Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike Hubbard Jr here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard). You can tweet me or message me on either social media with any questions you might have regarding the fantasy football season.
Happy week 3 fantasy followers! 2 weeks down and a bunch more to go. Hopefully you are sitting pretty at 2-0, fairly confident at 1-1, or looking to improve after an 0-2 start. Sample sizes will start to grow and that usually makes expectations easier to predict and puts a little more control in your game. Obviously not much is in your control in fantasy due to injuries, covid, and other real-life situations. The season is a long one and you shouldn’t be overconfident or feeling defeated just yet. Hold tough and keep putting your team in the best position to win each week on your road to fantasy glory.
Last night was the TNF matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns ended up winning 29-17 after an insane last second defensive TD for Cleveland that sports betters felt worldwide. Steelers were covering their +7.5 spread until they tried lateraling a few times on the final play, only to fumble the ball and allow the Browns to jump on it in the end zone therefore making the final score a 12-point win. The highlights of this game were Nick Chubbs rushing dominance and George Pickens stellar onehanded grab in the first half. Could also say Brissett handled himself nicely and Njoku and Cooper benefited quite nicely. The Browns will look to build on this win when they face the Falcons in week 4 while the Steelers look to end a 2-game skid against the Jets.
Week 3 has some interesting matchups to look forward to. Unlike week 2, only 1 game has a spread of 7 or higher and that goes to the Chargers favorited over the Jags. There are 5 games in week 3 that have a line between 5.5 and 6.5. All other games have lower spreads. My favorite Sunday matchup has to be the Bills/Dolphins game. Both teams look great offensively and are building momentum toward playoff runs. This is the only game between undefeated teams this week. The line is 5.5 in favor of Buffalo. The Bills are very hard to beat, but they are playing in Miami and their offense looks like they can keep up with anyone and quickly at that. I like the Bills to win this game and make yet another statement. Its Superbowl or bust in Buffalo and if they want to stay sharp this will be a great test moving forward. Buffalo absolutely crushed Miami 35-0 last season but that was without Tua. Get your popcorn ready for a possible playoff preview. My prediction is a Buffalo win by the score of 34-20.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles. Lets dive into my start of the week and all of Sundays full slate.
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Amon-Ra St. Brown – St. Brown has just continued to produce week after week since the last couple months of last season. He has 10 more targets and 10 more receptions than any other Lions player. St. Brown casually caught 8 of his 12 targets in week 1 for 64 yards and a TD. Then he comes out against Washington and goes off for 9 receptions for 116 yards and 2 TDs. At this rate the limit does not exist. Lions get the Vikings who are coming off a bad loss in Philly. I like the Lions to keep on scoring and the chemistry between Goff and St. Brown is sure to help with that. Don’t look now but Amon-Ra is tied with Waddle and behind only Stefon Diggs in WR fantasy points this season. Amon-Ra is playing like a league winner.
Eagles @ Commanders
Start – Jalen Hurts – Hurts is looking great after 2 weeks. He is 2-0 and made a statement on MNF in a big win over Minnesota. Hurts already has 3 TDs via rushing and has an additional passing TD. Hurts now has 13 rushing TDs since the beginning of last season. Hurts takes on Washington this week in a rivalry game that has everyone talking. Wentz vs Hurts. Advantage Hurts for me. Washington has given up 58 points through 2 games thus far and the Eagles are averaging 31 points per game. Hurts should roll in this one as he is throwing more accurately, as good as ever rushing, and has his offense clicking with even more room to grow. My pick of the year is a stud and should be started every week.
Sit – Washington DST – I wanted to put Wentz in my sit category this week but how can I after 2 weeks of being a top 5 fantasy QB. Hurts is great in this game and Wentz could be a sneaky good play. I’m expecting the Eagles to score a good number of points which is why the Washington defense should not be started. Depending on score and game flow will determine how much Wentz will need to throw and if they’re behind I’m sure we will see a ton of passing. Wentz is putting up numbers and so are all of his pass catchers. Stay safe and do not start Washington’s defense.
