Fantasy Takes for Week 3 of the NFL Season: Starts/Sits and Other Interesting Look Aheads

Hello everyone, whether you are a diehard fantasy mock drafter know-it-all or just an average work league drafting on vibes guy, I am here to give a few thoughts (and takes) about the next week of NFL football from a Fantasy Football perspective. I am by no means a fantasy football guru, hell I came in 9th place in my 10-man league last year. But what I am is someone very passionate about fantasy football and believe that maybe I could offer some insight on a few players I like, don’t like, or think you should keep an eye out for as the season goes along. So with that said, let's get straight to it. PSA: All scoring will go off a standard ESPN PPR fantasy format.

Starts

D’Andre Swift

Projected: 14 FP

D’Andre Swift is coming off a good 2023 campaign, during which he finished fifth in the league in rushing yards. That said, things are different for the fourth year back coming to the Chicago Bears in 2024. It's a new team, a new playbook, and especially a new offensive line to run behind. The entire offense has looked out of sorts the first two weeks to start the season but I believe this will be a great upcoming matchup for Swift and the Bears at Indianapolis. The Colts defense has allowed 474 rushing yards so far this season, by far the worst in the league, but they also tout a top-10 pass defense this early in the year. While the Bears' new rookie franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, has had a tough time getting the ball rolling on offense, one thing is for sure, Swift has dominated the backfield work for the Bears. Averaging double-digit carries the past two weeks, the volume alone makes me think he'll be involved a ton in this game and potentially be Swift's breakout game as a Bear.

Derek Carr

Projected: 17.5 FP

I believe I speak for most fantasy football fans in saying that I am beyond shocked that Derek Carr is currently the QB2 in all of fantasy football. Quarterback play hasn't been the best so far this year, but Carr has had a resurgence in his second year as a Saint and is currently leading the NFL in touchdown passes as well as boasting a 76.9 completion percentage on the year. Most of this early season success can be found in the Saints duo of third-year starters Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave, who have combined for an astounding 17 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns in two games. Another attribute leading to a huge success in the passing game for Carr is seeing five-time Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara return to his former self in the running game and beyond, leading all running backs in the NFL in touchdowns with 5 and impressively averaging 145 all-purpose yards a game. Adding in some very impressive offensive line play and an upcoming matchup against a very unimpressive Eagles defense, Carr is set up to continue his stellar 2024 run. 

Sits

Michael Pittman Jr. 

Projected: 13.7 FP

Pittman Jr. has had a disappointing start to the 2024 season, to say the least. With an average draft position of 36, he was in low WR1 or high WR2 territory for most teams that drafted him. Now, Pittman Jr. is currently sitting as the 61st-ranked receiver for standard PPR formats, averaging only 6.1 fantasy points a game. After failing to eclipse 40 yards in back-to-back games, whereas last season he only failed to reach the mark once, Pittman Jr. finds himself in arguably one his hardest matchups of the season facing 2023 first-team All-Pro corner Jaylon Johnson and a solid Bears defense. The Colts quarterback of the future, Anthony Richardson, has also had a lackluster two games while completing less than 50 percent of his passes and currently has more interceptions than touchdowns. Coupled with a new target share with emerging talent Alec Pierce, Pittman Jr. could see his early season lulls continue next week and might be worth sitting out until he has a better performance.

Austin Ekeler

Projected: 10.1 FP

The Commanders have an interesting set of backs on their hands this season. On one hand, Brian Robinson has filled in a traditional RB role through two games garnering 29 carries compared to Ekelers 10. However, Ekelers value is seen predominantly in the passing game, with him currently leading the team in receiving yards. This is generally a positive thing to see in an RB, but if his targets start to come to a stop I don't believe Ekeler has much to offer in terms of fantasy value. I'd like to see Commanders quarterback, Jayden Daniels, become more comfortable throwing the ball downfield and transition into the new style of QBs we see in the league nowadays, which could take targets away from Ekeler. Jayden has also shown he has no problem scrambling on dropbacks and picking up yards for himself. In deep leagues, there could be some value at the RB2 or FLEX position but outside of that, I'd be more hesitant to start Ekeler if other options are available.

Look-Aheads

Darnell Mooney

Projected: 11.2

Newly acquired by the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason, Mooney had a breakthrough game last week with three catches, 88 receiving yards, and even adding a touchdown to the mix. The Falcons also brought in veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason in hopes of him being the missing piece to their playoff puzzle. Cousins hasn't quite figured out who his number one is on his new team with four receivers with ten-plus targets in two games. Mooney does lead the team in receiving yards through two games but there is a caveat to those numbers, he only has four catches. So far Mooney's role can be seen as a big play receiver which at times could be extremely profitable or also extremely detrimental. With Mooney’s stock rapidly rising after last week's performance, I would still heed caution in starting him until he strings together a stretch of favorable results.

Hunter Henry

Projected: 8.7 

Hunter Henry’s season so far is almost identical to Mooney's, abysmal game one then next week booming past their expected point totals in impressive outings. Henry hit a new career high in receiving yards with 109 and also tied his career high in catches with eight. I currently view Henry favorably because I simply do not think the Patriots have many options when it comes to spreading out the field and passing the ball. For now, Henry seems to be the number one target for starting QB Jacoby Brissett but a majority of the offense is currently being funneled to running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Once the Patriots' number three overall pick Drake Maye finally gets the green light at quarterback, who knows who his number one target will be? I would recommend stowing Hunter Henry for now, as tight-end play is currently less than adequate outside of a few of the top guys.

The world of fantasy football can be filled with turmoil and uncertainty but it gives people new avenues into America's biggest sport. Fantasy is a great hobby to get into no matter what level of fan you are. Newer fans can get a feel of who's who in the league and older fans always enjoy finding that new sleeper or finding their way back to an old faithful. Hope you all enjoyed something like this and I will try to post these throughout the season and maybe even do a follow-up after the weekend slate is over.