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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Josh Downs, Bhayshul Tuten, DK Metcalf, Ladd McConkey, Stefon Diggs, Quentin Johnston, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Rome Odunze.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Josh Downs, Bhayshul Tuten, DK Metcalf, Ladd McConkey, Stefon Diggs, Quentin Johnston, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Rome Odunze. 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:
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs finally got going in Week 2, catching seven of nine targets for 72 yards in the overtime loss to Kansas City. He had only two catches for 37 yards in the opener, so the jump in involvement was hard to miss. Alec Pierce left Sunday's game in the first quarter after aggravating his surgically repaired heel and is now slated to go on injured reserve.
That should leave more work for Downs, even after Indianapolis signed Darius Slayton this week. Keenan Allen and Tyler Warren are still going to command targets, so this is not suddenly a one-man passing game. Downs does have a clearer path than he did a week ago, though. He led the Colts in targets, catches, and receiving yards against the Chiefs and now has nine receptions for 109 yards through two games.
RotoBaller has him at WR26 for Week 3 against Houston. With Pierce set to miss time, Downs has a chance to turn one busy night into a much steadier role.
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston has not disappeared from the offense. That might be the most frustrating part. Johnston has seen 11 targets through two games and caught only three of them for 24 yards, including one catch for seven yards against Las Vegas. He also had a seven-yard run Sunday, but the passing-game production has been almost nonexistent. Ladd McConkey is still the top receiver here, and Tre' Harris has already turned four catches into 73 yards, including a 53-yard gain in Week 2.
Johnston did enough last season to earn some patience, finishing with 51 catches for 735 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. The early 2026 results are still hard to ignore. RotoBaller has Johnston at No. 100 overall in its current half-PPR rest-of-season rankings and lists him as a hold who can be benched. That feels right after two rough weeks.
The targets are there, but until Johnston starts doing something with them, he is getting tougher to trust in fantasy lineups.
Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey (rib) was a full participant in the team's practice on Wednesday, according to the team. McConkey took a hard hit in the Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and was questionable to play in Week 2 against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders. The 24-year-old eventually ended up suiting up in a second straight loss for the Bolts and caught all three of his targets for a pedestrian 35 receiving yards.
The former second-rounder from Georgia looked much better before his injury in Week 1, catching five of seven targets for 82 yards and his first touchdown of the 2026 season. McConkey looks to have moved past his rib injury as the Chargers prepare for a difficult battle on the road against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday. Barring a setback, he should be active in Week 3 and should be considered a strong WR2 in PPR formats as the Chargers look to finally get their offense clicking.
Stefon Diggs, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs was solid in the season opener, but he managed to top that on Sunday. Diggs hauled in four receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown during his team debut.
In Week 2, Diggs topped that with five receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Diggs hauled in his first score from Jayden Daniels (elbow) in the second quarter and found the end zone again in the fourth quarter with Marcus Mariota under center. Diggs has been impressive with nine receptions for 102 yards and three touchdowns this season. His fantasy value could take a hit with Daniels now on the shelf, making him a risky FLEX play in Week 3.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice caught four passes for 83 yards in the 33-30 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. Rice ended up with the third-most receiving yards on the team, but much of his production came on a meaningless 31-yard reception at the end of regulation.
With the Chiefs at their own 46-yard line and only three seconds left in the fourth quarter, quarterback Patrick Mahomes dumped off a short pass to Rice, who ran for 31 yards as the clock expired. Rice was able to pick up those extra yards because the Colts' defense was sitting back playing prevent defense. If you remove that catch, Rice's stat line is three catches for 52 yards, which is serviceable but not what you'd expect from a player perceived as a WR1 for fantasy.
Rice will aim to boost his production next week against a beatable Miami Dolphins defense. The Dolphins have leaked points to opposing offenses early in the season, and Rice will look to capitalize on that opportunity. He should be viewed as a WR2/3 until his productivity increases.
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 - Josh Downs, Bhayshul Tuten, DK Metcalf, Ladd McConkey, Stefon Diggs, Quentin Johnston, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Rome Odunze. 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 Josh Downs, Bhayshul Tuten, DK Metcalf, Ladd McConkey, Stefon Diggs, Quentin Johnston, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Rome Odunze.
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