Fantasy Football Week 3 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Wide Receivers: Brandin Cooks ready to get hot
Helping you make the right lineup calls at wide receiver for Week 3
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1 min read
So many injuries and so many questions for Week 3. Among the prominent wideouts who are injured and might be sidelined are Jerry Jeudy, Michael Pittman, Gabe Davis, Keenan Allen, Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, Hunter Renfrow, Rondale Moore and more. That doesn't even account for Mike Evans, who'll be sitting out a suspension. Fantasy managers will still have plenty of options, but coming up with the best ones is another matter.
It is our objective to find you the wide receivers you'll want to move in and out of your lineups based on matchups every week. Playing matchups is key, and we're here to find you the perfect path to a winning 2022.
- More Week 3: Waiver Wire | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Trade Values
WRs to Start
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Cooks didn't have a great game in Week 2 at Denver with just four catches for 54 yards, but he had 10 targets. He now has 22 targets on the season, and it's great that Davis Mills is locked in on Cooks once again. The Bears have yet to allow a big game to a receiver this season, but Cooks should have success against this secondary, especially if he gets double digits in targets once again. I wouldn't be surprised if Cooks is a top-10 Fantasy receiver in Week 3.
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Kirk is living up to his contract so far, and he's been awesome for Fantasy managers. He's worth starting again in Week 3 at the Chargers in a tough matchup. Kirk has 18 targets on the season, and he's converted them into 12 catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He scored at least 17 PPR points in each outing against Washington and Indianapolis, and he should have another quality performance against the Chargers. It's a tough secondary, but Kirk should still play well with the amount of volume he'll get from Trevor Lawrence.
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It's time to trust London as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues based on his play through two games. He's become a go-to option for Marcus Mariota with 19 targets in two games against New Orleans and the Rams, and he finished those contests with 13 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, scoring at least 12 PPR points in both outings. Four receivers against the Seahawks have gotten at least six targets, and all four have scored at least 11 PPR points, which should be the floor for London this week.
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Last week, Tyler Lockett had a great game at San Francisco with nine catches for 107 yards on 11 targets, proving that Geno Smith can help his receivers have a productive outing. This week, Metcalf will have his best game of the season. He struggled in two games so far with a combined 15 PPR points against the Broncos and 49ers, but those secondaries are tough. The Falcons have allowed four receivers to score at least 15 PPR points so far this season with Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson, and hopefully Metcalf will follow suit. He's worth trusting as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues.
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I expected Smith to have a good game against Minnesota after Eagles coach Nick Sirianni gave him the squeaky wheel treatment by talking about his involvement in the offense prior to the game. He finished with seven catches for 80 yards on seven targets, and it was fun to watch him operate against the Vikings secondary. He should have the chance for another productive game against the Commanders, who have already allowed four receivers to score at least 12 PPR points in Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds. A.J. Brown and Smith should go off against this defense.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Shepard had 10 targets in Week 2 against the Panthers, but he only finished with six catches for 34 yards. He should continue to stay involved as a prime target for Daniel Jones, but hopefully he'll be more productive this week against the Cowboys. I like Shepard as a No. 3 PPR receiver with upside on Monday night.
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Meyers once again remains the go-to option for Mac Jones, and he's worth trusting as a No. 3 PPR receiver this week against the Ravens. In Week 2 against the Steelers, Meyers had nine catches for 95 yards on 13 targets, and he has 19 targets on the season. The Ravens secondary is a mess, and Baltimore has allowed the most receptions (45) and receiving yards (587) to opposing receivers, along with being tied for the most touchdowns (five). Nelson Agholor can also be considered a sleeper this week in deeper leagues.
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I don't think Wilson's performance against the Browns in Week 2 was a fluke, and we could be looking at a must-start Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues moving forward. Wilson had 14 targets against Cleveland and finished with eight catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and Joe Flacco is looking for him with 22 targets in two games. We'll see what happens when Zach Wilson (knee) is back for the Jets, but Garrett Wilson is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in Week 3.
