Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 3

That's more like it.

After a quiet opening slate which saw games average just 41.3 total points, Week 2 totals skyrocketed to 49.8 points per game.

Overall, pace of play was up slightly in Week 2. But teams weren't playing that much faster; rather, they were scoring a lot more touchdowns.

That's good news for fantasy managers, even if we can expect some touchdown regression going forward. This week likely won't be as sluggish as Week 1, but we can't expect last week's fireworks week-in and week-out.

Looking ahead to Week 3 start or sit decisions, FanDuel Research's fantasy football projections serve as a solid baseline. But when we pair those projections with some recent historical data, even further lines can be drawn. From there, factors like game environment, strength of opponent, and the latest news can help shape our start/sit decisions.

That's what I'll be doing each and every week, combining our projections and historical trends to decipher how likely a player is to deliver a start-worthy performance (Start%).

Below, you'll find every fantasy-relevant player, sorted by position and bucketed into tiers. These tiers are meant to reflect your typical 12-team, half-PPR scoring formats with only one starting quarterback -- though the general rankings can be loosely applied to most formats. Any player not listed can be assumed sit-worthy in most leagues.

Here is the Week 3 fantasy football start/sit.

All betting references refer to the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. All statistics via NFL Next Gen Stats unless otherwise stated.

Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Week 3

Quarterback

Start

Daniel Jones (IND)
It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that the current QB2 is a firm start this week, but this is Daniel Jones we're talking about. It was easier to dismiss his Week 1 outburst against the lowly Dolphins, but I'm struggling to poke holes in his profile after a 316-yard, 22.8-fantasy point outing versus the Broncos. Jones appears to be an every-week threat to score on the ground (9 red zone rush attempts through two games), and he's been one of the most efficient passers in the league (league-leading 60.6% passing Success Rate) despite pushing the ball downfield more than ever (career-best 8.7-yard aDOT). Week 3 will be his first road game with the Colts, but the Titans aren't an imposing matchup and have hardly generated any pressure in 2025. Danny Dimes is a low-end QB1 with legit 25-point upside in Week 3.

Michael Penix (ATL)
Michael Penix Jr. wasn't asked to do much last week as the Falcons allocated 38 carries to their two running backs and just 21 pass attempts to their sophomore gunslinger. Still, he did his job against a Brian Flores defense -- we can't fault him for that. I just wouldn't bank on Atlanta being that run-heavy going forward considering they let him chuck it 42 times in Week 1, even if this week's opponent (Carolina) has been a run-funnel defense early on. While opposing offenses have dropped back at the fifth-lowest rate against Carolina through two weeks, the Panthers are bottom 10 in both EPA per dropback allowed and adjusted pass defense. It's largely the same defense Penix fried for 26 fantasy points in his final 2024 start, so I'm bullish he flirts with top-12 numbers again with his entire receiving corps finally healthy.

Sit

Jared Goff (DET)
It's a pretty lackluster week at quarterback, so I can understand wanting to deploy Jared Goff fresh off a 34-point showing in Week 2. But that's the story of Goff, right? In 35 home games with Detroit, Goff has averaged 20.6 fantasy points and 271.1 yards with a 69.8% completion percentage. Across 32 road games with the Lions, he's averaged just 14.2 fantasy points and 249.7 yards while completing 66.5% of passes. Goff's touchdown rate on the road (3.7%) is nearly half of that at home (6.6%), so I don't view him as a top-12 quarterback in a road date with Baltimore -- the 11th-best adjusted pass defense even with Josh Allen's nuke against them in Week 1.

Box Nix (DEN)
Even in a game Bo Nix completed 73.3% of his passes and tossed 3 touchdowns, the second-year game manager just barely squeaked into the top 12 at the position (21.2 fantasy points). That was a big improvement on his Week 1 effort (8.8 fantasy points), but he threw a pick for the second straight week and barely cleared 200 yards through the air. Denver ranking sixth in pass rate over expectation (+4.6% PROE) is encouraging for Nix's floor, but a 5.6-yard aDOT (31st among starting QBs) really caps his ceiling. You could do worse than Nix in an indoor game versus the Chargers -- a team that's faced the highest dropback rate in football -- but it's hard to get excited about his upside with LA sitting at third in adjusted pass defense.

