If your team made it out of Week 2 without a serious injury, congratulations. For the rest of us, deciding which wide receiver to start and sit in fantasy football has never been harder. Players were dropping like flies last week, meaning that there’s never been more uncertainty in projected roles. However, a deeper dive shows that guys like Russell Gage should carry some fantasy relevance while Kenny Golladay and others are better left on the bench.
Week 3 Start/Sits: Running Back – Tight End
Russell Gage, Kenny Golladay Highlight Fantasy Football Week 3 Wide Receiver Start Sits
Start: Russell Gage
Russell Gage is one of the biggest and brightest surprises in fantasy football. Through two weeks, the LSU product has recorded 15 receptions for 160 yards and one touchdown as the third option in Atlanta’s passing attack. He’s receiving targets in the deep part of the field, and Atlanta’s pass-happy nature and poor defense ensures that he should have a great week.
Of course, his ceiling could be even higher if Julio Jones can’t suit up. The wide receiver is currently and might miss Week 3’s action. If that happens, Gage should see an even larger target share and might have WR1 upside if he hauls in a touchdown or two.
Sit: Kenny Golladay
Kenny Golladay is a fantastic receiver playing for a good quarterback in Matthew Stafford. However, Golladay is also coming off a serious hamstring injury, and he’s simply not worth the risk right now. Hamstring injuries are notoriously fickle, and players usually need a week or two of action before they’re fully ready to return to form.
Take Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an example. The superstar receiver suffered a hamstring injury in the leadup to Week 1, but ultimately decided to play. That decision didn’t work out for fantasy players, as Evan finished the night with just one reception for four yards and a touchdown. The next week, he recorded seven receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. Golladay will be great this year, but he might need some time before he’s ready to display that greatness.
Start: Robby Anderson
Robby Anderson is the clear 1B in the Carolina Panthers passing attack. The speedy wide receiver is the latest post-Adam Gase success story, as the Panthers are finding a wide variety of creative ways to put the ball in his hands. The Panthers have arguably the worst defense in football, meaning that Teddy Bridgewater will be throwing throughout the game. Anderson should have plenty of targets and has a decent shot of eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the third straight week.
Sit: N’Keal Harry
N’Keal Harry finally showed some signs of what made him a first-round pick back in 2019. The Arizona product had the best game of his career in Week 2, recording eight receptions for 72 yards on 12 targets. However, it’s hard to see him doing that again.
Last week, the Patriots threw the ball a lot more than they wanted to. Russell Wilson played a fantastic game, forcing New England into a shootout. The Patriots want to win games by running the ball with Cam Newton and playing good defense, and that strategy has a good chance of working against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unless he finds his way into the endzone, Harry probably doesn’t have the volume required for a big fantasy week.
Start: A.J. Green
A.J. Green has not lived up to expectations through the first two weeks of the season. So far, the former first-round pick has recorded just eight receptions for 80 yards despite a quarterback upgrade. However, his opportunity is undeniable, and I’m not willing to completely give up on a player this talented.
Despite only having eight receptions, Green has a team-high 22 targets through the first two weeks of the season. He definitely hasn’t been able to capitalize on said opportunity, but the chance for a breakout week is undeniable. It is possible that injuries sapped what made Green great, but it’s also possible that he’s still knocking off the rust after missing the better part of two seasons to injury. Personally, I’m willing to take the risk with Green.
Sit: KJ Hamler
(Edit: Jerry Jeudy is currently a game-time decision with a rib injury. If he doesn’t play, Hamler can be a fine start)
Courtland Sutton is done for the year, and Drew Lock won’t be on the field any time soon. This leaves Jeff Driskel at quarterback and KJ Hamler as a starter. Driskel is a downgrade from Lock in terms of actual quarterback play, but he could be a good thing for fantasy. The journeyman passer is notoriously aggressive and isn’t afraid to stretch the field. There should be some fantasy value in this offense, but it’s hard to see Hamler being the beneficiary.
Hamler will see a decent snap count, but he’s still the third target in this offense. Jerry Jeudy looks like the real deal and should lead the team in targets. Additionally, Noah Fant took a major jump in Year 2 and is probably second in line in the pecking order. This leaves Hamler foraging for targets in what will probably be a bad passing attack. While Hamler’s speed means that he only needs one play to have a big week, he’s too risky to start.
Week 3 Start/Sits: Running Back – Tight End
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