X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 3 Boom/Bust Candidates for Early Games

By now you're likely starting to get a feel for your team, but as the first two weeks have shown, just about everything we think we know is wrong. DeMarco Murray and Andrew Luck have been disappointing, Alfred Morris is being replaced, Jimmy Graham is barely being targeted, Peyton Manning can't throw anymore and Adrian Peterson is still in search of his first touchdown.

All of the preparation and studying in the world is nothing compared to the randomness and unpredictability that is fantasy football. It's the thing that we both love and hate about playing. This weekly boom/bust column is here to help you sort through the unpredictability, using logic and match up trends to determine what will most likely happen.

Full disclosure: I've had mixed results through the first two weeks of the season. In Week 1, I had a 50 percent accuracy, but in Week 2, I guessed almost everything wrong. That's the thing about early season fantasy football - the trends haven't fully taken shape yet, so there's a lot of luck involved. Here is this week's potential booms and busts for the early games.

 

Potential Booms for Week 3

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady, QB, Patriots:
I bet against the four-time Super Bowl champion last week in Buffalo – I won’t be making that mistake again. At home against the Jaguars is about as favorable a matchup Tom Brady's fantasy owners can have. Ryan Tannehill threw for 359 yards and two TDs in Jacksonville last weekend, so it’s tough to imagine Brady doing any worse playing in Foxborough. Deploy with confidence.

Running Backs

Joseph Randle, RB, Cowboys: Anyone who understands the nature of running backs in fantasy football knows that value is all about volume. The more touches a runner has, the better. Without Dez Bryant or Tony Romo for the foreseeable future, an uptick in carries for Joseph Randle is inevitable. They certainly aren’t going to put their trust in Brandon Weeden to go win them games. Atlanta’s defense has been very generous to running backs through the first two games of the season, and has allowed more touchdowns, receptions and receiving YDs to running backs than any other team in the NFL.

Latavius Murray, RB, Raiders: The fact that Latavius Murray is one of the few bellcow, three-down backs in the NFL makes him a great starting option nearly every week. Facing the Cleveland Browns, the worst rushing defense in the NFL (160 YDs per game allowed), only makes Murray a more enticing start in Week 3.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings: After the Week 1 dud, Adrian Peterson owners let out a collective sigh of relief when the All-Pro runner got 29 carries and 134 rushing yards in Week 2. San Diego hasn’t exactly been strong in the run defense department, getting shredded by Ameer Abdullah in Week 1 and then Giovanni Bernard in Week 2. At home, fresh off of a win and a big performance, expect a statement game from Peterson in Week 3.

Wide Receivers

Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots: At this point it seems that Julian Edelman may be among the two or three best slot receivers in the NFL. He’s posted back-to-back weeks of 11 catches and 97 receiving YDs and tacked on a pair of TDs in Week 2. Jacksonville has no answer for Edelman so expect another monster stat line.

Brandon Marshall, WR, Jets: Through the first two weeks of the season, the Eagles have surrendered three TDs and 362 YDs to wide receivers. Brandon Marshall has been heavily targeted and is the clear top option for Gang Green. At home against a reeling Eagles team, Marshall is a good bet to catch a TD for a third consecutive week to start the season.

DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Texans: If he plays this week (concussion), fantasy owners of DeAndre Hopkins should be salivating at the matchup against the Buccaneers. Through the first two weeks of the season, receivers have torched Tampa bay for 23 receptions, 344 YDs, and three TDs. Hopkins is clearly the best offensive weapon on the team and figures to receive a lot of targets.

Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars: After a terrible Week 1, Robinson reminded us all why he was a popular sleeper pick this offseason. Robinson grabbed six receptions for 155 YDs and a pair of TDs in a surprising win against Miami last weekend. New England’s secondary has been highly vulnerable so far and with Jacksonville likely playing from behind, Robinson should be in line for a big day.

