rookie reminds me of a young Nick Chubb, with the way he tumbles down the field like a bowling ball, destroying all in his path. I expect his usage to go up a bit in this game and for him to score the first TD of his young career.
Najee Harris vs. Cin
After struggling in the season opener, Najee Harris had quite the coming-out-party last week vs. Las Vegas. He has been underwhelming in the rushing game (that will come, be patient) but was extremely impressive in the passing game. He caught all 5 of his targets for 43 yards and 1 TD. With Diontae Johnson banged up, Najee should receive even more targets moving forward. This is the perfect matchup for the young RB to gain some more confidence and prove why he was worthy of being a first-round draft pick.
My WR Starts of the Week:
D.K. Metcalf @ Min
So far this season it has been the Tyler Lockett show in Seattle. Although he has not been bad thus far, the story of this week’s game will be D.K. Metcalf. He only caught 6 of his 11 targets last week, which leads me to think that he could have done a lot more with his opportunities. In a plus-matchup vs. Minnesota, expect the beastly WR to come out hungry and dominant.
Mike Williams @ KC
We may very well be witnessing a full-on breakout season for Mike Williams. He has looked like the player we have wanted him to be since getting drafted with the 7th overall pick back in 2017. He has caught 15 of his 22 targets so far this season and has scored in back-to-back games. I think he makes it a third straight game in what looks to be a shootout against a lethal Kansas City offense.
Allen Robinson II @ Cle
Allen Robinson II has been surprisingly quiet to start the season. He was a few touchdown drops away from having an enormous fantasy day last week. I expect Justin Fields to hyper-target Robinson in his first career start in the NFL. Darnell Mooney is also very intriguing now that Justin Fields is the QB1 in Chicago. Expect them to connect on many deep balls moving forward as the two continue to build chemistry.
Rondale Moore @ Jax
Were you able to obtain the services of Rondale Moore on waivers this week? If so, I have some great news: you can instantly insert him into your starting lineup! His quarterback, Kyler Murray, is my start of the week at the QB position and I expect him and Rondale to connect on a ton of huge plays in this matchup. What excites me the most about Rondale as a fantasy prospect is his incredibly safe floor as a rookie. He has the talent and opportunity to get it done on a weekly basis. DeAndre Hopkins (ribs) is a bit banged up heading into the game as well, which can provide even more targets for Rondale. Prior to last year’s draft, Kyler sent tape on Rondale to his team’s coaching staff and scouts. The two players should continue to produce beautiful fantasy production the ROS.
Other WRs I love this week:
Emmanuel Sanders vs. Was, JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Cin, Robert Woods vs. TB, Quintez Cephus vs. Bal, Tyler Boyd vs. Pit, Sterling Shepard vs. Atl.
My TE Starts of the Week:
George Kittle vs. GB
Do not panic about George Kittle. I have seen some insane overreactions being tossed around this week. He has been super quiet to start the season but his time is coming, I promise. He is playing at home in what should be a very high-scoring game under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football. Expect to be yelling, “Kittle over the middle,” as the star TE reminds you why you drafted him so high.
T.J. Hockenson vs. Bal
This one should really go without explanation at this point, so I will make it short. He has caught 16 of his 19 targets so far this season and has scored in each of his first two games. Playing at home, expect Hockules to continue his breakout tour this week vs. Baltimore.
Dallas Goedert @ Dal
This one is a little more dicey, but I am expecting big things from Dallas Goedert this week @ Dallas. He has been running more routes than Zach Ertz and has a great opportunity to separate himself against an exploitable Dallas defense. I think Goedert is going to have his best game of the season and has a great shot to score a TD. Dallas in Dallas has a nice ring to it also, just saying.
Other TEs I love this week:
Kyle Pitts vs. NYG, Austin Hooper vs. Chi, Jared Cook @ KC.
Go set those lineups and you can set it and forget it with the guys on this list. Setting your starting lineup can be an overwhelming task, but it is essential to not overthink it. Do not get cute and above all else, start your studs. Of course, there will be scenarios where this does not pan out, but you should be victorious the majority of the time. I also would recommend setting your final lineup the night before Sunday’s games. This helps you stray away from tilting last minute. Good luck ladies and gentlemen and may we all walk away from Week 3 victorious! Oh, and don’t forget to check out our amazing tools at XTB like our Advanced Stats Leaderboards and DFS Tool. Play like a Pro, and Dominate your league! Click the pic below to get started.
A ride-or-die NY Jets fan from Northern New Jersey who is passionate about sports, music and art. He works in purchasing for a fragrance manufacturer during the day and will go the extra mile to make sure your Fantasy Football teams are always fresh.