It’s time for weekly bold predictions. The point here is that if you follow the consensus, you’re probably going to have a good team. But in order to go from good to great, you have to take some chances. You have to do your homework and figure out where you can zig when the rest of your league (or at least your opponent this week) zags. In short, you need to know how and when to be bold.
We asked our analysts to provide a bold prediction for Week 3. Their answers and justifications are below.
- More Waiver Wire Picks
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Week 3 Bold Predictions
Q: What is one bold fantasy prediction (player-related) for the upcoming week, and why could it happen?
Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
“Breece Hall is a top-five fantasy running back. The Jets didn’t have a great Week 2 by any means, but let’s not forget they were playing an elite Cowboys team. Not only did Dallas’ defense play great, but the offense jumped out to such an early lead that the Jets had no choice but to pass the ball. The Patriots aren’t as daunting, and the Jets should remain competitive for most of the contest. It also helps that this New England defense just surrendered 127 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns to Raheem Mostert. If the Jets are smart, they’ll minimize the risk of Zach Wilson turnovers and give the running backs, led by Hall, an enormous workload. As long as he avoids playing on a snap count in Week 3, Hall should feast. ”
– Andersen Pickard (Prime Time Sports Talk)
“Breece Hall is going to rebound and run all over the New England Patriots. The New York Jets offense is stumbling with Zach Wilson at the helm. Breece Hall (and Dalvin Cook) only had 4 carries last week for 9 yards, which he ran for on one carry! Breece Hall looked spectacular in Week 1 versus a great Buffalo Bills defense, and last week, the New England Patriots gave up 121 yards rushing to Raheem Mostert. Both of those factors will lead to him bouncing back from a dud of a week 2 to a top 5 finish in week 3!”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)
Josh Jacobs (RB – LV)
“Josh Jacobs gets back on track this week and is the overall RB1 after dropping over 30 half-point PPR fantasy points against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The star running back has been awful this season, averaging only 1.64 yards per rushing attempt, 0.44 fantasy points per touch, and 7.8 fantasy points per game. However, he has faced two talented defenses. Meanwhile, the Steelers got the Week 2 win thanks to their pass rush. Unfortunately, their run defense has been terrible, surrendering 6.06 yards per rushing attempt and 30.3 fantasy points per game to running backs. This is the week where Jacobs returns to his star level of play.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)
Tony Jones Jr. (RB – NO)
“If Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller miss week 3, Tony Jones Jr. will be a top-25 RB play against the Packers. ”
– James Hatfield (Hatty Waiver Wire Guru)
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
“My bold prediction is that Jalen Hurts won’t be a Top-10 QB this week. Hurts has struggled to pass the ball so far this season and has put up under 14 points in both games if you exclude the two QB sneaks he got in Week 2. Tampa Bay has a better defense than people like to admit. It’s unwise to believe Hurts will get easy rushing touchdowns again this week, and without them, he’s not a Top-10 guy.”
– Trevor Land (FlurrySports)
Taysom Hill (TE – NO)
“Taysom Hill finishes as a top 6 Tight End! The stars are aligning for a big Taysom Hill game. Alvin Kamara is serving one more game on his suspension, Jamaal Williams is OUT, and everyone is running to grab Tony Jones Jr. The best part is that Taysom Hill is he is tight end eligible and is being used more as a running back. The versatility he brings to the table brings massive upside. We have seen him throw the ball, be used in goal line packages, and used in the passing game. He had nine carries for 75 yards in limited work on Monday. Go get you some Taysom.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)
“Taysom Hill finishes the week as a top-five tight end. The Saints travel to Green Bay without the services of RBs Jamaal Williams (hamstring) and Alvin Kamara (suspension). Rookie Kendre Miller is coming back from a hamstring injury, but I wouldn’t expect the Saints to overload him with work when he wasn’t deemed healthy enough to play in Week 2. New Orleans also has Tony Jones, but his talents are modest, to put it kindly. With Jamaal Williams going down last week, Hill had 9-75-0 rushing last week and also drew a pair of targets. I think Hill gets 10+ carries this week against a perennially soft Packers defense and puts up strong numbers.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)
“Zay Flowers will finish in the top 12 for fantasy points for WRs. Flowers will face the Indianapolis Colts, who are the second-worst defense in the NFL against wide receivers. He has been a steady contributor for the Baltimore Ravens with 13 receptions on 15 targets. This year, a good rule of thumb is to target the Colt’s defensive back room.”
