Week Three! It's almost time to finalize those lineups...
This may be your last chance to find those sneakier players for your Week 3 lineups - players who have great matchups - as you try to surprise your opponents. Hopefully they are still blindly starting their highest drafted players.
Here’s a look at five under-the-radar fantasy options, one at each position. These are my picks to be potential Sunday studs, and you should consider starting them in your lineups for Week 3 of the fantasy football season.
Under The Radar Starts for Week 3
QB - Nick Foles, STL
Nick Foles may look like the guy who cleans up on aisle four - but he’s had a solid bounce back season for the Rams so far, throwing for 447 yards and two TDs in 2015.
This is less about Foles, and more about who he’s playing. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been extremely generous through the air, allowing 579 yards and six TD passes over the first two weeks of the season. They’ll also be missing their leading tackler, Ryan Shazier, who’s out with a shoulder injury. Expect Foles to be able to capitalize on his matchups with tight ends Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks.
RB - Isaiah Crowell, CLE
After a rough showing against the Jets (who isn’t going to have a rough showing against that defense this year?), Crowell bounced back with a strong showing against Tennessee, rushing for 72 yards and a TD.
His long term upside may be limited, as he’s sharing carries with Duke Johnson, but this week’s matchup against the Raiders is too sweet to miss. The Raiders have given up 233 yards and three touchdowns to opposing RBs this year, making them amongst the most generous defenses for fantasy backs.
WR - Stevie Johnson, SD
Somewhat of a surprise starter in San Diego after a ho-hum season at San Francisco, Johnson seems to have regained the form that lead him to three straight thousand yard seasons with the Bills. He’s converting targets to receptions at an excellent rate (11 catches on 12 targets), and has managed to snag a TD in both games. With Gates still suspended and Malcolm Floyd descending deeper into irrelevance, Johnson should keep up those numbers.
The Vikings will be no pushover - but after shutting down the Niners wide receivers in Week One, they gave up 177 yards and a TD to Lions receivers. The Chargers number five ranked pass offense should be able to improve on those numbers.
TE - Heath Miller, PIT
Miller has given Steelers fans plenty of reason to shout “HEEEAATTHH!!” this season. He followed up an excellent eight catch, 84 yard performance in Week One against the Patriots with a touchdown against the 49ers.
He’ll be playing a St. Louis team that has been generous to opposing tight ends so far in 2015. Jimmy Graham and Jordan Reed combined for 133 yards and TD against them the last two weeks. With Martavis Bryant still under suspension, Miller will continue to provide a big target for the Steelers, especially in the red zone.
D/ST - Patriots Defense
Despite giving up over 400 yards and 26 points per game, the Patriots defense has been a top ten fantasy option. Why? They’ve produced four turnovers and 11 sacks on the season, including eight last week against Buffalo.
They’ll be playing a Jags team that, despite a credible showing last week, has turned the ball over four times and surrendered five sacks. In fact, prior to last week’s game against the Dolphins, the Jags had given up four or more sacks in eight straight games (!). Expect the opportunistic Pats defense to continue to rack up the points.
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