Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: 5 Players You Should Start

Debating which players to start or sit is a weekly exercise for fantasy owners.

In order to make the right decisions, you have to stay on top of the latest injury news, pay attention to matchups and consider the talent around the player or players in question.

Sometimes, that means you start a player that you normally sit. Other times, you still start the more talented player, but only after careful consideration.

The following are five players that should be in your lineup based on all the variables used to make roster decisions.

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

At this point, unless you have one of the top seven or eight quarterbacks in the league, you have to consider Cam Newton a must-play every week.

His first two weeks have not been flukes. He is already a star in this league and he promises to improve as he gets more comfortable.

In true football terms, Newton leaves a lot to be desired. He tends to have too much of a "gunslinger" mentality at times and he tries to force some balls into windows that are just too small.

Fantasy-wise, those things aren't such a big deal. Interceptions will cost you points, but you should be willing to live with that as much as he is going to be throwing the ball.

As a fantasy quarterback, he has a lot going for him.

He is the unquestioned starter in Carolina, head coach Ron Rivera seems to content to let their offense live or die with Newton and since they aren't very good, they will be throwing the ball to try to come back quite a bit.

Newton isn't yet the superstar that he will be, but he is off to a great start.

Kevin Kolb, Arizona Cardinals

Like Newton, you shouldn't start Kevin Kolb if you have one of the top seven or eight quarterbacks in the league. Unlike Newton, however, Kolb is more of a spot starter rather than a guy you can ride for the entire season.

Kolb has been a lot better this season than many expected him to be. He has averaged 280 passing yards in the first two weeks. He also has four total touchdown passes.

Kolb and the Cardinals will take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. The Seahawks' defense is suspect to say the least. They will be powerless to stop the passing game.

Any quarterback with Larry Fitzgerald on his team will have a chance to bring you big games, but in Week 3 against the Seahawks, Kolb is a mortal lock to give you a big game.

Ben Tate, Houston Texans

Arian Foster's status is still unclear for this Sunday's game against New Orleans. What is clear is that Foster is unlikely to be 100 percent if he is on the field.

Ben Tate has done his best Foster impression the first two weeks of the season. In those two victories for the Texans, Tate has carried the ball 47 times for 219 yards and a touchdown. He has done everything asked of him and more.

He has done enough so far to secure a place in this offense even if Foster does come back at some point. The Texans' coaches would be nuts to sit Tate down with all he has proved in the first two weeks.

Tate isn't just a running back to play on days when Foster is limited or inactive. He is a must-play until otherwise notified.

Chad Ochocinco, New England Patriots

So far this season, I have been wrong about Ochocinco.

I figured that a veteran like him would come in and transition seamlessly into an offense led by a veteran quarterback like Tom Brady. Brady, after all, has made much less talented receivers look great.

So far, that has not been the case.

Ochocinco hasn't really been a part of the offense and some, like former Patriot Tedy Bruschi, doubt that Ochocinco has put in the necessary work to really learn the offense. Bruschi called out Ochocinco for tweeting that he was awed by how efficient the Patriots' offense is.

Now, Ochocinco has his chance: Tight end Aaron Hernandez will miss this week's game.

Brady loves to spread the ball around, so Brady is just as likely to give Ochocinco the extra targets as he is to throw more to Wes Welker, Deion Branch and the others.

Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills

There are still some hesitant to heap praise on the Buffalo Bills after their early success, but I'm not afraid to take the leap.

The Bills will have a good offense in 2011. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a quarterback you can win with and Stevie Johnson is becoming an elite receiver. Tight end Scott Chandler will be a big part of it as well.

Coming into this season, Chandler had caught one pass. In two games this season, Chandler has caught seven passes for 79 yards and three touchdowns.

The yardage won't wow you, but he is clearly one of Fitzpatrick's favorite targets in the red zone. That's enough to make him a must-start at this point.