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Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 3

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NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

Start

Gardner Minshew II, Jaguars (vs. Dolphins): Across the first two weeks of the season, Minshew is 11th among quarterbacks in fantasy points, despite facing challenging defenses in the Colts and Titans. Now, he will face the Dolphins, who are allowing over 30 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.

Justin Herbert, Chargers (vs. Panthers): Herbert is expected to start Sunday’s game against the Panthers due to a bizarre injury to Tyrod Taylor.

Herbert had a strong NFL debut against the Chiefs last week. He threw for 311 yards and a touchdown; he also rushed for 18 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers have been struggling defensively allowing both the Raiders and Buccaneers to score over 30 points. Herbert is a streaming option with upside.

Sleeper: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins (vs. Jaguars)

Sit

Kirk Cousins, Vikings (vs. Titans): Cousins had an abysmal game against the Colts last week; he actually finished with -1.48 fantasy points. Cousins is still capable of breaking out of this early season slump, but a matchup with the Titans is far from ideal.

Derek Carr, Raiders (vs. Patriots): The Patriots gave up the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterback last season, and Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, and Devin McCourty are still part of the secondary. Their defense flashed their ability to be dominant in Week 1 allowing zero passing touchdowns and coming up with three interceptions. They should be avoided in lineups with the exception of top-tier quarterbacks (Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson).

Running Backs

Start

James Robinson, Jaguars (vs. Dolphins): I am all-in on the Jaguars against the Dolphins on Thursday night. Robinson has looked fantastic early on, and he faces almost no competition for carries. He recorded 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against the Titans last week. He is a must-start, as the Dolphins are allowing 164 rushing yards per game.

James Conner, Steelers (vs. Texans): Conner is coming off a big game against the Broncos, where he rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown. Now, he has a great matchup against the Texans, who are struggling to stop the run. The Texans have given up the second-most rushing yards this season.

Sleeper: Joshua Kelley, Chargers (vs. Panthers)

Sit

Mike Davis, Panthers (vs. Chargers): Davis offers some upside; he will become the starter due to Christian McCaffrey’s injury. However, the Chargers have a strong run defense. They held Clyde Edwards-Helaire to 38 rushing yards and are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Malcolm Brown, Rams (vs. Bills): Last week, Brown had a steep drop-off from Week 1. In PPR leagues, he scored 26.0 points against the Cowboys, then only 4.7 points against the Eagles. To make matters worse, he is reportedly dealing with a finger injury, but he is expected to play.

Darrell Henderson Jr. will likely be the lead back against the stout Bills defense.

Wide Receivers

Start

Jerry Jeudy, Broncos (vs. Buccaneers): Courtland Sutton is set to miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Subsequently, Jeudy will take over as Denver’s top receiver. He will have the opportunity to have a big game this Sunday. The Buccaneers allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers last season. Last week, they allowed both D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson to top 100 receiving yards.

Julian Edelman, Patriots (vs. Raiders): Edelman lit up the Seahawks for a career-high 179 receiving yards. With Cam Newton at quarterback, he looks better than ever. He will face a Raiders secondary that is lacking in talent. Starting cornerbacks Damon Arnette (57.5) and Trayvon Mullen (50.2) both have sub-60 PFF grades.

Sleeper: Laviska Shenault Jr., Jaguars (vs. Dolphins)

Sit

Emmanuel Sanders, Saints (vs. Packers): I am going to be 100 percent honest. I bought the Emmanuel Sanders hype. Obviously, that was a huge mistake. Against the Raiders, Sanders finished with only one reception for 18 yards, and that reception came late in the fourth quarter. Curiously, Sanders was somehow less involved in the offense with Michael Thomas out; his targets actually decreased last week. Instead, Tre’Quan Smith saw a rise in production. We have grown accustomed to the Saints being one of the league’s most dynamic passing offenses, but without Thomas, they looked lost. I would steer clear of Sanders for the time being.

Henry Ruggs III, Raiders (vs. Patriots): Ruggs is techincally the Raiders number one wide receiver, but he is behind tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. He should be avoided against reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.

Tight Ends

Start

Mike Gesicki, Dolphins (vs. Jaguars): Gesicki had a big game against the Bills recording eight receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. He has the potential to do it again as the Jaguars just gave up 84 yards and two touchdowns to tight end Jonnu Smith.

Sleeper: Mo Alie-Cox, Colts (vs. Jets)

Sit

Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers (vs. Broncos): Last week, Gronkowski was targeted once and failed to record a catch. At this point, he is not a starting option.