Start 'Em, Sit 'Em For Week 3 Fantasy Football Lineups: Tyler Shough, Chuba Hubbard & More

Jeremiyah Love | Cardinals

I think Love will eventually get going in 2026 and provide fantasy value. But Week 3 is a tough time to have him in your lineup.

The Cardinals are eight-point underdogs in Freedman's NFL Game Model with the sixth-worst team total (19.7) per oddsmakers. Historically, that is a terrible combination for RBs in fantasy football. 

The 49ers rank seventh in time of possession in 2026, and their offense could drain much of the play clock—they carry a 28+ team total. Additionally, Arizona could be forced into a passing game script quickly, further limiting backfield touches.

It's even worse for a player like Love, who has yet to reach the workload needed to offset those factors. He has yet to reach a 50% snap share. His work on the ground rose to 56%, but his routes dropped from 38% to 26%. Those routes are the parachute for RBs when a game like this gets sideways, because they keep them in play for receptions.

Last week, we saw this happen to Love against Seattle. The rookie finished with only 9 attempts and 3 targets. 

While he is a big-play threat that can pay off with a smaller workload, Love might not be 100% back from his preseason high-ankle sprain. Love has taken only 5% of his totes for 10-plus yards, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry (YPC).

The Cardinals haven't given him much room to work with. Love has had to generate 3.2 of his 3.5 YPC with yards after contact. Arizona ranks 26th in average yards before contact rushing with 0.82 as a team. If you are looking for a silver lining, the 49ers rank 28th in yards before contact allowed at 2 yards per attempt.

Fantasy Projections

• Median: 11.0
• Xfinity Best (Ceiling): 18.7
• Floor: 8.0

If you don't have other options, the 18.7 ceiling isn't bad, but I lean toward a floor game as the more likely outcome if we simulate this matchup 1,000 times.

Love DOWNGRADES to high-end RB3 territory and can head to the bench in small leagues. In larger leagues, he will be tougher to sit, but there are a lot of WR and even TE options we can flex over him in Week 3, which you can see in our projections and rankings.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt | Commanders

Croskey-Merritt was once again the lead ball carrier for the Commanders in Week 2, but Rachaad White handled the majority of passing-down work. In a trailing game script, that led to a 54% snap share for White versus 34% for Croskey-Merritt.

Despite technically leading the operation in attempt share (48%), the second-year back was limited to 12 attempts and 1 target. The result was 5.8 fantasy points.

Croskey-Merritt also ceded the short-yardage work to White in Week 2. That would be a deathblow to his season-long outlook if it holds. White handled 90% of the short-down-and-distance snaps (SDD) and got the lone attempt inside the five-yard line. 

In Week 3, with Jayden Daniels sidelined, Washington is a six-point underdog in the Wet Blanket's Game Model. And their 17.7 team total is the second-worst on the slate. Woof.

If that isn't enough to get you off of JCM this weekend, consider that the Seahawks have held RB rooms to a minus 4.8-point boost this year (aka schedule-adjusted points allowed to RBs). That aligns closely with their mark of -5.2 in 2025.

After writing this, I just lowered the projections a little further. This is a recipe for disaster.

Fantasy Projections

• Median: 7.8
• Xfinity Best (Ceiling): 13.8
• Floor: 5.6

Keep this man away from your starting lineups in Week 3, even in deep formats if you can help it.

Croskey-Merritt DOWNGRADES to low-end RB3 status in Week 3 against Seattle. He is outside my top-100. But not even I dislike JCM more than Zain, who found 180 players to rank ahead of him!!!

Wide Receivers To Start In Week 3 Fantasy Football

Matthew Golden | Packers

Golden's role in Green Bay's offense has been red hot to start the season. He has an 88% route share with a juicy 28% target share—numbers that historically align with WR1s. He is averaging 12.7 PPG heading into Week 3. 

While Christian Watson has stolen the show with more fantasy points, Golden is almost tied in air yards per game with 112.5 vs. 113 for Watson. Golden's 76 Utilization Score also has a strong comparison group. They have averaged 15 PPG with 26% turning into top-12 options and 53% finishing as WR2s.

And now the Packers are down another WR in Jayden Reed (neck), who could miss the rest of the season. Reed wasn't in a full-time role, but he was a strong target earner when on the field.

The Packers have the eighth-best team total in Freedman's model at 23.4 points. That is slightly below the market, where the Wet Blanket is correctly accounting for the offensive line injuries.

