Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 3: Smartest Matchups to Exploit, Sleeper Plays and More
Two weeks of the 2023 NFL season have come and gone.
We're right in the thick of it, folks, as fantasy football managers are on a week-by-week ride to championship bliss or utter disappointment (perhaps with some embarrassing task attached to a particularly fruitless campaign).
If your season isn't off to the type of start you envisioned, fear not. There is still time to turn things around, a process we're attempting to assist with here by laying out one start and sit recommendation at each of the three marquee positions.
Start: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins (vs. Denver Broncos)
1 of 6
Tagovailoa put on a brilliant performance in Week 1 and would have had trouble matching those numbers—466 passing yards, three touchdowns—against any defense. But a Week 2 date with the Bill Belichick-coached New England Patriots effectively ensured Tagovailoa would come back to earth, and that's exactly what happened (249 passing yards with a touchdown and a pick).
Denver's defense could be just what he needs to get back on track. In two games against Jimmy Garoppolo and Sam Howell—not exactly the most prolific passers in the profession—the Broncos have surrendered 499 passing yards with four touchdowns and an interception. Tagovailoa could be at his best here.
Sit: Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants (at San Francisco 49ers)
2 of 6
The Giants went scoreless through their first six quarters of this season. While they finally found their footing late against the rebuilding Arizona Cardinals, that hardly ensures more good things are to come with this offense, particularly after star running back Saquon Barkley potentially facing a multi-week absence with an ankle injury.
None of this bodes well for Jones, who's thrown more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two) so far. It's hard to imagine he'll get things right against San Francisco's stingy defense.
Start: Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams (at Cincinnati Bengals)
3 of 6
Maybe it's too early to say this, but it already appears as if Williams will be one of the best waiver-wire pickups all season. The second-year back has four touchdowns in two games and could continue pushing that number higher with apparently complete control of this backfield, as L.A. benched Week 1 starter Cam Akers in Week 2 and hardly sounds eager to reverse that decision.
"I have tremendous respect for Cam Akers, but I felt like for our football team today and in this game and as we move forward, that was going to be the best decision for us," Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters Sunday.
Williams wasn't super efficient in Week 1 (15 carries for 52 yards), but he flashed more of his playmaking ability in Week 2 (100 scrimmage yards on 20 touches). He could keep piling up the production against a Bengals defense that has allowed 384 rushing yards already.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Sit: Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears (at Kansas City Chiefs)
4 of 6
The Bears have two rushing touchdowns on the season; Herbert didn't deliver either one. They have 45 rushing attempts so far; he has barely accounted for one-third of them (16 carries).
So, the volume isn't great, and neither is what he's made of these opportunities. He has 62 rushing yards, meaning he's averaged fewer than four yards per carry. His 60 receiving yards on four receptions seems fine, but Chicago surely hoped he'd do more with his eight targets. Workload was supposed to be his selling point, but it just hasn't amounted to much, and it's fair to wonder whether his role could shrink to clear the runway for rookie fourth-rounder Roschon Johnson.
Start: A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (at Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
5 of 6
This Eagles' passing attack has failed to take flight, and Brown's numbers have taken a huge hit as a result. A near-1,500-yard receiver just last season, he's sitting on just 11 catches for 108 yards and no scores so far.
His frustration boiled over Thursday, but that could be a good thing. Three passes came his away on the possession following the confrontation, including one that would've went for a score if it hadn't been called back because of a penalty. His numbers will recover, maybe as soon as this week, as Tampa has had trouble containing star wideouts like Justin Jefferson (nine receptions for 150 yards) and DJ Moore (six for 104).
Sit: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, New England Patriots (at New York Jets)
6 of 6
With little success to speak of on the ground, New England has asked quarterback Mac Jones to let it fly early and often. That's what makes the slow start of Smith-Schuster (nine catches for 61 yards) so troubling. If he isn't going to make noise while Jones is averaging 48 passing attempts and 273.5 passing yards, when will he?
The Patriots have spread it out a ton with nine different players catching passes so far. That's made it tough to tell who's worth rostering in this offense, other than tight end Hunter Henry. New England probably doesn't want to be this pass-heavy—Jones averaged 31.6 attempts and 214.1 yards last season—meaning Smith-Schuster might have even quieter days ahead.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")