Fantasy Football Week 3 Sleepers: Injuries create golden opportunities for Giants and Bills' Devin Singletary
Some lineup choices are easy, but these suggestions can help with the rest.
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Devin Singletary is more of a must-start play than a sleeper, but the news of Zack Moss (toe) being out in Week 3 against the Rams significantly increases Singletary's value. Hopefully, he takes advantage of this opportunity, and Singletary is a great option in DFS.
He's $4,900 on DraftKings and $5,900 on FanDuel, and I plan to have him in several lineups this week. With Moss out, Singletary should take on a bigger role in a favorable matchup.
Through two weeks, Singletary has played 57 percent of the snaps compared to 45 percent for Moss. The playing time is reflective of their workload as well. Singletary has 19 carries for 86 yards, as well as seven catches for 43 yards. Moss, meanwhile, has 17 carries for 48 yards, along with three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Hopefully, the Bills give Singletary the chance to work near the goal line. He only has three carries inside the 20-yard-line, one carry inside the 10 and none inside the 5. By comparison, Moss has seven carries inside the 20, four inside the 10 and three inside the 5.
That was a big storyline for Singletary last year, who lost out on those short-yardage touchdown chances to Frank Gore. And we know what Josh Allen means to the Bills as a rusher.
But this week, Singletary will hopefully get the chance for 20 total touches against the Rams. And so far, Ezekiel Elliott and Miles Sanders beat up this defense in two games. Elliott had 22 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown, as well as three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. Sanders had 20 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 36 yards.
I don't expect Singletary to be as successful as Elliott and Sanders, although I'm hopeful. But he's now worth starting in all leagues with Moss out, and he's someone to use with confidence on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Now, let's look at sleeper candidates for Week 3, as well as other players to use in DFS this week.
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Week 3 Sleepers
Week 3 Preview
Sleepers
Quarterbacks
As long as Kenny Golladay (hamstring) is back, I'll start Stafford this week against the Cardinals. Without Golladay, Stafford is averaging just 18 Fantasy points a game against Chicago and Green Bay, but a healthy Golladay would help Stafford crack 20 Fantasy points for the first time, likely in garbage time on the road.
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Volume definitely helped Burrow in Week 2 at Cleveland with 61 pass attempts, but he scored 29 Fantasy points with 316 passing yards and three touchdowns. He's making plays with his arm and legs (65 rushing yards and a touchdown through two games), and I'm hoping for another big game this week at the Eagles.
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I expect the Chargers to run well this week, which is why Joshua Kelley is the Start of the Week -- and don't forget about Austin Ekeler. But Herbert did great in an emergency start in place of Tyrod Taylor (chest) in Week 2 against the Chiefs with 311 passing yards, one touchdown and one interceptions, as well as 18 rushing yards and a score. He could have similar success this week and is worth trusting as a quality starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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The 49ers are down Richard Sherman (calf), Nick Bosa (ACL) and Solomon Thomas (ACL) on defense, which should be good for Jones at home, even without Saquon Barkley (ACL) and Sterling Shepard (toe). I'm expecting a good game for Darius Slayton and Golden Tate, and we'll see what Evan Engram and the running backs have to offer. Jones isn't a must-start option by any means, but he could have a good outing in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Running backs
We'll see how Davis does with Christian McCaffrey (ankle) out, and he had eight catches for 74 yards on eight targets in Week 2 at Tampa Bay when McCaffrey went down. Davis has top-20 upside in PPR this week.
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It appears like Malcolm Brown (finger) is going to play this week at Buffalo, but Cam Akers (ribs) is likely out. Henderson should lead the Rams in touches, and he was great in Week 2 at the Eagles with 121 total yards and a touchdown, along with two catches. Even with Brown expected to play, Henderson should be considered a flex.
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I like McKinnon and Jeff Wilson as flex options this week with Raheem Mostert (knee) and Tevin Coleman (knee) hurt. McKinnon should be the better option in PPR, and Wilson could be a sneaky flex play in non-PPR leagues. McKinnon has been good in limited work with six carries for 101 yards and a touchdown, as well as three catches for 20 yards and a touchdown on six targets in two games. And Wilson should handle most of the carries against a Giants defense that has allowed at least 82 rushing yards each of the past two weeks against Benny Snell and David Montgomery.
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It's doubtful the newly-signed Devonta Freeman will play much for the Giants this week as they try to replace Saquon Barkley (ACL). That should mean a quality workload is coming for Lewis, especially in the passing game. Barkley and Lewis have combined for 10 catches on 14 targets through two weeks, and Lewis has flex appeal in PPR this week against a banged-up 49ers defense.
