Fantasy football 2024: One player I’m fading/starting in Week 3 for each position

Start/sit decisions are tough. We’ve all spent our Sunday mornings lingering over which tight end to play, and then we’ve picked the wrong one and our team lost to the one buddy who we really, really didn’t want to lose to.

So to help you out with that, let’s look at a couple of players at each position and figure out what to do with them in fantasy football this week.

While I don’t have enough time to go through every single player this week, I do want to highlight one top start and one fade at each position. Read on to see which players I’m in on and out on in Week 3.

Week 3 quarterbacks to fade and start

Fade: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

I said to fade Brock Purdy last week. Instead, he threw for 319 yards, though a number of yards came while trailing. This week against a banged-up Rams team, Purdy probably won’t spend as much time trailing, allowing the team to lean on Jordan Mason and the run game.

Another reason I’m low on Purdy is that he won’t have Deebo Samuel on the field. Samuel is a multi-dimensional threat who led the team in targets last week. Without Samuel on the field, the 49ers become easier to figure out, and Purdy will suffer from that.

Start: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

In Week 1, the Cardinals got nothing from rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., which led to quarterback Kyler Murray throwing for just 162 yards. MHJ figured things out in Week 2 though and Murray soared, throwing for 266 yards and three touchdowns and also adding 59 yards on the ground.

That makes two games in a row with over 50 rushing yards for Murray. His high rushing floor gives him a major fantasy boost. What also gives him a boost is a meeting with the Detroit Lions, a team that’s allowed the fifth-most passing yards and that was shredded in Week 1 by Matthew Stafford.

Week 3 running backs to fade and start

Fade: Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

Kyren Williams has found the end zone in both games so far, but he’s averaged 2.8 and 2.1 yards per carry. He’s getting opportunities, but those TDs are really papering over what’s been a disappointing start for him.

Now, Williams is set to face a strong 49ers defense this week. In Week 1, the Niners held one of the best running backs in the league, Breece Hall, to 54 rushing yards,  though Ty Chandler surprisingly gashed them for 82 yards last week.

This just feels like a fade week for Williams. No one’s going to find the end zone every week. And that’s not factoring in the major uptick in opportunities for Blake Corum last week. After the rookie didn’t touch the ball in Week 1, Corum had eight carries last week in the loss to Arizona.

Start: James Cook, Buffalo Bills

James Cook has been on fire this season. In Week 1, Cook finished with 103 scrimmage yards, then last week against the Dolphins he found the end zone three times. Rookie Ray Davis is cutting into his snaps, but Cook is still producing at a high level.

This week, he faces the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville has done pretty well against the run this season, though the team did allow Dolphins running back De’Von Achane to finish with seven receptions for 76 yards.

In fact, the Jags have allowed the fourth-most receiving yards to opposing running backs this season. A player like Cook is perfectly positioned to have a big game against this defense.

Week 3 wide receivers to fade and start

Fade: Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper has failed to do much of anything this season, catching five passes for 27 yards over the first two games of the year. Part of that has been that quarterback Deshaun Watson isn’t throwing the football well. Another part is that the addition of Jerry Jeudy has changed some things. Another part is just that Cooper isn’t catching passes, with four drops already this season.

And the thing is—I don’t see any of those things changing against the Giants this week. The Giants have been a middle-of-the-road pass defense, but I don’t think the Watson and Cooper connection has it in them right now to succeed against anything but a bottom-five pass defense. Things just aren’t working for the team.

Start: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens really only have one viable wide receiver at this point: Zay Flowers. I mean sure, Rashod Bateman has his moments, but Flowers is the only reliable option they have, which is why the team is going to play a lot of 2-TE sets this season.

Flowers has averaged 10.5 targets per game so far this season. Last time out against the Raiders, he caught seven of his 11 targets for 91 yards and a touchdown. Up next are the Dallas Cowboys, a defense that allowed some big plays to the Saints pass defense in a blowout loss.

Expect Flowers to continue being peppered with targets, making him a strong fantasy option because he’ll have a high floor against a defense that should provide him a high ceiling as well.

Week 3 tight ends to fade and start

Fade: Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Last week I told you to trust the process on Dalton Kincaid. He was out on the field, the Bills have issues at wide receiver—it just made sense to think his Week 1 no-show was an anomaly.

And Kincaid did have a better Week 2 showing, doubling his targets from two to four and bringing in all of them for 33 yards. But man…is that what a good Kincaid game looks like?

Now, he faces a Jaguars defense that’s allowed just three catches for 23 yards to opposing tight ends through two games. I’m fully fading Kincaid this week and can live with it if I’m wrong.

Start: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Rookie tight ends usually take a bit to get going, but Brock Bowers has bucked that trend. After a solid debut, he caught nine passes for 98 yards in Week 2 against the Ravens. He’s already been targeted 17 times.

Now, he gets a juicy matchup against a Carolina Panthers team that is REELING right now. Carolina lost 47-10 to the Saints to open the year then fell 26-73 last week to the Chargers.

And to Bowers’s favor, the Panthers have struggled against tight ends. In the Saints game, Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau both scored touchdowns. Bowers should be positioned for a strong game, making him a top-five play at the position with overall TE1 upside.