Fantasy Football Must Starts Week 3

By James Collier

The bad news is that over 10% of the Fantasy Football season has already come and gone. But the good news is that we still have another 15 weeks of sweating over our lineups ahead of us. And because of the 10% that has passed, we are starting to get a better picture of what to expect each week and which matchups to target etc. 

In our Week 3 Must Starts we’ll look to use what we’ve learned to give you four players that are set to smash expectations this week. 

A reminder of what we are looking for in a “Must Start”. We are trying to find you players that are undervalued in DFS or are being ranked too low by (Expert Consensus Rankings) ECR. So, while there will be some contrarian picks, there will also be some “good chalk”. 

Review of Last Week

My “homer” Must Start of Terry McLaurin did not go as plan as he scored just 8.2 points and finished as the WR42. The Commanders offense has officially been Kingsbury’d. There may be a day when we confidently start McLaurin, but we might have to wait a little longer for it. Meanwhile, Kev’s Colby Parkinson pick was very much a victim of the game script getting out of hand for the Rams in their loss to the Cardinals. 

But Chris Godwin exceeded expectations for a second straight week, finishing as the WR6 with 24.7 points. And the same can be said for JK Dobbins who finished as the RB5 after an RB20 ECR ranking. Good work from Lewis and Tom! 

Zamir White vs Carolina Panthers

It feels like heading into the season there was no middle ground with Zamir White. He was either your favourite middle round running back target (thanks to his end of season run last year), or he was the easiest running back dead zone fade in years. 

One side of the argument has been proven right so far this season but it feels like in this week’s matchup against the Panthers, things will get a little murky again. The Raiders are not a good team, they don’t gave a good offensive line and so even if Zamir White was a good running back his paltry 3.1 yards per carry would not be much of a surprise. 

But thankfully they get to play the Panthers this week who are even worse. Opposing backs don’t need to be particularly efficient against Carolina to put up a solid fantasy total as there is always going to be plenty of opportunity. They have allowed a top five finish to the position in each of the first two weeks and while I don’t expect that to happen this week with White likely sharing the backfield with Alexander Mattison again, he should be in line for a solid top 18 finish. 

DraftKings Value: $5,500

ECR Rank (PPR): RB24

Rashid Shaheed vs Philadelphia Eagles (Kev White)

Rashid Shaheed and the New Orleans Saints have been one of the surprise stories of the season so far. And Kev(@TheDynastyMind) thinks their explosive offense keeps rolling with his Week 3 pick of Shaheed. 

“Shaheed is a must-start option this week, taking on an Eagles secondary who concede the third most fantasy points against wide receivers, the fourth most 20+ yard plays and second most 40+ yard plays – aligning with his core skill, an excellent deep-threat wide receiver. Shaheed has finished as a top 15 option both weeks to start the season, despite negative game scripts due to the Saints jumping out to big leads and lower overall volume. Despite seeing only nine targets so far this year, Shaheed has registered 169 yards and a touchdown in both of his starts. In what could be an explosive affair with a strong projected high over/under of 49.5, this is the game environment to target, efficiency will be required to continue, however Shaheed is in the form of his life, expect it to continue in week 3.”

DraftKings Value: $5,300

ECR Rank (PPR): WR23

Zack Moss vs Washington Commanders (Lewis Wood)

Lewis (@ff_pancake)’s Week 3 pick is Cincinnati Bengals running back Zack Moss in what look’s a perfect Monday Night matchup. 

“It’s hardly been the start we wanted for Zack Moss in Cincinnati. Currently sitting as the RB30, he’s only rushed for 78 yards total through two weeks. However, with the Bengals playing the awful Commanders defense, we should expect an early lead, and Moss has become the clear lead back. Outsnapping Chase Brown 51-13 in week two, the volume should be there for a solid RB2 finish.”

DraftKings Value: $5,600 (MNF Two Game Slate)

ECR Rank (PPR): RB20

Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs Miami Dolphins (Tom Strachan)

And rounding us off as usual is Tom (@NFL_TStrack) who is looking for JSN to follow up from his career week against the Patriots. 

“The Dolphins defense has a weak spot and opposing teams know it. Teams facing Miami have targetted the slot at a league-high 47% of passing attempts, so far neither Christian Kirk or Khalil Shakir were able to dominate from that position but Jaxon Smith-Njigba comes into this game on the back of a career best 117 yards on 12 catches last week when he played 80% of his snaps from the slot. The Seahawks seem to be prioritizing trying to get JSN going and this feels like another prime matchup for him.”

DraftKings Value: $5,400

ECR Rank (PPR): WR30

Feature image credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

JAMES COLLIER

Lead Fantasy Football Analyst

A Washington fan since the early 2010’s, James had no choice but to turn to fantasy football in search of happiness – and it wasn’t long until it became an obsession. You can follow him on Twitter @jamesc294.

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