The Lineup Cheat Sheet combines Fantasy analysis and game-flow predictions with a confidence scale to give you a definitive answer on who to start in your leagues.
It's pretty simple: The scale runs from 1-10. The higher the number next to a player's name, the more confident you should be to start him. The numbers are not a projection, just a confidence score to help you pick who to start. Every relevant player for Week 1 is here, so if a player isn't listed, don't start him.
To find a specific player, use your search function -- CTRL-F on PCs and Command-F on Macs. If neither of those are options, or if you're on a mobile device, you can scroll by game.
If you're still unsure, just send a note on Twitter (@daverichard) and I'll give it a look, time permitting. Ready to get off on the right foot? Here's how to approach every play for Week 3 in Non-PPR leagues — the PPR Cheat Sheet is right here.
You can find my start, sit, sleeper, and bust calls for every game in Week 3 based on what we've learned through the first two games, and if you need more lineup help, check out Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em, plus Heath Cummings' Week 3 previews for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. And, if you need to make a trade, the trade values chart can help make sure you're a winner.
The line wants us to believe: The game will be close but favors the more potent offense. However, the Bears defense has played well so far, and if the Falcons don't have Julio Jones at 100%, they'll scuffle to get by. David Montgomery is in line to have a nice game -- between him and the defense, the Bears have a shot at another win.
| Mitchell Trubisky | (5.5) | Matt Ryan | (8.6) |
| David Montgomery | (8.0) | Todd Gurley | (7.2) |
| Tarik Cohen | (4.65) | Calvin Ridley | (9.8) |
| Allen Robinson | (8.6) | Julio Jones | (8.7) |
| Anthony Miller | (5.1) | Russell Gage | (5.6) |
| Bears DST | (7.5) | Hayden Hurst | (7.8) |
| | | Falcons DST | (6.1) |
On Thursday's episode of the Fantasy Football Today podcast, we started breaking down Week 3's matchups, making start and sit calls for each game. Subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
The line wants us to believe: The Bills are just a little bit better on both sides of the ball. The public probably views both teams as dominant offensively but the implied points are low for both (Buffalo at 24.75, Los Angeles at 22.25). The edge is with the Bills defense, which has registered twice as many sacks as the Rams and has the pass rush to make life hard on Jared Goff.
| Jared Goff | (6.6) | Josh Allen | (9.1) |
| Darrell Henderson | (6.25) | Devin Singletary | (6.9) |
| Malcolm Brown | (6.5) | Stefon Diggs | (7.7) |
| Cooper Kupp | (7.6) | John Brown | (7.3) |
| Robert Woods | (6.7) | Cole Beasley | (3.3) |
| Tyler Higbee | (8.0) | Bills DST | (7.9) |
| Rams DST | (5.9) | | |
The line wants us to believe: Washington just stinks. However, it was the Browns who struggled to slam the door on the Bengals last week, and two weeks ago Washington overcame a rough start to clip the Eagles. Cleveland has the run game and pass rush to win, but by eight or more? I also don't see the Browns getting to their implied total of 26 points. Terry McLaurin helps keep Washington in this low-scoring game.
| Dwayne Haskins | (4.0) | Baker Mayfield | (5.7) |
| Antonio Gibson | (4.9) | Nick Chubb | (9.3) |
| Terry McLaurin | (9.1) | Kareem Hunt | (7.7) |
| Steven Sims | (3.2) | Odell Beckham | (9.3) |
| Logan Thomas | (5.5) | Jarvis Landry | (6.1) |
| Washington DST | (6.3) | Browns DST | (7.1) |
The line wants us to believe: The Vikings aren't as bad as they've looked through two weeks. Who's buying that?! Their defense is already in shambles. So why is Tennessee only giving 2.5 points? Because they're on the road? It feels too good to be true. Perhaps the oddsmakers are assuming Tennessee's pass rush won't rattle Kirk Cousins. That would mean big things for Adam Thielen.
| Ryan Tannehill | (7.7) | Kirk Cousins | (5.8) |
| Derrick Henry | (9.6) | Dalvin Cook | (9.2) |
| Corey Davis | (6.5) | Adam Thielen | (8.1) |
| Adam Humphries | (2.8) | Vikings DST | (4.5) |
| Jonnu Smith | (8.4) | | |
| Titans DST | (7.7) | | |
The line wants us to believe: Honestly, I think the line is set up for people to bet the Raiders. Don't fall for it -- Las Vegas' O-line took a hit with Richie Incognito getting shelved, plus Josh Jacobs is banged up. The Patriots defense didn't hold up at Seattle but bouncing back at home is typically what they do. Expect them to take Darren Waller away from Derek Carr, and Cam Newton should continue to play great.
