Chiefs vs. Falcons Sunday Night Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Patrick Mahomes, Carson Steele, Travis Kelce, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and more

Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em, and lineup advice for the Chiefs vs. Falcons on Sunday Night Football in Week 3 (2024). Detailed player breakdowns and matchup analysis.

The football season is off to a great start and we're looking at Week 3 fantasy football starts and sits! We have an interesting primetime matchup for Sunday Night Football with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Atlanta Falcons.

These two teams are both expected to be playoff contenders in 2024. The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs are off to a 2-0 start thanks to tight wins, while the Falcons avoided a winless start with a last-minute touchdown drive over the Eagles in Week 2. We'll see lots of fantasy-relevant players on the field in this one.

We'll be bringing you Sunday Night Football analysis all year long, focusing on who to definitely start, who is on the fence, and who should find the bench. Let's dive into this awesome Sunday Night matchup. You can also read all Week 3 Matchups for the entire slate. Good luck, RotoBallers!

• 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings
• 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings

Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons - 8:20 pm ET

Point Spread: Chiefs -3.5; Total: 46.5

Notable Injuries:

• Isiah Pacheco (fibula) - Out

Matchups We Love

TE Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts continues to be a subpar fantasy option, as he has seen just seven targets through two weeks. Well, if there were a week for him to have a big game, it would be against the Chiefs. Kansas City has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends to start the season. Isaiah Likely scored over 26 PPR fantasy points in Week 1, and Mike Gesicki had over 16 PPR fantasy points last week. Therefore, you should be starting Pitts this week. 

I know I’m the analyst that cried Kyle Pitts, but you have to give him another shot this week! pic.twitter.com/QZe6L3cVCH

— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) September 20, 2024

Matchups We Hate

WR Drake London

London might be more of an inconsistent fantasy option than managers might have thought entering the year. Despite scoring 17.4 PPR fantasy points last week, it might be tough to rely on him to finish as a top-30 option in Week 3. Cornerback Trent McDuffie should be following him in this game, and McDuffie did a nice job against Ja'Marr Chase last week. As a result, London is a low-end WR2 this weekend.

Other Matchups

QB Patrick Mahomes

It has been a while since Mahomes finished as a top-5 fantasy quarterback in a week. The last time he finished as the QB5 or better was back in Week 7 of the 2023 season. So, some fantasy managers might be hesitant to start the Chiefs quarterback in fantasy this week. But you shouldn't be sitting him this week because he can go off on any given week. 

QB Kirk Cousins

Quarterback Kirk Cousins was a much better fantasy option last week, scoring 17.5 fantasy points against the Eagles. However, it's too hard to trust him as your QB1 in fantasy in Week 3 -- even against a Chiefs defense that allowed back-to-back solid fantasy days to Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. 

Chiefs RBs 

No one knows how the Chiefs backfield will play out with Isiah Pacheco (fibula) on injured reserve. Carson Steele could see the early down work, while Samaje Perine could be the primary receiving back. Add in Kareem Hunt -- who was signed to the practice squad this week -- and this backfield becomes messy for fantasy purposes. So, fantasy managers shouldn't start Steele, Perine, or Hunt until we see it play out first. 

Update: Hunt likely won't be elevated from the practice squad. 

#Chiefs OC Matt Nagy says that there's a lot of confidence in RB Carson Steele.

He adds, 'He's probably as ready as he could possibly be for being a young rookie player in this position.' pic.twitter.com/XFBLk4V2UL

— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) September 19, 2024

RB Bijan Robinson

It doesn't matter who Robinson goes up against, you are starting him every week. He has totaled at least 18 touches and 110 yards from scrimmage in both games this season. With the Chiefs allowing 4.8 yards per carry so far in 2024, the Falcons running back could have his best fantasy day yet in Week 3. 

WR Rashee Rice

Wide receiver Rashee Rice will continue to be a strong WR2 in fantasy this week against the Falcons. Rice has scored over 17 PPR fantasy points in both of his games this season while totaling at least 75 receiving yards in each contest. With Marquise Brown (shoulder) out for the season most likely, there's no reason why the Chiefs wideout can't continue to be a consistent fantasy option for managers.

WR Xavier Worthy

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy will likely be a boom-or-bust option for most of his rookie season. That has certainly been the case through his first two career games. Worthy scored over 20 PPR fantasy points in Week 1 against the Ravens but followed that up by scoring a mere 4.2 PPR fantasy points last week. That high ceiling and low floor in fantasy make him a risky flex option this week. 

TE Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce has been one of the bigger disappointments at tight end in the early going. Through two weeks, he ranks as the TE28 in PPR formats. Kelce hasn't been involved through the first two weeks but the Chiefs also haven't needed to air it out 40-plus times a game. With Mahomes throwing just 25 attempts last week and Pacheco now on IR, Kelce should be more involved moving forward. He's a TE1 this week. 

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