Happy week 3 of the 2024 NFL season! Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike 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).
Week 3 starts with Thursday Night Football with the home team 1-1 New York Jets and the away team 1-1 New England Patriots. The line is low set currently at 38.5 with the Jets favored by 6. In a low scoring game like this I’m expecting a heavy dose of both Breece Hall and Rhamondre Stevenson. Hopefully we get a more exciting game than most are expecting. My prediction is a 16-20 win for the Jets.
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.
TNF START/SIT
Start – Rhamondre Stevenson – Stevenson is my start pick for TNF because he has been getting a great workload and has been converting his opportunities into fantasy success. Rhamondre had 25 carries for 120 yards and a TD in week 1 and then finished week 2 with 21 carries for 81 yards and a TD. He has caught 5 of his 8 targets thus far this season as well. Stevenson gets the Jets on Thursday who haven’t exactly shut down RBs after 2 games. They let Jordan Mason have a field day in week 1 and in week 2 they had Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears combine for 82 rushing yards. Stevenson should get plenty of touches and he’s been converting them so far.
Sit – Aaron Rodgers – Aaron Rodgers is averaging just over 170 passing yards each game and now has a Patriots defense who has been playing surprisingly well. Patriots held the Bengals to 10 points and the Seahawks finished with 23 in OT. Rodgers hasn’t done a lot in a fantasy perspective currently sitting outside the top 20 fantasy QBs after 2 weeks. I would sit Rodgers this week and focus on the run games of both offenses.
Last night we saw the NY Jets beat the Patriots handily. 21-point win for Rodgers and the Jets. Rodgers looked great throwing for 281 yards and 2 passing TDs. Was nice to see Conklin get involved and Wilson found the end zone. Breece Hall did not have to do a lot, but he still ended up with a TD. On the other side the Patriots offense looked less than ideal. Brissett could not throw for 100 yards and none of the RBs could hit just 30 rushing yards. If I am the Patriots, I would deeply consider giving Drake Maye QB1 responsibilities sooner than later.
Some of the games I’m looking forward to most in week 3 include the Saints/Eagles, Ravens/Cowboys, and Lions/Cardinals. Can the red-hot Saints continue to steam roll, or will the Eagles get their woes in check? Dak and Lamb against Lamar and Henry. And then a juicy hopefully high scoring game in the Lions/Cardinals.
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Alvin Kamara – Kamara is coming off a 4 TD performance and gets the Eagles this week. The Eagles who just let Bijan Robinson move up and down the field on the ground and even through the air. The eagles are giving up the most yards per rush this season. Saints have momentum right now and I think their game plan will be to feed Kamara
Giants @ Browns
Start – Deshaun Watson – Watson isn’t exactly starting the year hot. He has been tamed and mediocre at best. But this week he gets to play the Giants. The 0-2 Giants haven’t had any success stopping QBs this season allowing Sam Darnold to throw for over 200 yards and 2 passing TDs followed by allowing Jayden Daniels to throw over 225 passing yards and 44 rushing yards. Watson has shown his ability to run after 2 weeks so I think this could be a game where he can flex a bit on the ground and hopefully through the air. Good time to get Amari Cooper rolling who used to play the Giants often as a Cowboy.
Sit – Devin Singletary – Singletary had a good outing in week 2 rushing for 95 yards and scoring a rushing TD in Washington. This week he has the Browns defense to deal with who have held Ezekiel Elliot to 40 rushing yards and Travis Etienne to 52 rushing yards. Will be a tough ask for Devin to produce against a usually stout defense.
Packers @ Titans
Start – Josh Jacobs – Jacobs came up big in week 2 when the Packers were without Jordan Love. He finished with 32 carries for 151 rushing yards. His 32 carries are the 2nd most carries he has ever had in an NFL game. He will have to continue playing well to keep the Packers competitive without Love.
Sit – Jayden Reed – Reed might be a top WR on his team right now, but that isn’t a lot to say with Malik Willis playing QB. Malik threw 12 completions on 14 attempts which is a crazy good completion percentage, but that doesn’t get you a ton of fantasy points. Reed has had a calf injury, so you’ll want to monitor his status. Without Love (just 1 game this season), Reed was targeted just twice and that converted to 2 catches for 9 yards. He actually performed better as a runner rushing for 37 yards from 2 carries. I’ll stick to the ground game until Love returns.