Tight Ends

Tyler Eifert, TE, Bengals: Tyler Eifert has been the best receiver in Cincinnati so far this season, even better than A.J. Green. Eifert already has three TD catches and has led his team in receiving yards in the first two weeks of the season. Despite the matchup against a tough Baltimore Ravens defense, Eifert has been too consistent early on to bench.

Ladarius Green, TE, Chargers: Provided he gets the start (concussion), Ladarius Green could exploit a Minnesota defense that has been vulnerable to tight ends in the passing attack. Green also has only two games remaining to put a strangle hold on the starting position before Antonio Gates returns from suspension, so he has even more reason to step up. Call it a gut feeling, but I think Green breaks into the endzone this week.

Defenses

New York Jets: The New York Jets have forced 10 turnovers in two games and the Eagles have turned the ball over five times during the same stretch. Coming into Metlife Stadium on Sunday afternoon against one of the better defensive fronts in the NFL, it’s hard to imagine the Eagles offense getting on track this week.

 

Potential Busts for Week 3

Quarterbacks

Sam Bradford, QB, Eagles: Against the mediocre defensive fronts of the Falcons and Cowboys during Week 1 and Week 2, Sam Bradford struggled mightily, tossing four picks against just two TDs. Now he’s going on the road against a New York Jets defense that is shaping up to be one of the best in the league. No thank you.

Running Backs

DeMarco Murray, RB, Eagles: In two games this season, DeMarco Murray has 11 rushing YDs. If that astonishingly low number doesn’t have his fantasy owners hitting the panic button, the Jets run defense certainly will. The unit hasn’t surrendered more than 69 yards on the ground and still have not given up a rushing touchdown. You most likely have to start Murray if you drafted him, but you may want to prepare for another disappointing outing.

Doug Martin, RB, Buccaneers: The Muscle Hamster has looked decent throughout the first two weeks of the season, but still hasn’t reached 80 yards or broken into the endzone. He’ll face a Texans team that hasn’t given up a touchdown on the ground yet this fall and has been pretty stingy with yardage. I wouldn’t trust Martin as anything other than a flex, and even then, you’re probably better off going in another direction.

Wide Receivers

Andre Johnson, WR, Colts: Andre Johnson is starting to look like a fixture on bust list this season. Drafted as a WR2 in most formats, Johnson has looked slow and uninspiring thus far. It appears that WR Donte Moncrief is poised to move ahead of the veteran receiver as well, dropping Johnson to the number four option on offense. Add this to the fact that he’ll be facing a respectable Titans passing defense, and leaving Johnson on the bench this week seems like the smart decision.

Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles: Two words: Revis Island. Not only does the Eagles offense look terrible this season, they’ll be headed to Metlife Stadium to face one of the league’s better looking defenses. Jordan Matthews has had a solid start to the season, so chances are good that you won’t bench him. Just remember that No. 1 receivers facing Darrelle Revis don’t often fare very well. Proceed with caution.

Tight Ends

Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys: Not only are the Cowboys without star WR Dez Bryant, they’re also without star QB Tony Romo. This leaves Jason Witten as the most seasoned pass catcher and Brandon Weeden as his quarterback. Atlanta has been pretty good against TEs so far this season and despite a good start to the season, going with Witten is risky. There’s just too much going against him to trust he has a good performance.

Defenses

Baltimore Ravens: After a negative fantasy showing against the Raiders a week ago, how can we trust Baltimore to put up big numbers against a better Cincinnati team? It may be a home divisional matchup, but this Bengals team looks more explosive and starting Baltimore is extremely risky.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]
 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Brock Boeser9 mins ago

Returns To Action Tuesday
Joel Embiid19 mins ago

Won't Play Wednesday
Jordan Poole39 mins ago

Unavailable On Tuesday
David Montgomery3 hours ago

Likely To Play On Thanksgiving
Nolan Arenado3 hours ago

Willing To Move To First Base
Evan Carter3 hours ago

Swinging A Bat, Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Josh Jung3 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Aaron Rodgers3 hours ago

