Who should you start and who should you bench in Week 3? Read on to find out.
Quarterbacks
Good Starts:
Tom Brady- always a good start, averages 228/2 vs. BUF
Kyle Orton- may have to throw a lot, gets good yardage, good vs. TEN
Matthew Stafford- close matchup will keep him throwing
Drew Brees- could be a shoot out with Brees winning it
Matt Schaub- could be a shoot out, high yds and TD’s
Michael Vick- will play, destroyed NYG last year, big rushes against them
Eli Manning- plays well vs PHI always has lots of TD’s
Cam Newton- JAC can’t stop anything, throws lots and runs
Phillip Rivers- will light KC up, won’t have to throw in 2nd half though
Ben Roethlisberger- IND has played him tough but this will be diff, will throw TD’s early
Decent Starts:
Ryan Fitzpatrick- NE gives him trouble, team will be down, 200/1 avg vs NE
Andy Dalton- team throws a lot, tough defense this week, rookies are risky
Colt McCoy- has looked decent, MIA gives up passing yds
Chad Henne- bad vs CLE last time, will get decent rushing yds
Donovan McNabb- good vs DET over career, hasn’t looked good this year, risky
Blaine Gabbert- don’t know what to expect in first start but not a tough matchup
Mark Sanchez- not the best matchup, struggled vs them last time, been on a roll though
Joe Flacco- mediocre, never puts up great fantasy #s
Sam Bradford- don’t think he will do much against BAL but talented
Aaron Rodgers- CHI plays him tough, averages 232/1 against them, tough on the road
Kevin Kolb- has looked good, SEA actually tough to play in, will still produce
Tavaris Jackson- threw for 4 td against them last time, team is always down
Josh Freeman- not the best matchup but should be close, 198/2/1 avg vs ATL
Matt Ryan- TB plays him tough, 205/2/2 last time against them
Tony Romo- banged up, WAS plays him tough, throws lots of INT against them
Rex Grossman- high pressure monday night, 322/4/2 against them last game
Bad Starts:
Alex Smith- always a bad start, season avg is 150/1
Matt Hasselbeck- awful #s vs. Den, averages 165 yds 1 int
Jason Campbell- wouldn’t touch him against NYJ defense
Matt Cassel- only 68 yds against them last time, looks bad this yr
Jay Cutler- bad vs. GB, averages 227/1/2 vs them
Kerry Collins- very bad situation for him, 149/1/1 vs. PIT last game
Wide Receivers
Good Starts:
Chad Ochocinco- his turn to finally score, targets are increasing
Kenny Britt- been a monster this yr, scored against them last time, roll with him
Brandon Lloyd- will come back strong after missing a game
Calvin Johnson- great option every week this entire season, will score a whole lot
Nate Burleson- gets lots of targets with CalJohn doubled, good #s vs MIN
Percy Harvin- due to score, pretty good vs DET, good yardage last week
Devery Henderson- on a roll, scored last time vs HOU
Robert Meachem- really their #1 WR right now, shoot out matchup
Andre Johnson- 120/1 last time vs NO, and he’s great
Jeremy Maclin- good #s vs NYG, TD/game, broke out last week
Mario Manningham- 113/2 last time vs PHI, Nicks questionable
Steve Smith- playing unreal, just start him again, chance to score
Santonio Holmes- questionable but should play, good #s vs OAK
Anquan Boldin- averages 88 yd/gm against STL, chance to score
Malcolm Floyd- his game to perform, 51/2 last time vs KC, 6 career TD’s against them
Greg Jennings- should get the yardage, TD is shaky
Larry Fitzgerald- will gets lots of yds, always a threat to score
Mike Williams- has scored in both games he’s played against them with decent yds
Mike Wallace- can’t ever think of a reason to bench him
Santana Moss- DAL killer, 72/2 last game, avg of 88 yd/gm
Decent Starts:
Wes Welker- bad vs. BUF, 50 yd avg against, no career TD’s
Deion Branch- same as Welker, 50 yd avg against, only 1 career TD against
