Sleeper Starts of the Week (Week 3)

If you’ve ever played fantasy football, you know things change in a hurry. It would be nice if the NFL season played out exactly as we had planned when drafting our fantasy team, but that’s never the case. Sometimes things go sideways, leaving owners forced to scramble on a weekly basis. The intent of this article is to help you find some players to plug and play while dealing with injuries, bye weeks, ineffectiveness, or just plain bad luck.  Here are some guidelines I will follow when identifying weekly sleepers:

1. I will use weekly positional rankings to identify players
2. I will try to identify players who may be available on the waiver wire
3. QBs will generally be ranked outside the top 12
4. RBs will generally be ranked outside the top 20
5. WRs will generally be ranked outside the top 30
6. TEs will generally be ranked outside the top 10

These are players who you should feel comfortable starting, and who I believe will provide solid production for the week. Let’s jump right in.

Quarterbacks

Alex Smith (vs. Packers)

I know, I know. He’s a dump off machine. He hates WRs. The offense was garbage last week. While all that is true, the game script will set up Smith for fantasy production. The Skins are going to be behind in this one. They will be forced to air it out, and even if it comes in the form of check downs to Chris Thompson, the yards still count. You can count on 250+ yards and two TDs from Smith this week.

Tyrod Taylor (vs. Jets)

Second straight week Tyrod (Ta-rod? Tie-rod?) has appeared in this article. He continues to provide cheap production at the QB position. And this is the week Cleveland gets that W! I can feel it! He’s currently QB15 on the season, and while those type of numbers won’t single-handedly win you a week, they won’t lose it for you either. His rushing ability makes him a consistent option, and this week provides a solid match up.  Don’t be surprised in Tyrod cracks the top-12 this week.

Running Backs

Phillip Lindsay (@ Ravens)

I legit had no idea who this guy was three weeks ago. Fantasy football can be crazy, and here we are. The Ravens have a pretty stout run defense, but they can be susceptible to the check down/screen game. This sets up nicely for Lindsay, as he is more of the change of pace back in the Broncos backfield. This figures to be a close game, so I think the touches will be there for Lindsay, as he has racked up 22 touches in each of the first two weeks. He provides a nice floor this week, with the possibility of a breakout game.

Jamaal Williams (@ Redskins)

This is more of a gut call than anything else. I don’t like what I saw from the Redskins last week, and I think they will be so concerned with Rodgers that there will be huge holes in the run game. Aaron Jones is returning, but that should not be a concern (yet), as Mike McCarthy straight up said that Williams was the lead back. This offense has way too much talent for the ground game to be as slow as it has been. The first two match ups were tough for the Packers, as they faced the Bears and Vikings, but this week will not offer the same challenges. Jamaal Williams will get going this week. Don’t be scared to use him.

Wide Receivers

Josh Gordon (@ Lions)

How lucky do you feel? It’s his first week in New England, so there’s no way he’s familiar with the playbook. That typically doesn’t bode well for players under Belichick, but the Pats went out and got this guy for a reason. They understand that they need WR help, so I think they intend to use Gordon right out of the gates. If you have three solid WRs you can play this week, you don’t need to force Gordon into your lineup. But once you get down in the 30-40 range of weekly rankings, you need guys with upside. Gordon offers legit top-10 upside playing with Brady. He’s the ultimate lottery ticket. If you feel like you need a home run this week, he’s your guy.

Kenny Stills (vs. Raiders)

He had a rough game against the Jets last week, but the Dolphins only needed 168 passing yards to beat the Jets. The game script will be more in his favor this week, and Oakland provides a good match up for Stills to eat. I have little faith in Devante Parker at this point, so I believe Stills remains the top target, at least for now. However, the addition of Parker may open up things a bit for Stills. This could be huge, as Tannehill has connected on 72.5% of his pass attempts so far this year. If Stills get a decent target share this week, he will be in for a nice game.

Tight Ends

David Njoku (vs. Jets)

This one is pretty simple. I think the Browns win the game, and I think Njoku gets into the end zone. He’s not giving you Gronk numbers, but he’s a viable streaming option this week.

Eric Ebron (@ Eagles)

I originally had Jack Doyle listed here, but he will not be active for the game, which presents a big opportunity for Ebron, who has scored a TD in each of the first two games. The TE position is important in the Andrew Luck led offense, and the combo of Doyle and Ebron have combined for 24 targets through two games. Ebron should see a hefty target share, and he is a good bet to score a TD this week. Start with confidence.

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