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It was exciting to see Olave come alive in Week 2 against Tampa Bay with five catches for 80 yards on 13 targets. Hopefully he can build on that performance against the Panthers. Now, he's just a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues because he's still sharing the field with Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry. And Carolina has yet to allow a receiver to score a touchdown in games against Cleveland and the Giants. But Jameis Winston is starting to look for Olave now, and that should lead to plenty of production in the future.
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Michael Gallup (knee) might be able to return in Week 3 at the Giants, but he's not expected to play a full allotment of snaps. And with Dalton Schultz (knee) likely out, we could see Brown maintain a prominent role as the No. 2 receiver for the Cowboys behind CeeDee Lamb. Through two games, Brown has 14 targets for 10 catches, 159 yards and a touchdown, and he's scored at least 11 PPR points in games against Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. He's worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper leagues.
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WRs to Sit
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It was great to see Cooper have a productive game with Jacoby Brissett in Week 2 against the Jets when he went off for nine catches, 101 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. But this came after he had three catches for 17 yards on six targets in Week 1 at Carolina. I just want to see Cooper do it again before trusting him, and it's more about Brissett than Cooper. The Steelers secondary isn't a daunting matchup, but if Brissett is under pressure then he will struggle to connect with Cooper in this game. Use Cooper as just a No. 3 receiver in most leagues.
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Moore has failed to connect with Joe Flacco so far, and Flacco has favored Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis through two games against the Ravens and Browns. We'll see what happens against the Bengals, but Moore only has eight catches for 90 yards and no touchdowns on 12 targets on the season. Cincinnati did allow two receivers to score at least 14 PPR points in Week 2 with CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown, but Wilson and Davis would seem to have a better chance of accomplishing that feat than Moore right now.
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Lazard returned in Week 2 against the Bears from his one-game absence due to an ankle injury, and he scored a touchdown, which was great. But he only had two catches for 13 yards on three targets, and he shouldn't be fully trusted in most Fantasy leagues yet. This Tampa Bay secondary is tough, and Aaron Rodgers could have a hard time connecting with Lazard to make him anything more than a No. 3 receiver in the majority of leagues. I like Lazard to eventually emerge as a top-24 Fantasy receiver this season, but he's not there yet, especially in a difficult matchup.
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I'm hoping this is the breakout game for Mooney, but the Bears need to let Justin Fields throw the ball with just 29 pass attempts on the season. As a result, Mooney has just five targets in two games, which he's converted for two catches, 4 yards and no touchdowns. The reason we loved Mooney this year was his expected volume, and that's non-existent heading into Week 3. I would stash him for one more week to see what happens against the Texans, who have struggled with Michael Pittman and Courtland Sutton in consecutive weeks. But those No. 1 guys got targets, and right now Mooney isn't seeing any love from his coaching staff or quarterback.
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This posting should cover all Buccaneers receivers not named Chris Godwin (hamstring) or Julio Jones (knee), and Mike Evans (suspended) is out for this game. While someone out of Gage, Breshad Perriman, Scott Miller or even Cole Beasley could play well, I don't want to risk starting any of them in anything but a deeper league. We hope to get good news on Godwin and Jones soon, and when Evans is back then this Buccaneers passing attack will hopefully show some life. But it's been ugly through two games against Dallas and New Orleans, and it could be bad once again in Week 3 against the Packers.
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Bust Alert
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Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson have emerged as threats to McLaurin being the clear-cut leader of the Washington receiving corps. Samuel leads the team in targets (20), receptions (15) and is tied with McLaurin in receiving yards (133). Dotson leads the team in receiving touchdowns (three). And while McLaurin has been solid with six catches for 133 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets, he could struggle this week against Darius Slay and the Eagles. In two games against Philadelphia last year, McLaurin had nine catches for 112 yards and no touchdowns on 12 targets. I still like McLaurin as a No. 3 receiver, but I would try to bench him in two-receiver leagues given this matchup, as well as Carson Wentz having no problem leaning on other options in the passing game.
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