Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 3: Latest Fantasy Football Lineup Advice for Sunday

The clock is ticking to set your lineup before Sunday's games and you still haven't figured out who to start or sit this week. It's too bad that Bill Belichick didn't tell anyone that Rob Gronkowski would score zero points in fantasy this week, but alas, we must move on and not allow the New England Patriots to deflate dampen our spirits. 

With Sunday's kickoffs to look forward to, it's important to determine who is worthy of representing your team this week. Who should you start and who should you sit?

Start 'em: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill? A starting fantasy quarterback? As crazy as that might sound, it makes sense this week. Why? Because the Miami Dolphins are playing against the Cleveland Browns. Need I say more?

The reality is that Tannehill hasn't been that bad to start the season despite the Dolphins being 0-2. After a poor Week 1 performance, the Texas A&M alumnus put up 387 passing yards and two touchdowns against the New England Patriots.

While he did throw for two interceptions, Tannehill still managed to score 24.98 points.

Don't get me wrong, Tannehill is no Andrew Luck and shouldn't be allowed to breathe the same air as the Stanford graduate. But numbers don't lie, and Tannehill will put up some impressive numbers against a less-than-impressive Browns defense.

Sit 'em: Russell Wilson, QB, San Francisco 49ers

This isn't an attack on Russell Wilson or anything malicious; he just hasn't been playing well enough to warrant a starting position in your lineup. Wilson is in wait-and-see mode. Don't drop him, just let him ride the bench for a couple of more weeks until the Seattle Seahawks offense gets going. 

While he's projected to put up the most points by a quarterback in Week 3 with 22.48, according to Yahoo Sports, he's not a risk worth taking, as the Seahawks offense has been abysmal through two weeks.

The Seahawks have scored 15 points in two games against the Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams combined. As with most teams that have poor offensive showings, much of the blame must be put squarely on the quarterback's shoulders.

Wilson has scored a total of 24.48 points in two games. To put those numbers into perspective, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys has 28.56 points through two games, and he's only owned in 44 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Either pick up another quarterback like Prescott or rotate another quarterback into your lineup this weekend. Don't risk starting Wilson.

Start 'em: Theo Riddick, RB, Detroit Lions

Theo Riddick is a No. 1 fantasy running back this week. Just let that sink in for a moment. 

It all began back in Week 1 when he proved himself to be a dangerous third-down back, putting up monster numbers against the Indianapolis Colts despite sharing carries with Ameer Abdullah. 

For Abdullah owners, tough luck.

With Abdullah out due to an injury, it's great news for Riddick owners who have been dreaming of extended playing time for the Lions' No. 2 running back, who has accumulated 173 total yards (82 rushing, 91 receiving) and two scores. 

Those numbers should inflate heading into a Week 3 matchup, despite playing the Green Bay Packers, who have surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs in 2016. Nevertheless, Riddick is the lead back for Detroit, and he will be given plenty of opportunities to rack up some all-purpose yards.

"

Theo Riddick moves into the RB1 spot for Detroit with Ameer Abdullah on IR. Watch out for Dwayne Washington too. He should be added. https://t.co/ke14g2kQfU

— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) September 21, 2016"

Sit 'em: Fozzy Whittaker, RB, Carolina Panthers

Don't believe the hype behind Fozzy Whittaker.

Sure, he had a nice game last week when Jonathan Stewart went down, but Week 3 is a whole other animal, as the Carolina Panthers are going up against a stout Minnesota Vikings defense that has given up the ninth-fewest fantasy points to running backs this year, according to Yahoo Sports.

Furthermore, there's no guarantee that Whittaker will even see the bulk of carries, as Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said that Cameron Artis-Payne will get some touches, too.

A split-backfield? A running back by committee? That's a fantasy owners worst nightmare. Don't play Whittaker or Artis-Payne for that matter. Look elsewhere for production in your backfield.

Start 'em: Markus Wheaton, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Will we finally see Markus Wheaton play this week? We better, because he's due for a monster game at some point this season.

It's never fun playing a team's No. 2 receiver when you know he won't see the most targets, but Wheaton is an exception. Sure, Antonio Brown is likely to bounce back from his rare off game last week, but Wheaton is a underrated receiver in his own right and will immediately replace the production of Martavis Bryant, who is suspended for the season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Sammie Coates hasn't taken the No. 2/No. 3 receiver role, and while Eli Rogers has been solid, he can't dominate a game like Wheaton can. 

Sit 'em: Golden Tate WR, Detroit Lions

This one is always the hardest. What to do with Golden Tate?

On one hand, Tate is such a dependable receiver who rarely lets you down. Having said that, he never puts up monster numbers. Last year, we gave Tate a pass because Calvin Johnson was playing. But this season was supposed to be Tate's breakout season.

Instead, it's been the Marvin Jones show in Detroit.

It's not too late for Tate, however. He can still bounce back this season and become Matthew Stafford's favorite target, but that time is not now. Give him a rest on the bench.

Start 'em: Dennis Pitta, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Welcome back to the NFL and fantasy starting lineups, Dennis Pitta.

It's been a long-awaited return for Pitta who has been bit by the injury bug far too often in his career, but it seems like he is finally back to being one of the more productive tight ends in the league. 

Pitta would go on the finish with 102 yards against the Browns on nine receptions. What's impressive about Pitta's return is how fluid he looked on the field and how confident Joe Flacco was throwing the ball to him. 

He's playing as if the injury never happened, and if you are lucky enough to have him on your team—owned in 52 percent of Yahoo leagues—then he's a must start every week.

Sit 'em: Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland Browns

Gary Barnidge is a talented tight end and deserves better than what he's getting in Cleveland right now.

There's just no way you can justify playing Barnidge this week or until Josh McCown is able to return after fracturing his collarbone.

Rookie quarterback Cody Kessler is in charge of the offense this week and for the foreseeable future, which is bad news for any Barnidge owners out there. He's only been able to gain 37 yards on four catches so far this season, and those numbers just aren't strong enough to warrant a starting spot in your lineup.