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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Calvin Austin III, Xavier Worthy, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kayshon Boutte, Josh Jacobs, Bucky Irving, Hunter Renfrow, DeAndre Hopkins, Brian Robinson Jr., Braelon Allen.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Calvin Austin III, Xavier Worthy, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kayshon Boutte, Josh Jacobs, Bucky Irving, Hunter Renfrow, DeAndre Hopkins, Brian Robinson Jr., Braelon Allen. However, don't worry, we are here to help you 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 3:
Calvin Austin, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III has had a turbulent start to the season but will hope to take advantage of a soft matchup against the New England Patriots in Week 3.
New England has struggled to contain opposing wideouts, allowing the second-most fantasy points to the position through two games. While star Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) has a chance to return to the lineup on Sunday, he is likely to focus his attention on DK Metcalf.
This could leave Austin open for targets from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, with whom he flashed chemistry back in Week 1. The 26-year-old hasn't earned weekly fantasy consideration just yet, but he has some sneaky flex appeal in deeper formats this week.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder) has officially been ruled out for Week 3's matchup against the New York Giants. Worthy practiced in a limited fashion during the week, but the team isn't ready to put him back on the field after his Week 1 dislocated shoulder against the Los Angeles Chargers.
In his absence, Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton each carry standalone fantasy value, while Patrick Mahomes' ceiling takes a noticeable hit without his premier deep threat.
The next opportunity for Xavier Worthy's return will be Week 4 in a highly anticipated matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants
New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (calf) is "good to go" for his team's Week 3 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Tracy Jr. was limited in practice this week due to a calf issue, but will not carry an injury designation into Sunday.
The 25-year-old second-year running back is off to a slow start this season. Through two games, Tyrone Tracy Jr. has recorded just 39 rushing yards on 15 carries, although he does have six catches for 47 yards.
Tracy Jr. may be in danger of losing the early-down role in New York to rookie running back Cam Skattebo, who had 11 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. Tracy Jr. profiles as an RB4/low-end deep-league flex play in Week 3.
Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte remains in the low-end WR3/flex tier ahead of his Week 3 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Boutte is averaging 12.5 fantasy points (PPR) per game this year, and he salvaged his one-catch showing last week with a touchdown.
The 23-year-old has been one of Drake Maye's favorite and most reliable targets, and that should continue to be the case this Sunday. It's a particularly intriguing matchup for Boutte given that 88.1 percent of his snaps have come on the perimeter, and the Steelers have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to perimeter receivers in 2025.
Boutte leads all Patriots receivers in snaps this year and should impress in a high-volume role this weekend. Fantasy managers in leagues with at least 12 teams should feel comfortable starting Boutte in Week 3.
Braelon Allen, RB, New York Jets
New York Jets running back Braelon Allen heads into this weekend's road matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with questions regarding his role. The University of Wisconsin product scored a touchdown in Week 1, albeit on an inefficient six carries and nine yards.
He was more effective in last weekend's loss to the Bills, but toted the rock only twice and saw his snap share shrink from 31% to 19%. In turn, backfield mate Isaiah Davis saw more work. Although Davis did not see a carry, he was targeted thrice, meaning the split between him and Allen could be more game script dependent than hierarchy in the depth chart.
Whatever the outcome, it muddies the situation, making it difficult to discern the precise course of action to take regarding the handcuff to own behind teammate Breece Hall. Currently, Allen still has the best odds to come out ahead in that race and has the highest (touchdown-dependent) upside of the Jets' second-year rushers. He's RotoBaller's PPR RB51 in this week's ranks.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 3 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Calvin Austin III, Xavier Worthy, Tyrone Tracy, Kayshon Boutte, Josh Jacobs, Bucky Irving, Hunter Renfrow, DeAndre Hopkins, Brian Robinson Jr., Braelon Allen. 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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 circle), 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 3 for Calvin Austin III, Xavier Worthy, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Kayshon Boutte, Josh Jacobs, Bucky Irving, Hunter Renfrow, DeAndre Hopkins, Brian Robinson Jr., Braelon Allen:
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