Running Back

Start

Jordan Mason (MIN)
With Aaron Jones off to IR and Carson Wentz now under center for Minnesota, Jordan Mason looks like a must-start running back. Though Mason turned last week's 15 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) into just 4.8 fantasy points, he still posted a 55.6% rushing Success Rate and is now poised to handle the lion's share of the Vikings' backfield touches. That was a role he thrived in last season; in seven 2024 games where he played at least 50% of the snaps, Mason averaged 13.6 fantasy points per game despite seeing only a 5% target share. He's hovered around a 10% target share while splitting snaps with Jones this season, so it's not unrealistic his receiving role could grow even more as the de facto No. 1 back. This week's matchup (vs. Cincinnati) is ripe for the taking as the Bengals have allowed the fourth most fantasy points per adjusted opportunity to opposing running backs.

Jaylen Warren (PIT)
After being outsnapped by Kenneth Gainwell in Week 1, Jaylen Warren certainly looked the part of Pittsburgh's RB1 in Week 2. He played 58% of snaps (70% in the first half) and ran a route on 41% of Aaron Rodgers' dropbacks. The Steelers fed him 22 adjusted opportunities, including 14 of their 20 running back rush attempts. He netted 134 scrimmage yards and has now 62% of the team's red zone opportunities through two weeks. That's unlikely to change ahead of a road date with New England -- a defense which has permitted the ninth most fantasy points per adjusted opportunity to opposing running backs. He's a low-end RB2 but rock-solid flex option in Week 3.

Tony Pollard (TEN)
Tony Pollard generated another lackluster fantasy total in Week 2, netting just 9.2 points -- his second straight game failing to reach double-digit fantasy points. He's finished as the RB30 and RB29 through two weeks. But golly, the utilization has been good. Pollard has played exactly 89% of the snaps in each of the first two games and enters Week 3 with the fourth most rush attempts (38) and sixth most rushing yards (152) at the position, yet he ranks 29th in total fantasy points. Ignore the surface-level numbers and buy into the elite usage with Indianapolis' 26th-ranked run defense on deck.

Sit

David Montgomery (DET)
I won't go as far as to say I'm super concerned about David Montgomery, but I'm not not worried. Monty has played fewer than 40% of Detroit's offensive snaps in each of their first two games, and he's seen exactly 11 rush attempts in each. In 2024, he recorded more than 11 carries in 9 of his 14 games. He was targeted just once after seeing 4 targets in the opener. Montgomery was bailed out by a touchdown in Week 2 -- and the red zone role has still been there early on. Even so, it's fair to question his ceiling in games where the Lions don't score 52 points. With their implied team total at 23 points on the road in Baltimore on Monday night, I'd rather look for upside elsewhere.

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE)
Rhamondre Stevenson popped for 18.7 fantasy points last week -- his most since Week 9 of last season. His snap rate held steady at 66%, and he was more involved in the passing game with 5 targets. And yet, I don't want any part of him in Week 3. Stevenson has managed a measly 39% rushing Success Rate on his 18 attempts this season, and he continues to split time with Antonio Gibson and TreVeyon Henderson. An eye-popping 45% of his 169 total yards through two weeks have come on two big plays, but he's otherwise turned 23 touches into just 93 total yards. With Gibson and Henderson lurking behind him, I'm worried he ends up closer to Week 1 (3.7 fantasy points) than Week 2.

Wide Receiver

Start

Jakobi Meyers (LV)
Jakobi Meyers hasn't had a true ceiling game in 2025, but the utilization remains rock-solid. He's 10th among wide receivers in route participation and 13th in target share yet has finished as the WR17 and WR37. Still, with 14 receptions and 22 targets through two games, Meyers has established a nice floor with Geno Smith under center. In Week 3, I'm optimistic we finally see some upside. Meyers is the third-biggest touchdown regression candidate heading into the third week of the season, and he's now up against a Washington secondary which PFF ranked 28th coming into the season. In a soft matchup for Meyers, I'm more than willing to buy into that usage and elevate him as a solid WR2.

Ricky Pearsall (SF)
Ricky Pearsall took a step back last week with Mac Jones under center. After clearing 100 yards and finishing as a top-20 receiver with Brock Purdy in Week 1, the second-year wideout managed just 7.2 fantasy points in Week 2. Still, Pearsall commanded six targets last week (third on the 49ers) -- all of which came at least 10 yards downfield. That came with Jauan Jennings active after he missed Week 1, so there's reason to believe his deep role will continue in Week 3. If it does, Pearsall is in position to smash against a Cardinals which has allowed the second-most downfield targets through two games. Notably, Pearsall's second-best game as a rookie (6 receptions, 69 yards, 15.9 fantasy points) came against this Arizona defense.

