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When fantasy football players saw the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the Thursday-night slot, few likely anticipated drawing a huge head start or deficit.
The highest scoring Thursday Night Football game in NFL history flaunted several huge performances. Anyone with Todd Gurley, Carlos Hyde or Sammy Watkins will enter the weekend feeling confident, and those who streamed Jared Goff will brag about correctly identifying a fruitful matchup.
By the end of Sunday, those players will share the spotlight with other Week 3 stars who made the most of a vulnerable opponent. While no feasible starters outside of Cooper Kupp and the Rams defense let owners down on Thursday night, countless contributors will don fantasy dunce caps after underwhelming outputs.
Let's highlight players to start and sit based on Week 3 matchups.
Quarterback
Matchup to Exploit: Kirk Cousins, Washington (vs. OAK)
Sunday night's clash between Washington and the Oakland Raiders has the potential to challenge Thursday's shootout.
Heading into a high-scoring affair, Derek Carr owners will have no difficulty starting the thriving quarterback against a Washington defense that has relinquished 8.7 yards per pass attempt. Kirk Cousins investors face a harder decision.
Expected to oversee a potent offense, he has amassed 419 passing yards on 67 pass attempts while throwing one touchdown in each game. Dating back to last season, he now has seven passing scores in his last seven games.
While the Raiders have relinquished a solid 6.5 yards per pass attempt, they also led Josh McCown to a decent fantasy performance with two passing touchdowns and 31 rushing yards. They have yet to be challenged by marquee receivers, but nevertheless rank No. 27 in defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders.
If Jordan Reed cannot play, Cousins will instead turn to Vernon Davis, who has streamer appeal against a defense that allowed 1,027 receiving yards to tight ends last season. Carr is the better choice, but Cousins should also deliver an overdue top-10 finish and superb value in daily fantasy contests.
Other QBs to Start: Derek Carr, OAK (at WAS); Cam Newton, CAR (vs. NO); Philip Rivers, LAC (vs. KC)
Matchup to Avoid: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. NYG)
Only two quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards in Weeks 1 and 2: Aaron Rodgers and Carson Wentz. The Philadelphia Eagles sophomore also offered a pair of passing touchdowns (and a pick) in each contest while throwing a combined 85 times. Now he gets the reeling 0-2 New York Giants at home.
Consider sitting Wentz on Sunday.
Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford had efficient but subdued performances against the Giants. The blame goes to the futile Giants offense, who allowed the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions to gain early leads and control the game from the ground.
If the Eagles—whom OddsShark favors by six points—engineer a similar script, they will have the perfect opportunity to establish a more balanced attack. If the Lions can do it, anyone can.
Wentz could easily earn a 268-yard, one-touchdown line like Prescott produced in Week 1, so don't sit him for Trevor Siemian or Eli Manning. Yet considering how late he was drafted, many investors will have a top-10 alternative such as Carr, Cousins, Cam Newton or Matthew Stafford. His outlook, however, will improve if Pro Bowl cornerback Janoris Jenkins misses his second straight game with an ankle injury.
Other QBs to Sit: Marcus Mariota, TEN (vs. SEA); Carson Palmer, ARI (vs. DAL)
Running Back
Matchup to Exploit: Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (vs. NO)
The Carolina Panthers are facing the New Orleans Saints. By this point, a fantasy veteran won't require any more analysis.
There's no safer philosophy than starting players opposing the Saints, who have already yielded 1,025 total yards against the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots.
Pro Football Focus's Scott Barrett tracked their consistent futility:
Christian McCaffrey has yet to meet the exorbitant preseason hype, but expect any disappointment to disappear in a hurry. The Saints have surrendered 19 receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown to running backs, so this is the perfect opportunity for the Panthers to unleash their rookie in a shootout.
For those ready to note that Jonathan Stewart has received more touches in both games, start him, too. He should get 15-20 handoffs and goal-line reps, just as Mike Gillislee (18 carries, 69 yards and a touchdown) did last week. James White still secured eight catches for 85 yards.