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Wide receivers
In two games with A.J. Brown (knee) either out or limited, Davis has 10 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. He should continue to be a prime target for Ryan Tannehill, and I like Davis as a borderline starter in all leagues. The Vikings lead the NFL with five touchdowns allowed to receivers this year.
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Sterling Shepard (toe) is on injured reserve, and Tate should take advantage of additional targets. In 2019, Shepard missed five games from Weeks 6-10. Over that span, Tate averaged 17.2 PPR points, including four games with at least eight targets. Darius Slayton is also a quality play against the 49ers, who are down several key defenders this week.
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Lamb looked great against the Falcons in Week 2 with six catches for 106 yards on nine targets, and he should stay hot this week. The Seahawks lead the NFL in receptions (50) and yards (731) to opposing receivers, and it's not close. By comparison, no other team has allowed more than 40 receptions or 525 yards to opposing receivers, and Amari Cooper, Lamb and Michael Gallup, in that order, are all in play as starting options.
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Jalen Reagor (thumb) is out for several weeks, which will hopefully lead to better games ahead for Jackson, at least until Alshon Jeffery (foot) is back. We know the Eagles will use plenty of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, but Jackson showed signs of life in Week 2 against the Rams with six catches for 64 yards on nine targets. He's a useful No. 3 Fantasy receiver in this matchup at home.
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Tight ends
Goedert has 17 targets in the first two games of the season, and he has at least eight targets in four games in a row going back to last year. The Eagles will be without Jalen Reagor (thumb) for the next few weeks, so look for Carson Wentz to lean on Zach Ertz and Goedert in this matchup against the Bengals.
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Thomas is clearly a favorite target for Dwayne Haskins through two games, and he has a favorable matchup in Week 3 at Cleveland. For the season, Thomas has 17 targets for eight catches, 63 yards and a touchdown. He likely won't post overwhelming stats on a consistent basis, but he's a good sleeper for Week 3 since the Browns have allowed the second-most Fantasy points to tight ends against Baltimore and Cincinnati to start the year.
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Through two games, Joe Burrow has attempted 21 passes to his tight end, including nine to Sample in Week 2 at Cleveland in the game C.J. Uzomah (Achilles) got hurt. Sample had seven catches for 45 yards against the Browns, and he could be a sneaky starter or flex play in PPR against the Eagles, who just allowed three touchdowns to Tyler Higbee in Week 2.
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Week 3 Preview
DFS LINEUPS
DraftKings
QB: Cam Newton vs. LV $6,700
RB: Jonathan Taylor vs. NYJ $7,000
RB: Mike Davis at LAC $5,100
WR: Calvin Ridley vs. CHI $7,200
WR: Diontae Johnson vs. HOU $5,400
WR: Golden Tate vs. SF $4,500
TE: Dallas Goedert vs. CIN $4,900
FLEX: Joshua Kelley vs. CAR $5,000
DST: Colts $4,100
I'll stick with Newton in a favorable matchup against the Raiders at home, and I like the Colts a lot against the Jets, which should mean good things for Taylor and the Colts defense. I'm also going with Kelley since he's my Start of the Week.
I'll play Davis at the other running back spot, and trust some of the other sleepers we mentioned above in Tate and Goedert. I'm also going with Ridley, who could be a monster if Julio Jones (hamstring) is out, as well as Johnson, who leads the Steelers in targets this year.
I'm excited about this lineup in Week 3.
FanDuel
QB: Daniel Jones vs. SF $6,900
RB: Ezekiel Elliott at SEA $9,000
RB: Devin Singletary vs. LAR $5,900
WR: DeAndre Hopkins vs. DET $8,500
WR: D.K. Metcalf vs. DAL $6,500
WR: Darius Slayton vs. SF $5,00
TE: Jonnu Smith at MIN $5,600
FLEX: Jonathan Taylor vs. NYJ $6,700
DEF: Colts vs. NYJ $4,800
I'll go with a Giants stack here to use Jones and Slayton, and hopefully we get a repeat of Week 1 when Slayton scored twice against the Steelers. I'll play Singletary here as stated above, and it's nice to afford Elliott if you can.
I'll use Taylor and the Colts defense again here, and I'm excited about my other two receivers in Hopkins and Metcalf, who should stay hot. The same goes for Smith, who has scored three touchdowns in two games this year.
Like the DraftKings lineup, this roster should be successful in Week 3.
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 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 out-performed experts big-time last season.
