RADIO
There were some clear fantasy heroes that emerged out of nowhere in Week 2, such as Jermaine Kearse, Chris Thompson, and J.J. Nelson. Others were less surprising, such as Derek Carr, Tom Brady, and Rob Gronkowski. This week promises more unexpected performances, as 0-2 teams get desperate and scratch and claw for a victory. It didn't quite work out for the 49ers, but we saw their offense suddenly wake up from their slumber and produce some huge numbers.
There will also be some letdowns from stars who can't get their act together. Spoiler alert: the Big Apple is filled with them. The old axiom "don't bench your stars" makes lineup decisions a lot easier, but isn't always the best advice.
In this series, I'll give you my fantasy "heroes" and "zeroes" at each position to get you ready for Week 3 of the NFL season. For my opinion on all fantasy-relevant players, you can check out how my rankings stack up against the other experts, or simply consult our RotoBaller consensus rankings.
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Week 3 Lineup Heroes
QUARTERBACK
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers - Duh. Sure, ranking Rodgers as the overall QB1 is easy, but let me tell you just how much he's going to go off. A lot. Looking at the rankings, Cincy hasn't been too bad defensively, as it's clearly the offense that's been their problem. That 11th-ranked defense vs. QB is misleading, however, since their opponents haven't had any need to throw the ball whatsoever. As mentioned in my rankings article, I fully expect the Dalton/Green combo to come alive, which means the Packers may actually be forced to throw the ball. It doesn't hurt that he's at home, where his career QB rating is 10 points higher. I'm paying full price for A-Rod in 50/50 leagues this week, for what it's worth.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins - He's not a fan of September, OK? For his career, Captain Kirk has a 14/13 TD/INT ratio in the first month of action before really kicking into gear by the time November rolls around. He started slow last year, turned it on in Week 3 and then didn't look back. New acquisition Terrelle Pryor should have gotten his feet wet by now and I expect better things going forward from the pair. Oakland isn't nearly as bad against the pass as people think (I feel like I said that all last year), but they're not exactly great either, hovering around the bottom 10 in fantasy points against QB, just like last season. The over/under on this game is at 54 points, which means there should be plenty of passing yards on both sides. If you slid Cousins out of a QB1 spot, put him right back in there.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Cam Newton, Carson Wentz, Andy Dalton
RUNNING BACKS
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs - I really wanted to put Todd Gurley in this spot, but it's a tad late for that. One of the three RBs I have ranked ahead of Gurley this week is Hunt. I admit I was late to the bandwagon on this one, but it's never too late to atone. Hunt leads the league with a crazy 7.6 Y/A after two weeks and has caught all eight of his targets. It's clear he is going to be used as a workhorse back, so he's an automatic top-10 RB regardless of matchup. This week, he faces the Chargers on the road. Jay Ajayi, who incidentally is ranked #2 just ahead of Hunt, went for 122 yards in Week 2 against this team. They were a bottom-10 run defense last year, so it would seem to be little challenge for everyone's new favorite wunderkind.
Frank Gore, Indianapolis Colts - Gore just keeps going, defying age, yadda yadda... I'll spare you the age discussion and just list these two factors that make him a sure start for this Sunday. 1) Marlon Mack has been ruled out. 2) They're playing the Browns. In a game that was somewhat contested versus the Cardinals, Gore ran 14 times for 46 yards and a touchdown. Not earth-shattering, but if you project those numbers to go up with increased snaps and less resistance from a far worse defense, then he could easily have a top-15 RB game.
James White, New England Patriots - This will be a classic example of the Patriots coming up with a completely different gameplan than the previous week based on their opponents' strengths. They came out firing early and often against the Saints to jump ahead with ease. Houston is the anti-New Orleans, with a strong pass rush and experienced secondary, but little offensive firepower. They'll pick apart the Texans with a short passing game that features White. Rex Burkhead was recently ruled out, so White has a clear path to 10 targets. Fire him up in PPR leagues everywhere.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Derrick Henry, Javorius Allen, Ty Montgomery
WIDE RECEIVERS
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals - It's not his fault the Bengals are 2-0. OC Ken Zampese was quickly scapegoated, although there may be something more to his firing. Several Bengals seemed relieved to hear they were getting a new coordinator and Green was very clear about his vision for the offense. "We got to find a way to get our playmakers the ball. That’s it. It’s a superstar-driven league." Not hard to read between the lines there. Green has already seen 18 targets in two weeks and should see that number go up even more. For all the talk of Green Bay's improved secondary, they weren't exactly locking anyone down last week against Atlanta. Julio Jones went for 108 yards and Green could do even better with more looks.
Kenny Stills, Miami Dolphins - I probably could have put any Dolphins receiver in this spot and you'd say "Yeah, they are playing the Jets." This is true, but let's look deeper at the matchup. DeVante Parker is going to be shadowed by Morris Claiborne, who's actually done his job thus far. In Week 2, it was Michael Crabtree going off for three scores, while Amari Cooper put up a dud (thanks for nothing, Amari). Parker could easily use his size and athleticism to find the end zone, but keep in mind that Stills led all Dolphins receivers in TDs last year and already is up 1-0 on Parker this season. In fact, Stills had more TD last year (nine) than Parker has for his career (seven). He should be considered a solid WR3 this week.
Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers - When the Saints come marching in, it's celebration time for opposing receivers. Benjamin is tied with Christian McCaffrey for the team lead in targets, but will be the main red zone target with Greg Olsen gone. Don't overthink this one - make Benjamin a starter in all leagues.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Terrelle Pryor, Torrey Smith, Deonte Thompson
TIGHT END
Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints - Fleener as a TE1? Slow your roll! Actually, Fleener is going to have an even more favorable matchup than he's had the last two weeks in which he scored a touchdown. The Panthers were one of the most generous against the tight end last year and aren't gameplanning for Fleener because, well, who would? He's found the end zone in garbage time of the fourth quarter in two Saints losses so far, so who's to say he can't do the same again. Play him now before Willie Snead comes back.
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys - More often than not, I don't have Witten as a fantasy starter. You're not getting high receptions totals from anyone outside the top three or four TE in a given week, so you should lean toward scoring opportunities. Witten hadn't scored more than five TD in a season since 2013 when he scored eight times, but he's on pace to smash that total. Like Fleener, it could be three in a row for Witten against a Cardinals team that will focus its efforts on Ezekiel Elliott.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Jack Doyle, Zach Ertz
Week 3 Lineup Zeroes
QUARTERBACKS
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans - It bears repeating that I'm very down on Mariota this week. How low? Even lower than a pair of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks that you don't want on your team right now (Joe Flacco, Eli Manning). It's about more than just the Seahawks defense, it's also the fact that Corey Davis and possibly DeMarco Murray will be out of action. The ceiling here is very limited, so stay far away. You might even be better off streaming Josh McCown. Again, talking about this week only.
Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills - There are some growing pain associated with a new coaching staff. That gets compounded when you have an all-new receiving corps as well. Taylor no longer has Sammy Watkins streaking down the sideline to keep defenses honest, so he's having to settle for short passes only. Taylor is 23rd among all QBs in yards per attempt, 28th in passing yards per game and hasn't done anything with his legs to offset that. With Denver coming to town fresh off a spanking of Dallas, don't expect it to change. Bench him even in two-QB leagues.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Joe Flacco, DeShone Kizer
RUNNING BACKS
Samaje Perine, Washington Redskins - I haven't been impressed by Perine since the NFL Combine, when he ran a 4.65 40 and posted low agility scores to boot. In training camp, he did absolutely nothing to threaten Rob Kelley's starting position and then proceeded to put up 2.8 yards per carry in the preseason, including a fumble that Jay Gruden apparently will never ever forget. If Kelley is playing, which is a possibility at the moment, then Perine goes back to having zero value. Sorry if you spent your hard-earned FAAB on him!
Bilal Powell, New York Jets - What's worse, the fact Powell has only touched the ball 18 times in two games or that he's totaled 52 yards while averaging 2.7 Y/A? How about the fact that Matt Forte has more carries and targets and has been more productive? Until things change, neither is really start-worthy, but Powell seems to be on the lower end of this committee that will now include Elijah Mcguire as well.
Paul Perkins, New York Giants - Let's make it a pair of New York RB to avoid, albeit on different teams. Perkins hasn't had much opportunity behind a poor offensive line, but 1.9 yards per carry is just unacceptable. If you haven't benched him by now, let me be the first to ask, "What are you waiting for???" The worst case scenario for Perkins was thought to be a poor man's James White on a pass-first offense this season, but even that seems way too generous.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Mark Ingram, Ameer Abdullah, LeGarrette Blount
WIDE RECEIVERS
Chris Hogan, New England Patriots - He paid off as a streamer last week with 78 yards and a touchdown, but he'll have a much harder time against Jonathan Joseph and the Texans. This game could be more of a grinder, limiting Hogan's opportunities to get deep in the secondary. Plus, the return of Danny Amendola will eat into his targets anyway. Hogan will be a boom-bust play on a weekly basis, but this week figures to be a bust.
Eric Decker, Tennessee Titans - No Corey Davis, more targets for Decker right? That might not even matter. Decker has three receptions in each of his first two games, but has a 46% catch rate. Last year in New York, before his injury, Decker only caught 43% of his 21 targets. The reality is that he's 30 years old, coming off a major injury, and not playing in an elite passing offense. He is having a harder time getting separation and will rely on red zone targets to garner value. In other words, he's going to be a TD-dependent receiver that is flex-worthy in standard leagues only.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Rashard Higgins, Marqise Lee, Breshad Perriman
TIGHT END
Jesse James, Pittsburgh Steelers - The matchup is good on paper, but that paper may fail to mention that new addition Vance McDonald is available to play. Add in the fact that James has been limited in practice this week and he is a clear avoid candidate. Then there's the fact that Ben Roethlisberger hates playing on the road and the Steelers won't need to throw the ball very often to beat down the Bears anyway. Play the Killer B's but fade marginal guys like James and Smith-Schuster.
Notables Worth Mentioning: Evan Engram, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins
