Roman Bruno

Content Contributor

The classic, all-helpful Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em series has reached Woodward Sports! This will be a weekly series by yours truly, and I hope for it to be your main source for fantasy football advice throughout the season. Have any questions? I have the answers! Welcome to Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Week 3.

Start ‘Em

Quarterbacks

Joe Burrow (CIN) @ New York Jets

Burrow and the Bengals are off to a less than ideal start, 0-2. Burrow has only thrown three touchdown passes so far in 2022, but facing the Jets defense should remedy that problem. New York has allowed the eighth-most points per game to QBs this season (27). With Chase, Higgins, Boyd, and Mixon at Burrow’s disposal, they can really make a statement offensively to get their first win of the season.

Derek Carr (LV) @ Tennessee Titans

If Carr can do 75% of what Josh Allen did against the Titans defense on Monday night, then Carr should be in most starting lineups. The Raiders, similarly to the Bills, have a top WR in Davante Adams. The newly-acquired weapon has scored a touchdown in both games this season, and his chemistry with his college QB is strong. Vegas will be looking to bounce back after blowing a 20-point lead to the Cardinals. Look for Carr to have a strong showing in this game.

Running Backs

Cordarrelle Patterson (ATL) @ Seattle Seahawks

Patterson did not have as good of a performance in Week 2 than he did in Week 1. This was due to splitting carries with rookie Tyler Allgeier, an even 10 carries each. The Falcons are going up against the Seahawks, who admittedly have only allowed one touchdown to RBs this season. However, Atlanta will have a chance to win this game. Rookie Drake London and sophomore Kyle Pitts are good plays this week as well, but Patterson will hold some value as a FLEX play. The matchup is appealing, and with the inconsistent play of RBs so far in fantasy, Patterson should be considered as a start.

Dameon Pierce (HOU) @ Chicago Bears

The rookie showed promise in Week 2, rushing for 69 yards on 15 attempts. He outplayed and outsnapped Rex Burkhead, which is pivotal for Pierce to be a potential league winner towards the playoffs. The Texans offense will continue to be below average, but Pierce is a star in the making. The Bears allowed over 200 rushing yards to the Packers last week on Sunday night, so Pierce has potential to put up a fantasy relevant performance.

Wide Receivers

Garrett Wilson (NYJ) vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Wilson was a top waiver wire pickup this week and is certainly a good play in Week 3. He has quickly risen above Corey Davis and Elijah Moore as the most productive weapon in New York. Last week, he was targeted 14 times, which he turned into eight receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson is currently the WR12 on the season. The matchup against the Bengals may seem intimidating, but the game script may have the Jets passing a lot late once again. This would certainly boost Wilson’s numbers, and he should be locked and loaded in lineups while he is hot.

DK Metcalf (SEA) vs. Atlanta Falcons

Metcalf has not done anything notable in fantasy just yet, mostly due to the poor play from QB Geno Smith. However, this matchup against the lowly Falcons is one that managers can get behind. Atlanta has given up 200 yards per game to WRs this season, the most in the league. Metcalf is the best wide receiver on the team, so he has the potential to go off on any given Sunday. Staring Metcalf is risky because of his lack of production through two weeks, but I am calling my shot now. He will find the endzone this week and will have managers rejoice.

Tight Ends

Gerald Everett (LAC) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Everett was a Start ‘Em last week, and he delivered with 13 fantasy points. He finished a competitive Thursday night game with 10 targets, which was tied for the lead among the team. Everett is proving to be a steady streamer, and his chemistry with QB Justin Herbert is even more assuring. There is so much upside in this Charger offense, and if Everett can continue to be a Top 10 TE weekly, he will become much more than a streamer. Fire him up vs. the Jaguars.

Irv Smith Jr. (MIN) vs. Detroit Lions

After putting up a goose egg Week 1, he bounced back last week against the Eagles. He scored their only TD of the contest and was really their only bright spot on offense. He is an intriguing play this week versus the Lions because of the potential for offensive firepower on both teams. Detroit has allowed nearly 100 yards and a touchdown to TEs this season, and covering the tight end has been a problem for them the past couple seasons. Justin Jefferson will surely bounce back after his 48 yard performance, but look for Smith to have some good targets as well. He is a nice streamer this week.

Defense/Kicker Streamers of the Week

In addition to the skill player Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Ems, here are my top streaming options for Defense/ST and Kicker:

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders

The Eagles have looked like Super Bowl contenders through two weeks. Their defense showed up in Week 2 after allowing 35 points to the Lions in Week 1. Against the Vikings, Philly’s D only allowed seven points, in addition to two sacks and three interceptions. Washington’s offense can show up when it wants to, as seen in the second half of Week 2. However, I expect Philly to get a couple turnovers and lead the team to a 3-0 start.

