Week 3 Start vs. Sit: Russ Suits You

Week 3. Two down, 16 to go. With multiple games now in the books, we can finally begin dissecting trends as they emerge across the league. For starters, one trend that I’ve noticed is more and more male youths wearing tiny shorts to show off their thigh muscles. Another is the rapid rise of the streaming of Suits on Netflix. What does this have to do with fantasy football? Well, every NFL player has large thigh muscles and regularly wears a suit (probably). But not all players with large thigh muscles who wear suits are created equally. Some are better at football than others, and some are better equipped to help your Week 3 fantasy lineup, such as Russell Wilson and Gabe Davis. Who else? I’ll break that down and more in this week’s start vs. sit.

Want more data-driven stats and tools to help you win your fantasy league? Check out the Razzball Fantasy Football premium subscriptions for $0.00 upfront with our three-day free trial!

Quarterback

START: Russell Wilson. Currently ranked as QB17 in ECR, Wilson will be a top-10 performer at the position in Week 3. He’s an easy bounce-back candidate this season in general with a more capable coaching staff as well as the addition of Marvin Mims. Week 1 was a bit of a learning experience against Las Vegas, but Wilson bounced back for 300-plus yards and three touchdowns last week. The Week 3 matchup against the Dolphins has a chance to turn into a track meet. Even if it doesn’t and Wilson stays out of top-five territory, he’s a worthy starter in one quarterback leagues in Week 3.

SIT: Justin Fields. Thought about going with Joe Burrow here, but didn’t want to risk wasting the spot should he ultimately be inactive. At the end of the day, it has to be Fields. Playing in Arrowhead Stadium is tough and the Chief’s defense is no slouch in the passing game (not sure why Fantasy Pros has this marked as a favorable matchup). Kansas City has playmakers on defense and I would be surprised if Fields doesn’t turn the ball over at least twice, which he did last week at Tampa Bay. I want to believe in Fields this week for no reason other than game script, but his poor track record of performance and the current state of affairs in Chicago say otherwise. 

Running Back

START: Zack Moss. In his first game active, Moss saw 22 touches against the Texans in the absence of Jonathan Taylor. He parlayed 18 carries into 88 yards while catching all four of his targets for 19 yards and a score. Sure, that was against Houston and the Ravens present a bigger challenge, but the volume (98% snap share) and opportunity is there for Moss to be matchup-proof as long as he remains in this role. For the first time in his career, Moss is being treated like a bell-cow, albeit in the interim. Even if Anthony Richardson is out, be confident in firing up Moss as an RB2.

HAT TIP: Javonte Williams. Despite playing just 45% of snaps through Week 2, Williams has averaged 15.5 touches per game while averaging 4.5 targets per contest. That hasn’t translated into much success thus far, as Williams has failed to find pay dirt or even eclipse 60 scrimmage yards. With each week that passes, look for Williams to become more heavily involved in both the running and passing game in Denver. He’s too talented of a weapon to not be utilized by this first-year staff. Not to mention, the Dolphins front seven has yet to prove that they’re formidable enough of a matchup to avoid in sticky situations. Williams is a serviceable, back-end RB2/high-end Flex.

SIT: Jerome Ford and Alexander Mattison. With Nick Chubb done for the year, the Browns turn to Ford to lead the rushing attack. Don’t get too excited. Most of what made Chubb elite was his pure running talent alone, which Ford hardly holds a candle to. Not to mention, this week’s matchup against the Titans is ugly. I’m fine with owning Ford in a wait-and-see capacity, but he by no means should be started. As for Mattison, he’s ranked as RB17 this week in ECR. The matchup against the Chargers isn’t bad. The Vikings offense is cooking through two weeks. These are reasons to like this matchup, but Mattison simply isn’t talented enough to be a bell-cow. He ranks outside of the top 30 running backs in the NFL in both yards after contact and elusiveness. I’m glad I don’t own Mattison in any leagues and if I did, he would be on my bench until I found a trade partner.

Wide Receiver

START: Gabe Davis. Remember Josh Allen? Yeah, he’s still pretty good even though virtually no one is picking the Buffalo Bills to go all the way this year (except me). Even with the emergence of Dalton Kincaid, Davis is still the No. 2 option in an elite passing game that’s facing a Commander’s defense in Week 3 that’s bottom-10 in the league in adjusted completion rate and passing yards allowed per attempt. Davis is a back-end WR2 this week with WR1 upside.

HAT TIP: Chris Godwin. The veteran receiver has done very little through two games (10 catches, 109 yards, zero touchdowns, 16 total half-PPR points), but will finally turn in a double-digit showing in Week 3. With Philadelphia’s Avonte Maddox out, Godwin will match up against the unproven Mario Goodrich and should provide a safe back-end WR2 floor at the very least.

SIT: Garrett Wilson. Who came here for the hard-hitting fantasy analysis backed by statistical support and analytics? Here you go. Zach Wilson is bad. Very bad. Can a bad quarterback support an elite receiver? Sure. We’ve seen it time and time again. But Wilson is another level of bad. And he’s going to be facing a Bill Belichick defense this weekend, which I don’t like the sound of. Don’t let the Patriots’ so-so numbers against the pass fool you, either, as they’ve faced Philadelphia and Miami through the first two weeks. You drafted him in the second round, so I probably can’t convince you to sit him. But I can try!

Tight End

START: Jake Ferguson. The Cowboys offense is rolling and it’s time for Ferguson to get in on the party. The Cardinals allowed the most touchdowns to tight ends last season and have already given up the third-most yards at the position through two weeks. On top of that, Ferguson has seen 11 targets across the first two games, seven of which have come in the red zone — which leads the league. He’s a great option to plug in this week.

SIT: David Njoku. You’ll probably see Njoku here every other week until the point gets across. He’s arguably the most overrated fantasy tight end of our lifetime, and he isn’t even rated all that highly. I don’t know how many times a player has to disappoint before we realize that elite physicality doesn’t mean everything. I don’t love the Week 3 matchup, but I also wouldn’t be interested even if it was enticing.