The fantasy football season is well underway as we head into Week 3, and there are already difficult decisions to make for managers trying to get an early start on a playoff push.
While the flex position will hold the most difficult of decisions to make on a weekly basis, we are going to go through the best start at each position. Guys like Saquon Barkley and Travis Kelce won’t be included because they are weekly starters.
Here are my starts of the week in fantasy football for Week 3:
Quarterback: Dak Prescott vs. Miami Dolphins
In a new offense under Kellen Moore, the Cowboys have unleashed Prescott onto the league, and he’s shown immense improvements thus far. Not only has he been great for the Cowboys, but he’s also been great for fantasy managers that either drafted him late or picked him up on the waiver wire after Week 1.
Currently the QB2 in standard scoring, Prescott draws a most favorable matchup in Week 3 against the Dolphins, who have looked utterly atrocious. He’ll be facing a defense that also just traded away arguably its best player in defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Cowboys are favored heavily in this game, and it should be another offensive explosion. It is not outside the realm of possibilities for Prescott to finish with 30 fantasy points.
Running Back: Austin Ekeler vs. Houston Texans
With Melvin Gordon continuing his holdout for now, the Chargers have to be extremely happy with the production they’ve gotten from Ekeler—and Justin Jackson. Ekeler enters Week 3 as the RB1 in half-PPR scoring thanks to his insane work both as a runner and as a pass-catcher.
The 24-year-old running back should be in for another monster week against a Texans defense that is 20th against fantasy backfields. With most of the work to himself, Ekeler will have plenty of chances to carve up an opposing unit that is finding its struggles without Jadeveon Clowney.
Ekeler has seen 41 touches in the first two games of the season. He’s a locked-and-loaded RB1 until Gordon returns, and he is in line to have another huge week as one of the leaders in the Chargers offense.
Wide Receiver: Kenny Golladay vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Lions offense has had its fair share of struggles this season, but Golladay has continued his emergence as a strong fantasy asset through the first two games. Despite the low-volume passing attack the Lions feature, Golladay is in for a potentially big week.
With 19 targets in the first two games and a touchdown reception in each, it is clear the third-year wideout is the WR1 for the Lions. He’s also in line for a WR1 week against an Eagles defense that has been torched by the position this season. They’ve allowed 32 receptions for 452 yards, five touchdowns and 14.1 yards per catch through the first two games.
Though the Lions are on the road, Golladay has a strong 25.3% target share of the passing attempts. He’s in for a big week against a porous passing defense, and managers should feel extremely confident plugging him into the lineup.
Tight End: Greg Olsen vs. Arizona Cardinals
We know the tight end landscape is a crapshoot when it comes to fantasy relevance. There are only so few options that consistently produce, and even then there is some volatility. Though there are legitimate concerns for Olsen in Week 3, he’s a strong start at a position that has major question marks.
Even with Cam Newton out for the game due to a foot injury, Olsen should continue to see plenty of targets from backup Kyle Allen. He’s seen nine targets in each of the first two games of the season—good for second-most on the Panthers offense. With Allen starting, there is a high chance he leans on the veteran tight end in the middle of the field.
Looking at the matchup, Olsen has a Cardinals defense that has given up the most fantasy points to the tight end position this season. They’ve allowed 17 receptions for 273 yards, three touchdowns and 16.1 yards per catch to the position thus far this season.
Be sure to monitor his back injury, but Olsen was a full participant in Friday’s practice. Barring a setback, he should be ready to play. And he’s in line for a strong week in fantasy football.