| Derek Carr | (3.8) | Cam Newton | (8.5) |
| Josh Jacobs | (8.8) | Rex Burkhead | (4.7) |
| Bryan Edwards | (2.0) | Sony Michel | (6.3) |
| Darren Waller | (7.6) | Julian Edelman | (6.6) |
| Raiders DST | (3.5) | N'Keal Harry | (3.5) |
| | | Damiere Byrd | (2.9) |
| | | Patriots DST | (9.0) |
The line wants us to believe: The Giants are a hot mess. The truth is, both teams are hot messes. Four big-time playmakers from the 49ers defense won't play, leaving good matchups all over the place for the Giants. Losing Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard stinks, but the Giants should still be able to overcome those losses to contend at home. Darius Slayton and Golden Tate might be the difference-makers for the Giants in an upset win.
| Nick Mullens | (4.9) | Daniel Jones | (6.1) |
| Jerick McKinnon | (6.0) | Dion Lewis | (4.85) |
| Jeff Wilson | (6.4) | Wayne Gallman | (5.0) |
| Brandon Aiyuk | (3.1) | Darius Slayton | (6.4) |
| Jordan Reed | (6.8) | Golden Tate | (4.8) |
| 49ers DST | (7.3) | Evan Engram | (7.2) |
| | | Giants DST | (5.7) |
The line wants us to believe: That everything's fine with the Eagles and the Bengals stink. But Philadelphia is 0-2 and the Bengals have played two close games so far. Assuming the Eagles win is the easy part -- it's them winning by six-plus that's tough to envision. There should be a bunch of points scored thanks in large part to both starting running backs having strong games.
| Joe Burrow | (6.4) | Carson Wentz | (6.8) |
| Joe Mixon | (8.4) | Miles Sanders | (8.5) |
| Tyler Boyd | (6.2) | DeSean Jackson | (5.8) |
| A.J. Green | (6.0) | Zach Ertz | (7.4) |
| Drew Sample | (5.0) | Dallas Goedert | (6.6) |
| Bengals DST | (5.5) | Eagles DST | (5.3) |
The line wants us to believe: The Texans are competitive. This one's interesting -- I think the oddsmakers could have gotten away with a six- or seven-point line for the Steelers. So why place it at just four? There's nothing impressive with the Texans through two weeks. Naturally, I see this and think it's a trap to take the Steelers. I can't fight the urge, I believe Pittsburgh is the superior team with superior coaching.
| Deshaun Watson | (7.0) | Ben Roethlisberger | (7.3) |
| David Johnson | (7.1) | James Conner | (8.7) |
| Will Fuller | (6.3) | JuJu Smith-Schuster | (7.8) |
| Brandin Cooks | (5.3) | Diontae Johnson | (7.0) |
| Randall Cobb | (3.4) | Chase Claypool | (4.0) |
| Jordan Akins | (6.1) | Steelers DST | (8.5) |
| Texans DST | (3.3) | | |
The line wants us to believe: That the Colts can win in a blowout. Well, they did last week at home against a better Vikings squad, so why not again? The Jets look awful on offense and figure to break again on defense. Jonathan Taylor and TY Hilton are in line for good games.
| Sam Darnold | (2.6) | Philip Rivers | (5.2) |
| Chris Hogan | (3.6) | Jonathan Taylor | (9.4) |
| Braxton Berrios | (2.7) | Nyheim Hines | (4.8) |
| Chris Herndon | (3.0) | T.Y. Hilton | (7.2) |
| Jets DST | (4.7) | Jack Doyle | (4.6) |
| | | Colts DST | (9.3) |
The line wants us to believe: The Panthers can keep it relatively close with the Chargers. Without Christian McCaffrey, and without a competent defense, that's tougher to believe. I like D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and Mike Davis to pick up a lot of completions, but the Panthers shouldn't get to 20 points against the Chargers defense. Meanwhile, L.A. faces their easiest defensive matchup yet -- Carolina's allowed 34 points to Las Vegas and 31 to Tampa Bay. Expect Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley to both gave strong games as the Chargers blast their implied point total of 25.
| Teddy Bridgewater | (4.5) | Justin Herbert | (6.3) |
| Mike Davis | (6.8) | Austin Ekeler | (8.3) |
| D.J. Moore | (6.9) | Joshua Kelley | (7.5) |
| Robby Anderson | (6.8) | Keenan Allen | (8.2) |
| Panthers DST | (3.7) | Mike Williams | (4.3) |
| | | Hunter Henry | (8.8) |
| | | Chargers DST | (8.1) |
The line wants us to believe: The Lions will keep it close. Frankly, the oddsmakers could have gotten away with the Cardinals as a touchdown favorite. Detroit's defense is awful and Kyler Murray should find the end zone at least four times. So can Matthew Stafford and crew keep up? They actually might, which is why the Lions should lose by less than six thanks to good work in the passing game by Kenny Golladay and D'Andre Swift.
