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Should I start Xavier Worthy, Kayshon Boutte, Matthew Golden for Week 3? Read about 3 must-start fantasy football outlooks, our start 'em, sit 'em picks for 2025.
Identifying a potential lineup landmine can be the difference between winning and losing your match. Even though we are early in the season, we already have plenty of data to begin seeing a specific wide receiver's role within their offense.
In this piece, we will look at the three wide receivers who have the potential to disappoint in Week 3.
So, should fantasy managers start Golden, Worthy, and Boutte in Week 3? Let's dive in and find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
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- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Should I Start Matthew Golden for Fantasy Football?
The Green Bay Packers selected Matthew Golden in the opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Golden joined a wide receiver room that lacked a proven option, as Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks have all shown flashes at times but have been inconsistent.
In his first two professional games, Golden has had a minimal role, catching just two of his four targets for 16 yards. Doubs, Wicks, Reed, and tight end Tucker Kraft have overshadowed him.
However, in Week 3, the Packers will be without Reed, as he suffered a severe collarbone injury, and potentially Kraft, who is dealing with a knee injury. While this could open the door for a breakout game for Golden, it is best to leave him on their own bench until he produces.
Through these first two games, Golden has logged the second-most snaps among Green Bay WRs but has not produced on them. While Jordan Love has looked his wya downfield, the pair have yet to connect. While Golden could be poised to enjoy a breakout in the second half, given the injuries in the wide receiver room, for now, he projects to be a high-risk FLEX option that may only catch a handful of passes.
This weekend, he will face the Cleveland Browns, who shut down the Cincinnati Bengals' passing attack and contained the Ravens for the first half in Week 2, before falling apart in the second half.
Golden is best left as a high-risk, high-upside budget play in DFS.
Matthew Golden: "You want to make plays. We are 2-0. That's all I care about... I am glad I get to play with a group of guys like this."
The Packers' 1st-rd WR is practicing patience as he waits for the big plays he knows are coming. Nearly had 2 huge explosives last week. pic.twitter.com/5vBjl0eN03
— Dave Schroeder (@SchroederWBAY) September 19, 2025
Should I Start Xavier Worthy for Fantasy Football?
Xavier Worthy was a popular breakout pick as he enjoyed a spectacular finish to his rookie season. After averaging a low 8.7 PPR points per game over his first nine professional games, Worthy was able to find his footing in the second half. Over his final seven regular games, the former Texas standout averaged a strong 15.6 PPR points per game and found the back of the end zone four times over this stretch.
In the postseason, he continued to emerge as a key option in the offense, averaging 22.2 PPR points per game over three games.
However, his sophomore season hit a roadblock on the opening possession of their season opener when he suffered a torn labrum after colliding with tight end Travis Kelce. While Worthy was able to avoid serious injury and could be in line to return as early as Sunday, managers should keep him safely stashed on their bench.
Earlier on Friday, head coach Andy Reid said, "We'll see" when asked about Worthy's status on sitting out on Sunday night when the Chiefs face the Giants. Seeing that the team has yet to commit to him even playing is not a great sign for his weekly outlook.
Even if Worthy can play, there is no guarantee he will be given a full workload. Worthy could return to his lineup-lock status in Week 4, but for now, it is best to keep him on he bench, given the uncertainty regarding his health and potential limitations if he were to play.
Xavier Worthy Hopes to Return in Week 3https://t.co/A11JA6gYsA
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 14, 2025
Should I Start Kayshon Boutte for Fantasy Football?
The final player we will look at is Kayshon Boutte of the New England Patriots. Boutte began to gain some traction in the offense over the first two weeks of the 2024 season and has been able to carry that into 2025.
In the season opener, Boutte led the way, seeing a hefty eight targets. He was able to bring in six of them for 103 yards. However, in Week 2, Boutte took a significant step back, catching just one pass (on one target) for 16 yards. This 16-yard reception happened to be in the back of the end zone when he saved his fantasy day.
However, under the hood, this was not a positive sign for Boutte. In this contest, the wideout logged only 40 offensive snaps, a drop from the 54 he had in Week 1. In addition, he ran only 21 routes, compared to the 40 he ran in the season opener. Despite being on the field more than any New England wideout, Boutte was not used in the passing attack.
While it is positive to see him on the field, veteran Stefon Diggs was given a higher workload and is growing into the WR1 role that he was expected to take on. He was recovering from a torn ACL throughout most of the summer but appears to be nearing full strength.
Given his inconsistent usage in the first two weeks, Boutte is best left on the bench in Week 3. Even though he has a good matchup against a struggling Pittsburgh defense, he has high bust potential, especially if he only sees a few targets once again.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Matthew Golden, Xavier Worthy, and Kayshon Boutte. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 3. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 3 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Matthew Golden, Xavier Worthy, and Kayshon Boutte. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 3.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 3 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 3 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 3 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 3 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Matthew Golden, Xavier Worthy, and Kayshon Boutte compared to others:
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