Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 3: Jordan Love, James Conner, Garrett Wilson and Sam LaPorta

It was a hit-and-miss Week 2 in the land of choosing fantasy stars who will struggle:

• Joe Burrow had a good day, throwing the ball 36 times and gaining 258 yards and two touchdowns. It wasn’t a shootout, but the Bengals and Chiefs moved the ball for late scores, and Burrow ended up as QB10 for the week.
• Rachaad White ran 10 times for 18 yards and caught one pass for five yards. White has been splitting work with Bucky Irving and might fall off the fantasy radar soon.
• DK Metcalf had a day: 10 catches, 129 yards and a touchdown. I missed badly on this one.
• I hope you didn’t start Evan Engram: he suffered an injury in warm-ups and didn’t play.

It’s hard to bench guys you drafted as weekly starters. Someone like Metcalf, for example, is probably locked into a spot in your lineup and won’t move until his bye week. Set it and forget it is the easiest way to play fantasy football.

It’s worth looking at each guy listed below and considering if you have a plausible Plan B, though. Sometimes, there’s not a better option than playing a star against a good defense. If you have a deep roster and several good matchups, there’s nothing wrong with batting around the idea of making a change.

Let’s look at one fantasy star at each offensive position who will struggle in Week 3.

Quarterback

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers @ Tennessee Titans

This is kind of cheating, but there aren’t many options at quarterback this week. Love might play on Sunday after practicing on Wednesday for the first time since being injured in Week 1. If he does play, there’s chance of re-injury, making Love a risky play.

The Titans have been shutting down quarterbacks early in the season. They haven’t faced superstars; Caleb Williams has taken time to adjust, and Aaron Rodgers is old and coming off an Achilles tear. Part of the struggles those guys faced were due to Tennessee’s successful defense, though.

The Titans were in the middle of the pack against fantasy quarterbacks last season. They made additions at every level of the defense over the offseason, maybe most importantly adding star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed from the Chiefs. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them as a top-10 defense at the end of the year.

Given Love’s uncertain status and Tennessee’s defensive performance so far, it’s important to have a backup plan; seriously consider benching Love if he does play.

Running Back

James Conner, Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions

You might not think of Conner as a star, but he’s currently RB7 in standard and RB8 in PPR. He was a top-20 player in both formats over each of the last three years, including an RB5 finish in 2021. This is a reliable fantasy player.

Conner has scored a touchdown in both games and gained over 200 total yards combined. A lot of that came when they were blowing out the Rams last week, but he also racked up over 80 total yards against the Bills.

Conner will be a strong option many weeks. Any running back is at risk of struggling against Detroit, though, one of the best run defenses over the past year-plus. Kyren Williams gained 50 yards in Week 1, but he averaged only 2.8 yards per attempt.

White and Bucky Irving combined for just 40 yards on 17 carries last week, an average of just 2.4 per rush. It’s been a dominant performance for a defense that was at the top against the run in 2023 as well.

Detroit allowed the least fantasy points per game to running backs last season. There’s not a lot else to say; Kyler Murray might run the ball more effectively, but Conner is likely to be held down compared to the first two weeks.

Wide Receiver

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets vs. New England Patriots

Aaron Rodgers has been part of the league-wide quarterback struggles. He was under 200 yards in each of the first two games and is completing just over 60% of his passes (his career rate is over 65%).

Wilson has still been OK, pulling in 10 receptions for 117 yards. The problem is that owners who drafted Wilson are looking for that production in one game, not over the span of two. He was taken in fantasy drafts as if he were a superstar, and that hasn’t been the case; his quarterback is a big part of that.

This is also a tough matchup, though Week 2 didn’t prove that fact. Facing a tough New England defense, Geno Smith threw for 327 yards on 44 attempts in Week 2; 7.4 yards per attempt isn’t explosive, but it is better than average. He also had 42 of those yards in overtime, pumping the numbers a bit in the extra period.

New England had a much better day in Week 1, holding Joe Burrow to 164 yards on 5.7 yards per attempt. The Patriots were also strong against the pass last season: they ranked in the top 10 in passing yards and yards per attempt allowed and 11th in fantasy points allowed to receivers.

A vintage Rodgers day against a division opponent wouldn’t surprise anyone, but it’s more likely he will continue producing at the same rate he has so far. That means Wilson will have a defined ceiling and will be touchdown dependent.

Tight End

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals

LaPorta and Travis Kelce were argued over as TE1 coming into the season; they’ve combined for 10 catches and less than 100 yards through two weeks. Tight end is often the hardest position at which to find production, so two of the top guys severely underperforming really hurts.

In the Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay, LaPorta caught just two passes for 13 yards. He was on the field for 88% of snaps, and Jared Goff threw 55 passes, but LaPorta still was targeted only three times.

LaPorta had nine receptions on 11 targets and gained 65 yards in last year’s Divisional Round playoff game. Maybe the Bucs changed something up to hold down the tight end, or maybe the receivers just took too much volume, as both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams had big days.

The Cardinals have been good against tight ends this season, holding Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and Colby Parkinson all to one catch apiece. They were in the middle against fantasy tight ends last year; Arizona surprisingly has been good against the pass.

If you drafted LaPorta, you’re probably starting him. If you were able to grab someone like Brock Bowers or a strong streaming option, though, it might be worth considering leaving LaPorta on the bench, as his cold streak may continue.