Anyone can look at fantasy football rankings, but what if you like risks and want to swing for the fences? That is where this article will come in for you. As the season goes on, this will be the spot for you to find the sleepers to start in your fantasy football league. Even more so when byes and injuries start to pile up. Each week I will be picking one fantasy football sleeper at each position. These players are set to outperform their ranking and help win your week on the way to becoming a League Winner! Welcome to Fantasy Football 2023: Week 3 Sleepers.
Now let’s look at what we are picking from:
- I’m defining a sleeper as someone ranked outside of the top 30 for WRs and RBs who will finish in the top 20 at the position. That would be around 14 fantasy points based on the average of last year.
- For QBs and TEs, I am defining them as outside the top 15 but will finish in the top 10. Last year using average points per game that would be 21 fantasy points for QB and 11 fantasy points for TE.
- PPR Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) on Fantasy Pros will be used. These players may not be on the waiver wire but could be big
- I will track the hit rate based on the above settings but also how far the picked sleepers outperform their initial rankings for the week.
Week 2 Review
This week we had a huge bounce back! We hit three out of four sleepers. For the year we have hit four out of eight sleepers and seven out of eight have finished higher than their ranking projection. Derek Carr was a big miss but Nico Collins and Gus Edwards were huge hits!
So, now let’s take a look at some fantasy football sleepers for Week 3 of the NFL season.
QB: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Fantasy Pros ECR: QB20
The Rams were able to stick with the 49ers for most of the game in week two and the offense looks vastly improved from a year ago. Even without Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford has thrown for over 300 yards in both games. He only has one touchdown and two interceptions but I think that trend will turn around.
The Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals this week and Stafford could have a big day. The Bengals are 17th in giving up fantasy points to running backs but they are 4th in points given up to quarterbacks. They are giving up over 23 fantasy points a game, which would rank first for quarterbacks. The yardage is there for Stafford, and I think the touchdowns will come this week.
RB: Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders
Fantasy Pros ECR: RB40
Antonio Gibson has not been as involved as I thought he would be in this new Eric Bienemy offense. He did have an uptick in usage this week against the Broncos and scored 8.3 fantasy points. Another bright spot is amongst running backs he is 15th in route participation with over 54%. Gibson will see more work in games where the Commanders are playing behind. That should be this week when they take on the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills rank 19th in fantasy points given up to running backs but through two weeks they have given up good production through the air to backs out of the backfield. The Bills defense gave up six receptions on seven targets for 58 yards to running backs against the Jets and the Raiders caught seven out of nine targets for 56 yards. Gibson is a sneaky play this week and I think could build on his performance in the comeback against the Broncos in week two.
WR: Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
Fantasy Pros ECR: WR37
The Minnesota Vikings have really struggled to run the ball this year. Through two games they only have 69 rushing yards, so Kirk Cousins has had to carry the team with over 700 yards. Justin Jefferson has been a big part of the passing offense but Jordan Addison looks like the real deal. He has a touchdown in both games and is averaging 19 yards per reception.
The Vikings face another underachieving team this week in the Chargers. Both teams need a win and the Vikings passing offense should continue to thrive. The Chargers are giving up over 49 fantasy points per game, which makes them the worst in the NFL. Both Jefferson and Addison should have big games in this matchup.
TE: Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Fantasy Pros ECR: TE21
I have been surprised by the lackluster production of Dalton Schultz so far this season. He was more involved in week two with four receptions on seven targets for 34 yards. C.J. Stroud is really looking for Nico Collins but as we saw last week the Texans are going to have to throw the ball a lot.
The Jaguars’ defense has been way better than I expected through two weeks. They are only giving up 17.5 fantasy points a game to wide receivers. One liability for them is covering the tight ends, throughout their history they have continued to struggle with this. The Jaguars’ defense is giving up the sixth-highest fantasy points to tight ends. I know they just played the Chiefs, but Travis Kelce was not even that involved. Schultz should be able to get on track this week as Tyson Cambell will be covering Nico Collins this week. Campbell has only allowed 66 receiving yards through two weeks.
Good luck to everyone this week! Hopefully these Week 3 sleepers can take your fantasy football team over the top. Make sure to follow our content all year so we can help you to be a League Winner!
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Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.