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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Chris Olave, Kalif Raymond, Cooper Kupp, Xavier Hutchinson, Michael Pittman Jr., Braelon Allen, Calvin Ridley, Jauan Jennings, Malachi Fields.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Chris Olave, Kalif Raymond, Cooper Kupp, Xavier Hutchinson, Michael Pittman Jr., Braelon Allen, Calvin Ridley, Jauan Jennings, and Malachi Fields. 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.
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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:
Braelon Allen, New York Jets
New York Jets running back Braelon Allen only carried five times against Green Bay, gaining seven yards, but one of those attempts went for a five-yard touchdown. He also caught his only target for eight yards. The score helped his fantasy line, but the workload was much more important. Breece Hall handled 16 carries and all five running back targets after Allen received 10 carries in the opener.
Detroit was hit hard by James Cook III last week, but Allen does not have enough volume to chase the matchup by itself. RotoBaller ranks him as the RB42 for Week 3. He remains an important bench stash because of the role he could inherit if Hall misses time, but last week's touchdown does not suddenly make Allen a dependable weekly flex.
Malachi Fields, New York Giants
New York Giants wide receiver Malachi Fields has some sleeper potential coming into a very favorable part of the schedule for the Giants. In Week 2, Fields finished third on the team in receptions and second in targets while hauling in two of his six targets for 30 yards. While Jaxson Dart (knee) could miss time, Jameis Winston takes enough deep shots to still make Fields worth considering coming into matchups against the Titans, Cardinals, and Commanders over the next three weeks.
Those teams all rank in the top 10 in most fantasy points allowed to receivers, and if the rookie from Notre Dame keeps getting so many targets, he should remain usable in deep leagues. Malik Nabers (shoulder) dealt with an injury in Week 2 against the Rams, and if he misses any time going forward, Fields would be an even stronger play. If you can add him to your receiver depth, it could be a move that pays off, especially over the next few weeks, but he should be kept out of lineups in 12-team formats.
Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans
Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson will get another chance to step up with Nico Collins (hamstring) ruled out for a second straight week, as the Texans head to Indianapolis for a divisional matchup. Hutchinson led Houston's wide receivers in snaps and targets in Week 2, converting three catches on nine targets into 37 yards. He also had three catches in Week 1, totaling 32 yards in a loss to the Bills.
Despite his mediocre returns so far, he'll likely get another heavy target share in Week 3 without Collins, which does give him boom-or-bust upside against the Colts, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to WR this season. Hutchinson is only the WR60 in RotoBaller's Week 3 rankings, though, so he remains a very high-risk start even with more work available.
Kalif Raymond, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Kalif Raymond keeps getting the ball. He followed an eight-catch, 84-yard opener with five receptions for 40 yards against Minnesota, leaving him with 13 catches for 124 yards through two games. That is not a fluky one-week line anymore, even if the ceiling remains modest. Raymond is still sharing the field with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, and now there is a quarterback issue to watch.
Caleb Williams is week-to-week with a right hamstring injury, and head coach Ben Johnson said Monday that he does not expect Williams to practice this week. Tyson Bagent would be next up if Williams cannot go against Philadelphia.
RotoBaller has Raymond 30th overall on its Week 3 waiver board and recommends him in 12-team PPR leagues, while its dedicated receiver column is a little more cautious. Raymond is not worth chasing with a top claim, but 13 catches in two games is enough to make him a reasonable PPR depth add.
Michael Pittman Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) heads into a Week 3 matchup with the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals with a questionable designation due to a foot injury. He has logged three-straight limited practices this week, and his status is cloudy for Sunday. Pittman missed a Week 2 game against the New England Patriots, a 20-3 loss for the Steelers, due to the injury.
In a 20-13 Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Pittman recorded three receptions for 58 yards (19.3 yards per catch) and played 59 offensive snaps. The Bengals are currently allowing 253.5 passing yards per game, ranking 26th in the NFL, so it could potentially be a strong matchup for Pittman if he is active. RotoBaller ranks Pittman as its No. 51 wideout for Week 3 and projects him to score 7.7 points.
If healthy, Pittman is a streaming option worthy of flex consideration, but given Pittsburgh's offensive woes, he is not a must-start player.
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 - Chris Olave, Kalif Raymond, Cooper Kupp, Xavier Hutchinson, Michael Pittman Jr., Braelon Allen, Calvin Ridley, Jauan Jennings, Malachi Fields. 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 Chris Olave, Kalif Raymond, Cooper Kupp, Xavier Hutchinson, Michael Pittman Jr., Braelon Allen, Calvin Ridley, Jauan Jennings, Malachi Fields.
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