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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Travis Kelce, Isaiah Likely, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews, Pat Freiermuth, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, Brock Bowers, Kenyon Sadiq.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Travis Kelce, Isaiah Likely, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews, Pat Freiermuth, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, Brock Bowers, and Kenyon Sadiq. 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:
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is questionable to make his 2026 season debut against the New Orleans Saints on the road on Sunday in Week 3, head coach Klint Kubiak told Sam Warren of The Athletic. Kubiak said that Bowers' non-participation on Friday was part of the plan as he continues to recover from a meniscus trim that he had just before the start of the regular season.
With Bowers missing wins over the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers in the first two weeks, tight end Michael Mayer stepped in to catch nine of his 11 targets for 55 yards and no touchdowns. The 23-year-old Bowers seemed like a lock to return to action this weekend after practicing in a limited fashion on Wednesday and Thursday, but the Raiders might be waiting to see how Bowers looks during pre-game warmups on Sunday.
It will make fantasy managers' decisions more difficult with Bowers this weekend. You will need a backup plan just in case, especially with the Raiders' game this Sunday coming in the later window. If Bowers does make his debut in the Big Easy, do not be surprised if the Raiders ease him in and put him on a snap count.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is coming off his best game in a long time and will try to repeat that performance against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. Kelce caught nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in the 33-30 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts last week. Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs offense have appeared to turn back the clock, scoring at least 31 points in each game this season.
The addition of Kenneth Walker in the run game and the return of OC Eric Bieniemy appear to have unlocked the high-scoring Chiefs offense that has been missing for the past few seasons. An improved offensive environment can only mean good things for the veteran tight end who appears to be the focal point of the passing attack once again. Kelce will look to continue his hot streak on the road against the Dolphins.
The Miami defense has been gashed for over 27 points twice this season, meaning the Chiefs offense is in for another big game. Kelce is ranked TE4 in our RotoBaller Week 3 PPR rankings, making him a top-end TE1 option this week. Fantasy managers should feel confident with Kelce in their lineups on Sunday.
Isaiah Likely, New York Giants
New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely has been highly productive in his first few weeks with his new team. Through two games, Likely has hauled in 13 of 18 targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 14.8 half-PPR fantasy points per game. Despite wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee) being healthy and active to start the season, Likely has been the team's lead receiver in every statistical category.
However, quarterback Jaxson Dart (knee) underwent season-ending surgery, and backup Jameis Winston will take over as starter. With Dart out, this Matt Nagy offense could lean more on the run game as it tries to limit Winston's turnovers.
They face a Tennessee Titans defense that has allowed just 35 yards to tight ends in two games this season, but the main concern is the weather, with heavy rain and winds expected in East Rutherford on Sunday. While it's difficult to take Likely out of starting lineups given his consistent production, fantasy managers should temper expectations in Week 3.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has operated in an encouraging role so far this season and has a great opportunity to turn his usage into fantasy production against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Through 10 career meetings with Cincinnati, Freiermuth has scored six touchdowns while averaging five receptions and 62 yards per contest.
Despite the Bengals' defensive improvements, Cincinnati struggled to contain Dalton Schultz in Week 2 after surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in both 2025 and 2024. Freiermuth is likely available in the majority of redraft leagues and should be viewed as a solid streaming option in this divisional showdown.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry has been relatively disappointing to start the season from a fantasy perspective. However, his volume has been solid, as he has three catches in each of the Patriots' two games so far. Additionally, last week, he logged five targets on a 91% snap share. These numbers are far from flashy, and we acknowledge that Henry is still looking for his first touchdown of the season.
Nevertheless, he's a reliable veteran target whose physicality could make him a top candidate to replace AJ Brown (ankle) around the goal line. Furthermore, the Patriots are unlikely to have rookie Eli Raridon (thigh) against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. Henry was already at the top of the depth chart, but Raridon's likely absence gives Henry less competition for targets at the tight end position.
The Jaguars have allowed the seventh-fewest receptions to tight ends this year, but that came over a small sample size and could have been a mere product of playing against the Browns and Broncos. We're not trusting Henry as a surefire top-12 fantasy tight end this week, but we could still envision him posting his best fantasy finish of the year so far. As it stands, he is the overall TE14 in RotoBaller's latest Week 3 rankings.
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 - Travis Kelce, Isaiah Likely, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews, Pat Freiermuth, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, Brock Bowers, Kenyon Sadiq. 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 Travis Kelce, Isaiah Likely, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews, Pat Freiermuth, Hunter Henry, AJ Barner, Brock Bowers, Kenyon Sadiq.
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