While the line is a concern, the Falcons lost their No. 1 CB in A.J. Terrell, who will miss at least four games due to a groin injury. It is a small sample, but so far in 2026, the Falcons have provided the eighth-best fantasy boost to outside WRs (+1.8). They gave up the third-largest last year (+3.4).

Fantasy Projections

• Median: 13.3
• Xfinity Best (Ceiling): 20.9
• Floor: 9.8

Golden UPGRADES to mid-range WR2 status and should be in most starting lineups against Atlanta in Week 3. He is my WR20.

Deebo Samuel | 49ers

Samuel is averaging 12.3 PPG, and his route participation leaped to 80% last weekend after playing only 53% of the pass plays in Week 1. The veteran 30-year-old WR also pitched in on the ground, handling 5% of the rushing attempts.

While Samuel didn't splash the box score in Week 2, this is a significant role that should stick over the short term. De'Zhaun Stribling is on IR, and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) will miss the next 3-6 games. Mike Evans should be good to go but left last week's game with a minor hip injury.

With all the injuries, Samuel could top an 80% route share and eclipse a 20% target share with a chance to grab a rushing score. That is a lot of outs for a player on a team with the No. 1 team total at 29.4 in Freedman's NFL Game Model (be sure to check out the four- and five-star bets for this weekend—there are seven as of this writing).

And we also have a good matchup. The Cardinals are providing a 4.3-point fantasy boost to WRs in 2026—their best CB, Will Johnson, has a potential season-ending neck injury in Week 2.

Fantasy Projections

• Median: 12
• Xfinity Best (Ceiling): 20.5
• Floor: 8.6

Samuel comes in as a borderline WR2 in the projection model and is a mid-range WR3, making him a great flex option in most formats.

Sit These Wide Receivers In Week 3 Fantasy Football

Chris Godwin | Buccaneers

If you followed me this preseason, you know that I was in on Godwin as an underpriced option with Mike Evans gone. While I still think he could get going thanks to a full-time role in an offense still ironing out the kinks in a new scheme, I am taking a wait-and-see approach.

Godwin has an elite route share of 90% but only a 12% target share through the first two games, leading to 8.6 PPG and a 43 Utilization Score.

While targets are not as predictive as routes for WRs early in the season, this data paired with a brutal matchup has me fading him in Week 3.

In 2025, passing games averaged -0.7 TDs against Minnesota. And the Vikings defense is at it again, starting 2026 at -0.5. Overall, pass catchers saw a -10.5 boost against Brian Flores's unit. That was the toughest matchup in the NFL.

Tampa Bay has the 10th-lowest team total on the slate at 20.8, which honestly could be too high.

Fantasy Projections

• Median: 8.9
• Xfinity Best (Ceiling): 14.6
• Floor: 6.4

Godwin is a borderline WR4 in the projection model and is my WR51 this weekend.

Start These TEs In Fantasy Football Week 3

Mark Andrews | Ravens

Andrews is averaging 9.9 PPG as the TE14 in fantasy through two games. No, he isn't the same talent we once knew, but he has a 75% route participation rate and a strong 25% target share.

Historically, TEs with a similar Utilization Score to his 74 have averaged 10.8 PPG. So, he isn't a league-winning archetype. However, the 31-year-old is in a fantastic spot in Week 3.

The Cowboys green-lighted the No. 1 boost to opposing pass catchers in 2025 at +5.8 PPG. This year they are at +8.1, which ranks No. 4.

With Ja'Kobi Lane on IR and Zay Flowers dealing with a hamstring injury, Andrews could be in for a big day. The Ravens own the second-highest team total, 28.8 points, in Freedman's model.

Fantasy Projections

• Median: 10.5
• Xfinity Best (Ceiling): 16.3
• Floor: 7.6

Andrews is a low-end TE1 in the projections and is my TE12 in the rankings.

Sit These Tight Ends In Week 3 Fantasy Football

Jake Ferguson | Cowboys

Ferguson scored 20.3 points in Week 2 thanks to a pair of receiving TDs. But his 69% route share and 10% target share are too low to make him a dependable option.

CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are the top two options for the Cowboys, leaving Ferguson as a TD-dependent option.

Dallas typically carries a strong team total, and that is the case again this weekend, which helps a TD-dependent option like him. They have the fifth-best team total at 25.3 points in Freedman's model, and this could be a shootout with the Cowboys as 3.5-point underdogs.

Fantasy Projections

• Median: 8.8
• Xfinity Best (Ceiling): 13.8
• Floor: 6.4

Ferguson isn't a must-sit, but he is a mid-range TE2 for me and the projection model. There are a lot of names I prefer over him, including Hunter Henry, Kenyon Sadiq, and Juwan Johnson.