Khalil Shakir (BUF)
Khalil Shakir fantasy managers can't be too pleased with his Week 2 performance -- one which saw him record 1 reception for 12 yards. Still, I wouldn't take much away from a game where the Bills attempted only 27 passes. They led 20-0 with more than 8 minutes remaining in the second quarter, after all. Granted, we could see a similar game script in Week 3 against the Dolphins -- though this is a matchup Shakir has feasted in of late. Shakir has tallied at least 5 receptions in three straight meetings with Miami, notching 8.0, 8.1 and 13.5 fantasy points. Now, that's not necessarily the ceiling we'd typically look for in a starting wide receiver. But as a flex option -- or a WR3 in deeper leagues -- Shakir's a solid start this week against a 'Fins secondary ranked dead-last in adjusted pass defense.

Sit

Tyreek Hill (MIA)
Sitting Tyreek Hill in fantasy football is a legitimately terrifying decision -- one we likely wouldn't have been able to fathom as recently as last season. And after a 109-yard, 13.9-fantasy point showing in Week 2, sitting Hill may not even be on your radar. But it should be. He enters Week 3 with a 20.6% target share, 34th among wide receivers. While his 43.5% air yards share ranks 12th at the position, he's yet to see a target in the red zone. That's the profile of a boom-or-bust player, one which should be thought of as a matchup-dependent fantasy option. In Week 3, Hill's matchup with the Bills is one to avoid. Buffalo has surrendered the third-fewest downfield targets to opposing receivers through two weeks, and they've consistently held the speedster in check since his move to Miami. In Hill's six head-to-heads with the Bills the past three seasons, Buffalo has held him to 10.5 fantasy points per game. He went over 10 fantasy points in only two of those six games. There's just not enough upside to justify the enormous downside in this matchup.

Travis Hunter (JAX)
The No. 2 pick in April's draft, Travis Hunter has had a quiet start to his NFL career. After catching six of eight targets in Week 1, Hunter managed just three receptions (on six targets) in last week's (seemingly) soft matchup with the Bengals. Still, his 20% target share through two games isn't the issue. My real qualm with starting Hunter in Week 3 is his minuscule 6.2-yard aDOT and 16.5% air yards share. Simply, that isn't the kind of profile we see work in fantasy football. Over the rest of the season, I'm still bullish Hunter and the Jags figure things out; giving up on rookie wideouts with this much draft capital after just two games is not a good idea. But with the Texans' fearsome defense coming to town in Week 3, I'm more than happy to let Hunter take a seat on the bench. We just haven't seen enough of a floor or ceiling to justify starting him in a tough spot.

Tight End

Start

Kyle Pitts (ATL)
Kyle Pitts -- yes, Kyle Pitts -- needs to be started in all but the shallowest fantasy football leagues in Week 3. While the 24-year-old has yet to clear double-digit fantasy points this season, he's enjoyed some of the position's best utilization. Pitts led all tight ends in route participation last week, and he's seventh among tight ends who appeared in both games with a 20.6% target share for the season. With the lion's share of Atlanta's targets concentrated on four players, Pitts has established a rock-solid floor at one of fantasy's most volatile positions. With a road date against the Panthers up next, we could finally see some upside unlocked. Carolina enters Week 3 allowing the sixth highest target rate and second most yards per route run to opposing tight ends while Atlanta is tied for the week's seventh-best implied total (24.5).

Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE)
Even with Baltimore running up a 24-point margin on the Browns last week, rookie Harold Fannin Jr. remained productive with 5 receptions, 48 yards, and 7.3 fantasy points. Though his target share dipped from Week 1, he still leads Cleveland pass catchers in target per route rate and yards per route run. His route participation remained around 60% -- plenty high enough to produce for a Browns side with the third highest raw pass rate in football. Another negative game script likely awaits Cleveland in Week 3 against the Packers, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for the rookie tight end. And, despite Green Bay's fearsome defense, they have been susceptible to tight ends early on. This is a classic "don't look at his line until the clock strikes zero," but there's been enough there the first two weeks to warrant starting Fannin in 12-team leagues.

Sit

T.J. Hockenson (MIN)
Anecdotally, T.J. Hockenson does not look like his former self. Statistically, he's not even in the same universe. Hockenson -- the sixth tight end off the board in fantasy drafts -- has just 4 receptions and 27 yards through two games. Though he's 13th at the position in route participation and target share, Hock is all the way down at 44th in total fantasy points. Not all of that is his fault -- he's been catching passes from the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL, after all. But even with Carson Wentz now stepping in, I don't know how you can start Hockenson with any sort of confidence in Week 3. We just haven't seen anything from him in 2025 while Wentz hasn't started a meaningful NFL game since 2022. This is an easy fade for me and a situation where I'd be more comfortable playing one of the tight end streamers for Week 3.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.