Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 3: Smartest Matchups to Exploit, Sleeper Plays and More

Week 2 of the NFL season brought a lot of injuries to key players. A ton of them, in fact. And for some fantasy football managers, it's time to find some other players to fill lineup spots for the next few weeks (or potentially longer).

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (out for season) both got injured in Week 2. New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle missed Week 2 due to injuries. These are just a small number of the players injured in the first couple of weeks. 

Here's a look at some key players you should consider starting and sitting in Week 3, along with some sleeper options.

Quarterbacks

Start: Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill at Minnesota Vikings

At this point, Tannehill should probably be in your fantasy lineup every week, regardless of matchup. But if you have him and another solid option on your roster, this is certainly a week you're going to want to plug in Tannehill and reap the benefits.

Through the first two weeks, Tannehill has passed for 488 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He isn't racking up a ton of yardage, but he threw four touchdown passes in Tennessee's Week 2 win over Jacksonville, and that was without top wide receiver A.J. Brown in the lineup.

Now, Tannehill could put up his biggest yardage of the season against the Vikings, who have opened the year 0-2 and allowed 876 total yards of offense so far. Even if Brown sits out again due to his knee injury, Tannehill should have a big game, especially as the Titans' other top offensive players have gotten off to strong starts.

Sit: Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson at Pittsburgh Steelers

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Watson has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season. Through two weeks, he's passed for 528 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions as the Texans have started 0-2 start with losses to the Chiefs and Ravens.

While those are two strong teams, there's still cause for concern. Watson no longer has top wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to throw to, and he hasn't connected with any of his wide receivers for a score so far. Both of his touchdown passes went to tight ends (Jordan Akins and Darren Fells).

Houston has another tough matchup in Week 3 when it travels to Pittsburgh, which has had a pair of strong defensive showings in wins over the Broncos and Giants. The Steelers' defensive front is one of their biggest strengths, which could also make it challenging for Watson to do anything on the ground.

Leave Watson on the bench this week if you have another solid quarterback option and wait for a better matchup to put him back in the lineup when he can get things going.

Sleeper: Jacksonville Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew II vs. Miami Dolphins

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Minshew Mania is back in full force. And now is the time to pick up the second-year Jaguars quarterback off the waiver wire, potentially even putting him into your starting lineup this week.

Through two weeks, Minshew has passed for 512 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. He's thrown three touchdowns in each game, and he put up 339 of those yards in Week 2 against the Titans, completing 30 of his 45 pass attempts as the Jaguars nearly pulled off an upset victory.

It's a quick turnaround for Jacksonville with a Thursday night game, but perhaps that will help Minshew carry over the momentum and keep things rolling. He'll be facing a Miami secondary that could be without top cornerback Byron Jones, who is dealing with groin and Achilles injuries, which would make it an even better matchup for Minshew and the Jags offense.

The Jaguars may be on their way to a 2-1 start, and Minshew is a solid streaming option in fantasy leagues this week.

Running Backs

Start: Jacksonville Jaguars RB James Robinson vs. Miami Dolphins

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Minshew isn't the only Jaguars player to consider putting in fantasy lineups this week. Robinson may be poised for an even better performance, as the Dolphins have struggled to stop the run this season.

In Week 1, the Patriots rushed for 217 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Dolphins. Then, Miami gave up 111 yards on the ground in its Week 2 loss to Buffalo. Between the two games, the Dolphins are allowing 4.8 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, Robinson has emerged as the clear lead back in Jacksonville's offense. The undrafted rookie had 62 yards on 16 carries in the season opener against Indianapolis, then rushed for 102 yards on 16 carries against Tennessee while also scoring his first career touchdown.

He's had strong production, so insert him into lineups as he likely runs over the Dolphins defense.

Sit: Washington Football Team RB Antonio Gibson at Cleveland Browns

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Gibson is likely to be the back that gets the most touches for Washington moving forward. That proved to be the case in Week 2 against Arizona as the rookie had 13 carries for 55 yards and scored his first career touchdown. That was more carries than J.D. McKissic (eight) and Peyton Barber (one) combined.

However, this may not be the week to deploy Gibson in your fantasy lineups. The Browns have done a good job of stopping opposing running backs this season. In Week 1, Ravens running backs had 21 carries for 68 yards against them, while Bengals running backs had 17 carries for 49 yards against Cleveland in Week 2.

Plus, there's a chance Washington falls behind early against Cleveland (like it did against both Philadelphia and Arizona), which could lead to more passing and less touches for Gibson. There will be matchups to exploit for the rookie later in the season, but try to find a better option and leave him on your bench this week.

Sleeper: Detroit Lions RB D'Andre Swift at Arizona Cardinals

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It's still not clear just how the Lions are going to utilize their trio of running backs (Swift, Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson), so there's some risk that comes with starting any of them. However, Swift looks like he could be developing into a solid option, particularly in points-per-reception leagues.

Although Swift has only eight carries through Detroit's first two games, he's been the lead back in the passing game, notching eight receptions, which included five for 60 yards in Week 2 against Green Bay. He didn't get into the end zone (like he did on the ground in Week 1), but the rookie could be poised for his first big game this week at Arizona.

In Week 1, 49ers running back Raheem Mostert had four receptions for 95 yards against the Cardinals as he broke off for a 76-yard touchdown catch. With Swift getting more reps, he could break off a big play like that against Arizona. And he's likely going to get enough targets to be a solid flex option this week.

Wide Receivers

Start: Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson vs. Houston Texans

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Hopefully you picked up Johnson from your league's waiver wire last week. Because he's about to start having more performances like he had in Week 2, when he caught eight passes for 92 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' win over the Broncos.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is throwing the ball Johnson's way a lot as the second-year receiver already has 23 targets through two games, per Pro Football Reference. Although Johnson had a relatively quiet Week 1, the breakout potential was there, which he then showed in Week 2.

Houston's defense hasn't given up a ton of yards through the air so far this season, but its defense also hasn't been great. Roethlisberger should have a solid showing, so Johnson could too, because he's likely to continue to be heavily targeted moving forward.

Sit: New York Giants WR Darius Slayton vs. San Francisco 49ers

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Running back Saquon Barkley is out with a torn ACL, while wide receiver Sterling Shepard is dealing with turf toe. It's likely that Slayton is going to be the Giants' top playmaker on the field Sunday. However, that may not necessarily be a good thing considering this matchup.

The 49ers may be banged up, but their secondary continues to impress. Through two weeks, they're allowing only 198.5 passing yards per game, which ranks fourth in the NFL. San Francisco is a strong defensive team, and that may be how it will need to win games while potentially missing some key players on offense.

Slayton also had a quiet Week 2 against the Bears, notching only three receptions for 33 yards. There are some much better matchups coming for the second-year wide receiver, so sit him this week and be ready to plug him in later.

Sleeper: Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman at Baltimore Ravens

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Hardman had only three receptions for 36 yards over the first two weeks and was targeted just four times by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, there may be increased opportunities coming for the second-year wide receiver with Sammy Watkins going through the concussion protocol.

The Ravens have a strong secondary, but they're likely going to be trying to take away the Chiefs' top receiver, Tyreek Hill, as well as tight end Travis Kelce. That could lead to Hardman putting up better numbers, especially with Baltimore losing depth at cornerback due to Tavon Young suffering a knee injury that should end his season.

Both teams have exciting, high-powered offenses, and there could be a lot of yardage and points coming in this Monday night matchup. Hardman may be a bit of a risky play considering his slow start, but there's the potential for him to reward those who start him with a breakout game.