Stevie Johnson- struggles vs. NE, banged up, tough to bench though
David Nelson- should get catches while johnson is double covered, good #s last 2
AJ Green- Has performed so far so throw him out there, too hard to predict each week
Andre Caldwell- #2 WR by default, could reap benefits if Green is doubled
Michael Crabtree- looking to make impact in his first full game, risky though
Mohamed Massaquoi- decent vs MIA, yds to be had
Brandon Marshall- 50 yd avg vs CLE, no lock to score
Davone Bess- could see him reaching 70 yds
Nate Washington- gets lots of targets and yds
Eric Decker- should get at least 50 yds
Jacoby Jones- should get at least 50 yds
DeSean Jackson- decent vs NYG, shut down last week, looks to bounce back
Hakeem Nicks- questionable, not sure what his load will be, good vs PHI
Brandon LaFell- has produced both weeks, not a tough matchup
Plaxico Burress- too risky until he plays consistently, good #s vs OAK
Danario Alexander- broke out last week, tough matchup but big enough to score
Vincent Jackson- KC usually shuts him down, but too good to sit
Dwayne Bowe- risky, tough matchup, hasn’t played well against SD in awhile
Jordy Nelson- tough matchup, 50-60 yds expected
Johnny Knox- decent vs GB, 60 yds expected, possible TD
Early Doucet- decent vs. SEA in career
Roddy White- rarely scores TD vs. TB, decent yardage this week
Julio Jones- inconsistent rookie, hard to tell what he will do
Hines Ward- averages 72/1 against them, hasn’t looked great this year though
Antonio Brown- ready to break out any week with long TD
Reggie Wayne- tough matchup with no QB but plays well against PIT
Dez Bryant- questionable, good start if he plays
Kevin Ogletree- could end up being DAL #1 WR
Bad Starts:
Josh Morgan- bad player, bad QB, bad situation
Greg Little- needs to do something before you can trust him
Brian Hartline- doesn’t get enough yds
Eddie Royal- can’t touch him yet
Bernard Berrian- bad vs DET, weak QB
Lance Moore- banged up, 1 catch last week, 0 catches last time vs HOU
Mike Thomas- hard to know who Gabbert will have chemistry with, risky
Darrius Heyward-Bey- NYJ defense, revis
Denarius Moore- NYJ defense
Lee Evans- may not play again
Brandon Gibson- start him if you want 50 yards or less with no TD
Steve Breaston- bad matchup, hasn’t played well
Donald Driver- don’t expect much
James Jones- don’t expect much
Roy Williams- questionable
Devin Hester- averages 20 yd/gm vs GB
Sidney Rice- out…again
Mike Williams- not a good option this year
Arrelious Benn- not enough yds, bad vs. ATL
Emmanuel Sanders- too inconsistent and too many weapons
Austin Collie- hard to ever play without Manning
Pierre Garcon- hard to ever play without Manning
Miles Austin- out this week
Jabar Gaffney- risky, you never know when he will score
Running Backs
Good Starts:
BenJarvus Green-Ellis- good career #s vs BUF, averages 100 yd/gm, will run a lot
Fred Jackson- Gets lots of carries and receiving yds, performs each week
Peyton Hillis- gets plenty of combined yds, looked good last week, easy matchup
Chris Johnson- due for a big game, weak opponent, big combined yds
Jahvid Best- combined yds are enough to keep starting him
Adrian Peterson- averages 117 combined yards per game vs DET
LeSean McCoy- not the best matchup but always gets combined yards
Ahmad Bradshaw- combined yards make him good start every week
Maurice Jones-Drew- will have to run all day and a lot, plus combined yds
Shonn Greene- will have to run a lot, 144/2 against them last time
Ray Rice- always performs, good matchup, will run a lot, plus receptions
Ryan Mathews- looking great, great matchup, plenty of combined yards
Mike Tolbert- scores TD’s, good #s vs KC, team will run a lot
Matt Forte- will run a whole lot, huge #s vs. GB, good at home
Beanie Wells- averages 50/1 vs. SEA, I see bigger #s than that coming