Texans @ Bears
Start – Brandin Cooks – Cooks is the best receiver in Houston and after double digit targets in both week 1 and 2, he gets the Bears defense. The Bears defense allowed 2 receiving TDs and let Sammy Watkins of all people reach 93 receiving yards in week 2. Week 1 was a wet weather game so passing defense didn’t apply much. The Texans have not won a game yet, but they did tie and then lost by 7. As long as Mills keeps targeting Cooks (11 more targets than any other Texan), you should continue to start him every week. Bears are favored by 2.5 currently but I would not be shocked if the Texans got their first win.
Sit – Darnell Mooney – Mooney owners everywhere are currently regretting taking him in their fantasy drafts. The Bears simply haven’t thrown enough. After 2 full games Justin Fields has 15 completions on 28 attempts. No one on the team has double digit targets, David Montgomery is the only player with more than 3 catches, and their leader in receiving yards has 57. Mooney is talented and can put up points, but it doesn’t really matter if your QB isn’t looking to pass to you or anyone often enough. I would avoid Mooney this week and moving forward unless something changes for the better.
Raiders @ Titans
Start – Derrick Henry – People are starting to worry about Henry moving forward. He had a very rough week in Buffalo rushing for 25 yards on 13 carries. He did score the only TD of the game for Tennessee. The Bills defense can make anyone look really bad any week. Henry had 82 rushing yards in week 1 against the surprisingly undefeated Giants. The Raiders allowed the Cardinals 143 rushing yards on 28 team carries and 2 rushing TDs in week 2. I think as long as Henry is healthy, he has a great chance to go off at any time. I think Henry will bounce back this week and let everyone know who the King is.
Sit – Robert Woods – Woods has been very quiet through 2 games with the Titans this season. He only caught 1 of 2 targets in week 1 for 13 receiving yards. In week 2 he was targeted 5 times and caught 4 of them for 39 receiving yards. The Titans looked terrible against the stout Bills defense last weekend to the point where they took out Tannehill for the rookie Malik Willis. Regardless of who is behind center, Henry is the only Titan I’m confident starting right now.
Chiefs @ Colts
Start – Clyde Edwards-Helaire – CEH has started the season on a great note. RB1 in KC has caught all 7 of his targets this season for 76 yards and 2 TDs. He has also rushed 15 times for 116 yards through 2 weeks which is an average of over 7 yards per rush. The Chiefs should take care of business in Indianapolis as long as they can contain Jonathon Taylor. I believe CEH will produce in a close game and in a big lead game.
Sit – Skyy Moore – Mahomes said that every week any of their players are capable of having big games. That seems to be true so far, that is unless your name is Skyy. The rookie has only been targeted 1 time this season and he turned that into a 30-yard reception. 8 different Chiefs players have been targeted more and 6 different players have receiving TDs. Skyy seems low on the totem pole so I would say maybe stash him, but I wouldn’t consider starting him.
Bills @ Dolphins
Start – Gabe Davis – So almost all offensive players for both teams you’re going to want to start. Both offenses are on fire, but Buffalos defense has been next level elite. The Bills offense should continue to roll as the Ravens were against Miami last week. Ravens may have lost but they ran and threw all over the Dolphins. Josh Allen should be able to do the same. Josh Allen loves hitting Gabe Davis for big plays. He is a walking TD. I love Allen and Diggs obviously, but Davis would be my next Buffalo choice.
Sit – Mike Gesicki – For a pass catcher on a team with 739 passing yards in just 2 games, Gesicki has only 42 receiving yards. The Dolphins are looking impressive on offense but Tua, Tyreek, and Waddle have all stolen the stats and glory. Gesicki has 1 TD through 2 weeks which you can’t really complain about. What I can complain about is the matchup with Buffalo. The Bills have only conceded 17 point this season and 14 of those points were thanks to Cooper Kupp and Derrick Henry. I don’t feel safe starting Gesicki this week.
Lions @ Vikings
Start – Amon-Ra St. Brown – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Detroit DST – I was leaning toward Kirk Cousin for my sit spot after his really bad showing in Philly where he threw 3 INTs and only got 7 total points for Minnesota. But then again Cousins has weapons at his disposal and takes on the Lions who gave up big games to Jalen Hurts in week 1 and Carson Wentz in week 2. Hopefully this is a high scoring game with many impactful fantasy players. If Cousins can steer clear from rookie Aidan Hutchinson, I believe he can have a big game. Detroit’s defense has been suspect to say the least and has given up 65 points through 2 games so it’s better to avoid them altogether.
