With the NFL season underway and in full swing, fantasy football is back and better than ever! This year, a variety of new star players join the mix. Below, we’ll list some of the best and worst players to start in Week 3.
NFL Fantasy – Start in Week 3
QB – Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
Purdy didn’t post great fantasy results in the first two weeks. He scored 10 points in Week 1 and 15 points in Week 2, both below projections. Despite his subpar start, Purdy should heat up here. After facing the 4th and 6th toughest pass defenses, Purdy now gets a matchup against the Rams’ 29th ranked pass defense. Without McCaffrey, expect the 49ers to use a pass-heavy game script. Purdy should finish with 20-25 points this week.
RB – Tony Pollard (Tennessee Titans)
Pollard was slept on by many this year, going late in drafts despite his athletic ability. He may have regressed in Dallas last year, but Pollard is off to a strong start in his Titans tenure. He finished with just around 20 touches and 100 scrimmage yards in each of the first two weeks. With fellow RB Tyjae Spears banged up, Pollard may even see an increase in workload. We expect him to score 15-20 points against a subpar Packers run defense.
WR – Tutu Atwell (Los Angeles Rams)
After the Rams lost Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, there was a scramble on the waivers for their remaining receivers. Conventional wisdom has Demarcus Robinson emerging as the new top option, but Tutu Atwell is better set up to steal targets. Unlike the other remaining weapons, who are mostly journeyman vets, Atwell is still young and full of upside. We see him finishing with 10-15 points against the 49ers struggling pass defense.
TE – Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders)
Bowers is already flexing his dynamic ability as a rookie. He has 17 targets through the first two weeks and is coming off of a game with 9 receptions for 98 yards. Bowers is the clear #2 option behind Davante Adams in the Raiders passing game. New starting QB Gardner Minshew has been very solid, only raising Bowers’ floor. This week, Bowers gets a juicy matchup against a bad Panthers defense. We see him racking up 10-20 points.
NFL Fantasy – Sit in Week 3
QB – Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
Geno Smith outperformed his projections in the first two weeks, tallying just under 20 points each time. Smith has played well but may be in danger of a disappointing result this week, facing Miami’s 3rd-ranked passing defense. Additionally, the absence of Tua Tagovailoa for Miami may allow the Seahawks to run the football more often, especially if they open a large lead. We expect Smith to finish with fewer than 15 points this week.
RB – Austin Ekeler (Washington Commanders)
Ekeler provides Washington with a solid veteran presence and a good alternative to Brain Robinson Jr. His ability catching the football on passing downs keeps him fantasy relevant. That being said, the veteran faces a tough matchup this week against a capable Bengals defensive front. They should test the Commanders much more than their first two opponents did. Ekeler will get touches, but we see him tallying only 5 points this week.
WR – Rashid Shaheed (New Orleans Saints)
Shaheed has been one of the NFL’s top receivers through two weeks, due in no small part to his deep threat ability. Touchdowns of 50+ yards in each of the first two games have Shaheed looking like a fantasy steal. That being said, his long-term value is more questionable. New Orleans scored 44+ points in Weeks 1 and 2, but Shaheed only had 9 total targets. If he doesn’t rip off another big TD, he could finish with fewer than 10 points.
TE – Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions)
The projected top two fantasy TEs, Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce, have had subpar starts. While both are likely to return to form eventually, there could be a few more rough weeks in the works. LaPorta is struggling to get targets with WR Jameson Williams back in the picture. He posted career lows last week. With another brutal matchup against a capable Arizona pass defense, LaPorta is likely to be held to under 10 points once again.
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