– Joe Pepe (Beyond The Gridiron)
“Zay Flowers scores his first touchdown of the season, has over 100 receiving yards, and finishes as a top 12 Wide Receiver in Week 3. He finally has a favorable matchup at home this week against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts give up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing Wide Receivers this season. It’s time for flowers to bloom and for his fantasy football league managers to reap the harvest. ”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)
Miles Sanders (RB – CAR)
“Miles Sanders will finish with more than 20 fantasy points. In Week 3, the Panthers face off with a Seattle defense that has been a run-funnel through two weeks, giving up fantasy points by the truckload. They have allowed 29.3 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs so far. Sanders should rush for more than 100 yards and could see upwards of ten receptions in this cupcake matchup.”
– Aaron St Denis (The League Winners)
Justin Watson (WR – KC)
“Ok. You want bold. You want it? I’ll give you bold. Justin Watson leads the Chiefs wide receivers in receiving yards this week as he takes two deep targets to the house. I know this is a deep pull, but hear me out. Watson leads the team with a 24.6 aDOT. I understand he only has a 38.9% route run per team dropback rate. He has a 10% target share and a 23% TPRR. Watson has a 67% TPRR on deep routes and leads the team with four deep targets. Chicago has allowed the seventh-highest passer rating, 13th-highest adjusted completion rate, and the 11th-highest yards per attempt on deep targets this season.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)
“Well, time to back him. After two dreadful weeks, Alexander Mattison will finally get it going versus the Chargers. There has been zero, and I mean zero, reason why anyone has been excited about Mattison thus far. The Vikings just traded for Cam Akers, who has his own point to prove now that he is no longer in the McVay dog house, to make Mattison’s seat as the RB1 in Minnesota white hot. This week, it all changes. Thus far, the Chargers have allowed a rushing touchdown to both RB1s that they have faced in Raheem Mostert and Derrick Henry, and I am confident that Mattison will get back on track with a near 100-yard day with a score in Week 3.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)
Jonathan Mingo (WR – CAR)
“Jonathan Mingo’s breakout game is incoming. The rookie WR has suffered at the hands of his rookie QB Bryce Young despite encouraging usage. He leads the Carolina Panthers in targets, fresh off a ten-target game on Monday night with over 100 air yards to boot. With Andy Dalton at quarterback – 2nd in catchable target percentage as a passer in 2022 – Mingo’s ceiling will finally be unlocked in a plus-matchup versus the Seattle Seahawks. 100 yards and 1 TD for Mingo in Week 3.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
Jordan Addison (WR – MIN)
“Jordan Addison finishes as a Top-12 WR in Week 3. The Vikings will have had 10 days to elevate the game plan for Addison, who played nearly 70% of snaps in Week 2. It’s clear that the Vikings, who have passed at a 78% clip to start the year, are already intentionally targeting Addison downfield and in Red Zone looks. Now the Vikings face the Chargers at home– a Chargers defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers to start the season. Start Addison with confidence in a shootout projected for the highest game total for Week 3. ”
– Bradley Stalder (Player Profiler)
“The Minnesota Vikings will have two top-12 finishers at the WR position in Week 3. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are already the WR3 and WR15 in PPR to start the season, and that is factoring in a steady ramp-up for Addison’s offensive participation (67% route rate in Week 1, 78% in Week 2). The Vikings welcome the Chargers and their porous secondary to town in a matchup with the highest total of the week (53.5 on FanDuel). A double top-12 performance for this tandem is well within the range of outcomes. ”
– Dan Larocca (RotoBaller)
Skyy Moore (WR – KC)
“Skyy Moore will finish in the Top 20 wide receivers in Week 3. The Bears are dead last in DVOA against WR1s, and as long as Kansas City agrees Moore is their WR1, I think he will have a huge day to separate himself from the crowded Chiefs pack. Patrick Mahomes needs a reliable wideout to pass to when Travis Kelce, I dunno, has a date or something and is unavailable; I think he trusts Moore just a bit more than Kadarius Toney. My prediction is somewhere around 5/90/1 for the 23-year-old. And if he somehow pulls this off, trade him immediately.”
– Kelly Kirby (FantasyPros)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
