Week three of the NFL season is here. Our League Winners staff takes you through some players who are in favorable spots this week for fantasy football, and a few we may need to temper our expectations for.
Let us help you with some of those tough lineup decisions you are facing. Start or Sit week three comes at you now.
Start
Ty’Son Williams, RB – Baltimore Ravens (Joe O’Leary)
Ty’Son Williams has shown that he’s clearly the most explosive running back that the Ravens have through two games. Williams is 6th in the NFL in yards per carry, with 6.5. According to Next Gen Stats, Williams is third in rushing yards over expectation at +45. He gets a juicy matchup this week against the Lions, where the Ravens are heavy 8 point favorites. I’m expecting Ty’Son Williams to handle close to 15 touches and provide fantasy thrills for your lineups this week.
Javonte Williams, RB – Denver Broncos (Keith James)
The Javonte Williams break-out is coming. He is still in competition with Melvin Gordon, but Williams’ talent is evident. He’s a big dude that can move. He had a few powerful runs against the Jags last week, and I expect Williams to get into the end zone this week. Fire up Javonte and watch greatness blossom running over the Jets 29th ranked rush defense.
Tony Pollard, RB – Dallas Cowboys (Jeremy Shulman)
I’m done fading Tony Pollard out of my weekly lineups. After a big game in Week 2 against the Chargers and a stable output against a stout Tampa front in Week 1, Pollard seems to be getting as much work as he can handle. Through two weeks, he’s seen his snaps increase while posting some of the most efficient numbers of any back in the league. Per Player Profiler, Pollard placed inside the top five in Yards/Route Run, Yards/Touch, Breakaway Runs, Juke Rate, and Yards Created/Touch, all while seeing the 5th most stacked fronts of any NFL RB. The Cowboys seem to know what they have in Pollard, so I’d expect him to continue to eat into Zeke’s snaps as option 1B. Against the Eagles, that should be enough for good fantasy football production.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB – Denver Broncos (Matthew Morris)
Teddy Two-Gloves has been impressive in his first two games as a Denver Bronco. Averaging 296 yards and two touchdowns, Bridgewater is the fantasy football QB12 through two weeks. Now, he gets a prime matchup with the New York Jets defense still trying to find its way. The Jets defense is 10th in the NFL in passing yards allowed, but that’s after games against Sam Darnold, and Mac Jones in a play-it-safe Patriots offense. Teddy Bridgewater provides a safe floor in this favorable matchup.
Tyler Boyd, WR – Cincinnati Bengals (Thomas Christopher)
Tyler Boyd has had a slow-ish start to the season with Ja’Marr Chase coming into the fold. This week the Bengals face a Steelers team that has been very susceptible this season. Even if the Steelers clamp down this week, it just means the gamescript will allow for more passing opportunities. On top of that, Tee Higgins is very questionable to play in Week 3. Regardless if Higgins misses the game or not, I’m firing up Boyd in the Flex everywhere.
Sit
Hunter Henry, TE – New England Patriots (Joe O’Leary)
Gone are the days of Hunter Henry being a consensus plug and play for fantasy football. The snap percentages have been acceptable for Henry so far in 2021 – 72% and 81%, respectively. The problem is the production. Henry currently doesn’t have the eye of rookie quarterback Mac Jones yet, only seeing seven targets in two games. The Saints defense is solid versus the tight end position, limiting the likes of Robert Tonyan already. We need to see it from Henry before we plug him back into our lineups, and this is a matchup we want to avoid.
Damien Harris, RB – New England Patriots (Keith James)
I thought Damien Harris would have his breakout against the Jets. Harris was okay, producing 62 yards and a touchdown. Harris is a good runner with little passing game upside. Playing against a poor Jets defense, he only managed 3.88 yards per carry. Now the Saints 3rd ranked rushing defense comes into town and Harris will be running into a brick wall. The Saints defense is beat up, but they still held Christian McCaffrey to 72 rushing yards. This is a solid front seven for the Saints. Don’t put Harris in your lineups this week.
Darrell Henderson/Sony Michel, RB – Los Angeles Rams (Jeremy Shulman)
It doesn’t matter who is lining up in the backfield for the Rams this weekend. I don’t want any of them in my fantasy football lineups. In the first two weeks of 2021, the Buccaneers held Zeke and Pollard to 82 total yards in week one and Mike Davis to 63 total yards last week. If not for Cordarrelle Patterson’s receiving work last week, the Bucs would have a stellar record against good running teams. Sean McVay is likely to follow Kellen Moore’s lead and abandon the run early to keep up with Tom Brady and Tampa. I’m expecting it to be a long day for the Rams backs in LA this weekend.
Chase Claypool, WR – Pittsburgh Steelers (Matthew Morris)
Chase Claypool is a big receiver with immense big-play potential. Bursting onto the scene as a waiver wire darling in 2020, hopes for a breakout for Claypool were high this offseason. However, Claypool has caught only 42% of his 14 targets, equating to a 6-115-0 stat line through two weeks of 2021. A matchup with a poor Cincinnati Bengals defense combined with the probable absence of Diontae Johnson makes Claypool enticing. However, Ben Roethlisberger working through a pectoral injury will limit Claypool’s upside as they will undoubtedly keep the passing game short. Sit Claypool for a safer option this week.
Courtland Sutton, WR – Denver Broncos (Thomas Christopher)
The Denver Broncos are facing a lowly Jets team, so that means you should be starting the Broncos best WR, right? Wrong. Surprisingly, the Jets have a Top-10 passing defense led by new head coach Robert Saleh. They clamped last week, holding Jakobi Meyers only had 38 yards in Week 2. Though Courtland Sutton is better than Meyers, Teddy Bridgewater isn’t an elite quarterback. I think the opportunities will be slim for Sutton this Sunday.
