Plenty of breakouts have happened in the season's first two weeks, but it's been tough to pinpoint who and when. There's still a lot we're learning about matchups, committees, and schemes, so finding bench or waiver wire players who are legitimate start 'em, sit 'em options will only get easier. Regardless, it's our job to put together a Week 3 fantasy sleepers list for you, and put it together we shall with players like Rhamondre Stevenson, Dameon Pierce, and Chris Olave among our favorites.
We have to note that any of our sleeper picks below could bust this week. We'll always take chances here because it doesn't benefit anyone to list obvious players. You probably won't start the players below over proven producers, but sleepers aren't needed if your lineup is locked and loaded. However, even if you're fine in season-long leagues, our sleeper picks can help highlight values in DFS contests, as the prices of these players should be affordable.
Last week's picks had a few hits, with Jeff Wilson Jr. paying off immediately, Josh Palmer stepping up, and Carson Wentz continuing to play well, but we whiffed on all of our TEs (can you blame us?) and D/STs while also missing on guys like Darnell Mooney and Khalil Herbert. That's not uncommon this time of year, and as we get more matchup and usage data, our recommendations will only become sharper.
WEEK 3 FANTASY PICKS: Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Let's get to it with our Week 3 sleeper picks.
Week 3 Fantasy Sleepers: Running backs
Tony Pollard, Cowboys at Giants (Vinnie Iyer). He should have earned more work after last week, and the Giants struggle with this type of versatile back (see Dontrell Hilliard, and Christian McCaffrey)
Breece Hall, Jets vs. Bengals (Nick Musial). Hall’s still the Jets' clear-cut No. 2 running back, playing 24 fewer snaps that Michael Carter last week. He’s going to see an increased snap percentage as the season increases, and that could very well start this Sunday in a game the Jets figure to be in more obvious passing situations as 4.5-point home underdogs.
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots vs. Ravens (Matt Lutovsky). Even if Damien Harris (knee) plays this week, Stevenson’s arrow is pointing up. He was playing more snaps than Harris even though Harris was outproducing him, finishing with 62 percent of the team’s RB snaps. It only feels like a matter of time before Stevenson breaks out, at least a receiver. The Ravens have defended the run well so far this season, but he should get enough volume to pay off as a flex this week.
BONUS: Dameon Pierce, Texans @ Bears (Lutovsky). Pierce dominated RB touches last week (16 to 2) and played 16 more snaps than Rex Burkhead. It appears the backfield is his, and against a Bears' defense that got gashed by the Packers on Sunday night, he has a chance for a true breakout game.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Quarterbacks
Jared Goff, Lions at Vikings (Iyer). Goff can keep putting up numbers in what figures to be a high-scoring affair opposite Kirk Cousins.
Jameis Winston, Saints @ Panthers (Musial). Winston was one of our Week 2 busts leading into a tough matchup against a well-rounded Buccaneers defense. Famous Jameis and the Saints offense had trouble sustaining much of anything in their 20-10 loss to Tampa. Given Winston’s pass-happy nature coupled with a matchup against an exploitable Panthers defense that's yet to be really tested this year after facing Jacoby Brissett and Daniel Jones, look for him to post a bounce-back performance.
Marcus Mariota, Falcons @ Seahawks (Lutovsky). Mariota was having another solid day before two straight turnovers to end the game dimmed his final line a bit. He didn’t run much last week, but he showed he can give you decent numbers with his arm. If he adds the rushing back in and can get about 30-40 yards, Mariota will threaten for QB1 status against a poor Seahawks’ defense.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Wide receivers
DeVonta Smith, Eagles at Commanders (Iyer). He reemerged opposite A.J Brown last week (along with Quez Watkins), and he can join both in torching the Washington secondary.
Chris Olave, Saints @ Panthers (Musial). Coinciding with a solid fantasy output from Winston, Olave looks to be in line for a breakout performance this Sunday. The 2022 first-round pick saw 13 targets in New Orleans' Week 2 loss, hauling in just five passes for 80 yards while also losing a fumble. Given Olave’s big-play ability, it may only take one catch for him to post a respectable fantasy stat line.
Jakobi Meyers, Patriots vs. Ravens (Lutovsky). No one is going to confuse Meyers for Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle, but the Ravens’ pass defense can make any decent receiver look like a star. The Ravens allowed the second-most fantasy points to WRs last year, so this isn’t a new thing. Meyers will get the targets and do enough to be a solid WR3. If he's out because of his knee injury, just swap in Nelson Agholor here.
WEEK 3 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Tight ends
Tyler Higbee, Rams at Cardinals (Iyer). He should stay involved in the passing game as the best third option for Matthew Stafford, and Arizona is coming off early coverage trouble vs. two top tight ends.
Gerald Everett, Chargers vs. Jaguars (Musial). Everett’s quietly sitting as the overall TE4 in PPR formats to begin the season and looks to be in line for another solid performance against Jacksonville. Keenan Allen’s potential return from a hamstring injury could cut into Everett’s target share, but he’s still a sure starter in this TE landscape.
Evan Engram, Jaguars @ Chargers (Lutovsky). Engram has hauled in 11-for-12 targets so far this year, so even though the stats aren’t huge, he’s getting consistent work, which is more than most TEs can say. The Chargers haven’t been bad despite playing two elite tight ends (Darren Waller, Travis Kelce), but the Jags will likely be throwing a lot to keep pace with the Chargers’ high-powered offense.
WEEK 3 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Defense
Chicago Bears vs. Texans (Iyer). They’ll have a decent low-scoring game vs. Davis Mills with a few sacks and takeaways.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Titans (Musial). Las Vegas is in a “must-win” spot against a reeling Titans offense. While some of Tennessee’s struggles in Week 2 can be attributed to Buffalo’s stout defense, Ryan Tannehill still looks like the same QB who tossed three interceptions in the Titans' divisional loss to Cincinnati back in January.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Colts (Lutovsky). Matt Ryan has led the Colts’ offense to 20 points in two games against the Texans and Jaguars. Sure, Michael Pittman (quad) missed last week, but this offense clearly has issues. Ryan has turned the ball over five times and taken seven sacks, so almost any defense going against the Colts right now has major upside.