Hasn't Decided On Playing Status In 2025
Adolis García3 hours ago

Adolis Garcia Resumes Running
Corey Seager3 hours ago

Nearing Full Baseball Activities
Daniel Jones5 hours ago

Clears Waivers, Officially A Free Agent
Derrick Henry6 hours ago

Notches Another 100-Yard Game
Lamar Jackson6 hours ago

Bounces Back With Three Touchdowns
Aidan O'Connell7 hours ago

Raiders To Start Aidan O'Connell At Quarterback In Week 13
Dallas Cowboys7 hours ago

Cowboys Won't Rule Out Mike McCarthy Extension
Kyle Filipowski7 hours ago

Sits Out Second Consecutive Game
Jameson Williams7 hours ago

Won't Face Legal Action
Jordan Clarkson7 hours ago

Back On The Shelf Tuesday
Devin Vassell8 hours ago

Expected To Return On Wednesday
Joe Ingles8 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Tuesday
Mike Conley8 hours ago

Iffy For Tuesday's Action
Taurean Prince8 hours ago

Questionable To Face Heat
Giannis Antetokounmpo8 hours ago

Considered Probable For Tuesday
Macklin Celebrini8 hours ago

Records First Career Three-Point Game
Connor Hellebuyck8 hours ago

Stops 43 Shots In Win Against Wild
Seth Jarvis9 hours ago

Returns With A Three-Point Effort
Sebastian Aho9 hours ago

Racks Up Four Points In Impressive Win
Nico Hischier9 hours ago

Nets Historic Hat Trick Versus Predators
Jakob Chychrun9 hours ago

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Brandon Hagel9 hours ago

Dishes Out Career-High Five Assists
Demarcus Robinson16 hours ago

DeMarcus Robinson Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI
Aidan O'Connell17 hours ago

Raiders To Open Aidan O'Connell's Practice Window
Ja'Tavion Sanders17 hours ago

Avoids Serious Injury
Tommy Devito17 hours ago

Tommy DeVito Avoids Injury Report To Open Week 13
J.K. Dobbins19 hours ago

Won't Return On Monday Night
Jerami Grant19 hours ago

Injured Versus Memphis
Robert Williams III19 hours ago

Won't Return On Monday Night
J.K. Dobbins20 hours ago

Questionable To Return On Monday
Jonathan Kuminga20 hours ago

Inactive On Monday Night
Keldon Johnson20 hours ago

Listed Probable For Tuesday Night
Daniel Jones20 hours ago

Won't Join The Raiders
Jalen Green20 hours ago

Questionable For Tuesday Night Against Timberwolves
Dennis Schröder20 hours ago

Dennis Schroder Available To Play On Monday Night Against Warriors
Malik Monk20 hours ago

Officially Active On Monday, Won't Have Minutes Restriction
Miles McBride21 hours ago

Active On Monday Night Against Nuggets
Karl-Anthony Towns21 hours ago

Available For Knicks On Monday Against Nuggets
Peyton Watson21 hours ago

Officially Active For Monday Night Game Against Knicks
Nicolas Claxton21 hours ago

Officially Ruled Out For Monday Night
Aaron Gordon21 hours ago

Now Without Timetable For Return
Baltimore Ravens22 hours ago

Roquan Smith Out On Monday Night
Ladd McConkey22 hours ago

Officially Active On Monday Night
Jake Ferguson22 hours ago

Looking Like A "Long Shot" To Play On Thursday
Ladd McConkey23 hours ago

Expected To Play On Monday Night
Patrik Laine23 hours ago

Practices In Regular Jersey
Mason McTavish23 hours ago

Returns To Ducks Lineup Monday
Chris Kreider23 hours ago

Unavailable Versus Blues
Artem Zub24 hours ago

Out With Fractured Foot
TB24 hours ago

Nicholas Paul To Remain Out For At Least One More Week
Pyotr Kochetkov24 hours ago

