Fantasy Football Week 3: Players to start and sit to win your fantasy football matchup
By Leo Howell
Week 3 of the NFL season is already upon us, and you need to make sure you’re ready to set your fantasy football lineup. So here are some borderline players to start and sit to make sure you have the best possible lineup for this weekend’s action.
Players to Start
Knowshon Moreno, Running back, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos Monday Night Football matchup against the Oakland Raiders doesn’t promise to be very competitive. The Broncos are going to win, and win easily.
That means you want to play Denver running backs who will be responsible for controlling the clock and securing an easy victory. Thus far in 2013, Moreno appears to be the running back to start in Denver.
Joique Bell, Running back, Detroit Lions
Reggie Bush isn’t fully healthy heading into Week 3. But even if he toughs it out and plays this weekend against the Redskins, Bell is going to continue to get his chances as the secondary option out of the backfield.
And if Bush doesn’t start, Bell becomes a top-10 option at running back against a bad Washington defense. Bell is a seriously good football player and a great fantasy option should he get a chance to start, especially in a PPR.
Josh Gordon, Wide receiver, Cleveland Browns
Yes, his starting quarterback is Brian Hoyer. But the Browns are going to be behind, and Hoyer is going to need to throw somewhere. Gordon is the most talented player on offense in Cleveland at the moment, and therefore he should be started even with a bad quarterback throwing him the football.
Nate Burleson, Wide receiver, Detroit Lions
I really like the Lions matchup against Washington this week. Start every Lion you can start, which includes Burleson. Washington doesn’t have much talent in the secondary, so Burleson will be open. If the team from D.C. focuses on Calvin Johnson, Burleson will benefit even more.
Minnesota Vikings Defense/Special Teams
If the aforementioned Josh Gordon isn’t getting yards and scoring points, then the Browns offense will likely be either failing to move the ball, or giving the ball to their opponent. That opponent is the Vikings, who have some talent on defense.
But this isn’t about defensive talent. It’s about the Browns’ offense and how historically bad it might be without Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden in the mix.
Players to Sit
Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts don’t really have a plethora of talent on the offensive line that protects Luck, which is going to pose a problem against the 49ers. There aren’t a ton of great options at quarterback this week, but if you have any other options, I’d avoid Luck.
Stevan Ridley, Running back, New England Patriots
The Tampa Bay defense is still very strong against the run, and the Patriots still don’t trust Ridley to carry their offense without fumbling. This is a really bad combination for Ridley in Week 3.
David Wilson, Running back, New York Giants
The Carolina Panthers have a very good front seven, and the New York Giants have a similar distrust for Wilson as the Patriots do for Ridley.
At this point Wilson is a borderline lost cause. Not only is he a “sit ‘em” this week, he’s a “trade ‘em for anything you can get.” The Giants seem to have demoted Wilson to a role where he’s not worth the value some people might still give you for him. If you can get a starter at any position but kicker or defense for Wilson, do it.
Mike Williams, Wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Josh Freeman has not proven that he’s capable of completing enough passes to provide fantasy relevance to anyone but his favorite target Vincent Jackson. The New England Patriots are going to frustrate Freeman, which is going to limit Williams’ opportunities as well.
Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins, Wide receiver, New England Patriots
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have proven that they’re not allowing fantasy points to second and third option wide receivers this season. They struggle to cover tight ends and running backs, but their revamped secondary has completely restricted looks to average receivers. Dobson and Thompkins aren’t talented enough to earn points against Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and company.