Fantasy Football Start/Sit: Jalen Nailor, Rico Dowdle, Alec Pierce (Week 3)

Are you seeking fantasy football start/sit advice for your week’s lineups? We’ve got you covered. We have our Who Should I Start tool to help you choose between two players and our weekly projections to look at every player in your leagues. Don’t forget to sync your leagues to MyPlaybook so you can access our Start/Sit Assistant to give specific advice to help you dominate and bring home the championship.

Here is our fantasy football start/sit article, including all the players we’re calling sleepers and duds this week. Below, let’s take a closer look at a few players to consider this week.

Jalen Nailor (WR – MIN)

“Minnesota receiver Jalen Nailor is ranked as WR65 and 125th overall and is totally off the radar in most leagues. Nailor hasn’t exactly been swimming in targets, but with the Vikings receiving options being limited, he has found himself in the TJ Hockenson end-zone role. He has scored in both games this season and is seeing his role grow each week. He has finished as WR47 and WR23 and is trending upward. This week’s ranking makes him a solid flex option against a Texans defense that is sure to send their best defenders after Justin Jefferson.”
– Aaron St Denis (Fantasy Football Universe)

Rico Dowdle (RB – DAL)

“Rico Dowdle is my upside playing the week. Dowdle elevated his yards per rush from 3.2 in Week 1 to 4.3 in Week 2. He also received four opportunities in the first drive last week. This coaching staff wants Dowdle to be the guy.”
– Joe Pepe (Beyond The Gridiron)

Alec Pierce (WR – IND)

“Alec Pierce leads the Colts in receiving yards by over 100 yards. He has the 2nd most targets and receptions while also leading the team in WR snaps. He’s 6th in the league in air yards, 2nd in aDOT, and 8th in yards per reception.”
– Brandon ‘B_Don’ Myers (Razzball)

“Alec Pierce had a monster Week 1, and he followed it up with a solid Week 2 finish. He is currently WR58 and Ranked 116 in the half-PPR flex. Pierce is currently the WR8 overall. No, I do not expect him to keep this pace up. But we can’t ignore the usage. His snaps increased from 84% to 95% from Week 1 to Week 2. His targets increased from three to seven targets. He finished with five receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown last week. Chicago is not a great matchup, but Jaylon Johnson won’t be covering him this week. Pierce is heating up and has shown off the upside already. Well worth the flex consideration.”
– David Heilman (Sports Gambling Podcast Network)

“Alec Pierce has delivered two weeks in a row of top 20 WR finishes, with WR8 in week one and WR19 in week two in half-point PPR. Pierce is up against a tougher Bears defensive in week three who are giving up the 11th fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs in 2024; however, he has the most receiving yards, receptions, receiving touchdowns, and the second most targets through the first two weeks of the season for the Colts. Pierce and Anthony Richardson have had a connection early this season. I anticipate Pierce will get some shots down the field, and one long connection could easily have Pierce outperform this WR58, and 6.8 points are projected in half-point PPR going into Week 3.”
– Derek Dennington (The Good Old Boys Fantasy Football Podcast)