Graham Gano (NYG) vs. Dallas Cowboys

Gano had a fantastic performance last week. He went 4/4 on FGs, two of which were over 50 yards. The 2-0 Giants host the Cowboys on Monday night. The Giants have not scored a whole lot of TDs this season, but always seem to get in Gano’s field goal range. Expect him to have another good week.

Sit ‘Em

Quarterbacks

Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) vs. Buffalo Bills

Tua put up an elite stat line last week vs. the Ravens: 36 completions for 469 yards and six touchdowns. After trailing at halftime 28-7 Miami’s explosive offense fought back and won a game they had no business winning. Tua deserves the love and exposure in fantasy, but it is hard to expect him to replicate anything close to that performance against division rival Buffalo Bills. The Bills have allowed the fewest points to QBs this season. This will be a huge test for Tua, and considering how poorly he has performed against the Bills in the past, it is best for him to be left on the bench.

Matt Ryan (IND) vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Are the Colts frauds??? A 0-1-1 start is less than ideal for the Colts, who many said would win the AFC South with the addition of Matt Ryan. Ryan did not have star WR Michael Pittman Jr. in Week 2, which contributed to a lackluster shutout loss vs the Jaguars. This offense is looking shaky across the board, and it is hard to trust Ryan until he proves managers otherwise. Going against the Chiefs this week, if the Colts cannot get going early on, it could be along day for Indy. There are much better options than Matt Ryan this week.

Running Backs

Devin Singletary (BUF) @ Miami Dolphins

On a personal note, I won my fantasy matchup last week because my opponent had Singletary. He only needed around 7 points to win, but managed to get a measly 2.10 points (standard scoring). This is not anything new. The Bills backfield is not desirable for fantasy, especially due to the mobility of QB Josh Allen and his rocket arm. Singletary is not consistent enough to warrant a start. This matchup does not provide much optimism either. The Dolphins have allowed the least fantasy PPG to running backs this season (7.9).

Travis Etienne (JAX) @ Los Angeles Chargers

The sophomore RB retuning from injury has not produced to the level managers expected him to. Teammate James Robinson has seemingly stole the show, looking like his old self after an Achilles injury in Week 17 of 2021. Etienne, who is the more PPR-friendly RB, only has five receptions through two weeks. He is already behind Robinson in pure rushing, so he is hard to trust right now. Etienne’s stock is dropping, and while he is a great buy low candidate, do not start him this week.

Wide Receivers

Rashod Bateman (BAL) @ New England Patriots

Bateman had a great game last week, going for 108 yards and a touchdown on just four receptions. His score came on a 75-yard catch and run on the first play of their drive. The volume is slightly concerning, but he has proven to make the most of it. Going against the Patriots, who have given up the ninth-lowest receiving yards per game (197), will not be an easy task. At this point, it is just a matter of guessing whether Bateman gets in the endzone or not. If he does, then it is a good fantasy day. If he does not, then maybe not. Bateman has been a high-end FLEX play so far this season, but managers should give him a breather this week over a guy with a better matchup.

Brandon Aiyuk (SF) @ Denver Broncos

Many have called for a breakout season for Aiyuk, but that was due to QB Trey Lance starting. With Lance now out for the season after surgery on his fractured ankle, Aiyuk’s potential is extremely capped. Not only should there be concern for this week against Denver, but for the whole season moving forward. Managers should potentially trade him away if possible. Aiyuk has never been able to stay consistent with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm, so it is a complete letdown to say the least. TE George Kittle should be close to retuning from a hampering injury as well, which would get into Aiyuk’s target share. It is not looking good for the young WR, and he should be left on the bench for the weeks to come.

Tight Ends

T.J. Hockenson (DET) @ Minnesota Vikings

Hockenson has been a huge disappointment so far this season. Through two games, Hockenson has caught 50% of his targets (7/14) for 64 yards. While the emergence of WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has taken away some of Hock’s opportunities, he was still expected to perform like a fringe Tier 1 TE. He is not seeing any valuable targets right now, and he may turn into a TD-dependent fantasy player. The Lions offense is statistically one of the best in the NFL right now, so it is a little surprising how much Hockenson has not contributed to that. It remains to be seen if Detroit can keep pushing the pace on offense, but until Hockenson produces or scores, he should be benched over some better streamers.

Cole Kmet (CHI) vs. Houston Texans

There was so much talk going into the season about Kmet being a valuable piece to this offense. Well, through two weeks, he has not even gotten one fantasy point. He has only seen two targets, one in each game. QB Justin Fields has only thrown the ball 28 times this season, so it is very hard to trust that they will be effective through the air. Not only is Kmet a Sit’ Em on this week’s Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em, but he is a drop ’em entirely.

Stay tuned for next week’s Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em!

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