Bears @ Colts
Start – Anthony Richardson – Richardson didn’t have his best game in week 2 with a noticeable 3 INTs. Hopefully that’s all out of his system in time for this matchup with the Bears. Richardson will hurt you on the ground now totaling 93 rushing yards which is 5th among active QBs through 2 weeks. The Bears defense kept Will Levis in check but had trouble with CJ Stroud. Richardson is in good position to succeed at home.
Sit – Rome Udonze – The rookie WR has yet to make his mark on the NFL totaling just 3 receptions for 44 receiving yards on 9 targets. The Bear’s offense has not been very impressive thus far with fellow rookie Caleb Williams at QB. Udonze has WRs DJ Moore and Keenan Allen to compete for targets. I don’t trust him in fantasy yet.
Texans @ Vikings
Start – CJ Stroud – CJ has his Texans 2-0 and Minnesota is next. I like Stroud in this game to really let the ball fly. Joe Mixon is dealing with an ankle injury and his status is still unknown. Luckily Stroud has a fantastic trio of WRs at his disposable. Stroud has Tank Dell, Nico Collins, and Stefon Diggs. This season CJ has completed 47 of his 68 pass attempts for 494 passing yards and 3 passing TDs. He has yet to throw an INT.
Sit – Dalton Schultz – Schultz has started slow this season but does have 3 targets in each of his first 2 games. 6 targets, 5 receptions, and 37 receiving yards. Not great on a high-powered offense. He is 5th on the team in targets with even RB Mixon out targeting him. George Kittle had success last week against Minnesota, but I think it will be more WR targets and receptions for Stroud this week.
Eagles @ Saints
Start – Alvin Kamara – SEE START OF THE WEEK TOP OF PAGE
Sit – Taysom Hill – Like I said above, the gameplan should be to feed Kamara. Hill hasn’t been heavily involved getting just 3 targets and 8 carries through 2 weeks of Saints domination. If Alvin is healthy, I think that trend continues against Philly this week.
Chargers @ Steelers
Start – Najee Harris – Going with Najee here as the main RB1 on the Steelers offense. Harris has 37 carries this season while next in line RB Jaylen Warren has just 11. Justin Fields is more of a threat to steal carries as we know he is a scrambling QB. This game should be low scoring and run heavy.
Sit – Gus Edwards – The Steelers have been playing solid defense holding their 2 opponents to 16 total points. Edwards has been getting decent volume, however JK Dobbins has also been getting volume and has been the more impressive RB. I’m sitting Edwards this week knowing the opponent and current success of his counterpart Dobbins.
Broncos @ Buccaneers
Start – Baker Mayfield – Baker has an appropriate name since he has been cooking to start the season. He is playing well and is the top QB in fantasy to start the season. After a masterful performance in week 1 defeating the Commanders with 4 passing TDs, he went to Detroit and handed them a loss with a passing TD and a rushing TD. He has 55 rushing yards this season and now takes on Denver. That is interesting because the Broncos allowed Justin Fields to rush for 27 yards and Geno Smith rush for 30 yards and a TD.
Sit – Courtland Sutton – Sutton is arguably the best pass catcher that Denver has for their rookie Bo Nix to throw to. 12 targets for him in week 1 led to just 4 catches for 38 yards and then in week 2 his targets dropped to 4 and he caught 1 of those for 26 receiving yards. Denver seems to be having issues on offense scoring just 1 TD this season and that was a Bo Nix QB run. Sutton and the Denver offense is too scary to start anyone right now.
Panthers @ Raiders
Start – Brock Bowers – Brock has quickly become a top TE in fantasy football after just 2 weeks. He has been vital to the offense being targeted 17 times in total which is only 1 less than Davante Adams. Bowers in TE2 this season in fantasy points behind Isaiah Likely who had an absurd week 1. The rookie has a chance to continue the Panthers defensive woes.
Sit – Chuba Hubbard – The Panthers offense has been dismal at best. This week we get to see Andy Dalton run the offense. That makes me believe the Panthers will have a better pass offense than usual. Rushing however should not be too different. Staying away from the Panthers run game.
Dolphins @ Seahawks
Start – Zach Charbonnet – Zach filled in nicely for Kenneth Walker last week and he might have to do the same this week with news that Walker could miss more time. The Dolphins just let James Cook have a field day against them and it could be the case again as Charbonnet is good both on the ground and as a pass catcher. Miami’s defense has been suspect after 2 weeks so I would fire up Charbonnet and all pass catchers for Seattle this week.
