Whether you're dealing with Week 3 Fantasy football injuries to stars like Isiah Pacheco, Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel or simply trying to nail any difficult Week 3 Fantasy football start-sit decisions, having a reliable set of Week 3 Fantasy football rankings will be paramount. They can help you understand the Week 3 Fantasy football matchups and extract maximum value from your Fantasy football picks.
Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has been one of the biggest surprises this Fantasy football season and chances are you're ready to move him into your Week 3 Fantasy football lineups if you haven't already. Williams has 10 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown and has also rushed for 28 yards. His big-play ability makes him the type of star who can change the complexion of a matchup in an instant. How will Williams fare against the Cardinals on Sunday and who could you snag from the Week 3 Fantasy football waiver wire? Before you lock in your Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine's model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons, especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home emptyhanded.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, including being ahead of the curve on players like A.J. Brown, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Week 3 Fantasy football picks
One surprise in Week 3: The model is fading Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions over 15 games in his first season while averaging an impressive 8.2 yards per pass attempt.
However, he's only averaged 7.3 yards per pass attempt so far in 2024 and he'll draw another tough matchup in Week 3 against the Vikings. Minnesota ranks third in the NFL in points allowed through two weeks and is coming off an impressive performance against a dynamic 49ers offense. That's a big reason why the model barely ranks Stroud inside its top 20 this week, preferring Geno Smith, Deshaun Watson and even Sam Darnold.
A curveball: The model is high on Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. In a season where receiving yards have been difficult to come by, Shaheed has seven catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns already while also carrying the ball three times for 13 yards, and the underlying metrics have been sensational.
Shaheed's average depth of target has been a staggering 17.6 yards and Saints quarterback Derek Carr has a perfect QB rating when targeting the third-year pro. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak appears to have unlocked Shaheed's big-play ability more consistently and New Orleans is cruising offensively, scoring on each of the 15 possessions that Carr has played in two blowout wins. That's why the model ranks Shaheed as a solid WR2 option in Week 3, ranking him ahead of Williams and Malik Nabers against the Eagles. For more start/sit Fantasy football advice, be sure to check out the rest of the Week 2 Fantasy football rankings.
How to set Week 3 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising quarterback owned in less than half of CBS Sports PPR leagues to finish in the top 10 of its Week 3 Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. See the model's entire Week 3 Fantasy football rankings for PPR and standard leagues here.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 3 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which RB comes out of nowhere to crack the top five, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.