Lands In Concussion Protocol
Kirill Kaprizov1 day ago

Considered A Game-Time Call For Monday
Romeo Doubs1 day ago

Picks Up DNP On Monday
Brock Purdy1 day ago

Does "Light Throwing" On Monday
Devin Williams1 day ago

Brewers Plan To Hang Onto Devin Williams For Now
1 day ago

Blue Jays Could Make Aggressive Play For Anthony Santander
Alec Bohm1 day ago

Phillies, White Sox Have Discussed Alec Bohm, Garrett Crochet
1 day ago

Mets The Clear-Cut Favorites To Land Juan Soto
Yusei Kikuchi1 day ago

Signs Three-Year Deal With Angels
Yan Xiaonan1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Tabatha Ricci1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Macau
Muslim Salikhov1 day ago

Gets Highlight-Reel Knockout Win At UFC Macau
Song Kenan1 day ago

2-2 In Last Four Fights After UFC Macau Loss
Zhang Mingyang1 day ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC Macau
Ozzy Diaz1 day ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Macau
Jack Roslovic1 day ago

Continues To See Success With Hurricanes
Alex Lyon1 day ago

Starts For Red Wings On Monday
Mikhail Sergachev1 day ago

Collects An Assist In Sunday's Loss
Logan Cooley1 day ago

Leads Utah's Offense Sunday
William Nylander1 day ago

Enjoys Another Multi-Point Outing
Mitchell Marner1 day ago

Extends Multi-Point Streak With Pair Of Goals
Volkan Oezdemir3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Macau
MMA3 days ago

Carlos Uberg Extends Win Streak At UFC Macau
MMA3 days ago

Cong Wang Gets Submitted In Upset Fashion At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes3 days ago

Pulls Off Massive Upset At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo3 days ago

Falls Short At UFC Macau
Petr Yan3 days ago

Gets Dominant Win At UFC Macau
4 days ago

Nationals Non-Tender Kyle Finnegan On Friday
4 days ago

Rays Non-Tender Dylan Carlson
4 days ago

Rockies Non-Tender Brendan Rodgers, Cal Quantrill
Mike Yastrzemski4 days ago

Avoids Arbitration With Giants
4 days ago

Blue Jays Non-Tender Closer Jordan Romano
Dustin May4 days ago

Dodgers Sign Dustin May To One-Year Deal To Avoid Arbitration
Brady Singer4 days ago

Shipped To Cincinnati
Jonathan India4 days ago

Traded To Kansas City
Shohei Ohtani4 days ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Tabatha Ricci4 days ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Muslim Salikhov4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale4 days ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet4 days ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang4 days ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Ozzy Diaz4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
Carlos Ulberg5 days ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir5 days ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes5 days ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
Austin Eckroat6 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English6 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin6 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy6 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Gus Edwards, Jerry Jeudy, Taysom Hill, MVS and more!

Michael Florio is back going over his top waiver wire targets for Week 13! Florio also discusses his favorite streaming defenses of the week before going over all of his starts and sits! Get everything you need for the week, before you even set your waivers! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL DFS: First Look of Week 13 - Totals, Salaries, Slates, and more

Happy Thanksgiving week! We are in store for a lot of NFL action this week and we're here to look at all of the data for the Sunday main slate. Let's see who it points us to and which teams to stack. We will also see who we should fade and what teams to avoid. […]


Jonathan Taylor - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings for Half-PPR: Jonathon Taylor, Deebo Samuel, DeAndre Hopkins, Chuba Hubbard, Chase Brown, Taysom Hill, DJ Moore

Thanksgiving football awaits, and with no teams on a bye, all of your healthy stud fantasy assets should be available this week. Still, if you're tasked with tough start-or-sit decisions, our half-PPR fantasy football rankings for Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season are here to help. Use our early overall Week 13 rankings for […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 13 Fantasy Football FLEX Rankings (RB, WR, TE) for Half-PPR: Ladd McConkey, Bucky Irving, George Pickens, Chase Brown, Gus Edwards, Tank Dell

