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| Thursday, September 21, 2023 |
| Well, there's one player we know won't be in our lineups for Week 3: Saquon Barkley, who has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the 49ers with that ankle injury suffered in Sunday's win over the Cardinals . |
| That means many of you may be looking for a replacement at running back this week, and if you've got Raheem Mostert on your squad, you're set. He's Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Weekfor Week 3 coming off two very strong performances in a row to open the season. Mostert has made the most of being the team's clear lead back early on, playing 73% of the snaps in each of the first two games and averaging 19.4 PPR points per game. |
| And he should be in line for a similar role in Week 3 against the Broncos. The Dolphins are 6.5-point favorites against a Broncos team that looks like less of a disaster than they did a year ago, but still quite a distance from good . They really struggled with Brian Robinson in Week 2, giving up 129 total yards and a couple of scores to him, and Mostert has looked a lot more explosive in the early going than Robinson. |
| You can read more about why Jamey expects big things from Mostert this week, along with the rest of his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls here, and the rest of today's newsletter has start/sit calls for every position to help you make the best decisions possible. Later today, we'll have our preview of every game on the Week 3 schedule, with more start and sit calls, the latest injury news, plus some thoughts on the Cam Akers-to-Minnesota trade from Wednesday evening: |
| Week 3 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TEJamey, Dave, Heath's RankingsMy Week 3 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE |
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| Quarterback Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Kirk Cousins and Tua Tagovailoa |
| "Cousins is on pace for 6,018 passing yards, which is insane. He won't keep this up, but he's been great so far in two games this season against Tampa Bay and Philadelphia with 708 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception. This week, he's facing a Chargers defense that has already allowed 712 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception against Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Tannehill , and the projected score for this matchup is the highest of the week at 54 points. Look for a shootout between Cousins and Justin Herbert in Minnesota on Sunday." |
| Sit 'Em: Justin Fields and Daniel Jones |
| "Four designed runs. That's it for Fields so far this season, and it likely explains his struggles in Fantasy and reality. Now, part of that is teams are taking away his rushing lanes by playing zone defense on 74 percent of his dropbacks, which is the third-highest rate among quarterbacks, per ESPN. But still, let him use his legs since he rushed for 1,143 yards last season. He's averaging just 16.6 Fantasy points per game this season, and the Chiefs have held Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence to a combined 25 Fantasy points in two games. I still have Fields as a low-end starter in most leagues, but he'll likely need garbage time to help his Fantasy production this week." |
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| Running Back Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Kyren Williams and James Cook |
| "It's probably obvious at this point to start Williams, but I just want to illustrate how impressive the past two games have been for him. According to NFL.com, Williams is the first Rams player ever to score multiple touchdowns in each of his first two games of a season, something legends like Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt never accomplished. His 28 PPR points against San Francisco in Week 2 were the most against the 49ers in their past 28 games. And he's made Cam Akers irrelevant and on his way out the door in Los Angeles. This week, Williams should maintain his high level of play on Monday night at Cincinnati, and the Bengals have allowed a running back to score at least 12.2 PPR points in each of the first two games. I like Williams as a top-10 Fantasy running back in all leagues." |
| Sit 'Em: Breece Hall and Zack Moss |
| "Hall is still too risky to trust right now heading into Week 3 against the Patriots. He was great in Week 1 against Buffalo with 147 total yards on just 11 touches, but he was miserable in Week 2 at Dallas with four carries for 9 yards and no catches on two targets. He's played fewer snaps than Dalvin Cook in each of the first two games, which will hopefully change soon, but the Jets are being cautious with Hall coming back from last year's knee injury. New England was trounced by Raheem Mostert in Week 2 for 127 total yards and two touchdowns, but the Patriots were daring Miami to run to protect against the Dolphins passing game. The Jets passing game isn't scaring anyone right now with Zach Wilson under center, so Hall could have another game with poor production in Week 3." |