LaGarrette Blount- broke out last week, 103/1 against them last time
Michael Turner- averages 84/1 against them, will run a good bit
Rashard Mendenhall- should run a lot, especially late
Felix Jones- averages 80 combined yds against them, has never scored TD vs WAS
Decent Starts:
Danny Woodhead- should get combined yds, NE will dominate time of possession
Frank Gore- combined yds, not very impressive anymore, struggled vs CIN last time
Reggie Bush- role is uncertain, will get receptions to go with rushes, good vs CLE
Daniel Thomas- role is uncertain, looked good last week
Mark Ingram- hasn’t performed yet, could see him scoring this week, team doesn’t run
Arian Foster- questionable right now
Ben Tate- Foster’s role unknown, looks good
DeAngelo Williams- good matchup, hasn’t been relied on, risky
Darren McFadden- struggled vs NYJ last time, team will be behind and throwing
Dexter McCluster- sneaky play, should get rushes and receptions
Ryan Grant- team will run more than normal, 137/2 vs CHI last time, splits carries
James Starks- team will run more than normal, splits carries, gets receptions
Marshawn Lynch- don’t expect much, not too good vs ARI, should run a lot early though
Tim Hightower- struggles vs DAL, Helu will take some carries, no lock this week
Roy Helu- 10 carries last week, could see him scoring this week, low yardage
Bad Starts:
CJ Spiller- Tough matchup, can’t trust him yet despite decent #s, team will be down
Cedric Benson- bad #s vs SF, tough run def, doesn’t look impressive anymore
Knowshon Moreno- questionable, will get light load
Willis McGahee- will lose carries to moreno, not strong enough to perform on light load
Pierre Thomas- not getting a big enough work load
Brandon Jabobs- small work load, bad vs. PHI
Jonathan Stewart- need to see something first
LaDainian Tomlinson- not fantasy worthy this year
Steven Jackson- game time decision, bad matchup
Cadillac Williams- no thanks against BAL
Thomas Jones- shouldn’t be starting, bad vs SD in career
Marion Barber- doubtful
Joseph Addai- bad matchup, bad vs PIT, has never scored against them
Tight Ends
Good Starts:
Rob Gronkowski- getting yds and TD’s, 3 TD in 2 career games vs BUF
Vernon Davis- if anyone scores a receiving TD it will be him
Jimmy Graham- will get high yardage if nothing else
Owen Daniels- will go over 70 yds or score in shoot out
Antonio Gates- should play, huge #s vs. KC, averages 67/1 per game, redemption
Jermichael Finley- 115 yds against CHI last time, due to score TD
Tony Gonzalez- should get you 60-70 yds, probably no TD
Jason Witten- DAL only receiving weapon if Bryant is out
Decent Starts:
Scott Chandler- has performed both weeks, much better opponent this week
Benjamin Watson- has a chance to score, 100 yds against MIA last time
Brandon Pettigrew- don’t like the matchup but there are worse options
Brent Celek- chance to score
Jeremy Shockey- gets yards
Ed Dickson- inconsistent, chance for yards and td
Zach Miller- sneaky play this week, 64/1 against them last time
Kellen Winslow- averages 56/0 against ATL
Heath Miller- shaky matchup but better than “bad starts” options
Dallas Clark- risky, could score or could be shut down for 1 catch
Chris Cooley- plays well vs DAL but unknown role with Davis
Fred Davis- produced first 2 weeks but unknown role with Cooley
Bad Starts:
Aaron Hernandez- Out
Jermaine Gresham- can’t trust him after 2 catches for 8 yds last week
Anthony Fasano- no catches last week, can’t be trusted
Jared Cook- can’t trust him yet
Daniel Felis- under par TE
Visanthe Shiancoe- not good
Jake Ballard- untrustable, not performing
Mercedes Lewis- doubtful this week
Dustin Keller- very bad #s vs OAK
Kevin Boss- hasn’t played yet, questionable
Billy Bajema- no way
Leonard Pope- of course not
Kellen Davis- why would you?
