Week 3 Fantasy Football Projections: Top 100 Flex Players and Stat Predictions
There's a special place in fantasy lore for quarterbacks, defenses and kickers, but they aren't what wins fantasy football leagues.
No, it's the flex position players that will make or break an owner's season without fail. A stacked crop of running backs or a deep stable of receivers can be the difference between celebrating the league championship and having to embark on that devious last-place bet.
Of course, having the right players doesn't mean it's always easy to figure out which ones deserve placement in your starting lineup. With that in mind, let's predict the stat lines for the top 100 flex players—split up by position.
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Week 3 Projections: Top 100 Flex Players
| 1 | Adrian Peterson (MIN) | 155 yards, TD |
| 2 | Marshawn Lynch (SEA) | 80 yards, 2 TDs |
| 3 | Le'Veon Bell (PIT) | 185 yards |
| 4 | LeSean McCoy (BUF) | 110 yards, TD |
| 5 | Matt Forte (CHI) | 45 yards, 2 TDs |
| 6 | Mark Ingram (NO) | 45 yards, 2 TDs |
| 7 | Jamaal Charles (KC) | 95 yards, TD |
| 8 | Jeremy Hill (CIN) | 85 yards, TD |
| 9 | Carlos Hyde (SF) | 145 yards |
| 10 | Latavius Murray (OAK) | 70 yards, TD |
| 11 | Dion Lewis (NE) | 60 yards, TD |
| 12 | Jonathan Stewart (CAR) | 55 yards, TD |
| 13 | Joseph Randle (DAL) | 55 yards, TD |
| 14 | C.J. Anderson (DEN) | 55 yards, TD |
| 15 | Darren Sproles (PHI) | 55 yards, TD |
| 16 | Danny Woodhead (SD) | 50 yards, TD |
| 17 | Justin Forsett (BAL) | 45 yards, TD |
| 18 | Giovani Bernard (CIN) | 45 yards, TD |
| 19 | De'Angelo Williams (PIT) | 40 yards, TD |
| 20 | Isaiah Crowell (CLE) | 35 yards, TD |
| 21 | DeMarco Murray (PHI) | 35 yards, TD |
| 22 | Alfred Morris (WSH) | 95 yards |
| 23 | James Starks (GB) | 95 yards |
| 24 | Bishop Sankey (TEN) | 90 yards |
| 25 | Doug Martin (TB) | 30 yards, TD |
| 26 | Devonta Freeman (ATL) | 30 yards, TD |
| 27 | Chris Johnson (ARI) | 25 yards, TD |
| 28 | Chris Ivory (NYJ) | 20 yards, TD |
| 29 | Matt Jones (WSH) | 20 yards, TD |
| 30 | Lamar Miller (MIA) | 75 yards |
| 31 | Ameer Abdullah (DET) | 15 yards, TD |
| 32 | Karlos Williams (BUF) | 10 yards, TD |
| 33 | Melvin Gordon (SD) | 60 yards |
| 34 | T.J. Yeldon (JAX) | 50 yards |
| 35 | LeGarrette Blount (NE) | 50 yards |
| 36 | Frank Gore (IND) | 50 yards |
| 37 | Tre Mason (STL) | 50 yards |
| 38 | Dexter McCluster (TEN) | 45 yards |
| 39 | Shane Vereen (NYG) | 45 yards |
| 40 | Joique Bell (DET) | 40 yards |
3. Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
The return of Le'Veon Bell from a two-game suspension couldn't come soon enough for the thousands of fantasy owners who selected him with their first-round picks—and many even at No. 1 overall.
Starting in Week 3, Bell will burst onto the scene and begin to make up for lost time. That begins Sunday, as the surging Pittsburgh Steelers offense travels to face the St. Louis Rams.
DeAngelo Williams has been filling in magnificently for Bell so far in 2015 with a pair of performances that have him near the top of fantasy running backs, but his excitement for Bell's return says it all, as ESPN's Ed Werder shared:
The Steelers will still turn to Williams, who will be used as more of a battering ram now near the goal line with Bell returning to the fold. But it will be the young back who gets the large chunks of yards that Pittsburgh fans have sorely missed, even in his short absence.
23. James Starks, Green Bay Packers
When an injury closes one door, another opens. James Starks is bursting through that door.
The veteran Packers running back had fill-in duty when Eddie Lacy left the Packers' Week 2 game against Seattle with an injury, one that kept Lacy out of the game and will be monitored this week, as ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky reported. But Starks did more than just fill in, taking 20 carries for 95 yards.
