2 weeks Ago By Maurice Moton
Every year, star NFL players go down with injuries. It's an unfortunate part of the game. In addition to Christian McCaffrey and Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Isiah Pacheco and Deebo Samuel could miss multiple games.
If you have one or more of those players, this week's sleeper list could provide quality replacements for them. Managers waiting for Jordan Love's return should consider a red-hot rental quarterback who could be a season keeper or trade asset to help fill a void at another position in need. In Week 3, managers can find favorable matchups against a few of the league's worst pass defenses and backups who may emerge in place of injured starters.
All selections below are available in more than 50 percent of leagues based on FantasyPros consensus roster percentages for point-per-reception leagues. DraftKings DFS Price: $5,800 In Week 1 , we suggested that managers start Derek Carr because he's rarely a top-tier fantasy option, but that's changed with Klint Kubiak calling plays for the New Orleans Saints offense. If Carr is available in your league, add and start him until he cools off.
Carr is tied with Baker Mayfield for most touchdown passes, and he's pushing the ball downfield, ranking fourth in average intended air yards per attempt (9.2), per Next Gen Stats . In other words, he doesn't need a ton of pass attempts to rack up yards and potential touchdown scores.
In Week 3, Carr draws a favorable matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, who rank 28th in passing yards allowed and give up the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. After watching Kirk Cousins go downfield on the Eagles defense in just six plays for a game-winning touchdown, you should love Carr in this matchup. DraftKings DFS Price: $5,300 From a former Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback to their current one, Gardner Minshew has league-leading passing numbers and a plus matchup.
Through two weeks, Minshew has the most completions (55) and the highest completion rate (77.5 percent). While he only has two touchdown passes—both in the second half of the Raiders' win over the Baltimore Ravens—his fantasy outlook points in the right direction.
Last week, the Raiders exploited the Ravens' suspect pass defense, and they could do the same against the Carolina Panthers, who have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns (five). In the pocket, Minshew should have plenty of time to pick apart the Panthers defense, which ranks last in pressure rate. He could have a field day throwing to Davante Adams and Brock Bowers against this unit.
DraftKings DFS Price: $5,400 In Week 2, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler , he could miss six to eight weeks. The Chiefs signed Kareem Hunt to their practice squad, though with Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the non-football injury list, undrafted rookie Carson Steele may have the first shot to take on the lion's share of touches out of the backfield.
Last week, Steele recorded seven carries for 24 yards, so he should see an uptick in snap count from 22 percent in the previous outing. Because of his 6'0", 228-pound frame, he's built to handle goal-line carries even if Samaje Perine and Hunt get touches on the ground and in the short passing game. Pacheco may miss up to two months, which makes Steele a short-term sleeper option and a potential keeper for an extended period.
Steele will face the Atlanta Falcons, who allow the sixth-most rushing yards at an average of 161.5 yards per game. He has the volume and the matchup to hit the ground running as the Chiefs' lead ball-carrier.
DraftKings DFS Price: $5,400 Through two weeks, the Las Vegas Raiders haven't been able to get much going on the ground. They have the fewest rushing yards per game. However, the Raiders could get their ground attack on track against the Carolina Panthers.
Like quarterback Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas' ball-carriers have an appealing matchup. The Panthers allow the second-most rushing yards per contest, and they're without Pro Bowl run-stopping defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who's out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Moreover, the Panthers are surrendering the second-most fantasy points to running backs, which means multiple tailbacks could have productive outings against this unit.
Though Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce says he wants to feature Zamir White, Alexander Mattison handled both of the team's goal-line carries last week and scored on one of those rush attempts. Despite White's bulky frame , Mattison may be the Raiders' preferred finisher inside the 10-yard line going forward. Secondly, Mattison is more productive in the passing game than White.
The former has hauled in four out of six targets for 43 yards and a touchdown, while the latter has caught five out of six targets for just 16 yards. White will likely lead the team in carries, but Mattison has scored in both games. As the Raiders' goal-line running back with notable production as a pass-catcher, he's a viable option in PPR leagues.
DraftKings DFS Price: $5,500 After a solid Week 1 showing with four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown, Brandin Cooks had a quiet, two-catch outing for 19 yards in a 44-19 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Fellow wideout Jalen Tolbert benefitted from the negative game script, recording six catches for 82 yards. In fantasy football, one instance is a blip, and two is trend.
Don't dump Cooks for Tolbert yet. As a starter, Cooks still played 81 percent of the offensive snaps last week. He has a plus matchup with the Baltimore Ravens who allow the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and the most passing yards per game.
Even with the potential return of tight end Jake Ferguson, Cooks should be able to feast on one of the league's worst pass defenses. DraftKings DFS Price: $5,000 The Los Angeles Rams have placed both their starting wideouts on injured reserve. Without Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, someone in the Rams' receiver corps has to emerge in a big role.
Demarcus Robinson has the best shot to make an immediate impact on a large scale. The Rams re-signed Robinson after his strong finish to the 2023 campaign. He's started in seven consecutive games, which includes a playoff matchup with the Detroit Lions.
Last week, Robinson led the Rams in receiving yards (50) with just two catches on four targets. In Week 3, without Nacua or Kupp on the field, he should see a spike in his target volume. Robinson has a chance to post gaudy numbers against the San Francisco 49ers, who allow the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and field the 22nd-ranked pass defense.
DraftKings DFS Price: $3,700 With dynamic rookie signal-caller Jayden Daniels under center, the Washington Commanders field a run-first offense. They're seventh in rush attempts, and Daniels has recorded 40 percent of their total carries. Nonetheless, Daniels targeted tight end Zach Ertz as his safety blanket last week.
In Week 2 against the New York Giants, Ertz hauled in all four of his targets for 62 yards. He's second (or tied for second) on the team in targets (eight), catches (seven) and receiving yards (90) with four targets in both games. Even at 34, Ertz has some fantasy juice and belongs on more rosters.
This week, he faces a stingy defense that allows the second-fewest passing yards per game, but the Cincinnati Bengals' are in the middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to tight ends (19th). Also, because their porous pass defense has allowed the most touchdowns through two weeks, the Commanders may be forced to throw to keep pace with the Bengals on the scoreboard. If that's the case, Ertz should be busy Monday night.
DraftKings DFS Price: $3,400 The Miami Dolphins will start Skylar Thompson in place of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion), which may boost Jonnu Smith's profile in the offense. Going into Week 3, Smith is tied with Jaylen Waddle for third on the team in targets (nine), though he may become a reliable check-down option for a backup quarterback behind a shaky offensive line. Thompson may have to find his groove in the Dolphins offense without five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead, who has a shoulder injury .
Don't be surprised if he dumps off several short passes to Smith, a big-bodied target with sure hands ( 68.3 percent catch rate ). Smith will go up against a Seattle Seahawks defense that allowed New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry to catch eight passes for 109 yards last week.
Looking for more insight to prep for your draft or make some tough roster decisions? Check out all the latest B/R Fantasy Football essentials here . Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.
com for details. Fantasy points scored against statistics are provided by FantasyPros. Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.
You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton..
