Fantasy Football Start ’em Sit ’em Week 3
The injury bug hit team’s hard in Week 3, with season-ending injuries to some of the top fantasy players like Saquon Barkley and a severe ankle injury to CMAC (possibly out 4-6 weeks) being the most notable. These unfortunate turn of events is part of the game, and can quickly derail fantasy teams who did not prepare adequately by not handcuffing their star players or simply drafting an awful bench.
If you are one of the people who fall into this category, help may not be on the way and you must learn to adapt quickly and get creative. Time to dig deep and figure out which teams are open to trading and what it will take to get a solid player or players in return who can help your team. Remember, the name of the game is to buy low and sell high, so don’t get cute and try to make a lopsided trade that will be laughed at upon opening.
If you aren’t good at trading, then my best advice is to really do your homework on the waiver wire each week and manage your FAB accordingly when there is someone available who can help your team right away. If you don’t see yourself starting that player immediately, don’t spend too much of your budget on them. Matchups become even more important in predicting a player’s fantasy output so check the weather on game day, see who is home or away, and make sound and logical decisions when setting your lineups.
Week 3 Start ’em
James Robinson – Jaguars RB
When the Jags elected to waive former first round RB Leonard Fournette without anything return, many experts scratched their heads as to why they would decide to go another direction without an adequate replacement. After 2 weeks, we now know the answer is rookie RB James Robinson who has burst onto the scene and is now the featured back in Jacksonville over bigger names such as Chris Thompson and Ryquell Armstead.
The unheralded and undrafted Robinson won the organization’s trust during preseason workouts, and is now the workhorse back in an offense led by the gun-slinging Gardner Minshew. The DNA of the Jaguars offense has always been centered around a strong run game, and Robinson is getting all the work he can handle with an average of 18 touches and 100 yards in his 2 starts. He gets a juicy matchup at home against a Miami Dolphins defense that is giving up 164 yards rushing to opposing teams and should continue his rookie season trajectory as one of the leading candidates for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020.
James Robinson Week 3 Projections: 20 rushing attempts, 135 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 23 receiving yards, 2 rushing TD’s
QBs to Start
Cam Newton
Ben Roethlisberger
Drew Brees
Tom Brady
Ryan Tannehill
Gardner Minshew
Baker Mayfield
RBs to Start
Melvin Gordon
Kareem Hunt
David Montgomery
Mark Ingram
Mike Davis
Joshua Kelley
Leonard Fournette
Nyheim Hines
James White
Devin Singletary
Derrell Henderson
Jerrick McKinnon
Myles Gaskin
Tarik Cohen
WRs to Start
DK Metcalf
Russell Gage
Terry McLaurin
Hollywood Brown
Mecole Hardman
Keelan Cole
Diontae Johnson
DeVante Parker
Jarvis Landry
N’Keal Harry
CeeDee Lamb
Jamison Crowder
DeSean Jackson
Tyler Boyd
Laviska Shenault Jr.
Curtis Samuel
Zach Pascal
Emmanuel Sanders
Corey Davis
TEs to Start
Tyler Higbee
Hayden Hurst
Jonnu Smith
Mike Gesicki
Logan Thomas
Drew Sample
Week 3 Sit ’em
David Johnson – Texans RB
After a stellar Week 1 debut, DJ fell back down to earth in Week 2 rushing for just 34 yards and no TD’s. Johnson was bottled up by the Ravens stout run defense and had a hard time finding his running lanes. In Week 3, he faces an even more difficult Pittsburgh Steelers front line who will be keyed in on stopping the 28-year old back with the Texans offense missing the presence of DeAndre Hopkins who has now moved in to greener pastures in the desert.
David Johnson Week 3 Projections: 15 rushing attempts, 63 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 23 receiving yards, 1 fumble, 0 TD’s,
QBs to Sit
DeShaun Watson
Carson Wentz
Matthew Stafford
Jared Goff
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Joe Burrow
Justin Herbert
Mitch Trubisky
RBs to Sit
Todd Gurley
Antonio Gibson
JK Dobbins
Zach Moss
Adrian Peterson
D’Andre Swift
Sony Michel
Frank Gore
Dion Lewis
Ronald Jones II
Kerryon Johnson
Jeff Wilson Jr.
Jordan Howard
Bart Scott
WRs to Sit
DJ Chark
Cooper Kupp
Will Fuller V
AJ Green
Marvin Jones
John Brown
Brandin Cooks
Mike Williams
Allen Lazard
Darius Slayton
Sammy Watkins
Henry Ruggs III
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Sterling Shepard
Jalen Reagor (OUT 6-8 weeks)
Tre’Quan Smith
Scotty Miller
Christian Kirk
Brandon Ayiuk
Quintez Cephus
TEs to Sit
Evan Engram
Jared Cook
Noah Fant
Austin Hooper
Jordan Reed
Dalton Schultz
If you have any questions about your lineup for this week, you can find me on our Facebook group, Fantasy Couch Fam. My name is Mike Mital on there by the way.
Make sure to watch the Week 3 waiver wire video in case there are any players on waivers or free agency that you might have missed.
Also check out our podcast, Fantasy Couch Podcast (available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, etc.