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| Wide Receiver Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Amari Cooper and Nico Collins |
| "Cooper surprised us by even playing Monday night at Pittsburgh after it was reported that he aggravated a groin injury in practice Saturday. And he played well with seven catches for 90 yards on 10 targets. He should build off that performance in Week 3 against the Titans, who are once again struggling against opposing receivers. In two games against the Saints and Chargers, five receivers have scored at least 11.0 PPR points against Tennessee, with four gaining at least 83 yards. We know Cooper loves playing at home, and with a plus-matchup on the docket, he should have the chance for a big outing in Week 3." |
| Sit 'Em: Garrett Wilson and Jahan Dotson |
| "Wilson has two touchdowns in two games with Zach Wilson, which is great. But how Garrett Wilson has scored is a little problematic. In Week 1 against Buffalo, Wilson had to play defense on a terrible throw into the end zone that he somehow turned into a touchdown. And in Week 2 at Dallas, Wilson scored on a 68-yard slant where Cowboys safety Malik Hooker missed a wide-open tackle. So far, Wilson has only seven catches for 117 yards on 13 targets, and the touchdowns have saved him. I'll start Wilson in three-receiver leagues in Week 3 against the Patriots, but he's outside the top 24 receivers in my rankings. As long as Zach Wilson is the starter for the Jets, Garrett Wilson will be tough to trust." |
| Tight End Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Kyle Pitts |
| "Pitts has been awful so far this season with four catches for 59 yards and no touchdowns on eight targets, and he was outplayed by Jonnu Smith last week against Green Bay when Smith had four catches for 47 yards on six targets. But I have a feeling Pitts has a breakout game in Week 3 at Detroit. The Lions have already allowed the most receiving yards to tight ends through the first two weeks of the season with 175 against Kansas City and Seattle, and that was without facing Travis Kelce for the Chiefs in Week 1. Last week, Drake London showed he can have success with Desmond Ridder with six catches for 67 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, and I hope Pitts gets his turn in Week 3." |
| Sit 'Em: Chigoziem Okonkwo |
| "Okonkwo once again disappointed Fantasy managers in Week 2 against the Chargers with four catches for 35 yards on four targets, but it was an improvement from his Week 1 stat line against the Saints when he had no catches. We'll see what happens in Week 3 against the Browns, but Cleveland has so far eliminated Irv Smith Jr. and Pat Freiermuth in two games with a combined four catches for 19 yards and no touchdowns on six targets. I'm not starting Okonkwo in any leagues in Week 3 if I can avoid it." |
| DST Start 'Em and Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Chiefs vs. CHI |
| "The Chiefs defense has been great so far this season, and facing the Bears in Week 3 is a fantastic matchup. Kansas City's defense has allowed just 24 points on the season against Detroit and Jacksonville, and the Chiefs sacked Trevor Lawrence four times in Week 2 with Chris Jones back on the field. Justin Fields has been sacked 10 times this season with three interceptions, and playing at Kansas City should be a daunting task. I like the Chiefs DST as a top-five Fantasy option in Week 3." |
| Sit 'Em: Commanders vs. BUF |
| "The Commanders DST has been good to Fantasy managers through the first two weeks of the season. In two games against Arizona and Denver, the Commanders have 10 sacks, one interception and three fumble recoveries. But this is a much tougher test against the Bills. If Josh Allen plays under control -- he had no turnovers against the Raiders in Week 2 -- then the Washington defense should struggle to stop Buffalo's offense. And despite the strong outings in the first two games, the Commanders have still allowed 55 to Joshua Dobbs and Russell Wilson." |
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| | | | | College Football on CBS Sports Network | | Fantasy Football Today Dynasty | This weekend, CBS Sports Network is featuring heavy-hitting college football matchups. On Friday, Boise State visits San Diego State at 10:30 PM ET followed by a full slate of games on Saturday including Duke vying to keep their 3 - 0 record as they visit UCONN at 3:30 PM ET.
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