Arguably, the most frustrating thing in fantasy football is seeing someone in your starting lineup struggle that week. Therefore, the logic behind this article is simple – identify fantasy football lineup landmines.
These are players you’re leaning towards starting this week but could end up being a landmine that blows up and destroys your starting lineup, potentially costing you your matchup.
Brace yourself and take cover.
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Waiver Wire Picks
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Lineup Landmines: Week 3
Justin Fields (QB – CHI)
Things couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start this season for Fields and the Bears. The team has a 0-2 record, and the quarterback has played awful. Fields has scored under 15 fantasy points in both matchups this season, totaling only 427 passing yards and three total touchdowns. By comparison, he has four turnovers, including three interceptions. More importantly, the former Ohio State star isn’t running like he did in 2022. Last season, Fields averaged 10.7 rushing attempts per game. This year, he has 13 total rushing attempts.
Unfortunately, starting left tackle Braxton Jones won’t play this week and could be out for the season with a neck injury. Meanwhile, the matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs is awful for fantasy players. The Chiefs have surrendered 234.5 passing yards, 0.5 touchdowns, and only 11.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Maybe this is the week Fields decides to run all up and down the field and score 30 fantasy points. Hopefully, I’m wrong, and that’s the case, but fantasy players should be nervous starting Fields this week.
James Conner (RB – ARI)
After a subpar Week 1 performance against the Washington Commanders, Conner had a top-15 finish last week against the New York Giants. The veteran running back had 106 rushing yards and a touchdown, scoring 16.6 half-point PPR fantasy points. However, the former Pittsburgh Panther had 23 rushing attempts against the Giants, with the Cardinals leading 28-14 entering the fourth quarter. Yet, Conner only had three rushing attempts in the fourth quarter despite the two-touchdown lead. Unfortunately, Arizona won’t have a two-touchdown lead at any point this week against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas earned two easy wins this season and could get their third win by at least 20 points on Sunday against the Cardinals. Unfortunately, that’s awful news for Conner’s fantasy outlook, as Arizona will be in a negative game script early in the contest. Meanwhile, the veteran running back had one target last week on Joshua Dobbs‘ 31 pass attempts. More importantly, the Cowboys have shut down opposing running backs, surrendering 3.6 yards per rushing attempt and only 6.6 fantasy points per game to the position. Conner won’t be a top-30 running back this week unless he has a significant role in the passing game.
Rachaad White (RB – TB)
Everyone freaked out in Week 1 after White averaged only 2.3 yards per rushing attempt and scored 5.9 half-point PPR fantasy points against the Minnesota Vikings. Then he rebounded last week and had a top-10 finish, totaling 18.8 fantasy points. However, the second-year running back averaged only 4.3 yards per rushing attempt. Furthermore, he had five targets, with nearly 30% of his fantasy points coming via the passing game last week. While White had an impressive performance in Week 2, fantasy players should explore the trade market before the Monday night matchup.
The Philadelphia Eagles have struggled to stop the pass this season, including to the running back position. However, their run defense is arguably the best in the league. The Eagles have surrendered only 3.1 yards per rushing attempt and 44.5 yards per game to running backs. Furthermore, they have held running backs to only 12.3 fantasy points per game, the fifth-fewest in the NFL. White will need a massive role in the passing game to sneak into the top 24 running backs this week. Consider selling high on the second-year player before Monday night.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.