The Week 13 slate is unique, as there are three stand-alone games on Thanksgiving and a Friday night game. There are also no byes this week, so fantasy managers will be tasked with making tough start-or-sit decisions with no shortage of available options. If you need assistance this week, use our Week 13 fantasy football […]


David Montgomery - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 13 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings for Half-PPR: David Montgomery, Chase Brown, Bucky Irving, Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Nick Chubb

The always-exciting Thanksgiving NFL slate is ahead, meaning no teams are on a bye, and we're treated to six standalone games this week! Today we will go over our NFL team's updated Week 13 fantasy football running back rankings for 2024. Let's analyze the rankings and see where key start 'em, sit 'em options like […]


Jaxon Smith-Njigba Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 13 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings for Half-PPR: Nico Collins, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jaylen Waddle, Jayden Reed, Malik Nabers, DJ Moore

The clock is ticking on the 2024 fantasy football season, and it's time to set yourself up for the fantasy football playoffs or play spoiler if you are already eliminated. With no teams on a bye this week, there is no shortage of options, but that can cause even trickier lineup calls. Our Week 13 […]


Taysom Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Week 13 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings for Half-PPR: Trey McBride, Taysom Hill, David Njoku, T.J. Hockenson, Jonnu Smith, Cade Otton, Tucker Kraft

Many fantasy managers are looking to clinch a first-round bye or quality for the playoffs as the final two weeks of the fantasy football regular season get underway. Needless to say, it's a critical week, so use our Week 13 fantasy football tight end rankings for 2024 to guide your start-or-sit calls. Tight ends are […]


Tua Tagovailoa - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 13 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings: Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Brock Purdy, Bo Nix, Kyler Murray, C.J. Stroud, Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff

It's Thanksgiving week, and no teams are on a bye! That means all quarterback options are on the table, but that can sometimes make start-or-sit decisions even trickier. If you need assistance this week, we're here to help with our NFL team's Week 13 fantasy football quarterback rankings for 2024. It's make-or-break time for many […]


Cameron Dicker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups, Kickers, Streamers

Week 13 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2024 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

The full slate of games in Week 13 means fantasy managers have a wide selection of kickers available. While this variety is beneficial, it also makes choosing the right option more challenging. The kicker position, often overlooked, can still make a significant impact in tight matchups as the fantasy playoffs approach. Certain kickers benefit from […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Injury News

Backfield Breakdowns and Target Shares - Fantasy Football Week 13 Outlooks for Patrick Mahomes, Josh Jacobs, Courtland Sutton, and More

Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season is behind us, and what a rollercoaster it was for fantasy. Some even referred to it as "bye-mageddon," with the Bengals, Bills, Jaguars, Jets, and Saints on a bye, all making our lineups more complicated, but the games more than delivered. Whether you were riding the highs of […]


Travis Etienne Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

The Cut List - Who to Drop for Fantasy Football Week 13

Each new week of NFL games gives us more information to make more informed decisions. This is crucial when figuring out who to add and who to cut. It can be difficult to admit we were wrong on a particular player. For example, using a high draft pick on someone and cutting them so early […]


nick westbrook-ikhine fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

FAAB Waiver Wire Bidding - Fantasy Football Pickups to Target for Week 13 (2024)

Let's strap up for a holiday week with three Thursday games on Thanksgiving and then a Friday tilt for good measure. Many of you face must-win scenarios with the fantasy playoffs right around the bend. We're all going to reach the championships together with our famous waiver wire pickups list and our fantasy football waiver […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Football Injury Reports: Week 13 Updates for Brock Purdy, Isiah Pacheco, Trevor Lawrence, Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Romeo Doubs, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Josh Downs, David Montgomery

The race to the fantasy playoffs continued in Week 12, a week full of close games and exciting finishes. However, that excitement came at a cost. We didn't see many injuries in Week 10 and 11, but multiple fantasy-relevant players got hurt in Week 12. Unfortunately, impactful injuries exist every week throughout an NFL season. […]