Knowing which players are in potential breakout spots, or otherwise poised to exceed expectations, can give fantasy football managers a huge edge over their competition.
Using FullTime Fantasy’s data and metrics, here are some sleepers to consider for Week 3.
Daniel Jones (QB) New York Giants
Jones may not be an outstanding real-life quarterback, but he has much more upside than he’s given credit for. Sure, he turns the ball over a ton and hasn’t won many games, nevertheless, he has a big arm, sneaky athleticism, and better weapons than people think.
Through two games Jones has already thrown for over 500 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. These aren’t game-breaking stats, but they are solid numbers that won’t kill his Fantasy value. However, while he’s not viewed as a running quarterback he is. He already has 122 yards and two TDs on the ground with another long TD run called back on a bogus holding call. His rushing ability gives him enough value to sneak him into your lineup if you’re looking for a streaming option. Especially this week against a putrid Falcons’ defense.
His weapons are also underrated. On the outside, he has Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton who he’s proven to have chemistry with. He also has Kenny Golladay, Saquon Barkley, and potentially Evan Engram all inching closer to full health after a 10-day layoff following Thursday Night Football. Don’t sleep on Jones’s ceiling and ability to make plays against the Falcons with these weapons.
Taylor Heinicke (QB) Washington Football Team
There are two reasons I’m going with Heinicke here. It’s because he’s been a better quarterback than he’s been given credit for and the Bills defense isn’t as good as they’ve looked to this point. He is coming off a 336 yard, two TD performance against the Giants, and the last time we saw him start a game before this past Thursday was in the playoffs against the Super Bowl-winning Bucs defense when he posted over 350 total yards and two touchdowns, one passing, in a one-score shootout.
I’m also not buying into the Bills hype surrounding their defense. I think they’re good but not a defense to fear as a Fantasy owner. They have just faced two of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. Also, Ben Roethlisberger is washed and the other quarterback they dealt with was Jacoby Brissett after Tua went down in the first quarter. This offense isn’t exactly elite, but I do think they can put up some points and yards on the Bills.
Latavius Murray (RB) Baltimore Ravens
You can do worse than Murray this week against the Lions’ porous defense. The Ravens are going to have a huge lead and early and will be running through the whole second half against an awful rush defense. This team already runs more than any other team in the NFL, and there will be a noticeable uptick this week.
After two weeks Murray has 19 carries and a touchdown in each game. I would expect him to continue seeing goal-line work in this one and up around 15 carries. Against this defense 15 carries can go a long way. We have seen this offense sustain two Fantasy relevant running backs and the Lions will offer little resistance to prevent it from happening this week.
Giovani Bernard (RB) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If ever there was a time to stick Gio in your Flex it’s this game. He could very well flop and only give you three points, but I’m going to make a case for him. We already know the Bucs backfield is volatile and Bruce Arians uses most of the week to tell us what Ronald Jones is bad at and we have eyes to see what Leonard Fournette is bad at. Both guys are subpar receiving options. Bernard is a solid option who doesn’t make mistakes and excels as a pass-catcher.
This matchup against the Rams sets up well for Gio as the Bucs could be losing in the second half and need to throw the ball more. That Rams’ defensive front, led by Aaron Donald, is devastating so rushing could be an issue, to begin with. Having a pass-catching back in the game to get the ball to who knows how to chip on blocks would make a ton of sense to have in the game. This is a risky play, but the risk could pay off in PPR formats, especially as a cheap DFS option.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR) Cleveland Browns
With Jarvis Landry on IR and Odell Beckham yet to play this season, one of the Browns’ receivers has to step up. Granted, Beckham is questionable and may be back this week, but how much can you depend on a guy already with a downward trajectory in his first game back coming off a torn ACL? The guy I’m picking to emerge out of this corps is Peoples-Jones. I was high on him coming out of college, liked what I’ve seen out of him with limited opportunities in the NFL, and heard nothing but glowing reports about him out of camp this summer. If there is another Browns’ wideout you prefer by all means turn to that receiver. Nevertheless, I’m singling out DPJ as the man to benefit most from the injuries simply because I believe he’s the most talented receiver left on the team.
Quintez Cephus (WR) Detroit Lions
We all wondered who was the receiver to own in Detroit and Cephus is making his case as the WR1 on the team. He has seen seven targets in each game, the most end zone target of any wideout on the team, and has turned his opportunity into seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in both games this season. He may be the best option in a bad situation, but don’t be shocked if he has a couple of huge games this year. The Lions are bad, however, they are still a professional offense with a quarterback who has started in a Super Bowl. This offense has scored 50 points through two weeks, so if they are scoring three TDs a game, there are points to be had by their top wideout.
Scottie Miller (WR) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This one is simple. Antonio Brown was placed on the Covid list Wednesday and is more likely to sit out than not this week. If Brown is out, Miller is best suited to fill his role. We have seen him in Brady connect in the past pre-AB. Should Brown sit, Miller could be a sneaky good fantasy option. With that said, if AB ends up playing then Miller should be nowhere near your lineups.
Luke Farrell (TE) Jacksonville Jaguars
This is a deeper sleeper, but one worth mentioning for desperate owners searching the wire for a tight end. Trevor Lawrence has liked targeting his TEs so far as a pro and James O’Shaugnessy has been his favorite TE target. Week 1 he saw eight targets, but went down early in Week 2 after just one target and is now on IR. Farrell is his replacement as the pass-catching TE. While he only saw two targets after entering the game last week, with a week of practice with the starters he should be more involved this week. He’s a dart throw, but most of these desperation tight ends are.
DRAFT YOUR WEEK 3 TEAM and see what kind of phenomenal fantasy football roster you can build. It only takes minutes to complete. Once you’re comfortable that you’ve built the winning roster, submit your squad and enjoy watching them roll up the points throughout Week 3!
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