We’ve only had two weeks’ worth of regular-season games, but the injuries are already starting to pile up. With a number of key fantasy contributors ailing, you might be forced to look to your bench for a spot starter.
And there are some chalky players who might not be quite as safe for the coming week as we might think.
Our featured analysts name some potential sleepers and underachievers for Week 3.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Q. Which player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is a good sleeper start and why do you think he has upside this week?
Nyheim Hines (RB – IND)
“Nyheim Hines. The Colts welcome the Chiefs in Week 3 and it’s fair to say the game script could be against the home side throughout. Whilst Hines hasn’t had an eruption spot through two games, he has seen 11 targets and leads the team in catches (10). So far, the Chiefs have allowed 10 targets to running backs in Week 1 and 17 in Week 2. Hines has also seen two red zone targets and one carry inside the five. Points are coming. ”
– Tom Strachan (NFL Best Ball)
Equanimeous St. Brown (WR – CHI)
“Equanimeous St. Brown’s yards per reception (19.0) is currently sixth in the NFL among wide receivers who have been targeted several times or more. Chicago’s offense only has two touchdowns through the air this season, one was on a broken San Francisco coverage to Dante Pettis, and the other to St. Brown. ”
– Mason Riney (IDP Army)
Greg Dortch (WR – ARI)
“Over the first two weeks of the year, Greg Dortch has been a fantasy surprise. He is the WR23 in half-point PPR scoring, averaging 11.6 fantasy points per game. Dortch has scored more fantasy points than any other flex player on the Cardinals. Furthermore, he is third on the team in targets and has played only one fewer snap than A.J. Green. This week he faces the Rams, who have given up 44.7 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the first two weeks of the year. If Rondale Moore is out again this week, Dortch is a WR3 with upside.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
Nelson Agholor (WR – NE)
“If you’re more or less throwing a dart here, you probably want someone capable of making a huge play, so why not Nelson Agholor? His 6-110-1 line last week against the Steelers included a Moss job for a 44-yard score, and the Patriots may be realizing that amid a painfully pedestrian pass-catching corps, he’s the closest thing they have to a game-breaker (at least while Tyquan Thornton is out). Now Agholor gets a Ravens secondary that was just strafed by the Dolphins and, going back to the start of last season, has shown a penchant for giving up the long ball.”
– Des Bieler (The Washington Post)
Mecole Hardman (WR – KC)
“Is it possible that Mecole Hardman could be the most valuable wide receiver in Kansas City? He’s played fewer snaps than JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but Hardman has accumulated more air yards and has a higher percentage of targets per route run. Hardman’s average depth of target is 13.2 yards. Valdes-Scantling has an aDOT of 8.7 yards, and JuJu’s is 7.8 yards. Hardman is simply a better bet to see more of the high-value targets vacated by Tyreek Hill. I like Hardman as a sneaky start this week against the Colts on the fast artificial surface at Lucas Oil Stadium.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Logan Thomas (TE – WAS)
“Logan Thomas has seen 11 targets in the first two weeks, hauling in six catches and one TD. He is running good routes and looks healthy for the first time in a while. The Eagles controlled everything about their Week 2 matchup against the Vikings except for TE Irv Smith, who had eight targets and found the end zone. Wentz may be looking for some quick outlets against an intense pass rush, and Thomas is being underestimated as a half-PPR option for Week 3.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Q. Which player inside the top 40 in the FantasyPros flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy managers this week?
Marquise Brown (WR – ARI)
“Marquise Brown has averaged a mediocre 7.4 yards per target for his career. He averaged 6.9 YPT last year and is down to 6.5 YPT through two games this year. Hollywood was targeted 11 times against a shaky Raiders defense last week but came through with only 6-68-0. Now he gets a tricky matchup with the Rams in which he’s likely to get a lot of face time with Rams CB Jalen Ramsey. Expect another low-efficiency outing from Brown. ”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
“Marquise Brown. Hollywood’s ADP was driven up in the belief that he could go nuclear in the early stages of the season, but so far it’s been very lukewarm, to say the least. Brown isn’t the type of receiver to win all over the field, and Kliff Kingsbury is doing a poor job of scheming plays for him. After two garbage-time games have padded his stats, now Brown will face the L.A Rams and their stout pass defense. It doesn’t feel great.”
– Tom Strachan (NFL Best Ball)
Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)
“Javonte Williams is up against a defense in San Francisco that is allowing an average of 67.5 rushing yards per contest (second in the NFL) and only one touchdown on the ground. In the past two weeks Williams has finished as the RB16 and RB22, and this week he is ranked as the RB11 in Flex rankings. ”
– Mason Riney (IDP Army)
Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS)
“Terry McLaurin has been solid to start the year, averaging 11.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. While Carson Wentz leads the league in passing touchdowns, McLaurin has only one this season. However, despite leading the team in targets with 18, he has scored under 13 fantasy points in both games. This week he faces Darius Slay and the Eagles, who shut down Justin Jefferson on Monday night. With Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson playing well, McLaurin won’t see the needed volume to overcome the bad matchup.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
A.J. Dillon (RB – GB)
“The Buccaneers have been winning with defense, and the Packers are no slouches in that department, either. That portends a low-scoring game between them that could, in turn, bode poorly for A.J. Dillon. The Green Bay RB is still the 1B to Aaron Jones‘s 1A, and Dillon likely needs a TD to fully pay off at his ranking, which could be a tough ask if the Packers-Bucs game lives up to an over/under line that’s toward the bottom end of this week’s slate. ”
– Des Bieler (The Washington Post)
Najee Harris (RB – PIT)
“Najee Harris against Cleveland’s defense seems like a recipe for disaster. The second-year back has rushed 25 times for only 72 yards and has seven catches for 43 yards while only being targeted eight times in two games. Meanwhile, Cleveland has allowed 147 total rushing yards and two touchdowns, including limiting Christian McCaffrey to 57 all-purpose yards in Week 1. If you have a good third running back option on your bench, this might be a week to play him instead.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Thanks to the experts for sharing their advice! For more of their insight, be sure to follow each pundit on Twitter (click their names above) and visit their respective sites.
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.