Week 3 NFL fantasy matchups

On By Jesse BonelloIn Published Articles

Quarterbacks 

Start:

Ben Roethlisberger vs Bears

Roethlisberger has thrown at least two touchdowns in each of his first two games this season, and he has a completion percentage over 65 per cent. He has a good matchup this week when he takes on a Bears defense that allows the fourth-most yards per passing attempt in the league (8.6).

Derek Carr vs Redskins

The Raiders are off to a hot 2-0 start, and they’re looking to keep rolling against the Redskins. Derek Carr, and the Raiders offense, matches up really well against Washington’s defense, who have allowed the fifth-most passing yards this season. Carr has a 126.5 passer rating and a 5-0 touchdown to interception ratio in his first two games.

Trevor Siemian vs Bills

Last week’s game against the Cowboys was arguably the best start of Trevor Siemians’ career. When all the experts gave the Broncos no shot at beating Dallas, Siemian came out and threw four touchdowns and had a 116 passer rating. Sieman and the Broncos bring their high confidence, and 2-0 record, to Buffalo against a Bills team that should struggle in this matchup. Siemian should continue to impress.

Sit:

Tyrod Taylor vs Broncos

Taylor has just 349 passing yards so far this season, and it doesn’t look like he’ll get much yardage this week. Taylor shouldn’t have much success passing the ball against an elite secondary. The Bills will be leaning on their rushing attack to give them any chance that they might have in this game, so Taylor will be better left on fantasy benches.

Marcus Mariota vs Seahawks

Mariota has put up below-average passing numbers to start off the season. He’s thrown only 471 yards, one touchdown and has completed just 58 per cent of his passes. With that being said, he has a tough matchup against a stingy Seahawks defense. Seattle has allowed less than 200 passing yards per game this season (188).

Jameis Winston vs Vikings

Winston made a pretty good debut against the Bears last week, but he’ll have a tough task ahead of him this week against the Vikings. Minnesota allows just 81 rushing yards per game, which could make the Bucs offense one-dimensional. We already saw how that effects offences when the Vikings held the Saints to just 60 yards rushing in week 1, which lead to a 29-19 win for Minnesota.

Running Backs

Start:
C.J. Anderson vs Bills

Anderson is coming off of a huge performance against the Cowboys. He had 118 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He’ll be going against the Bills in what seems like a bad matchup for Anderson, but the Broncos are showing that they plan to use him as a featured back. He’s had at least 20 carries per game this year, so he always has the chance to put up big numbers.

Jonathan Stewart vs Saints

Stewart has had some struggles early this year, and he has yet to score a touchdown. This week, he’s facing a New Orleans defense that allows over 120 yards rushing per game. Stewart has at least 15 carries per game so far this year, so that should give fantasy owners some optimism heading into this matchup.

Another running back that could put up some nice numbers is Theo Riddick vs Falcons. The Falcons have struggled this year against receiving running backs this year, and their defense has allowed the seventh-most receiving yards this year. Riddick’s pass-catching abilities make him a nice option for fantasy owners

Sit:
DeMarco Murray vs Seahawks

Murray has just 69 yards on 21 carries this season, and he has a tough matchup this week against the Seahawks. Murray has also had to battle with his carries being divided with Derrick Henry. I wouldn’t trust Murray this week in what could be a long game for the Titans offense. Seattle allows the 13th fewest total yards per game (309).
Redskins RBs vs Raiders

The Redskins rushing attack looked solid against the Rams last week, but they’ll have a tougher matchup this week against Oakland. The Raiders allow the tenth-fewest points per game (18), and they allow just over 300 yards of total offense per game. The Raiders are an early favourite in the AFC this year, so don’t rely too much on the Redskins running backs this week.
Paul’s Perkins vs Eagles

Perkins, and the Giants offense, has had a tough start to the season. Perkins has just 26 yards on 14 carries this year. That’s a poor stat line for one game let alone two games. Don’t expect any changes or a breakout game from Perkins this week, especially behind a bad offensive line.

Wide Receivers

Start:
Kelvin Benjamin vs Saints

Benjamin should be chomping at the bit to play this game. He’s going against a Saints defense that allows almost 400 yards passing per game, which is the worst passing defense in the league. Opposing quarterbacks are also averaging a 141.4 passer rating against the Saints. Benjamin still has yet to score a touchdown, but he should have plenty of chances this week.

DeVante Parker vs Jets

DeVante Parker had 85 yards receiving on four receptions last week, but the fantasy optimism comes from the nine targets that he had. Jay Cutler has came out and said that he’s a big fan of Parker, and he wants to get him the ball. This week is good for doing just that when the Dolphins take on a Jets defense that allows quarterbacks to have an average passer rating of 116.2.

Another guy who should be productive this week is Keenan Allen vs Chiefs. Kansas City is allowing the sixth-most passing yards per game this season (273). Allen had nine receptions on ten targets and one touchdown last week, and should continue being Philip Rivers’ go-to guy.

Sit:
Jordan Matthews vs Broncos

Matthews had just 30 yards on three receptions last week, and he’ll have a tougher matchup this week against the Broncos secondary. The Broncos allow just over 200 passing yards per game, and the Bills have the fifth-worst passing offense this year (163 yard per game). Matthews will be against either Aqib Talib or Chris Harris Jr. this week, so he’s considered a must-sit.

