A matchup of future, first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterbacks highlights the Week 3 slate as Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers travel to face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Trust us, we've all been here.
Every part of you and the rest of your league agreed a pick you made too early in the draft would haunt you all season.
And two weeks -- and likely two losses -- into the season comes a haunting question: "Can I start him?"
Like relationships from yesteryear, you only recall the good memories -- you know, like that time he scored two late touchdowns on Monday night to rally your team to victory in 2017. Also, you conveniently forget the equally bad memories -- you know, like the time(s) he fumbled away a scoring chance that would’ve made the difference.
FrontPageBets looks at five candidates for Week 3 who could be keeping owners awake at night:
Sure, you drafted Wentz as the undisputed backup to either Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott (thumb) or trendy San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (ankle), but now he's begging to be a starter. Can you trust Wentz?
Wentz has thrown for 650 yards and an NFL high-tying seven touchdowns in the first two games on a team that has surrendered 58 total points to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. The Eagles, under Wentz's successor Jalen Hurts, likely will put up points. The over/under of 47.5 points (Bet MGM) implies Washington relies on Wentz and the passing game in order keep pace in this NFC East showdown. Verdict: Trust.
Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff vs. the Minnesota Vikings
Sure, he's been good thus far this season, but can you really trust … the Lions? Well, yes.
Detroit's bad defense provides a bountiful meal for hungry fantasy owners. Goff, D'Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown will keep adding up points for your fantasy team, which is all that anyone cares about. Goff has two touchdown passes in four consecutive games. Verdict: Trust.
The Chiefs play at the Colts against a defense that was taken to task by the Jaguars last week. Edwards-Helaire has made his presence felt in the passing game as Patrick Mahomes continues spreading the ball around. Verdict: Trust.
Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen vs. Detroit Lions
With Los Angeles Chargers star Keenan Allen nursing an ailing hamstring, perhaps you are contemplating elevating Thielen into your lineup. Yes, Detroit defense is extremely generous, and Kirk Cousins isn't playing on a Monday night, so there's reason for optimism. With that said, the Vikings are unquestionably Justin Jefferson's team, while Dalvin Cook remains a very attractive second option.
A factor here is Jefferson’s dominance of the Lions. He averages 125.8 yards per game against Detroit in four career meetings. Verdict: Don't trust.
At tight end, we’re looking at Ertz as the suddenly revitalized Cardinals visit the Rams. Ertz is among leaders at the position for routes run and James Conner is unlikely to be fully healthy after exiting last week’s OT win at Las Vegas. Quick looks to Ertz have been a productive mode of survival for Kyler Murray against the attacking front of the Rams. He has at least five receptions in consecutive meetings with the Rams. Verdict: Trust.
Waiver wire
Noah Brown is not the Cowboys wideout you should be pursuing. Michael Gallup is trending in the right direction for a return following his January ACL injury, and he is expected to receive a "full slate of reps," per coach Mike McCarthy. Take a quick look to see if Gallup was drafted in your league, or if a team owner wasn't patient enough to wait for his return.
Also, somebody has to catch the ball for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend against the Green Bay Packers with Mike Evans (suspension), Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) dealing with their respective issues. Desperate owners could do worse than Breshad Perriman for a one-week flier.
And finally, the return of Jimmy Garoppolo in place of the injured Lance will do little to diminish the fantasy value of Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle. There's no need to overreact to the change in quarterback in San Francisco.
Here are a few others we’re starting and sitting this week:
Start:
- Texans RB Rex Burkhead (at Chicago Bears): Proving to be more than a niche back based on snap percentages and continues to see red-zone work. Chicago was torched by Green Bay’s ground game Sunday night.
- Buffalo Bills WR Gabe Davis (at Miami Dolphins): Stefon Diggs has been on fire, but Davis has a TD catch in three of his four games against the Dolphins.
- Colts WR Ashton Dulin (vs. Chiefs): In a deep league where your receivers are hurt or iffy only. Maybe Michael Pittman is back, but the Chiefs are going to be gearing up to stop the run. And Dulin led the team in receptions last week while his 79 receiving yards give him back-to-back games with 45-plus.
- Bears RB David Montgomery (vs. Houston Texans) With 15 career games over 100 yards from scrimmage, Montgomery should be excited to see Houston. He gained 155 yards against this team in previous meeting.
- Carolina Panthers WR D.J. Moore (at New Orleans Saints): The TD catch last week was the 15th of his career, and Moore has four TDs in his past four games against the Saints.
Sit:
- Baltimore Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins (vs. New England Patriots): Dobbins might be cleared to play in a game for the first time since September but there’s been little room for Ravens’ running backs this season.
- New York Jets RB Breece Hall (vs. Cincinnati Bengals): Coaches called Hall out this week despite his first career TD. Cincinnati giving up 302 total yards per game.
- Tennessee Titans TE Austin Hooper (vs. Las Vegas Raiders): Hooper is the forgotten target with rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks standing out as the top option in the passing game.
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