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Good morning.

With passing being at an all-time low and injuries taking out some of the league’s best playmakers, this has been one of the toughest starts to a fantasy season in recent memory.

Meanwhile, your buddy who hasn’t watched football in five years that drafted Baker Mayfield and Alvin Kamara is laughing…

But it’s a long season. Let’s make this the week we turn things around and get that W.

INJURY REPORT 🚑

Jordan Love a Gametime Decision

Packers QB Jordan Love (knee) logged three limited practices this week and is listed as Questionable. HC Matt LaFleur hinted Friday that Love still hasn’t been medically cleared to play, so the expectation is for Malik Willis to get the nod once again, but keep tabs on the latest reports if you have Love or any Green Bay WRs.

Your fantasy app will let you know who’s confirmed IN or OUT, but here’s how other Questionable players are trending…

👍 Expected to play:

• Chargers QB Justin Herbert

• Titans RB Tyjae Spears

• Colts WR Michael Pittman

• Bengals WR Tee Higgins

👎 Not expected to play:

• Steelers QB Russell Wilson

• Seahawks RB Ken Walker

• Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert

• Chargers WR Josh Palmer

• 49ers TE George Kittle

• Jags TE Evan Engram

🤷‍♂️ Gametime decision:

• Cardinals WR Greg Dortch

• Saints TE/QB Taysom Hill

POLL 📊

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STARTS & SITS 🧐

Quarterback

✅ Start ‘Em:

Joe Burrow vs WAS: The Commanders have recorded the highest pass EPA allowed and the 2nd-lowest sack rate, per NFL.com’s Michael F. Florio. This could be the week Burrow turns things around in a big way.

Dak Prescott vs BAL: The Ravens’ defense currently ranks 26th in the NFL in EPA per dropback allowed. The Cowboys, in turn, have the 12th-highest pass rate over expected through two weeks, per NBCSports’ Kyle Dvorchak. Expect a high-scoring affair.

Derek Carr vs PHI: Look for Carr to stay hot in Week 3 as he takes on an Eagles D that has allowed the 5th-most passing yards per game (242) through two contests, per USA Today’s Jacob Camenker.

❌ Sit ‘Em:

Justin Herbert @ PIT: “Pittsburgh has only allowed 14.5 fantasy points per game to QBs this year while giving up a combined 401 pass yards. Given that Herbert has yet to finish inside the top 20 at the QB position this season, he should be left on benches this weekend.” — RotoBaller’s Joey Pollizze

Brock Purdy @ LAR: No McCaffrey, no Deebo, no Kittle, no QB1 finishes yet… no chance I’m starting Purdy.

Matthew Stafford vs SF: Much like Purdy, Stafford is a fade without Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp against a tough Niners D. It’s best to find someone else to stream for the week.

Running Back

✅ Start ‘Em:

Zach Charbonnet vs MIA: The combination of Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby ran over the Dolphins in Week 1 for 24 carries, 117 yards and a TD, along with two catches for 15 yards on three targets. And then James Cook and Ray Davis combined for 20 carries for 107 yards and two TDs and two catches for 16 yards and a TD on two targets in Week 2, per CBSSports’ Jamey Eisenberg. With Ken Walker sidelined again this week, expect Charbonnet to be a workhorse.

J.K. Dobbins @ PIT: This isn’t the Steelers of old… they’ve allowed the 5th-most fantasy points to visiting RBs since last season, per SI’s Michael Fabiano. And with Herbert nursing a high-ankle sprain, look for the Chargers to lean on Dobbins and the running game.

Brian Robinson @ CIN: “Robinson is the clear lead back in Dan Quinn’s run-first scheme, and that should result in strong production on Monday against a Bengals defense that has allowed a whopping 159.5 rushing yards per game.” — DraftKings’ Jeff Pratt

❌ Sit ‘Em:

Najee Harris vs LAC: His snap rate dropped to 48% last week with a healthier Jaylen Warren seeing 45%. Harris also ran just six routes (Warren ran 10 in a game without much passing) and remains at risk of losing rushing scores to Justin Fields. And the Chargers have ceded just 73.5 RB rushing yards per game without a TD, yielding the league’s lowest EPA/rush, per Yahoo’s Dalton Del Don.

Aaron Jones vs HOU: “Opposing RBs have averaged only 12.7 fantasy points per game against the Texans despite having a TD in both contests. The AFC South champions have held their opponents to only a 9% missed forced tackle per attempt rate (per Fantasy Points Data). Meanwhile, Ty Chandler was far more productive in Week 2 than in Week 1. Don’t be surprised if Minnesota has a near 50-50 backfield split moving forward.” — FantasyPoints’ Mike Fanelli

D’Andre Swift @ IND: Swift has logged 24 carries this season, averaging just 2 yards per attempt, and an alarming -4 yards before contact, per Michael F. Florio. This Bears o-line is atrocious.

Wide Receiver

✅ Start ‘Em:

Rashid Shaheed vs PHI: He’s sure to regress eventually, but Shaheed leads the NFL in yards per route run by a mile and ranks 7th in average separation score on a team using 2-WR sets a league-high 90% of plays. The Saints also lead the NFL in fantasy points per dropback by a wide margin, while the Eagles have allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to wideouts, per Dalton Del Don.