McCaffrey will harvest a point-per-reception (PPR) feast, but Stewart is more likely to find the end zone. Both backs belong in starting lineups.
Other RBs to Start: Javorius Allen, BAL (at JAC); Ameer Abdullah, DET (vs. ATL); Darren Sproles, PHI (vs. NYG)
Matchup to Avoid: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints (at CAR)
On the other side of this NFC South matchup, a timeshare will not leave enough opportunities for anyone to prosper.
According to Pro Football Reference, Mark Ingram has played in 48.8 percent (62-of-127) of New Orleans' offensive snaps. Although Adrian Peterson has appeared in just 24 plays, he has matched Ingram's 14 carries.
Alvin Kamara, meanwhile, is impeding on the starter's PPR appeal by leading the backfield with 13 targets.
If Saints coach Sean Payton continues to ration touches, Ingram descends to a flex play who needs the right matchup. Having stymied Hyde to 45 rushing yards in Week 1 before limiting LeSean McCoy to nine, the Panthers do not qualify.
Ingram will at best carry his weight as a PPR play with a limited ceiling.
Other RBs to Sit: Jordan Howard, CHI (vs. PIT); Joe Mixon, CIN (at GB); Bilal Powell, NYJ (vs. MIA)
Wide Receiver
Matchup to Exploit: Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos (at BUF)
The Buffalo Bills have yielded the seventh-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers and fourth-fewest yards per reception (9.0). They have also faced the New York Jets and Panthers, neither of whom were properly equipped to test a secondary that lost Stephon Gilmore to the Patriots.
Neither squad has one, yet alone two receivers like Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. According to Pro Football Focus's receiver-cornerback matchup chart, Sanders and Thomas wield the week's sixth- and 10th-best matchups against Bills cornerbacks Tre'Davious White and E.J. Gaines, respectively.
Having started the season with 67 and 71 yards in his first two games, Thomas may not justify his high draft price. Paying a premium for consistency feels better during the draft than the season, but facing the 5'11" Gaines could help the steady 29-year-old score his first touchdown since Nov. 13.
Sanders, who scored twice last week, trades a little stability for upside. In a post on the team website, he noted Denver's early offensive improvements fueled by second-year starting quarterback Trevor Siemian.
"Obviously, offensively this year, we're a lot better," Sanders wrote. "That's what I'm excited about. We're able to score points. Last year, it was like, 'All right, this team could be good, but offensively, they have to pick it up a little bit more.' So hopefully we're able to continue to do that."
Buffalo looks like a misleadingly tough matchup because of a favorable early schedule, so Thomas and Sanders can especially offer sneaky daily fantasy value.
Other WRs to Start: Jarvis Landry, MIA (at NYJ); Rashard Higgins, CLE (at IND); Devin Funchess, CAR (vs. NO)
Matchup to Avoid: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (vs. CLE)
Andrew Luck will not return to save the Indianapolis Colts, which means T.Y. Hilton spends at least one more week in football purgatory.
A year after registering a career-high 91 catches and 1,448 receiving yards, he has seven catches and 106 yards over two middling weeks.
Kevin Bowen of ESPN's 1070 The Fan dived deeper to document the receiver's steep career drop off without the star quarterback:
Seeing the Cleveland Browns on the schedule should not inspire extra confidence. They rank No. 11 in average fantasy points allowed to receivers despite opening 2017 against Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. If there's any Colts pass-catcher worth starting, it's tight end Jack Doyle.
Luck's injury puts anyone who drafted Hilton in a pickle. He was selected among weekly must-play studs but no longer commands such respect while stuck in a woeful offense. Treat him as a No. 3 fantasy receiver for someone with no bench depth.
Other WRs to Sit: Jeremy Maclin, BAL (at JAC); DeSean Jackson, TB (at MIN); Ted Ginn, NO (at CAR)
Note: All fantasy scoring data obtained from Yahoo Sports.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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