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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Adonai Mitchell, DeVaughn Vele, Dontayvion Wicks, Josh Downs, Tre Tucker, Jameson Williams, Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Adonai Mitchell, Devaughn Vele, Dontayvion Wicks, Josh Downs, Tre Tucker, Jameson Williams, Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston. 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 2026 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...
Week 3 Fantasy Football 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:
Dontayvion Wicks, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks has gotten off to a strong start to the season with his new team, and he is a very solid pickup from the waiver wire as he continues to settle into his new offense. In Week 1, he showed his big-play ability and finished with two catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. He didn't find the end zone in Week 2, but he was more involved overall, hauling in five of his six targets for 74 yards against the Titans.
Wicks did lose some snaps to Darius Cooper down the stretch, but as long as he remains the second option at receiver behind DeVonta Smith, he'll be a very viable fantasy option in most leagues. Dallas Goedert (knee) is expected to miss a few weeks, which could open up a few more targets for Wicks. This week, the Eagles visit the Bears on Monday Night Football, and Wicks will be a deep-league WR4 play with a high ceiling due to his big-play upside. For shallow leagues, he's not quite a starter yet, but he is a solid depth pickup in all formats.
DeVaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele was targeted six more times in Sunday's win over the Ravens, collecting five receptions for 64 yards. With one Week 2 game still to be played, Vele sits as the fantasy WR18 on the season, and as long as rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) remains sidelined, the third-year veteran can be trusted to provide a usable floor.
In Kellen Moore's up-tempo offense, quarterback Tyler Shough has attempted the second-most passes through two weeks and leads the league with 662 yards; along with Chris Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson, Vele is one of three New Orleans pass-catchers to top 50 receiving yards in both games this season. Vele was considered a priority add last week, so he may not be available in most leagues, but he should be scooped up wherever he remains unrostered.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams was held in check in his team's 41-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, recording two catches for 33 yards on four targets. It's been an underwhelming start to the season for Williams, who has now logged six receptions for 78 yards on 13 targets across Detroit's first two games of the season. Against Buffalo, Williams finished fifth on the Lions in targets behind wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Isaac TeSlaa, tight end Sam LaPorta, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
While Williams has shown he can provide explosive fantasy production on a limited number of touches in the past, the 25-year-old also has a long history of providing fantasy managers with bust weeks when Detroit has its full complement of pass-catchers healthy. Heading into the Lions' Week 3 matchup against the New York Jets, it will be difficult for fantasy managers to trust Williams as anything more than a high-ceiling, low-floor WR3/flex option.
Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (toe), who was carted to the locker room on Sunday in the Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots with a toe injury, checked out relatively OK following tests, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Dowdle is considered day-to-day with a Week 3 matchup coming this weekend at home against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals.
The 28-year-old should be available for this Sunday's game, but it could depend on how much he can do during practice from Wednesday through Friday. Before leaving on Sunday against the Pats, Dowdle had seven carries for only 22 yards and caught both of his targets for an additional 22 yards through the air.
If Dowdle is limited at all or out in Week 3 versus the Bengals, backfield mate Jaylen Warren would become a clear RB2 for fantasy managers as Pittsburgh's primary back. In the Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Dowdle averaged just 1.9 yards per carry for 15 yards on eight carries, adding two catches for six yards. It has been slow going so far for him in 2026 in his first year with the Steelers.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker caught five of seven targets for 119 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's upset victory over the Chargers, and he appears to have separated himself as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. Through two weeks, Tucker has been targeted 11 times, joining running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Michael Mayer as the only Raiders players to see double-digit opportunities in the passing game. Starting tight end Brock Bowers (knee) was spotted at practice last week and is nearing a return after undergoing a meniscus trim days before the start of the season.
While the All-Pro should immediately slot in as the team's top target-earner as soon as he's active, Tucker will continue to provide big-play upside. His 20.9 yards per reception ranks third among all players with at least 10 targets, and he is a receiver who needs to be rostered after his Week 2 WR5 finish.
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 - Adonai Mitchell, DeVaughn Vele, Dontayvion Wicks, Josh Downs, Tre Tucker, Jameson Williams, Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston. 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 (2026)? 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 Adonai Mitchell, DeVaughn Vele, Dontayvion Wicks, Josh Downs, Tre Tucker, Jameson Williams, Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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