| Matthew Stafford | (7.5) | Kyler Murray | (9.6) |
| D'Andre Swift | (5.8) | Kenyan Drake | (9.1) |
| Kerryon Johnson | (4.8) | DeAndre Hopkins | (9.9) |
| Adrian Peterson | (4.95) | Larry Fitzgerald | (3.9) |
| Kenny Golladay | (8.0) | Cardinals DST | (8.3) |
| Marvin Jones | (5.4) | | |
| T.J. Hockenson | (7.0) | | |
| Lions DST | (1.4) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The Broncos can stay within one touchdown of the Buccaneers. Seems preposterous, right? The Broncos have lost so much talent on both sides of the ball, how can they hang with a healthy Tampa Bay squad? Melvin Gordon and Noah Fant have been playing well, and Tom Brady's pass catchers haven't all been as reliable, but when push comes to shove, there's such a talent gap between both teams. I can't resist laying only six points.
| Tom Brady | (7.2) | Jeff Driskel | (5.3) |
| Leonard Fournette | (8.1) | Melvin Gordon | (7.8) |
| Chris Godwin | (8.9) | Jerry Jeudy | (5.0) |
| Mike Evans | (9.6) | K.J. Hamler | (3.8) |
| O.J. Howard | (4.8) | Noah Fant | (9.0) |
| Buccaneers DST | (9.1) | Broncos DST | (2.9) |
The line wants us to believe: The Seahawks will convincingly pull out another win in a high-scoring game. That statement is almost believable -- seeing them win by six or more, even against a Cowboys team that sports a beat-up O-line, feels unlikely. The public is taking the Seahawks, but they have their own issues that the Cowboys can attack. Look for CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper to be catalysts in keeping Dallas close.
| Dak Prescott | (8.8) | Russell Wilson | (9.5) |
| Ezekiel Elliott | (9.9) | Chris Carson | (9.5) |
| Amari Cooper | (9.4) | Tyler Lockett | (8.8) |
| CeeDee Lamb | (7.1) | DK Metcalf | (9.5) |
| Michael Gallup | (5.7) | Seahawks DST | (5.1) |
| Dalton Schultz | (6.4) | | |
| Cowboys DST | (4.3) | | |
The line wants us to believe: The Saints won't be as bad at home in prime time as they were on the road last week in prime time. They're doing enough to get by without Michael Thomas, but the Packers defense is a better unit than the Raiders. Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones are playing too well for the Packers not to at least compete. Getting three points with the Packers seems like a dream ... which might mean it could end up like a nightmare.
| Aaron Rodgers | (7.4) | Drew Brees | (6.5) |
| Aaron Jones | (9.8) | Alvin Kamara | (9.7) |
| Jamaal Williams | (4.75) | Tre'Quan Smith | (4.9) |
| Allen Lazard | (5.2) | Emmanuel Sanders | (3.5) |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling | (4.7) | Jared Cook | (8.2) |
| Packers DST | (6.6) | Saints DST | (6.8) |
The line wants us to believe: The Super Bowl champs won't even stay within three points of the Ravens. I think the line was made to keep money even on both sides. Baltimore's played dominant football and the Chiefs struggled on the road last week and are on the road again. Honestly, it feels like a fair line but I suspect Lamar Jackson will love the matchups for his receivers.
| Patrick Mahomes | (8.9) | Lamar Jackson | (9.2) |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | (7.9) | Mark Ingram | (7.0) |
| Tyreek Hill | (8.4) | J.K. Dobbins | (5.6) |
| Mecole Hardman | (4.2) | Marquise Brown | (7.5) |
| Travis Kelce | (9.3) | Willie Snead | (3.7) |
| Chiefs DST | (4.1) | Miles Boykin | (3.0) |
| | | Mark Andrews | (9.4) |
| | | Ravens DST | (7.0) |
The line wants us to believe: Miami's offense isn't good enough to compete with Jacksonville's. That feels pretty accurate, especially since the Dolphins defense has crumbled against Cam Newton and Josh Allen. Gardner Minshew has been playing great, James Robinson has been a legit find and the O-line has played better than expected.
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | (6.9) | Gardner Minshew | (7.8) |
| Myles Gaskin | (6.6) | James Robinson | (8.2) |
| DeVante Parker | (7.4) | Keelan Cole | (5.5) |
| Preston Williams | (5.9) | Laviska Shenault Jr. | (5.35) |
| Mike Gesicki | (8.5) | Jaguars DST | (4.9) |
| Dolphins DST | (3.9) | | |
