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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Adonai Mitchell, Jalen Coker, Deebo Samuel Sr., Rhamondre Stevenson, Rashod Bateman, Emanuel Wilson, Terry McLaurin, Luther Burden III.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Adonai Mitchell, Jalen Coker, Deebo Samuel Sr., Rhamondre Stevenson, Rashod Bateman, Emanuel Wilson, Terry McLaurin, Luther Burden III. 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.
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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:
Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets
New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger) was listed as a limited practice participant on Thursday due to a finger injury, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Mitchell was not listed on the injury report on Wednesday, which could indicate that he suffered the finger ailment during practice. The 23-year-old has been productive through New York's first two games of 2026, recording nine catches for 123 yards on 15 targets.
Mitchell has a favorable matchup on paper in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, but it appears that the third-year wideout's status for Sunday could be in question. The Jets will already be without rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (ankle), who was placed on Injured Reserve after Week 1 with an ankle injury. If Mitchell is sidelined against Detroit, star Jets wideout Garrett Wilson and rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq could be in line for sizable target shares in Week 3.
Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (ankle) was back on the field Friday after sitting out Thursday's practice, according to Alex Zietlow. Coker was limited Wednesday before being downgraded to a non-participant the following day.
Zietlow also saw him fielding punts during Friday's session, a positive sign after the midweek setback. Coker has 16 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns through the first two games, including eight receptions in each contest. Carolina had not yet released his official Friday participation level or game designation at the time of this update, so his status for Sunday's game at Cleveland remains worth watching.
Deebo Samuel Sr., San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is trending up in fantasy football because of his ability to stay healthy. The 49ers continue to deal with injuries on both sides of the ball, but perhaps no position has been hit harder than wide receiver. Christian Kirk (calf) landed on injured reserve before the season started, rookie De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) suffered a non-contact injury in Week 1 and was placed on IR, and both Mike Evans (hip) and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) emerged injured from Week 2.
For now, the injury bug hasn't hit Samuel, leaving him as the top healthy receiver on the Niners' depth chart. Being available for a full week of practice will bode well for Samuel's volume and, in turn, his fantasy production. He caught just three passes on Sunday, but we'd expect him to bounce back as a high-end WR3/flex in Week 3 with additional upside if Evans can't play.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman finally got something going Sunday, catching seven of nine targets for 88 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans. Zay Flowers (hamstring) being out obviously helped, but Bateman did more than just fall into a few extra looks. He played 54 of Baltimore's 58 offensive snaps and led the team in both targets and receiving yards after being held without a catch in Week 1. Flowers is expected back against Dallas, so fantasy managers should not count on another nine-target game right away.
That is what keeps Bateman out of the priority-add group this week. Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist) is still on injured reserve, though, and Bateman should continue to have a regular role in the offense. He is worth picking up in 12-team leagues if receiver depth is needed, but for now he makes more sense as a bench stash than someone who needs to go directly into the lineup.
Luther Burden, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III has not lived up to his preseason hype, totaling just eight catches, 95 yards, zero touchdowns, and one lost fumble through two games. To make matters worse, he's facing a quarterback downgrade heading into Week 3. Caleb Williams (hamstring) and Tyson Bagent (concussion) are both expected to miss Sunday's game against the Eagles, leaving third-string quarterback Case Keenum in line to start. This massive shift in quarterback play will likely only hurt Burden's already iffy fantasy outlook.
With Williams at the helm, Burden was a WR3, but at least he had upside in a high-powered offense. Keenum's takeover raises serious questions about whether this offense will be able to function, and therefore, Burden takes on a very low floor. The only saving grace is that the Bears might go pass-heavy in a negative game script, but that's not enough reason to start him with confidence. Managers would be better suited to find an alternative receiver to plug in at WR3/flex for the duration of Williams' absence.
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, Jalen Coker, Deebo Samuel Sr., Rhamondre Stevenson, Rashod Bateman, Emanuel Wilson, Terry McLaurin, Luther Burden III. 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, Jalen Coker, Deebo Samuel Sr., Rhamondre Stevenson, Rashod Bateman, Emanuel Wilson, Terry McLaurin, Luther Burden III.
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