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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jordan Mason, D.J. Moore, Calvin Ridley, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Deebo Samuel Sr., Ricky Pearsall, Troy Franklin, Travis Etienne Jr., James Conner, Bo Nix.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jordan Mason, D.J. Moore, Calvin Ridley, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Deebo Samuel Sr., Ricky Pearsall, Troy Franklin, Travis Etienne Jr., James Conner, Bo Nix. 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.
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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:
Jordan Mason, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason is in line for a heavy workload in Week 3. Signed this offseason, Mason has already logged 24 carries for 98 yards through two games, and with Aaron Jones Sr. landing on injured reserve, the backfield is now his to lead.
Mason proved last year with the 49ers that he can handle volume, producing 667 yards and three touchdowns on 128 carries across seven starts in 2024. Now he draws a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have allowed the third-most half-PPR fantasy points to running backs early this season.
With both opportunity and matchup working in his favor, Mason profiles as a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside in Week 3.
D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore is off to a sluggish start in 2025. Since the arrival of quarterback Caleb Williams, Moore has averaged just 56 yards per game with six touchdowns across 19 games.
The chemistry between the two has yet to click, and Moore's role has clearly diminished with second-year receiver Rome Odunze emerging as the Bears' WR1. That said, Week 3 offers a get-right opportunity.
The Dallas Cowboys allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2024 and just gave up a monster performance to Malik Nabers (167 yards, two TDs) in Week 2. While Moore's ceiling is capped by Odunze's rise, the matchup keeps him firmly in play as a high-end WR3 with upside this week.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley projects to carry a high-floor WR3 value in a Week 3 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Titans have faced two tough defensive units and have struggled to find their footing on offense.
In Week 1, Ridley lined up against the Denver secondary and caught just four of his eight targets for 27 yards. In Week 2, Ridley and the offense took a step forward, facing the Rams, catching three of his six targets for 56 yards. While rookie Elic Ayomanor has emerged as a strong No. 2 option in the passing attack, Ridley remains Cam Ward's go-to option.
As a result, fantasy managers should view him as a high-floor WR3 in PPR leagues facing the Colts, who have allowed the 16th-most PPR points to opposing WRs this season.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt appears set to lead the team's backfield in Week 3 against the Raiders. With Austin Ekeler out for the season, Croskey-Merritt is expected to start and handle the most carries after touching the ball just four times in Week 2's loss to the Packers. The rookie has been super productive and dynamic on his touches this season, earning the highest rushing grade among all running backs, per PFF.
He burst onto the scene with 10 rushes for 82 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut against the Giants and closed the game out with an explosive 42-yard rush on the team's final drive of the game. Third year back, Chris Rodriguez Jr. will be back in the fold now and could take away some early down work as well as short yardage and goal line carries with his hammer running style. And then veteran Jeremy McNichols will fill in for Ekeler and handle most of the pass-down responsibilities.
Croskey-Merritt will continue to have to earn trust in pass protection and other areas without the ball before being thrust into an every-down role. With Marcus Mariota filling in for an injured Jayden Daniels, Croskey-Merritt can still be fired up as an RB2 against the Raiders in Week 2.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is looking like the team's de facto WR1 heading into the team's Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Fellow wideout Jauan Jennings (ankle/shoulder) did not practice this week and is listed as questionable on the team's final injury report.
Pearsall could emerge as a top target for quarterback Mac Jones, who is expected to draw another start in lieu of Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder), who is also listed as questionable. Pearsall projects as a WR3 and can be upgraded pending Jennings' status and that of cornerbacks Max Melton (knee) and Will Johnson (groin), both of whom are on Arizona's injury report.
Last year's 31st overall draft pick, Ricky Pearsall, is a fairly safe start in three-WR leagues and a solid flex option elsewhere heading into the 49ers' home matchup versus the Arizona Cardinals.
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 - Jordan Mason, D.J. Moore, Calvin Ridley, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Deebo Samuel Sr., Ricky Pearsall, Troy Franklin, Travis Etienne Jr., James Conner, Bo Nix. 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 Jordan Mason, D.J. Moore, Calvin Ridley, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Deebo Samuel Sr., Ricky Pearsall, Troy Franklin, Travis Etienne Jr., James Conner, Bo Nix:
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