Week 3 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts

Players flying under the radar this week who might be able to help you win your fantasy game.

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

Last week, I discussed Blake Bortles, Matt Breida, Phillip Lindsay, Austin Ekeler, Nelson Agholor, Chris Godwin, Tyler Lockett, Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook and Austin Seferian-Jenkins in this space. Let’s see if we can dig up a few more gems for Week 3.

Jared Goff, Rams (vs. Chargers)

Don’t be scared off of Goff this week due to our adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) ranking for the Chargers (No. 4 against quarterbacks). Those numbers are from last season and they’ll be updated for 2018 data starting with Week 4. (I can't wait.) The Chargers are missing Joey Bosa and have yielded 465 passing yards and five touchdowns to Kansas City and Buffalo through two weeks. Meanwhile, Goff has had a pair of solid fantasy outings, posting 233 yards and two scores against Oakland, and 354 yards with one touchdown against the Cardinals.

Latavius Murray, Vikings (vs. BUF)

Dalvin Cook is dealing with cramps or a hamstring injury, depending on who you believe. I think he’ll play against the Bills, but if and when the Vikings jump out to a big lead, they’ll probably roll Murray out there to salt the game away. Backup running backs have produced against the Bills so far this year. Kenneth Dixon and Javorius Allen combined for 22 touches for 76 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, while Austin Ekeler turned 14 touches into 98 yards last week.

Target and Snap Report: Fantasy Football Owners Shouldn’t Give up on David Johnson Yet

Corey Clement, Eagles (vs. Colts)

Clement is going to shoot up our rankings if Jay Ajayi (back) is ruled out for Week 3. He’ll probably share touches with Wendell Smallwood, but he should be on the long end of the platoon. In addition to six carries for 30 yards and a rushing touchdown last week, Clement added five catches for 55 yards as a receiver. The Colts just gave up 16 catches for 122 yards to Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson a week ago.

Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook, Jaguars (vs. Titans)

Cole bounced back from a semi-quiet Week 1 (three catches 54 yards on four targets against the Giants) to post a 7-116-1 line on eight targets against the Patriots. Westbrook went 4-83-1 on five looks against the Pats after posting catching five balls for 54 yards against the Giants in Week 1. The Titans have been the second-friendliest defense to receivers thus far, so this looks like a good spot for both players. (I’ve never been a big Donte Moncrief guy, but he is leading the team in targets—with 14—through two weeks.)

Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings

John Brown, Ravens (vs. Broncos)

Quarterbacks have had success by picking on stationary Broncos CB Bradley Roby thus far, and guess who mostly lines up on Roby’s side of the field? That’s right, John Brown. Brown’s resurgence continued in Week 2—he pulled down four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals after posting three receptions for 44 yards and a score in Week 1. He’s the best bet of the Baltimore receivers to produce in Week 3.

Click here for all of John's Week 3 Sneaky Starts.

David Njoku, Browns (vs. Jets)

Njoku has seven targets in both of Cleveland’s games this season, and at some point he’s going to take advantage of his extreme athleticism. Neither the Lions nor the Dolphins tight ends presented much of a challenge for the Jets, so they’re a bit of an unknown when it comes to tight end coverage.