Week 3 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Play or Bench Advice on Top Fantasy Football Stars

While the draft process usually gets all the glory in the world of fantasy football, a lot more goes into a successful fantasy season. As much as managers would love to set a lineup for the season and forget it, they're not dealing with a Ronco product. It takes keen in-season roster management to walk away with a fantasy title.

One of the trickiest aspects of said management is knowing when to start and when to sit some of your top fantasy stars. Some players are weekly must-starts, of course, but once you get into the second tier of players, decisions must be made.

Here, we're going to examine some of those second-tier fantasy stars—those residing outside the top 40 of FantasyPros' weekly point-per-reception rankings—and determine which to start and which are bench-worthy for Week 3.

Start 'Em

Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Jarvis Landry, WR, Cleveland Browns

DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins

David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

James Washington, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Melvin Gordon III, RB, Denver Broncos

Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers

Jonnu Smith, TE, Tennessee Titans

Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

Sit 'Em

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, New Orleans Saints

Henry Ruggs III, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers

Ronald Jones II, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams

Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

David Johnson, RB, Houston Texans

Greg Olsen, TE, Seattle Seahawks

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Start 'Em: T.Y. Hilton vs. New York Jets

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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has yet to break out with new quarterback Philip Rivers. He has just seven catches for 81 yards through two games and had a key drop on a long pass in Week 2. However, the Colts aren't worried about his potential production moving forward.

"I believe the sun was a factor," head coach Frank Reich told reporters. "... I'm not worried about T.Y. He's the last guy I worry about."

Hilton should finally have his chance to shine in Week 3 against a New York Jets team that is one of the worst in football. The New York defense isn't a pushover, ranking 15th in yards allowed, but it isn't elite either.

Hilton has been targeted 14 times this season, according to Pro Football Reference, and at some point, he and Rivers are going to start connecting. Don't be surprised if Hilton comes down with a half-dozen receptions or more in Week 3.

Sit 'Em: Antonio Gibson at Cleveland Browns

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Washington running back Antonio Gibson hasn't gotten off to a strong fantasy start this season, though he's been serviceable. He only has 91 rushing yards through two games, but he also has three receptions and a touchdown.

A date with the Cleveland Browns and their 29th-ranked scoring defense should help Gibson finally flourish, though, right? Well, not so fast.

While the Cleveland defense has indeed been bad, it has fared well against the run. Though the Browns rank 16th in rushing attempts against, they've allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL and the fifth-fewest yards per attempt.

Last week, Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon ran for just 46 yards and a paltry 2.9 yards per carry.

If Gibson is going to have fantasy success against Cleveland, he'll likely have to do it through point-per-reception formats. Unfortunately, he's seen just two targets per game and has a mere five receiving yards to show for it. Look elsewhere in Week 3 at running back.

Start 'Em: Melvin Gordon III vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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One running back that managers can count on in Week 3 is Denver Broncos back Melvin Gordon III. At first blush, it probably doesn't seem like this is the case.

The Broncos are hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week and their fourth-ranked run defense. However, with running back Phillip Lindsay on injured reserve and backup quarterback Jeff Driskel set to start, Gordon is going to see enough of a workload to warrant the start.

Gordon has seen three targets in each of his first two games, and that number will likely increase this week as Denver looks to make things easier on Driskel. Additionally, Gordon has rushed for at least 70 yards and has found the end zone in each of his first two contests. There's a good chance he'll score again in Week 3.

Even if Gordon doesn't find the end zone against Tampa, he should have 3-4 receptions and close to 100 total yards. The Broncos are going to lean on him this week, and his fantasy production should reflect this.