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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Theo Johnson, Jonnu Smith, Gunnar Helm, Noah Fant, Dawson Knox, Ben Sinnott.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Theo Johnson, Jonnu Smith, Gunnar Helm, Noah Fant, Dawson Knox, and Ben Sinnott. 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:
Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans tight end Gunnar Helm saw his production dip in Week 2, catching both of his targets for 13 yards after opening the season with four receptions for 28 yards. He has six catches for 41 yards through two games and is tied for second on the team with seven targets. Tennessee's passing offense has not generated enough production to support multiple pass catchers, with Cam Ward averaging only 161.5 passing yards per game, which ranks 25th among qualifying quarterbacks.
There is some reason for optimism this week against the Giants, however, as Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson caught six of nine targets for 54 yards and a touchdown against New York on Monday night. Helm has not received enough volume or red-zone involvement to be considered a dependable fantasy starter. Still, the matchup makes him a reasonable desperation streamer for managers seeking help at a thin position.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki was heavily involved in the Week 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but disappeared last week against the Houston Texans. Gesicki led all Bengals pass catchers with five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in the season opener, but did not earn a single target in Week 2. The veteran tight end went from offensive focal point to non-factor in consecutive weeks, which may have been due to the health of quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow took a big shot while running out of bounds early in Week 1.
It was later revealed that Burrow was dealing with back tightness ahead of Week 2. It is possible that Burrow dealt with the back tightness throughout their Week 1 matchup and targeted Gesicki closer to the line of scrimmage for that reason. The Bengals offensive attack shifted back towards their high-volume wide receiver duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with Burrow getting healthier.
Heading into Week 3, it is difficult to trust Gesicki as anything more than a dart throw at the tight end position. Gesicki will likely have good performances again this season, but fantasy managers may not be able to predict when those will be. Gesicki is ranked TE29 in our RotoBaller Week 3 PPR rankings, putting him outside of TE2 range this week. Fantasy managers may be best served looking elsewhere for tight end production.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson's volume has taken a massive hit this season. After finishing as the TE18 with 74 targets and 48 catches in his second pro season last year, Johnson has just five targets, one reception, and nine yards in 2026. We knew his role was going to be threatened by the signing of Isaiah Likely, but nobody predicted a downfall this drastic. Johnson has played 46% and 28% of the snaps in his first two games this year, respectively. He did command four targets in Week 2 with Jameis Winston at quarterback, but he didn't catch any of those passes. Johnson could get back onto the fantasy radar if Likely misses any time, but for now, Likely is healthy and Johnson can be left on waivers in almost all leagues and not be relied upon, even in the deepest of redraft leagues.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange hasn't been quite as viable a fantasy option as some fantasy managers might've thought coming into the season. Strange hauled in two receptions for 23 yards and a touchdown in the season opener. He followed that up with two catches for 17 yards last week.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been focusing on passing to his receivers, and that's likely going to remain the script for the upcoming Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots. With the Jags healthy at wide receiver, Strange is likely going to be an afterthought most weeks. He'll be a touchdown-dependent option against the Patriots this weekend.
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 - Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Theo Johnson, Jonnu Smith, Gunnar Helm, Noah Fant, Dawson Knox, Ben Sinnott. 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 Brenton Strange, Mike Gesicki, Colby Parkinson, Theo Johnson, Jonnu Smith, Gunnar Helm, Noah Fant, Dawson Knox, Ben Sinnott.
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