Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Week 3: Latest Fantasy Football Lineup Advice for Sunday

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Williams has been a solid fantasy option through the first two weeks of the season. And considering he’s the only running back on the Ravens roster who was with the team during training camp and the preseason, it isn’t surprising he’s been playing well.

Over Baltimore’s first two games, Williams has rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown. He should be in position to put up his biggest numbers of the season in Week 3, when the Ravens are going on the road to take on the Detroit Lions, who are allowing 113.5 rushing yards per game.

Of the other backs on Baltimore’s roster, Latavius Murray seems to be in the best position for an increased workload as the season goes along. But that doesn’t mean Williams won’t stay heavily involved, especially considering his early effectiveness. Plus, the Ravens are likely to beat the Lions handily, so there should be plenty of touches to go around in Baltimore’s backfield.

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Through the first two weeks of the season, DJ Chark has been targeted 16 times. Yet he’s only recorded four receptions, which has resulted in 105 yards and a touchdown. But most of that production came in Week 1, when the Jaguars took on a weak Houston Texans defense.

Last time out, Chark was the clear No. 3 receiving option in Jacksonville’s offense behind Marvin Jones Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. None of the three are great fantasy plays considering rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence is experiencing some growing pains.

Chark has typically always been an inconsistent fantasy performer who is too dependent on big plays. On Sunday, he isn’t likely to put up big numbers with the Jags set to struggle against the Arizona Cardinals, who are off to a 2-0 start. So it’s smart to leave Chark on your bench and wait for either a better matchup or for Jacksonville’s offense to start playing better.

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Matt Rourke/Associated Press

As a rookie, DeVonta Smith isn’t going to put up impressive stats every week. There are going to be some ups and downs. In Week 1, he had 71 yards and a touchdown. But in Week 2, he was held to two catches for 16 yards.

A lot of it will depend on the matchups for the Philadelphia Eagles offense. They fared well against the Atlanta Falcons to open the year (as expected) before struggling against the San Francisco 49ers. In Week 3, Philadelphia should have better results against the Dallas Cowboys, which could lead to a big week for Smith.

Dallas is allowing 346 passing yards per game, the second-most in the NFL. That means quarterback Jalen Hurts should be airing it out quite a bit Monday night, and Smith is his clear No. 1 receiver. Expect a strong showing for the rookie, perhaps even his best this year.

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Logan Thomas’ fantasy success may depend on whether he scores a touchdown in a given week. He got into the end zone in Washington’s opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, making up for having only three catches for 30 yards. But in Week 2, he had five receptions for 45 yards and no touchdowns against the New York Giants.

With Taylor Heinicke under center for Washington, it’s clear he’s going to be throwing to top wide receiver Terry McLaurin a lot. McLaurin had 11 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown and was targeted 14 times last time out. That is likely to cut into Thomas’ overall impact in the passing game.

It doesn’t help that Washington has a challenging road matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Heinicke may have trouble moving the ball, especially now that NFL teams have more tape to watch on him, so Thomas isn’t a great fantasy option. It would be wiser to find a streaming option on the waiver wire.

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Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Although the Las Vegas Raiders defense has been in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy production over the first two gameweeks, it has the potential for a big showing in Week 3. That’s because Las Vegas has a favorable matchup at home that should lead to it racking up points.

The Raiders are taking on the Miami Dolphins, who will be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. So Las Vegas’ defense should have no trouble shutting down backup Jacoby Brissett and a Miami offense that is averaging 237.5 total yards per game, which ranks 31st in the NFL.

Expect the Raiders to force multiple turnovers and a low-scoring output from the Dolphins, which will make Las Vegas one of the top D/ST options in fantasy for Week 3.