T.Y. Hilton vs Browns

Hilton has 106 receiving yards, seven receptions and zero touchdowns after two weeks. This is a guy who has averaged at least 1,000 receiving yards every year for the past four seasons. There’s a good chance that Hilton will fall short of 1,000 receiving yards this season without Andrew Luck under center. Against the Cleveland Browns, T.Y. Hilton is usually a must start, but the Browns are only allowing 228 passing yards per game this season. Without Andrew Luck, don’t rely on Hilton for consistent production.

Another guy who could struggle this week is Amari Cooper vs Redskins. Cooper will likely be matched up against Josh Norman this week against the Redskins. It’ll be a tough matchup for Cooper who probably won’t be putting up a big stat line this week.

Tight Ends

Start:

Travis Kelce vs Chargers

Travis  Kelce, who only had 40 receiving yards in week one, redeemed himself last week. He finished the game with eight receptions, 103 yards and a touchdown. Look for Kelce to have another solid game when the Chiefs take on the Chargers, especially since Tyreek Hill will have a tough matchup against Casey Hayward.

Jason Witten vs Cardinals

Among all tight ends in the league, Witten is first in receptions (17), second in receiving yards (156) and tied for first in touchdowns (two). With those stat lines, I think it’s safe to say Witten is a must-start at this point in the season.

Another tight end that should continue to impress this week is Jack Doyle vs Browns. Even without Andrew Luck, Doyle had a solid outing last week with eight receptions and 79 yards against the Cardinals defense. Doyle has a good matchup against the Browns, who haven’t defended tight ends well so far this season.

Sit:
Cameron Brate vs Vikings

Brate didn’t do much last week with two receptions for just 24 yards. He’ll have a difficult matchup this week on the road against a tough Vikings defense. Don’t expect Brate to do much this week, despite coming off an eight touchdown campaign last year.

Tyler Eifert vs Packers

Eifert has a disappointing four receptions for just 46 yards so far this season. Eifert has ran into injury problems most of his career, and now the Bengals offense is really struggling. Eifert is matching up against a Green Bay defense that has done a good job of holding tight ends to low numbers. The Packers have held Jimmy Graham and Austin Hooper to a combined five receptions and just 15 yards.

Defenses

Start:
Ravens D vs Jaguars

Baltimore’s defense has been impressive this year. They lead the league in interceptions with eight, which doubles the Lions who are second with four. This week, the Ravens take on interception machine Blake Bortles, so look for Baltimore to keep rolling.

Steelers D vs Bears

Pittsburghs defense looks like it’s going back to their steel curtain roots. They’ve allowed just 163 passing yards per game (yes, it was against DeShone Kizer and Case Keenum, but still impressive). They’re also tied with Kansas City for second in the league in sacks with nine. They have a favourable matchup against the Bears this week.

Packers D vs Bengals

Green Bay’s defense allows less than 180 yards passing a game, and they take on the Bengals. Cincinnati still has yet to score an offensive touchdown, and Andy Dalton hasn’t looked good at all this year. Green Bay will be looking to take advantage of this opportunity while the Bengals weapons are still quiet.

Sit:
Texans D vs Pats

Last week, New Englands offense showed what they’re capable of. Brady threw for almost five hundred yards and torched the Saints secondary. It’ll be a much different look for Houston’s defense that’s coming off of a 13-9 snooze fest win against the Bengals. It’s never a good idea betting against Brady.

Cardinals D vs Cowboys

Dallas is looking for a bounce-back game when they face the Cardinals this week, and there’s a good chance that they’ll do it. Arizona’s offensive woes could lead to good field position for Dallas throughout this game, which definitely makes it easier for the Cowboys offense. It’s not that the Cardinals have a bad defense, it’s their offense that hasn’t been up to par.

Another defense that could be vulnerable this week is the Bills D vs Denver. The Broncos offense really found it’s groove last week, and C.J. Anderson is looking reliable again. Siemian might not throw four touchdowns again, but they have a good chance of finding more success this week.

Kickers

Start:
Chris Boswell vs Bears

After having no field goal attempts in week one, Boswell was four-for-four last week in a 26-9 win over the Vikings. Boswell, and the Steelers offense, should have their fair share of scoring opportunities this week against the Bears.

Will Lutz vs Panthers

Lutz has made six of seven field goals attempted this season, and four of them came against a tough Vikings defense. The Saints might struggle getting inside the end zone against the Panthers, but Lutz should have good opportunities to put up points.

Another kicker who should continue to impress is Giorgio Tavecchio vs Redskins. Tavecchio nailed all four of his field goal attempts in week one and he hit all of his extra point attempts last week. The Raiders offense shouldn’t have any issues against the Redskins defense, which is favourable for Tavecchio.

Sit:
Stephen Hauschka vs Broncos

Hauschka has only made one field goal on just two attempts so far this season, and he probably won’t add to those totals this week. The Bills go up against one of the best, if not the best, defenses in the league this week. I’d leave Hauschka on the bench, especially after Denver’s win last week.

Phil Dawson vs Cowboys

No one thought the Cardinals offense would struggle as much as they are, and David Johnson’s injury definitely doesn’t help things. Look for the Cardinals offense to continue to struggle when they take on the Cowboys this week, who are looking for a bounce-back game. Dallas won’t make it easy for Dawson to score points, so he’s better left on the bench.

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