Week 3 Fantasy Football Expert Start/Sit Decisions: Jared Goff or Sam Darnold, Drake London or Rashid Shaheed, and More
Sometimes the experts have questions too. I'd love to hear what you have to say and maybe even get some good advice.
Quarterback Decisions
Jared Goff vs. Sam Darnold
After two weeks of deciding between Tua Tagovailoa and going with Tua both weeks in my main league, I'm now tasked to choose between a struggling Goff and Darnold, who is off to a surprisingly strong start to his season.
Three weeks ago, this looked like an easy pick, but now not so much. As of now, I have Goff in the lineup, but that doesn't mean I won't be tinkering up until game time.
This came down to the matchup for me. Darnold plays the Houston Texans, who have allowed the 11th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, while Goff gets the Arizona Cardinals, who have been torched for the third most fantasy points to QBs so far this year.
The potential absence of Jordan Addison also knocks Darnold down a peg. At the end of the day, ultimately I may just be scared that Darnold is going to turn back into the pumpkin he has always been.
Running Back Decisions
Brian Robinson vs. Zack Moss vs. Jerome Ford
For context, this is my main league and is full PPR and .25 points for a carry. As of now, I have to start one of them but may have to end up starting two if Joe Mixon is ruled out this week due to his ankle injury. Currently, I have Zack Moss in my lineup because of his usage rate through two weeks and his matchup with the Washington Commanders.
Like anyone else, I fear the Chase Brown breakout game, but this feels like a get-right game for the Cincinnati Bengals, who should blowout Washington and run the ball down their throats in the fourth quarter. That plays perfectly to Moss' role.
It will get interesting if I have to choose between Robinson and Ford though. I honestly don't know which direction I'll go. Ford has an incredible matchup against the New York Giants, while Robinson has a significantly tougher matchup against the Bengals.
I'd love to be able to plug Ford in, but D'Onta Foreman doubling him up in carries in Week 2 scared the hell out of me. I also view Robinson as the better player if all things are equal. Hopefully, Mixon plays and I don't have to worry about this, but his prospects aren't looking great at the moment.
Rico Dowdle vs. Raheem Mostert vs. Ty Chandler
This is a bonus question that my son asked me today. It's his first year playing and his team is middle of the pack because he took over a pseudo-dynasty team that finished with the first-overall pick. The scoring system is also PPR with .25 per carry in what I'll call my family league.
He has Chubba Hubbard and Alexander Mattison locked into his lineup, but has one more slot to fill. He's torn between Dowdle, Mostert and Chandler this week. Currently, he has Dowdle in but he's been wavering.
Dowdle has a tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, while Chandler has an even tougher matchup against the Houston Texans. Mostert has a better matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but is returning from injury into a very volatile situation when it comes to both his potential usage and the team's quarterback play.
What do you think? His name is Jasen if you want to send some advice on Twitter to @CoolCutter21. He'd love the help.
Wide Receiver Decisions
Drake London vs. Rashid Shaheed
This is another question from my "family league". With A.J. Brown out, I have a decision to make in my WR3 spot. Do I go with the highly touted London, who was hyped up all offseason, or move to Shaheed who has started the season off on fire?
This may surprise some but I have Shaheed in my lineup and I think I'm going to stick with him. He has an outstanding matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles and has been the best receiver on a New Orleans Saints offense that has been incredible this season.
London, along with the Atlanta Falcons' passing attack, has stumbled out of the gate. He also has a tough matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Demarcus Robinson vs. Terry McLaurin vs. Diontae Johnson
For context, this is my main league and is full PPR. Johnson wasn't even an option at first, but the injection of Andy Dalton into the Carolina Panthers offense at least makes him worth mentioning. Still, I want to give that situation a week to play out.
This really comes down to picking between McLaurin, who is the superior talent but has so far been underachieving with a rookie quarterback. Or I can go with Robinson, who suddenly finds himself with the WR1 job for the Los Angeles Rams thanks to injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. We have seen him produce big fantasy numbers as the WR2 last year in this system already.
Going by the numbers, Robinson has a much better matchup against the Niners, but I view the matchups for both guys very close. Terry faces the Bengals. As of now, Robinson is in my lineup but am I making a mistake?
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