The Fantasy Footballers’ “Starts of the Week” for Week 3
Hello #FootClan. The gang is back at it again, giving us those important Starts of the Week on their most recent podcast. Before they took a look at who to start this week, Mike, Andy, and Jason went over their “Take It Up to 100” players for the third week. The players they went with this week were Jerick McKinnon (Mike), Devin Singletary (Andy), and Drew Sample (Jason).
After going over those players, they hit the Starts of the Week for the upcoming games. As always, remember you can check out the podcast here or watch it on Youtube. Make sure you subscribe and hit the bell so you don’t miss any important notifications. Also, give JoinTheFoot.com a look as it provides tons of added resources exclusively for #FootClan members.
Andy’s Starts
QB: Cam Newton vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Cam Newton has come out this season and looked phenomenal and healthy with his new team. Last week, Newton rushed the ball 15 times for 75 yards, and the previous week he ran 11 times, putting up 47 yards. Also of note last week was the New England quarterback completing 30 of his 44 attempts for 397 passing yards. He has taken it into the endzone himself twice in each game he has played this season, and he also tossed a score to Jakob Johnson in Week 2. Andy loves Newton versus the Raiders.
RB: Kenyan Drake vs. Detroit Lions
This week, Andy turns his attention to Kenyan Drake as his running back start of the week. Andy points out Green Bay Packers’ running back Aaron Jones “bamboozled” Detroit in the previous game. The Lions are giving up 6.92 yards per carry this year on 51 carries. Versus Detroit, opposing running backs are averaging 12.9 extra fantasy points per game, so you can feel confident plugging Drake into your starting lineup.
WR: CeeDee Lamb @ Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is giving up more fantasy points to opposing wideouts than any other team in the league. The Seahawks allowed 65 fantasy points to the Atlanta Falcons’ wide receiver corps. They also allowed 44 fantasy points to the New England wideouts. The Dallas Cowboys’ wide receivers should make the most out of this matchup, and Andy expects some big plays from CeeDee Lamb in this game. Dallas’ rookie pass-catcher has already scored double-digit fantasy points in each of his two games, so this is an inviting matchup. Jason was going to pick Michael Gallup in this same matchup for much of the same logic behind Andy’s Lamb selection.
TE: Mike Gesicki @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Andy’s tight end start of the week is Miami tight end Mike Gesicki. Last week, Gesicki looked on point with 11 targets, eight receptions, 130 yards, and one touchdown. Now the Dolphins’ athletic tight end gets to face a Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense that has been shellacked by opposing TEs in the first two games of the season. Jonnu Smith put up incredible numbers last week against Jacksonville, and Gesicki should do the same. He will be a reliable start in Week 3. Look for the tight end to make athletic plays much like his one-handed grab across the middle in the previous game.
Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Jason’s Starts
QB: Matthew Stafford @ Arizona Cardinals
This game looks to be a high pace of play game. There is a high over/under in this game, which means plenty of passing opportunities for Matthew Stafford in Week 3. With a healthy Kenny Golladay back in the mix, Stafford’s numbers should beef up this week. Without Golladay on the field, Stafford has not been putting up the fantasy numbers you would like to see, but this week will be the week he gets it done. Jason notes that he was a quarterback taken in the late round of drafts and then dropped before the season due to a lack of Golladay. If Golladay is a go, Stafford is a great start.
RB: James Robinson vs. Miami Dolphins
The opportunities for Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back James Robinson are there, as evidenced by his back to back weeks of 16 carries and four targets in Week 2. Miami looks like it is the real deal against running backs this season, but Jason believes this to be a mirage. Week 1 facing the New England Patriots was nothing special as the running backs on that team are terrible. Week 2 against Buffalo showed Josh Allen tearing Miami apart, so running backs did not factor into that game. Robinson is a good running back that should be started in Week 3.
WR: Diontae Johnson vs. Houston Texans
Pro Football Focus has this matchup as the eighth-best against Bradley Roby (we’ve talked about him before when talking starts of the week). Sammy Watkins lit it up in Week 1 with this same matchup, so Diontae Johnson is set up for success here. Last week, Johnson went for 92 yards on eight receptions and scored a touchdown. This big game energy is going to carry over into the matchup with the Texans. This game is an attractive one to start Johnson.
TE: Noah Fant vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Noah Fant has seen a double-digit fantasy game in each of the two games this season. Last week, he had four receptions for 57 yards and a score. The Denver tight end will rely on the backup quarterback (and current starter) Jeff Driskel getting him the ball this week. The ball finding Fant will happen as Driskel is a serviceable quarterback. The opportunities for Fant will be plenty. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Jerry Jeudy is also a bit banged up. Look for Fant to use his athleticism in the endzone in this matchup.
Mike’s Starts
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Who was QB11 last week in fantasy? That would be Fitzmagic. Ryan Fitzpatrick put up great numbers against the Buffalo Bills last week. He looks to do the same in Week 3 against a Jacksonville defense that allowed Ryan Tannehill to be QB8 in the previous week. The bearded one tossed 31 competitions last game (on 47 passes) and went for 328 yards in the Bills’ loss on Sunday. He also launched two touchdowns in that contest and did not throw a pick. And don’t forget the 12-yards he put down on the ground as well. Fitzpatrick is rostered in a handful of leagues, so he is the perfect pick up and play. Mike would start Fitzpatrick over another streamer, for example, Nick Mullens.
RB: Joshua Kelley vs. Carolina Panthers
Joshua Kelley has been an RB2 in both games of the season and has had plenty of opportunities while doing it. His snaps jumped 25-percent in Week 2 from the previous week, with 23 rushing attempts for 64 yards and two receptions for 49 yards. Keep an eye on the Panthers struggling against the run. There are ample reasons to believe Kelley will be a great start this week. Austin Ekeler is in a great spot here, but Mike believes Kelley fills that Melvin Gordon role from yesteryear.
WR: Allen Robinson @ Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is the worst defense against quarterbacks and the fourth-worst against wide receivers. This matchup looks to be mouth-watering for the veteran wideout Allen Robinson. Even though Robinson only had three catches in the Week 2 matchup with the New York Giants, he was targeted nine times. He will continue to be targeted. Since he is playing such a dismal defense, look for Robinson to right the ship as a top target for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Mike is calling it — the trade low period will be over after this week.
TE: Logan Thomas @ Cleveland Browns
Stream finder time! Logan Thomas is the perfect play this week against a Cleveland defense allowing the most points to the tight end position. Mark Andrews is a given for fantasy points, but both Drew Sample and C.J. Uzomah had great stats against the Browns. Thomas has a robust 27-percent target share, only behind The Wallerus (Darren Waller). He may have had only four receptions for 26 yards in the week two matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, but the targets were there. He had nine targets in that game, and the previous week he saw eight. Mike says to start Thomas confidently.
And, as always, Jason’s Iron-Clad Locked & Loaded 100% Guaranteed Boom Boom Kicker of the Week:
“With a fire first name that I really admires, I’m going with the Seattle Seahawks’ Jason Myers.”
Comments
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