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Should I start Travis Hunter, Elic Ayomanor, Darnell Mooney for Week 3? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
As we enter Week 3, the fantasy football landscape is still tough to read. Some rookies have gotten off to a hot start (Emeka Egbuka, Tyler Warren), while others (all of the running backs) have struggled to get going through the first two weeks.
Fortunately, it is a long season. There is plenty of time for players to heat up, cool down, and everything in between. As we head into Week 3, things are only starting to take shape for the rest of the season.
A trio of intriguing receivers headlines this article. Going into Week 3 should you start Travis Hunter, Elic Ayomanor, and Darnell Mooney?
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Should I Start Travis Hunter for Fantasy Football?
Travis Hunter has been one of the toughest players to rank for fantasy this season given his split between offense and defense. While he didn’t play much defense in Week 1, he was on the field a lot more on the defensive side of the ball in Week 2.
Over the first two weeks, Travis Hunter has a 90.1 PFF grade in zone coverage. https://t.co/Rhay34VJxy pic.twitter.com/nntfKD7aOi
— Cardiac Cats (@cardiacatsbrand) September 17, 2025
Offensively, Hunter has been a short-yardage target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He drew eight targets in Week 1, catching six for 33 yards. In Week 2, he caught three of six targets for 22 yards.
While he hasn’t had a productive fantasy outing yet, his usage offensively has been encouraging, especially in PPR formats.
The Jaguars play a tough Houston secondary this week, making it a tough matchup for Hunter. While Brian Thomas Jr. will likely draw Derek Stingley, Hunter will be up against Kamari Lassiter and Jalen Pitre, depending on where he lines up. He is ranked as RotoBaller’s WR48 this week, making him a tough start.
Should I Start Elic Ayomanor for Fantasy Football?
Tennessee Titans’ rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor was a bright spot for the offense in Week 2, breaking out for four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Ayomanor was on the receiving end of Cam Ward’s first NFL passing touchdown, and he has made it clear that he is one of the rookie’s favorite targets through two weeks of action.
Here's the range Tennessee Titans rookie WR Elic Ayomanor fell into - Week 2 route win rate
(Source: @FantasyPtsData - every route charted) https://t.co/tYDqvFzCzL pic.twitter.com/ahUh4cUMu9
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 16, 2025
The Stanford product draws a mediocre matchup this week against Indianapolis’ secondary. While much improved from where it was a season ago, this is still not a secondary that needs to be faded for fantasy purposes.
Ayomanor grades as RotoBaller’s WR57 this week, which I personally think is a bit low given his consistent target share. He is a startable flex option in Week 3.
Should I Start Darnell Mooney for Fantasy Football?
Atlanta Falcons’ receiver Darnell Mooney had a very productive season last year, grabbing 64 balls for 992 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. This season, Mooney was inactive Week 1 before catching just two passes for 20 yards in Week 2.
He looks to be the third option in the passing offense behind Drake London and Kyle Pitts, while he was seemingly ahead of Pitts last season. Atlanta draws an easy matchup with Carolina this week, although they may stick to the ground game if they get up big early which is a possibility.
Carolina is one of the weakest defensive units in the league, putting Mooney in flex consideration this week. While he hasn’t shown much of anything this season, you can still consider him for lineups this week. Mooney is RotoBaller’s WR55 for Week 3.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Travis Hunter, Elic Ayomanor, and Darnell Mooney. 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 - Travis Hunter, Elic Ayomanor, Darnell Mooney. 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, 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 Travis Hunter, Elic Ayomanor, Darnell Mooney compared to others:
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