Fantasy Football: Week 3 Starts and Sits
The first two weeks of the NFL season are in the books, and it has definitely lived up to the hype so far.
Two crazy weeks of action have also brought two crazy weeks of fantasy football. As you’re setting your lineups for Week 3, consider starting or sitting these players:
Start:
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Jets
Joe Burrow has struggled the first two weeks of the season.
The Bengals spent all offseason revamping their offensive line, but they haven’t quite meshed together so far. They’ve had their hands full with big-time pass rushers each week with T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward in Week 1 and Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence in Week 2.
The Jet defense isn’t nearly as good as the Steeler or Cowboy defenses, and the offensive line should be able to give Burrow a lot more time to get the ball to his playmakers and exploit an average secondary.
Look for Burrow to bounce back big this week.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
The Steeler offense hasn’t been able to gain much traction through the first two weeks of the season. However, after their 17-14 loss to the Patriots Sunday, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and receivers Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and George Pickens all criticized the offensive play calling, expressing their desire to take more shots down the middle of the field.
After a bad first season, slow start to this season, and his players calling him out, Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada should be feeling the pressure to prove he's the right man for the job and be more aggressive on offense.
Start the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver Thursday.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Fantasy managers have the right to be somewhat concerned about Austin Ekeler through the first two weeks of the season.
Ekeler has rushed 14 times in both Week 1 (36 yards) and Week 2 (39 yards). Ekeler lacked volume in the pass game in Week 1 as well, catching all four of his targets for another 36 yards, but that volume increased in Week 2, especially after quarterback Justin Herbert took a hard hit and broke his rib cartilage, as he caught nine of his 10 targets for 55 yards.
If Herbert tries to continue playing injured, expect him to look for Ekeler more on checkdowns and the Chargers to lean more on the running game. If the Chargers decide to go with backup quarterback Chase Daniel, the same should hold true.
Going forward, Ekeler’s volume should increase both on the ground and through the air. Keep him in your lineups this week.
Sit
Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr., RBs, Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
To everyone’s surprise (even Cam Akers himself), Darrell Henderson was the featured back for the Rams in Week 1. After the game, Rams’ head coach Sean Mcvay said he’d like to see more urgency and accountability from Akers.
In Week 2, Akers earned more of a role, as he had 15 carries for 44 yards, while Henderson had 10 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown. Until the situation in the Rams’ backfield becomes more clear, sit both Akers and Henderson.
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans vs. Las Vegas Raiders
This may come as a shocker, but you need to sit Derrick Henry this weekend. Henry hasn’t been able to produce much this season yet, and the rest of the Titans’ squad hasn’t either.
Week 1 saw Henry rush 21 times for only 82 yards, and in Week 2 he rushed only 13 times for a measly 25 yards, but two of those yards came on a touchdown run that gave him an additional six fantasy points. He has scored less than nine points each week so far, and this week shouldn’t be much different.
The Raiders have a high powered passing offense and should jump ahead early in this one, once again making the Titans pass a lot while playing from behind.
Jonathan Hartley is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jdh6293@psu.edu.
