Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 3
Can it really be Week 3 already? The season is flying by, and with it, the injuries continue to pile up. At this rate, every sleepers article will begin to feel like a start ‘em, sit ‘em article. Eventually, all we’ll have is sleepers with newfound opportunities to produce. Cooper Kupp, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Deebo Samuel, Tua Tagovailoa, Evan Engram, and Isiah Pacheco are just a few of the fantasy-relevant names who suffered injuries that will keep them on the shelf for several weeks. If you’re among the many managers looking for serviceable replacements in Week 3 (and beyond) the names below should be able to help. Here are my Week 3 sleepers.
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WEEK 3 FANTASY SLEEPERS
Start Stat %, Via Sleeper
DEREK CARR (QB)
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VS. PHI (27% START)
Through the first two weeks of the season, Derek Carr has posted 43.1 fantasy points and is the No. 2 QB. You can be forgiven if you thought his first game against Carolina was a mirage based on the weakness of his opponent. But the following week he passed for 243 yards, scored three total touchdowns, and threw just one interception against a strong Dallas defense. While he hasn’t thrown many passes (just 39) his efficiency with those passes has been encouraging. It’s difficult to rely on Carr. Eventually, he is bound to do Derek Carr things. But that’s unlikely to happen this week when he faces Philadelphia and their struggling secondary. The Eagles have allowed Jordan Love and Kirk Cousins to finish as top 12 QBs. Some analysts have Carr projected as a top-five QB this week. I’m not ready to go that far, but a top 7-9 finish feels possible, if not likely. If you need a QB streamer, who could help you multiple weeks, Carr (whose next five matchups are very QB-friendly) should help.
ZAMIR WHITE (RB)
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS VS. CAR (30% START)
Let me be clear. Zamir White has not done anything to earn a spot in your starting lineup. So far White has failed to crack the top-40 at the position and is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. He has also had very little action in the passing game and has yet to find the end zone. Rest assured, I’m not unaware of his lackluster start to the season. When Alexander Mattison feels like the better running back, there’s a problem. But that’s why this is a sleepers article and not a start ‘em, sit ‘em one. I am not saying you have to insert White into your lineup if you have better, more proven options. But the matchup is so good that I have a feeling White will score a decent amount of points for fantasy managers…on their bench. The Panthers have allowed opposing running backs to average 187 total yards and 1.5 touchdowns. Yes, these run games were headed by Alvin Kamara and J.K. Dobbins, both of whom are more talented than White. But if he has even half the success they did, he should return mid-to-high-end RB2 numbers, which will make all his owners rejoice after the start he’s had.
D’ANDRE SWIFT (RB)
CHICAGO BEARS @ IND (57% START)
Like Zamir White, Swift has not earned the trust of his fantasy owners. Through two weeks he has failed to hit double-digit fantasy points and is barely a top-40 running back. His two yards per carry average leaves a lot to be desired and at this point, he is beginning to look like one of the biggest busts in fantasy football. But he is still heavily involved, handling 28 of the team’s 37 backfield touches. This past week he was also a bigger part of the passing game with four receptions for 24 yards. Any hope of upside with Swift may be dwindling, but in the right matchup, he should be able to produce RB2 numbers. This Sunday may be the right matchup. Indianapolis’s Swiss cheese defensive line has been the gift that keeps on giving. Joe Mixon ran for 159 yards the first week and then Josh Jacobs put up 151 in the next contest. This could bode well for Swift as he comes to town. I don’t expect 150 yards on the ground from Swift, but if things fall right he could finish with over 100 combined yards and find his way to the end zone.
DIONTAE JOHNSON (WR)
CAROLINA PANTHERS @ LV (21% START)
Diontae Johnson’s sleeper status rests on one thing, and one thing only…Andy Dalton. Before the Panthers decided to make a quarterback change, I was ready to write Johnson off as a fantasy bust who was barely a WR4. The quality of his targets was among the worst in the league. As much as it pains me to say it, Bryce Young does not look like someone who should be leading an NFL team, and apparently, the Panthers’ coaching staff agrees. That doesn’t mean his career is over. He could learn, grow, and develop into a serviceable QB while sitting on the bench, but I wouldn’t bet on it based on what we’ve seen. Now, with Andy Dalton under center, the quality of the targets should go from bad to (at the very least) decent. Throughout his career, Johnson has been one of the best wide receivers at creating separation. That hasn’t changed all of a sudden. He’s still that guy. Now that he has someone who should be able to find him and deliver on-target passes, Johnson could make good on (and perhaps surpass) his seventh-round draft capital.
JAUAN JENNINGS (WR)
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS @ LAR (8% START)
Sometimes all it takes to be a sleeper is an opportunity that wasn’t there before. Enter Jauan Jennings. Star WR Deebo Samuel is said to be in line for a multi-week absence due to a calf strain he suffered against the Minnesota Vikings. This should push Jennings into a more prominent role. Jennings has already been moderately productive even with Samuel healthy. He has seven receptions for 101 yards on the season. With both Christian McCaffrey and Samuel sidelined for this one, someone (other than Aiyuk and Kittle) will have to step up. The most likely one to do so is Jennings. I don’t expect him to be a one-for-one replacement for Samuel, but it would not surprise me to see him put up mid-to-low-end WR2 numbers. It helps that Jennings will be facing a Rams defense allowing the seventh most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. If you lost a top-tier wide receiver and need help this week, Jennings could be a good pivot. Better yet, he could be playable for several weeks while Samuel is out.
JONNU SMITH (TE)
MIAMI DOLPHINS @ SEA (2% START)
Normally there would not be much to say about any Dolphins pass catcher not named Waddle or Hill, but with Tua Tagovailoa set to miss at least the next four games after being placed on injured reserve, Jonnu Smith could be a sneaky option. With Skylar Thompson taking the snaps, it would not surprise me to see head coach Mike McDaniel feature the tight end more. Thompson’s skill set (if we’re calling it that) is best suited for the short-to-intermediate passing game, and this could mean a lot of targets for Smith. The matchup is a good one as well. Seattle just let Hunter Henry torch them with eight receptions for 109 yards. In the past, Smith has had flashes where it looked like he was finally becoming fantasy-relevant, only to come crashing back down in short order. But he does possess talent and good hands, and with the opportunity before him he could prove to be a nice safety blanket for Thompson. With tight end production wildly unpredictable this season, steaming the position makes more sense than ever. So why not put your trust in a guy who could see double-digit targets against a defense allowing the sixth most fantasy points to the position?
