Week 3 Start/Sit
The most important takeaway from this article should be to never sit your studs. Let me say that again, NEVER sit your STUDS. Your studs are the guys that can prevail no matter the matchup because they are one of the best in the world at doing what they do. Every week I will have a list of the major studs at each offensive position that should never be on your bench unless they are on bye or if they are injured, don’t outsmart yourself with their matchups. This list is intended to help you decide between 1 or more players you may not be completely sold on, on a weekly basis. Just because I don’t particularly like a certain player does not mean they should be on your bench no matter what. Some people won’t have better options than the players I don’t like and, I am human, I will make mistakes. It is also important to note that the players listed here under Start should be considered for use in DFS leagues as they will likely be available at a cheaper price or I think they are ready for an amazing week.
Quarterbacks
Studs:
Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady
Start:
Phillip Rivers – Indy has a terrible secondary when healthy and they are fighting the injury bug as well. Expect big numbers.
Matt Ryan – Matt Ryan baffles me. For years he was stagnant as the #7 QB in fantasy but last year he fell off the wagon and had a horrible year. What is consistent though, is that he starts the year strong in September and he gets the New Orleans defense this week.
Marcus Mariota – Oakland’s defense has been surprisingly horrible this season, almost as bad as New Orleans was last year.
Derek Carr – It is really tough to run on Tennessee, and Oakland’s run game isn’t stellar. They will win this matchup in a shootout.
Sit:
Matthew Stafford – Stafford has been flourishing in JBC’s new offense, but a tough matchup against Green Bay’s pass defense should find him returning back to Earth.
Andy Dalton – Cincinnati is going up against Denver. The Denver Broncos. Stay away.
Carson Wentz – Wentz has been off to an incredible start to his career and takes on the Pittsburgh Steelers who were bottom in the league last year in passing yards allowed. However, the Steel D has looked pretty darn good so far this year and you have to remember that Wentz is still a rookie. A great week this week and we can all hop aboard the bandwagon.
Kirk Cousins – Cousins, so far, has not looked very good this season after the Redskins showed faith that he would be the franchise QB they have been needing. The Giants, so far, have looked great on defense after all of their off-season acquisitions on defense. Divisional matchups tend to be lower scoring. Look elsewhere.
Running Backs
Studs: Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, David Johnson, Lamar Miller, CJ Anderson, Le’Veon Bell/DeAngelo Williams
Start:
DeMarco Murray – Oakland’s defense has been terrible so far this year and Murray has been getting a lot of touches every week out of this backfield. Ride the wave until it comes to a crashing halt.
Matt Forte – Just like with Murray, Forte has been seeing the ball a lot. 30+ touches a week for a back that is 30+. I worry about his long-term durability, but ride him for now while you can. Oh and KC’s defense has been questionable at best.
Melvin Gordon – The Colts are giving up 4.6 YPC average to opposing running backs and with Woodhead out, Gordon will be getting all the carries and catches in this backfield. If you are a Gordon owner you are a happy camper.
Mark Ingram – Ingram is off to a slow start so far this year, but the Falcon’s defense is comparable to Swiss cheese. This is the week he will breakout.
Isaiah Crowell – Crowell has also been off to a great start so far this season and has a desirable matchup against Miami. With a 3rd string, rookie QB leading the offense this week, Crowell will be leaned on heavily this week.
Sit:
Spencer Ware – Even though Ware has been doing well the first 2 weeks of the season and Charles will still be out this week, the Jets are one of the best teams at stopping the run. We know he can do damage in the passing game, evidence based on his week 1, but temper expectations this week.
Latavius Murray – See Carr, Derek above. The Titans are good at stopping the run, so the way that Oakland will win this game will be via the pass.
Theo Riddick – You’d think that with Ameer Abdullah out that Theo would be a good option this week, but Green Bay’s defense has been stellar this year so far. He will be doing damage through the air like he always does, but the speed on the GB defense will keep his production modest.
Matt Jones – Jones has been hurt but it seems that he is getting healthy, but as I said above with Captain Kirk, the Giant’s defense has improved dramatically this season. Hopefully this turns into a shootout.
Jeremy Hil – Hill is playing Denver, unless he scores don’t expect much of anything from him.
Wide Receivers
Studs: Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr, Julio Jones, AJ Green, DeAndre Hopkins, Allen Robinson, Brandin Cooks, Brandon Marshall, Mike Evans, Alshon Jeffery, Amari Cooper
Start:
Dez Bryant – If Romo was healthy then Dez would be in the Stud column, but until that happens he is going to remain here. A great matchup against a poor Bear’s defense that also has injuries should leave Dak Prescott enjoying a fun day in the dome.
Will Snead – Whenever going up against Atlanta you do not want the WR being covered by Desmond Trufant, but you can’t sit Snead after his great start to the 2016 season.
Sterling Shephard/Victor Cruz – Josh Norman will be shadowing OBJ all game according to early reports which means that Shephard and Cruz will be seeing the lesser coverage in a favorable matchup for the G men.
Phillip Dorsett – With Donte Moncreif out and TY seeing a lot of Verrett who shut down ARob last week, Dorsett will be seeing a lot of options down-field which could lead to a huge day.
Travis Benjamin – Benjamin showed up last week and seemed to step right in to Keenan Allen’s old role. Indy is struggling to stay healthy and is pretty bad against the pass even when they are.
Sit:
Doug Baldwin/Tyler Lockett – Russel Wilson makes his money by scrambling and making plays with his legs. His WRs benefit from broken plays, but Wilson can’t do that when he’s less than 100%. Baldwin and Lockett are also hurt which is just a recipe for disaster.
Golden Tate/Marvin Jones – Have you read enough about the strength of the GB defense yet?
Sammy Watkins – Watkins has been a downright waste of a decently high draft pick so far this season. He’s on my bench until I see signs of life.
Jordan Matthews – J Matt has been doing decently well so far as the young Carson Wentz’s favorite target so far this season. As I said with Wentz above, this will be a true test for the Eagle’s offense this week.
John Brown – It seems that the preseason concussion he suffered has set him back to start the season. He’s a special talent in one of the league’s top offenses, but he has yet to get the wheels spinning. I’m also benching him until I see some explosiveness.
Tight Ends
Studs: Rob Gronkowski, Jordan Reed, Greg Olsen, Delanie Walker
Start:
Eric Ebron – Ebron is the only player in the Detroit offense that I think is poised to have a great week. Green Bay will do their best to shut down the WRs of Detroit and keep the running game off its guard. Their LBs typically aren’t great in coverage either, so Ebron should be the sole beneficiary of this.
Julius Thomas – On his way to becoming a stud, TEs are really few and far between based on talent. The matchup isn’t great, but you don’t sit him unless you own a stud as well.
Dennis Pitta – He’s baaaaack! Joe Flacco’s favorite target returns and looks to continue his dominance against a Jag’s defense that does their best to keep Bortles slinging the rock throughout the game.
Sit:
Gary Barnidge – Barnidge would have been a start this week if a 3rd string QB wasn’t starting instead of Josh McCown. He still might be worth a flier, but don’t expect too much.
Dwayne Allen – I honestly thought Dwayne Allen would have a great season since the Colts let Coby Fleener walk. It appears that instead of zeroing in on Allen, they decided to stick with a 2 TE system that Allen can’t escape.
Jimmy Graham – Frisco’s defense has looked pretty decent so far this year and Wilson is still hurt. Unless Graham finds himself open on every play I don’t expect much from him this week.