Ravens @ Patriots
Start – Jakobi Meyers – Going out on a limb here with Meyers. He has been the most targeted Patriot and also leads the team in receptions and receiving yards. The risky part is that he just doesn’t score TDs. This week he gets the Ravens secondary. The Ravens let Joe Flacco throw for over 300 passing yards and then let Tua and the Dolphins explode for 42 points, 469 passing yards and 6 receiving TDs. Meyers isn’t exactly Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle, but he is probably the most opt to have a good game for the Patriots is they can get an offensive rhythm going.
Sit – Rhamondre Stevenson – Stevenson is in a New England backfield that is split between him and Damien Harris. They are the only RBs to have any rushing attempts and so far, 24 have gone to Harris and 17 have gone to Rhamondre. Harris has 119 rushing yards (48 more than Stevenson) and has the lone rushing TD for the Patriots at this point. They have combined for 7 catches on 9 targets. Although I think Rhamondre has the brighter future, Harris has been a little better and has gotten more chances. Regardless of the split backfield, The Ravens have kept both the Dolphins and the Jets in check on the ground. They gave up 73 rushing yards to the Jets and then 86 rushing yards to the Dolphins. Neither team has scored a rushing TD against them. I think both Harris and Stevenson are held in check this week.
Bengals @ Jets
Start – Hayden Hurst – If you are struggling with finding a TE you might be able to pick up Hurst this week and even start him against the Jets. The Jets gave up 52 yards to Mark Andrews in week 1 and then gave up 77 yards combined to TEs Njoku and Bryant. Only Ja’Marr Chase has more receptions and targets on the Bengals. Hayden has caught 10 of his 15 targets for 70 receiving yards. Hopefully the Bengals offense can get back on track so Hurst can start grabbing some TDs.
Sit – Breece Hall – The rookie is essentially splitting time with Michael Carter at RB for the Jets. Carter has a slight stat advantage over Hall at this point. Both of them are decent flex plays most weeks and this week they get Cinci who has looked pretty average. The Bengals are still looking for their first win and this week should be the week. I believe the Jets will have to throw to keep up so I would prefer a Jets WR over either RB this week.
Saints @ Panthers
Start – CMC & Alvin Kamara – Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara are both back practicing and are on track to play in week 3. Both RBs are work horses and can burn you with their rushing and receiving abilities. Both are start your studs’ type of players so when they play you should start them. Kamara has the better odds facing the Panthers run defense, but CMC is a huge chunk of the Panthers offense. If they both stay healthy and play the entire game, top 10 fantasy RB is easily within reach for each of them.
Sit – Chris Olave – The rookie came out of week 2 looking great after being targeted 13 times in the loss to the Bucs. Jameis Winston was throwing deep a lot in hopes of a win over Tampa so the targets are slightly misleading. He caught 5 of those 13 targets and finished the week with 80 receiving yards. The rookie has yet to score a TD and the Panthers defense has yet to allow an opposing WR to score. They haven’t let a WR exceed 60 receiving yards as of yet as well. This is an Alvin Kamara game.
Jaguars @ Chargers
Start – Austin Ekeler – I know, crazy start choice, right? Ekeler is an automatic start every week and this week is no exception. Justin Herbert got banged up last week but somehow looks a lot better and is planning to start against the Jags. If Herbert is not feeling 100% but still plays, I’m going to guess we will see more rushing and more quick RB targets in hopes of YAC. Ekeler fits into that game plan along with almost every game plan. Ekeler will get carries and receptions and his speed and versatility should be on full display. Ekeler is my top RB this week in a game that might be closer than the 7-point spread currently in place.
Sit – Trevor Lawrence – Lawrence looked good in week 2 but then again I think anyone would have against the Colts last week. The Jaguars look like they are trending upwards outscoring opponents 46-28 after 2 weeks and sitting at 1-1. The Chargers should be rested and ready to take on the Jags and try to disrupt Lawrence. Trevor is still super young in his NFL career but let it be known he hasn’t accounted for 3 total TDs in a game since week 1 of last season. I don’t see that changing this week, especially with the duo of Robinson and Etienne at RB.
