Week 3 of the NFL schedule brings tough questions for owners as they set their Fantasy football lineups. Should you go with a proven option like Packers running back Aaron Jones, who faces a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive front, or roll the dice on a lower-owned, high-upside option like Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who scored two touchdowns last week against the Browns? Is a player like Allen Robinson, who's transitioning to a new offensive scheme in Los Angeles, safe to rely on in your Week 3 Fantasy football strategy? These are the types of questions owners will have to answer before locking in their Week 3 Fantasy football rankings. Before you lock in your lineups, be sure to check out the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings from the proven computer model at SportsLine. It can help you make those tough decisions on which players to start and which players to leave on the bench.
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 empty-handed.
Last week, the model was extremely high on Packers running back Aaron Jones, saying he'd finish as a top-10 player at his position. The result: Jones rushed 15 times for 132 yards and a touchdown, while also catching all three of his targets for 38 yards and an additional score in Green Bay's win over the Bears. Anybody who had him in their lineup was well on their way to a huge week.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Week 3 Fantasy football picks
One player the model is high on this week: Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions on Sunday, a game that features an over/under of 52.5, the highest total on the Week 3 NFL schedule. That bodes well for Cousins' Fantasy value this week, even though he threw three interceptions last week.
The Lions are giving up 32.5 points per game this season, which ranks 31st in the NFL. Cousins has also had success against Detroit in his career, throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns in his last start against the Lions. In addition, Minnesota's veteran signal-caller has thrown two or more touchdown passes in four of his last five games at home. That's a big reason why SportsLine's model ranks Cousins as a top-five quarterback this week, making him a rock-solid QB1 option against the Lions.
And a massive shocker: Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who's eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in three of his last four seasons, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top 20 at his position. Elliott led the Cowboys with 53 rushing yards in last week's victory over the Bengals but was less effective than Tony Pollard, who gained 98 scrimmage yards and a TD on 13 touches.
Elliott has yet to find the end zone this season and now he'll square off against a New York Giants defense that has yet to allow a rushing touchdown in 2022. Elliott averaged just 3.5 yards per carry against the Bengals and he's been a non-factor in Dallas' passing game. With such a tough matchup this week, Elliott is a player to consider putting on the bench in Week 3.
How to set Week 3 Fantasy football rankings
The model is also calling for a surprising quarterback you aren't even thinking about 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. You can only see who it is 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 QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.
