Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 16 players to start or sit in Week 3

Even if your team is 0-2, your fantasy football season is not over just yet. While fantasy isn't real life, each of the last two seasons has seen teams start 0-2 and still reach the playoffs. Why can't your fantasy team? However, if you're going to crawl out of that hole, you'll have to make the right decisions on who to start and sit moving forward.

Making these correct decisions can be the difference between winning your week and losing so bad that your league group chat Photoshops your players onto the sides of milk cartons. USA TODAY is here to help with those decisions though. Here are eight players to start and eight more to sit in Week 3.

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Players to start in Week 3:

Quarterbacks:

• Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

Derek Carr has been stellar to start the 2024 season, and now he faces an Eagles' secondary that surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks a year ago? That's a winning combo. While Carr doesn't provide much with his legs, this Saints' offense has looked like one of the best in the league early on. So long as the Saints don't get out to another massive early lead, Carr should be in for far more work and a stellar matchup.

Running backs:

• D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

This Chicago offense has looked abysmal so far, but the Colts' run defense has arguably looked worse. Through two weeks, the Colts have allowed both Houston's Joe Mixon and Green Bay's Josh Jacobs to rush for over 300 combined yards. Opponents have realized that the best way to take down the Colts is to go at them on the ground. It may not be pretty, but Swift should have his best day of the season this weekend.

• Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals

Washington's pass defense has been atrocious, and with Tee Higgins potentially missing Week 3 as well, Bengals' pass-catchers should be in for massive performances. So, why would we list a running back here?

Well, Cincinnati should be up big early on, and even if they are not, Moss has proven to be a very capable pass-catching back. The Commanders' just gave up 95 yards to Devin Singletary in Week 2, and in Week 1, this Washington defense allowed Rachaad White to tally six receptions and 75 yards. In PPR formats, Moss should have a solid day against Washington.

• Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Tony Pollard is the clear lead back in Tennessee, and in Week 3, the Titans face a Packers' defense that gave up three touchdowns to Saquon Barkley in Week 1, and surrendered over 100 rushing yards on just 12 carries to Jonathan Taylor in Week 2.

Wide Receivers:

• Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills

Where fans were unsure if Shakir or first-round draft pick Keon Coleman would emerge as Josh Allen's new favorite target without Stefon Diggs in town. Shakir has emerged as that top guy. Jacksonville's secondary is coming off an atrocious performance that actually made Deshaun Watson look like a decent quarterback. Josh Allen is actually a good quarterback, and his top target should reap the benefits.

• Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints

The Saints' offense has been one of the best in the NFL to start the season, and it's impossible to ignore at this point. While you are always going to start Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara, Week 3 presents a great opportunity to start Rashid Shaheed as well. The Eagles' secondary is prone to allowing big plays, and Shaheed is the big play guy in New Orleans. Furthermore, Shaheed has averaged over 10 PPR points per game even if you were to remove his touchdowns. While the volume isn't exactly where you want it to be for a FLEX receiver, a closer game against Philadelphia should give Shaheed more opportunity for work.

Tight Ends:

• Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

Against an atrocious Carolina defense, Bowers should have a massive day. That's pretty much all that needs to be said. While Bowers' touchdown chances are low on a lackluster Raiders' offense, the Raiders will never have a better matchup than the one they have this Sunday. Bowers has tallied 15 receptions on 17 targets through two weeks, and with how little some of the game's star tight ends are being used this year, those are massive numbers that pretty much guarantee a safe floor each week.

Defense/Special Teams:

• Las Vegas Raiders

You're going to notice a pattern here, but any defense playing the Panthers is a must-add for anyone streaming defenses. The Panthers have scored a whopping total of 13 points through two weeks, and their only touchdown came in garbage time against a Saints team that was winning huge early on. Until Carolina's offense shows that they can complete multiple passes in a row, any defense playing against them is a safe bet.

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Players to sit in Week 3:

Quarterbacks:

• Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

We currently don't know the extent of Cooper Kupp's injury, but if history is any indicator, this will be nagging the Rams' star receiver for quite some time. Without Kupp or Nacua, none of the Rams' pass-catchers have proven capable of leading a passing attack. Stafford is a good quarterback, but going up against a very talented 49ers' defense, there isn't much he'll be able to do without any talent in the receiver room.

• Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

In this new Jim Harbaugh offense, it's clear the Los Angeles Chargers are going to run the ball a lot. That alone is enough to push Justin Herbert to the bench, but throw in Pittsburgh's incredible defense, and there is little to no reason to play the Chargers' signal-caller in Week 3.

Running Backs:

• J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

Dobbins has been fantastic to begin the season. While Jim Harbaugh is insistent on splitting backfield work between Dobbins and Gus Edwards, Dobbins has been given the slight edge as of Week 2. However, facing a tough Steelers' defense in Week 3, Dobbins will likely be held to his lowest-efficiency of the season. Given Dobbins' lack of usage in the passing game as well, Dobbins will likely be a touchdown-dependent play, and that floor is not high enough to warrant a spot on your starting roster.

• David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

Through two weeks, the Arizona Cardinals, one of the worst defenses in the league on paper, have actually proven very good at stopping opposing running backs. Kyren Williams was held to 2.1 yards per carry on Sunday, and a week prior, James Cook was held to 3.7 yards per carry.

In addition, the Cardinals have been one of the best first-half teams in the NFL so far. It's very possible that they get out to a sizable lead by halftime and the Lions lean on the pass in the second half. That would pave the way for Jahmyr Gibbs to take most of the work for the last 30 minutes.

Wide Receivers:

• Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It's clear that without Dave Canales as offensive coordinator, Chris Godwin is the No. 1 receiver in Tampa. That said, Evans is still the most feared receiver, and he's still the top receiver on the team's depth chart. Facing the Broncos in Week 3, two factors are going against Evans:

1. He'll likely be shadowed by Patrick Surtain

2. The Broncos are not good. Tampa Bay should get out to a big lead and run the ball a lot.

Evans has shown that he still has a lot left in his tank, but the Broncos are not a good matchup for the five-time Pro Bowler.

• Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

While it was always going to be difficult for Aiyuk to make an immediate impact after missing most of training camp, his output through two weeks has been nothing but disappointing. Aiyuk's production, lack of volume, and the usage of guys like Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel are all terrible signs for Aiyuk's short-term success. Furthermore, Aiyuk has historically been very poor against the Los Angeles Rams, only earning more than 12 PPR points in three of seven games against Los Angeles.

Tight Ends:

• Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

The Chiefs are fantastic at shutting down opposing teams' best offensive options. They held Mark Andrews and Derrick Henry to 60 combined yards in Week 1. They held Ja'Marr Chase to 35 yards in Week 2. While the Falcons' top option is obviously Bijan Robinson, there is no world where you are not starting Robinson. The next up though is Pitts, and even though Pitts scored a touchdown in Week 1, he likely won't have the same success in Week 3 against Kansas City.

• Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Yes, this man just scored 18.9 PPR fantasy points. However, this is still Hunter Henry we're talking about. Are we really going to bet on Henry repeating such an effort – something he's never done before – against a very solid Jets' defense? No.

Henry has certainly earned a spot on your roster, but let's give it more time before we treat him as a "set-it-and-forget-it" tight end. After all, despite his stellar stat line, he only had one target in the red zone in Week 2. On a weak New England offense, Henry's touchdown upside is not the best. He'll rely solely on volume, which is unlikely to be replicated in Week 3.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 3: 16 NFL players to start or sit