Rams @ Cardinals
Start – Matthew Stafford – The Rams get the Cardinals this week. That is great news for the Rams offense. They may be playing in Arizona, but the Cardinals have given up 67 points through 2 games which averages out to 33+ points per week. Rams know how to score points (when they aren’t facing Buffalo) so I’m liking a high scoring game here. Cardinals don’t go quietly so expect a big fantasy relevant game on both teams. If Stafford can play more like he did in week 2 and just stop turning the ball over (5 INTs) he should get a nice stat line.
Sit – James Connor – Connor has the most rushing attempts on the Cardinals (5 more than anyone) yet he is 4th in rushing yards on the team. Connor also has caught 7 of his 10 targets for 55 receiving yards so far. Eno Benjamin has 8 more rushing yards and 2 less receiving yards than Connor. James found the end zone in week 1 like he did all the time last season but failed to in week 2. Connor is a top 20 RB this week but proceed with caution against the Rams good rush defense.
Falcons @ Seahawks
Start – Cordarrelle Patterson – Patterson is in a great spot this week. Seattle allowed the Broncos 102 rushing yards and then allowed the 49ers 189 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. Patterson is only losing time to Tyler Allgeier while Damien Williams placed on IR. I like Patterson a lot more than both of them and he should be able to take advantage of the Seahawks weak rushing defense. Patterson is a threat to run or to catch and run. Im starting Patterson this week.
Sit – DK Metcalf – Metcalf is in my sit spot this week. DK has been targeted 13 total times in 2 games which isn’t bad but turning those into a 36-yard game and a 35-yard game isn’t what he or his fantasy owners had in mind. Still no TDs and he is coming off a game that Tyler Lockett caught 9 of 11 targets. Geno Smith has shown glimpses that make DK owners optimistic, but he is on a run heavy offense that just isn’t what they used to be. If DK can’t get more targets and can’t capitalize them while Lockett starts to excel more, DK owners could start to worry. Hopefully I’m wrong and Metcalf can break a huge play or 2 to change my mind.
Packers @ Buccaneers
Start – Leonard Fournette – Fournette is an interesting pick this week. He should be a top 10 RB this weekend facing the Packers in Tampa. Fournette already has 192 rushing yards and 19 receiving yards going into week 3 yet he felt the need to tweet out “to my fantasy owners I’m sorry Touchdowns are coming soon”. He obviously feels confident he’ll score in the near future and maintain a steady pace of production. Brady is without Mike Evans this week and it seems every WR in Tampa has a questionable tag on them with no certainty of playing or being on a snap count. Insert all the Fournette. We could see a lot of rushing attempts and some targets for Fournette in a game the Bucs are favored to win by 1.
Sit – Aaron Rodgers – Rodgers has a bounce back week 2 like we all expected. I guess I expected more but 2 passing TDs, 234 passing yards, and no turnovers is not much to complain about. He was terrible week 1 with no scores, just a turnover. In week 3 he takes on the Bucs who might look like the best defense in the league along with Buffalo (don’t sleep on SF defense). Rodgers doesn’t have a great group of WRs or TEs and will have to make do with his double headed RB attack of Jones and Dillon. A tall order for Rodgers this week after the Bucs held Dallas QBs to a combined 173 passing yards and an INT, and then held Jameis Winston to 236 passing yards, 1 passing TD, and 3 INTs. I’m fading Rodgers this week.
49ers @ Broncos
Start – Courtland Sutton – Sutton leads the Broncos in targets and receiving yards. Jerry Jeudy is missing practice and its up in the air whether he will be playing Sunday. Sutton is coming off an 11-target game and is currently 8th in the NFL in receiving yards. Both Sutton and Javonte Williams should be getting targeted heavily in this game.
Sit – Jimmy Garoppolo – Jimmy G is back at QB1 for SF this season after the unfortunate season ending injury to Trey Lance. Trey had that anytime rushing part of his game that Jimmy doesn’t have. He takes on the Broncos who have been defensively stout since mid-week 1. Since halftime of that week 1 Seattle game, Denver has given up just 9 points to opponents. Jimmy is outside my top 20 QBs this week.