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Should I start DJ Moore, Calvin Ridley, Tetairoa McMillan for Week 3? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
We're two weeks into the 2025 NFL season, and while there's a lot we don't yet know about how certain wide receivers will perform, we at least have preliminary data about their roles in their offenses.
How many players are targeted by their quarterbacks early in the season is important. Early-season chemistry between QBs and WRs is one of the best runways in which season-long connections are built.
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, Tennessee Titans WR Calvin Ridley, and Carolina Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan were all widely drafted in fantasy leagues this year, so let's dive into start or sit decisions for each and their fantasy football outlooks for Week 3 of 2025.
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Should I Start DJ Moore for Fantasy Football?
Through two games, Moore has yet to score above 10.0 PPR fantasy points per game. It's instead been second-year pro Rome Odunze that's stolen his thunder. Moore's caught eight of his 11 targets so far for 104 receiving yards, while Odunze has racked up 13 catches for 165 yards and three scores.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams also continues to struggle with accuracy. He was one of the NFL's least accurate QBs last season, and he has yet to pass for over 210 yards in a game this year. He's not improved his play by much, if at all. New Bears head coach Ben Johnson's offense hasn't been capable of lifting him yet.
Caleb Williams is still playing poorly.
-0.6 CPOE (QB24/34)
-73.8% Adjusted Completion Rate (QB26)
-47.7% Highly Accurate Throw Rate (3rd-worst)
-70.8% Catchable Throw Rate (QB26)
-21.5% Off Target Rate (6th-worst)Thank Ben Johnson for scheming WRs open and the roster for…
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 18, 2025
With Williams averaging 6.4 yards per attempt, near the bottom-10 of league QBs, and the Bears attempting around a league-average rate of pass attempts per game, it seems like it will be difficult for Williams to support more than one fantasy-relevant receiver.
In Week 1, there were plenty of high-profile misses, with Williams failing to connect with a wide-open Moore on what could have been a long touchdown. The second-year quarterback has a way of missing deep passes, as he was one of the league's worst QBs on long throw attempts last year.
Caleb Williams getting creative and throwing bounce passes during a comeback drive with 40 seconds left in the game. What a bad miss.
You can’t have that from your franchise QB. Look at the room in front of DJ Moore.
Chicago Bear fans continue to be in shambles.… pic.twitter.com/2iaZ7pF8eK
— Jake Bennett (@Jake__Bennett__) November 28, 2024
Williams continues to miss on all kinds of throws, though, and even when Johnson schemes his WRs WIDE open, as in the play above, C.W. is throwing the ball into the turf or into the stands. Quarterbacks generally can't make huge leaps in their accuracy, and there's no exception for Williams here.
Moore is a difficult player to trust in fantasy lineups in redraft leagues as a result. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much trade value, either, as he struggled last season in very similar circumstances, and many people rightfully view Odunze as the true WR1 for Chicago.
Should I Start Calvin Ridley for Fantasy Football?
Ridley is once again languishing on a roster with a bad quarterback. Through two weeks, rookie QB Cam Ward has played like one of the worst signal-callers in the NFL. It might not seem fair to assess someone who's played only two games that way, but we only care about production for fantasy football here.
Ward has completed just 50.8 percent of his passes this season, completing 31 of his 61 attempts for 287 yards and one touchdown. He's averaging just 4.7 yards per attempt, easily the worst in the NFL through two games. The film hasn't looked pretty either, as he consistently hurts his offense by taking unnecessary sacks.
Cam Ward has taken 11 sacks, putting him on pace for over 90.
The NFL record is 76. pic.twitter.com/lw9xcj4N7t
— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) September 18, 2025
Ward ranks among the bottom QBs of the league in completion percentage over expectation, adjusted net yards per attempt, catchable throw rate, and highly-accurate throw rate, all measures that try to evaluate quarterback play while controlling for offensive line and receiver play.
Ward was the No. 1 overall pick in one of the weakest QB classes in recent memory, and on film, many of the same problems he had in college show up in the NFL. He has a strong arm and can make very athletic throws, but he struggles with accuracy and often misses open receivers, instead opting to run around to extend plays before being sacked.
Kobie Turner bull rushes for the sack on Cam Ward!
LARvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/LQ903HaDeM
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Through two games, Ridley has been targeted 14 times, but has only caught seven of those passes. He totals 15.5 PPR fantasy points through two games. He's probably a fine start in your flex spot in deeper leagues, but in 10-team leagues, he's better off on the bench.
Should I Start Tetairoa McMillan for Fantasy Football?
There isn't much reason to bench Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan anymore. The team traded away WR Adam Thielen in the offseason, Xavier Legette (hamstring) has done virtually nothing and looks like yet another bust of a draft pick, and the team's supposed WR2, Jalen Coker (quad), is on injured reserve.
Heading into the season, Coker and Thielen would have provided more target competition for McMillan. Trading Thielen, in particular, was probably a bad move overall -- the Panthers' passing offense has been massively struggling. Outside of garbage time, quarterback Bryce Young has played horrible football.
Bryce Young in the first half of games this season:
+18-32, 158 Yards
+0 Touchdowns, 2 Interceptions
+4.94 Yards Per Attempt
+43.5 Passer Rating— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 14, 2025
The passing game is productive in garbage time, when defenses let their foot off the gas. In Week 2, Carolina went down 27-3 before scoring their first touchdown. In Week 1, they were losing 23-3 before they scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
But even with Young playing so poorly, McMillan has been his clear first-read target, and is the clear WR1 in this offense. It makes perfect sense because they don't have any other competently performing wideouts right now. When Coker comes back, he should provide a boost to the passing game.
T-Mac doesn't have a touchdown yet, but he doesn't need them to be at least start-worthy in your flex spot moving forward. When Coker returns, that could well remain to be the case, in spite of the added competition. Not much reason to put McMillan on your bench.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like DJ Moore, Calvin Ridley, and Tetairoa McMillan. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 3. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 3 of the 2025 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.
Week 3 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - DJ Moore, Calvin Ridley, and Tetairoa McMillan. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 (2025)? 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 Week 3 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for DJ Moore, Calvin Ridley, and Tetairoa McMillan compared to others:
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