Todd Heap- not this week, not a good matchup
Kickers
Good Starts:
Stephen Gostkowski- lots of points will be scored
David Akers- could be all him
Phil Dawson- lots of chances
Dan Carpenter- big kicker, could kick multiple FG’s
Rob Bironas- talented, at home
Neil Rackers- good matchup, lots of points scored
Alex Henery- will be active, lots of chances
Nick Folk- seems like a great matchup
Billy Cundiff- always active
Mason Crosby- lots of FG’s coming
Robbie Gould- see Mason Crosby
Connor Barth- some XP’s and FG’s, good day
Matt Bryant- kicker friendly matchup
Decent Starts:
Mike Nugent- could be low scoring, will be some FG chances
Matt Prater- mediocre matchup
Jason Hanson- gets mostly XP’s
Ryan Longwell- better matchups out there
John Kasay- old man, lots of XP’s
Lawrence Tynes- will put up mediocre #s
Olindo Mare- old man, never an ideal kicker
Josh Scobee- may get some chances, not the best option
Sebastian Janikowski- most points will come from him
Nick Novak- good matchup but he could miss
Jay Feely- mostly XP’s coming
Shaun Suisham- good matchup but misses FG’s a lot
Graham Gano- good matchup but good for 1 miss
Bad Starts:
Rian Lindell- not a very good matchup, may not get many chances
Josh Brown- don’t like his chances
Ryan Succop- KC has trouble scoring
Steven Hauschka- bad kicker, bad offense, bad team
Adam Vinatieri- may not ever get a chance to kick
Dan Bailey- can’t touch the DAL kicking situation
David Buehler- can’t touch the DAL kicking situation
Defense
Good Starts:
San Francisco- good matchup vs rookie QB and weak offense
Detroit- McNabb doesn’t look good, chance for TD
Philadelphia- NYG and Manning has struggled
New York Jets- weak opponent, bad QB
Baltimore- good matchup, due for TD
San Diego- everyone vs KC is a good matchup
Chicago- can see them scoring TD in close game at home
Arizona- good matchup vs weak SEA offense
Pittsbrugh- great situation
Decent Starts:
New England- decent def, risky against offense that looked good last 2 weeks
Cincinnati- not very talented but facing a bad QB
Cleveland- decent matchup at home
Miami- mediocre defense, mediocre matchup vs young QB
Tennessee- mediocre defense, mediocre matchup
Denver- mediocre matchup against QB who struggles against them
Carolina- playing weak JAC offense
Green Bay- tough matchup, still a solid defense
Tampa Bay- matchup isn’t really favorable to either team
Atlanta- matchup isn’t really favorable to either team
Dallas- both defenses play each other well, TD possible
Washington- both defenses play each other well, TD possible
Bad Starts:
Buffalo- not a good def to begin with, tough opponent, brady doesn’t get picked
Minnesota- DET has a powerful offense
New Orleans- shoot out
Houston- shoot out
New York Giants- PHI will score a lot as usual, defense banged up
Jacksonville- do they have a defense?
Oakland- NYJ can score points
St. Louis- not a good situation
Kansas City- playing strong offense
Seattle- bad defense, ARI can score
Indianapolis- probably the last defense you should start
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Enjoyed this as always but Aaron Hernandez is out for 1-2 weeks with a bruised MCL. That should bump up Gronk’s value even more (if possible) and certainly fantasy owners should keep Hernandez out of their lineups.
Hernandez moved to bad. This is an adjustable list. Thanks for letting me know. Hard to know the playing status of every single player in the entire NFL. I’m aware of 99% of them each week.
fitzpatrick will throw 4 tds this week
negative…fitzpatrick 220 yds 1 td sounds about right
and you kill baby rabbits
Looks like alot of names were left off this week especially for the running backs. I saw just about every one of my starters and bench listed in week 2.
Thanks for reading each week Ryan. Each week that I’ve done this I’ve actually had a higher number of tags than the week before. Each week when guys move up the depth chart I include new guys. Guys who have fallen out may not get listed. If there is someone who isn’t listed then they are more than likely on my bad list. What players are you looking for?
So I have a flex position, and I am trying decide who to go with between Starks, JNelson, and DThomas. I am thinking Nelson because he seems to always produce, what do you think?
Nelson seems safe especially if its PPR. My gut said DThomas because of how good he was last week. I think he gets rewarded with a TD following his big game. So Thomas if you want to roll the dice, and Nelson if you want to play it safe.
Looks like I will go with Thomas, he looked too good last week.
I’m thinking of moving Eric Decker to the W/R position since Beanie Wells is questionable, but I’m still wondering if beanie is worth taking the risk of leaving in the starter.
If its PPR you might as well go with Decker. It’s safer. If it’s not PPR then take the chance on Beanie, but have a backup that plays at 4 or later if he’s out.
So with Foster out again would you start Tate over Ryan Matthews?