Sit – Raheem Mostert – Mostert is not a guarantee to play so monitor his status. If he is a go, I would deeply consider benching him this week. De’Von Achane has been doing it all in the backfield for Miami and with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at WR I would be finding a way to get them involved. Without Tua at AB, Miami has had trouble scoring and might need to throw more to stay competitive.
Ravens @ Cowboys
Start – Derrick Henry – Henry has scored in each of his games this season with the Ravens. When he gets carries in the red zone he converts. Only 4 attempts thus far but 2 TDs to show for it. The Cowboys kept the Browns RBs in check but let Alvin Kamara obliterated them on the ground and through the air. If Baltimore can move the ball, Henry should get great opportunities.
Sit – Ezekiel Elliot – Zeke scored in week 1 and then quickly came back to earth in week 2. He has a tough matchup against Baltimore who allowed only 27 rushing yards to the entire Las Vegas team in week 2 and 72 rushing yards to the entire Chiefs team week 1. CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott are the only Cowboys worth starting to me this week.
49ers @ Rams
Start – Brandon Aiyuk – Aiyuk is going to be the top pass catcher for Brock Purdy this weekend. No CMC, no Deebo, and Kittle is currently questionable to play. That means a hefty dose of Jordan Mason and Aiyuk. Jauan Jennings could be a sneaky play as well. The Rams are averaging 33+ points allowed per game.
Sit – Matthew Stafford – Matthew Stafford is coming off a 21-point loss and has just 1 TD pass this season thus far. His main 2 pass catchers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are not healthy enough to play this week so that certainly doesn’t help Stafford. The 49ers might be missing some key offensive weapons, but their defense is still solid.
Lions @ Cardinals
Start – Kylar Murray – Murray has continued to impress early this season and here is another opportunity to continue. Lions and Cardinals have the highest over/under at 51.5 so we are hoping for a shootout. Kyler has looked solid rushing and creating a lot of extra opportunities. Murray is yet to throw an INT and has over 100 rushing yards already.
Sit – Both D/ST – Like I stated above, the over/under is 51.5 which is the highest of the week. We are expecting fireworks from the offenses who are certainly capable of doing so. I’m not touching either D/ST.
Chiefs @ Falcons
Start – Rashee Rice – Rice has been solid after 2 weeks of action and is looking like the Chiefs go to WR1. His 15 targets are 7 more than next best Pacheco on the team. Pacheco is OUT and Kelce has yet to produce statistically. Falcons allowed DeVonta Smith a TD and 76 receiving yards in week 2 and 85 receiving yards to George Pickens in week 1. Rice is in line for a good game.
Sit – Samaje Perine – The Chiefs offense is going to shake up in the backfield after news that Isaiah Pacheco is going to be out for a while. That leaves Perine, the rookie Carson Steele, and now talks of Kareem Hunt signing with KC. It is unclear who will get most touches and what workloads will look like. Steele has the most touches and production in the first 2 weeks of the season, but Perine is more experienced in the NFL. I am going to stay clear of this possible committee until we see how it plays out,
Jaguars @ Bills
Start – Josh Allen – This might be the most obvious pick here, but it is just too good to pass up. Allen was average in week 2 with James Cook exploding for 3 TDs. This is going to be Monday Night Football, and I think Allen puts on a show. He’s generally good for a TD and his throwing and rushing make him a fantasy powerhouse.
Sit – Dalton Kincaid – It pains me to put Kincaid in this sit spot. My reasoning is that Dalton has just 6 targets, 5 receptions, and 44 receiving yards through 2 weeks. Yea I’m high on Allen this week but not sold on Kincaid. This could be the game he turns it around, but I’m not confident enough. There aren’t many TEs that are trustworthy at this point so it’s understandable to have to start him.
Commanders @ Bengals
Start – Joe Burrow – After struggling and losing to the Patriots to kick off his season, Burrow looked more like his usual self in week 2 when he started to heat up against the Chiefs and nearly beat them. Burrow gets the Washington defense this week so he should be in line for a big day. He’s got Ja’Marr Chase and Mike Gesicki at his disposable and possibly even Tee Higgins if he can get healthy in time.
Sit – Zach Ertz – I am going with Ertz here even though he is a reliable target for the rookie QB. The Bengals have faced Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry, Jared Wiley, and Travis Kelce for TEs this season. None of the 4 were able to eclipse 31 receiving yards and none have scored or even caught 3 passes. I’ll let Ertz sit on the bench this week unless you do not have a top 15 TE option.