Jameson Williams @ ARI: Through two weeks, he has 20 targets for 10 catches, 200 yards and a TD, and he's scored at least 14.4 PPR points in each outing. With this game being a potential track meet (51.5 O/U) and Amon-Ra nursing a leg injury, Williams should stay hot.

D.J. Moore @ IND: He has 18 targets in two games, but has only managed 11 catches for 89 yards and is averaging just 10.7 PPR points per game. This could finally be the week Moore sees some positive regression, as the Colts are No. 6 in most fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, per Jamey Eisenberg.

❌ Sit ‘Em:

Michael Pittman Jr. vs CHI: He’s banged up and taking on a Bears D that has allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points to WRs this season and have allowed just one TD to the position, per Jacob Camenker. And that's despite facing the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, two teams with strong, experienced pass-catching groups.

Terry McLaurin @ CIN: The Bengals have allowed the 6th-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs and forced Patrick Mahomes into a pair of interceptions in Week 2, while sacking him twice, per Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox. They should feast on rookie Jayden Daniels and the Commanders’ lackluster passing game.

Mike Evans vs DEN: He should spend most of the game shadowed by Patrick Surtain II, who completely shut down DK Metcalf in Week 1 and George Pickens in Week 2. Chris Godwin has performed more like Tampa’s WR1 — compared to Evans, Godwin has a higher target per route run rate (37% vs. 23%), target share (32.7% vs. 22.4%), and yards per route run average (4.65 vs. 2.19) despite having a lower route participation rate (70.5% vs. 77%), per Mike Fanelli.

Tight End

✅ Start ‘Em:

Pat Freiermuth vs LAC: The Chargers are allowing 11.1 PPR fantasy points per game through the first two weeks and just allowed five catches to Panthers TEs last week, per Joey Pollizze. While it’s never fun starting one of Arthur Smith’s TEs, the position is bleak, so give it a shot.

Mike Gesicki vs WAS: Only six TEs are averaging over 10 PPR points per game (per Jeff Pratt), and Gesicki just so happens to be one of them. He’s a solid streaming candidate for those that are thin at the position.

❌ Sit ‘Em:

Dalton Kincaid vs JAX: “In Week 1, Kincaid was only targeted once and earned five air yards on that target. He drastically improved his target share in Week 2 with four looks in the passing game. Surely he saw more air yards as well…right? Nope. He had an aDOT of negative two. Kincaid isn’t seeing the ball often and when he does it’s on empty calorie looks.” — Kyle Dvorchak

Isaiah Likely @ DAL: “Likely came crashing back to earth last week, scoring just 4.6 fantasy points after his 26.1-point explosion in the opener. The rotation was much more in favor of Mark Andrews, as Likely saw just 32 snaps and was on the field for 19 passing snaps. The Cowboys defense has allowed the fifth-fewest points to tight ends since the start of last season, so I’d keep Likely on the sidelines.” — Michael Fabiano

BEST BETS 💰

2024 record: 5-1 (3-0 last week)

🥇 Brandon Aiyuk OVER 63.5 receiving yards (-120)

• “Aiyuk moves into the WR1 role for the 49ers with no Samuel. The Rams have allowed an NFL-high 11.6 yards per catch to opposing wideouts this season and an NFL-high 293 yards to receivers lined up out wide. Aiyuk should be in for a big day.” — SI’s Jennifer Piacenti

🥈 Will Levis UNDER 202.5 passing yards (-113)

• Levis has yet to surpass 200 passing yards this season. He’s gone under this number in seven of his last 10 games played, per FantasyPros’ Andrew Erickson.

🥉 Jaguars @ Bills OVER 45.5 (-110)

• “The Bills defense suffered more injuries last Thursday in Miami and had issues with the Cardinals in the season opener. Jacksonville has disappointed so far, but I’m giving the Jags offense one more chance this week to realize the potential I think it has.” — FOX’s Chris “The Bear” Fallica

Disclaimer: Gambling should be enjoyed as a form of entertainment. Never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

QUICK SLANTS 👀

📖 Read Derek Brown of FantasyPros “The Primer: Week 3 Edition". D-Bro breaks down each matchup, giving you the stats and info you need for fantasy and betting decisions.

📖 Read Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report’s Trade Value for This Year’s Top 100 Players. Rapp puts the top 100 players into numerical trade value tiers to give you an idea of some deals you could make.

📖 Read this CNN article about how a fantasy football feud led to a fake bomb threat and an FBI investigation.😳 It's not that deep guys...

🎙️Listen to Beat the Waiver Wire! Favorite Players to STASH ahead of Week 3 from CBSSports’ Fantasy Football Today. Kareem Hunt is their top stash at the moment.👀

📺 Watch Bill Belichick break down the origins of the Shanahan-Kubiak system that’s taken over the NFL.

TWEET OF THE DAY

The turnaround starts today. Good luck this week and go get that W.

- Marcus