Starks isn't a RB1 option in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he's well worth a start given the likelihood of his workload. Aaron Rodgers should give Green Bay an early lead and allow for plenty of ground work for Starks.
| 1 | Antonio Brown (PIT) | 130 yards, 2 TDs |
| 2 | A.J. Green (CIN) | 160 yards, TD |
| 3 | Julio Jones (ATL) | 80 yards, 2 TDs |
| 4 | DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) | 130 yards, TD |
| 5 | Odell Beckham (NYG) | 125 yards, TD |
| 6 | Randall Cobb (GB) | 120 yards, TD |
| 7 | T.Y. Hilton (IND) | 50 yards, 2 TDs |
| 8 | Calvin Johnson (DET) | 100 yards, TD |
| 9 | Travis Benjamin (CLE) | 95 yards, TD |
| 10 | Terrance Williams (DAL) | 150 yards |
| 11 | Julian Edelman (NE) | 70 yards, TD |
| 12 | Demaryius Thomas (DEN) | 125 yards |
| 13 | Brandon Marshall (NYJ) | 60 yards, TD |
| 14 | Jarvis Landry (MIA) | 105 yards |
| 15 | Keenan Allen (SD) | 40 yards, TD |
| 16 | Vincent Jackson (TB) | 40 yards, TD |
| 17 | Doug Baldwin (SEA) | 100 yards |
| 18 | Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) | 35 yards, TD |
| 19 | Larry FItzgerald (ARI) | 90 yards |
| 20 | Mike Wallace (MIN) | 30 yards, TD |
| 21 | Sammy Watkins (BUF) | 80 yards |
| 22 | Jordan Matthews (PHI) | 80 yards |
| 23 | Steve Smith (BAL) | 20 yards, TD |
| 24 | Michael Crabtree (OAK) | 20 yards, TD |
| 25 | Ted Ginn Jr. (CAR) | 75 yards |
| 26 | Allen Robinson (JAX) | 15 yards, TD |
| 27 | Torrey Smith (SF) | 15 yards, TD |
| 28 | Kendall Wright (TEN) | 70 yards |
| 29 | Eric Decker (NYJ) | 70 yards |
| 30 | Jeremy Maclin (KC) | 65 yards |
| 31 | Pierre Garcon (WSH) | 65 yards |
| 32 | Donte Moncrief (IND) | 65 yards |
| 33 | Stevie Johnson (SD) | 55 yards |
| 34 | Amari Cooper (OAK) | 50 yards |
| 35 | Robert Woods (BUF) | 50 yards |
| 36 | Davante Adams (GB) | 45 yards |
| 37 | Roddy White (ATL) | 45 yards |
| 38 | James Jones (GB) | 40 yards |
| 39 | Nate Washington (HOU) | 40 yards |
| 40 | Brandin Cooks (NO) | 40 yards |
9. Travis Benjamin, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns passing game has taken off, and Travis Benjamin is pretty much the only reason why.
The young speedster has turned into Johnny Manziel's new favorite target in Cleveland, going for deep touchdowns in both of his opening two games. He has a total of three so far, going for 204 yards through two contests.
Oh, and that doesn't include his punt return score in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans—one of three on the day. He's on an incredible upward trajectory if his company in this stat is any indication, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted:
Expect enough fireworks between Benjamin and Manziel to make the receiver a top-10 wideout for Week 3. Their Browns face the Oakland Raiders, a secondary that should have Cleveland drawing up plenty of deep passes.
24. Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders
Speaking of the Raiders, their passing game is being saved by a big-time wideout—and it's not fourth overall pick Amari Cooper.
Instead, it's Michael Crabtree that has stepped into the role of primary wideout that Derek Carr has desperately needed filled. Crabtree exploded for the Raiders in Week 2, catching nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
His coaches are lauding his work past simply catching passes, which he's doing great, too, per Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle:
The Browns defense has been pretty strong through two weeks, but expect Carr and Crabtree to combine for enough production to make the wideout a serviceable flex option in Week 3.
| 1 | Rob Gronkowski (NE) | 95 yards, 2 TDs |
| 2 | Jimmy Graham (SEA) | 100 yards, TD |
| 3 | Zach Ertz (PHI) | 85 yards, TD |
| 4 | Greg Olsen (CAR) | 70 yards, TD |
| 5 | Tyler Eifert (CIN) | 60 yards, TD |
| 6 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB) | 55 yards, TD |
| 7 | Jason Witten (DAL) | 100 yards |
| 8 | Martellus Bennett (CHI) | 90 yards |
| 9 | Jordan Reed (WSH) | 30 yards, TD |
| 10 | Jordan Cameron (MIA) | 80 yards |
| 11 | Anthony Fasano (TEN) | 20 yards, TD |
| 12 | Richard Rodgers (GB) | 70 yards |
| 13 | Charles Clay (BUF) | 70 yards |
| 14 | Coby Fleener (IND) | 60 yards |
| 15 | Heath Miller (PIT) | 60 yards |
| 16 | Larry Donnell (NYG) | 60 yards |
| 17 | Eric Ebron (DET) | 55 yards |
| 18 | Vernon Davis (SF) | 50 yards |
| 19 | Kyle Rudolph (MIN) | 40 yards |
| 20 | Ladarius Green (SD) | 40 yards |
1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Many folks made Rob Gronkowski their first-round pick in fantasy football. Those folks are looking like geniuses so far.
Gronk is absolutely feeding off of opposing defenses throughout two games, emerging as one of the top fantasy players at any position. He already has 207 yards and four touchdowns in just two games, and that leaves him at an incredible projection for the season, per Erik Frenz of Bleacher Report:
Teams are game-planning to stop Gronkowski as their primary motive against the Patriots, but it hasn't seemed to matter. With Tom Brady back there to get the ball to him and Gronk's ability to separate, he's virtually unguardable.
Gronkowski's Pats face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, a defense that Gronk should feast on.
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