7 Calls Backed by Role Data

We had more hits than misses in Week 2. Parker Washington and Dalton Kincaid came through, while the Bo Nix, Tony Pollard and Brian Thomas Jr. sits all held up. Luther Burden III and Jacory Croskey-Merritt were the two misses.

That was a better week, but I still want to go back through the calls that missed. The goal is to figure out what went wrong and make better lineup decisions in Week 3.

For Week 3, a ranking gap gets my attention, but it does not make the call. I want the current role, independent Week 3 rankings and a football reason behind the move. That leaves four starts and three sits I am comfortable defending.

Scoring: These calls use my current Week 3 Half-PPR rankings. Rest-of-season rank is included so you can see when I am making a one-week call instead of changing how I value the player for the year. I also checked current usage, injuries and matchup context before locking the seven. See the full Week 3 fantasy football rankings.

START · QB · NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Tyler Shough: I Am Buying One More QB1 Week

Week 3QB10

Rest of SeasonQB18

Opponentvs. LV

Shough has already given us two QB1 finishes. He threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns in the opener, then followed it with 252 passing yards, a touchdown through the air and another on the ground in Baltimore. The second game mattered more to me because he cut out the interceptions and still found a way to get above 20 fantasy points.

I have Shough QB10 this week and QB18 rest of season after moving him up on the ROS board. I am buying what the Saints are letting him do right now without treating two games like enough evidence to push him into the season-long QB1 range. The passing volume and rushing chances near the goal line are enough for me to start him against Las Vegas.

My Call Start Shough in one-quarterback leagues if your alternative sits outside the top 10 to 12. This is a Week 3 bet on the way he is playing, not a claim that he belongs with the elite fantasy quarterbacks for the rest of the season.

START · TE · HOUSTON TEXANS

Dalton Schultz: The Volume Is Bigger Than One Huge Game

Week 3TE8

Rest of SeasonTE15

Opponent@ IND

The 12 catches for 140 yards jump off the page, but that is not why I want Schultz in the lineup. Houston threw at him 14 times in Week 2, and he now has 22 targets through two games. That is real tight end volume, not one touchdown propping up the box score.

Nico Collins remains a Week 3 question with a hamstring injury, and the latest reporting has him in serious doubt for Indianapolis. Schultz’s target share climbed without Collins, but the role did not come from nowhere. He was already involved in Week 1 before Collins sat. I moved Schultz up to TE15 rest of season, but I still like him more this week at TE8 because that target volume is already showing up.

My Call Start Schultz. I do not need another 14-target game. If Houston gives him even a normal version of this role, TE8 is a fair place to put him in a week where plenty of tight ends still need a touchdown to matter.

START · WR · GREEN BAY PACKERS

Christian Watson: The Volume Is Finally Matching the Ceiling

Week 3WR14

Rest of SeasonWR18

Opponentvs. ATL

I am not chasing Watson’s three touchdowns through two weeks. I am chasing the targets. Green Bay threw at him 11 times in Week 2, a team high, and he has 18 targets through the first two games. The 2026 wide receiver stats also show 10 catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns through two games. That is the kind of workload that gives his big-play ability more than one path to a useful fantasy week.

Watson is up to WR18 on my rest-of-season board, so this is not nearly as aggressive as it looked before. I still have him higher for Week 3 at WR14 because the targets are already there. I no longer need a 50-yard touchdown to justify putting him in the lineup.

My Call Start Watson as a WR2 or strong flex. Green Bay plays Thursday night, so do not leave this decision hanging into the weekend.

START · RB · CAROLINA PANTHERS

Chuba Hubbard: I Will Take the RB2 Role in Cleveland

Week 3RB19

Rest of SeasonRB25

Opponent@ CLE

Hubbard’s three touchdowns through two games are not going to keep arriving at this rate, but his Week 3 role got more clear on Wednesday. Jonathon Brooks’ groin injury landed him on injured reserve after he re-aggravated it against Atlanta, which takes him out for at least four games. That leaves Hubbard as Carolina’s clear lead back, with less competition for the touches that matter in fantasy.

Cleveland is not a matchup I want to oversell. Hubbard is now RB25 on my rest-of-season board, but I still have him RB19 for Week 3. With Brooks unavailable, Hubbard has a stronger path to carries and receiving work even if the touchdown pace cools off. The matchup is not the reason to start him. The backfield role is.

My Call Start Hubbard as an RB2. I am expecting the touchdown rate to cool off, but with Brooks on injured reserve, Hubbard should get the first shot at the bulk of Carolina’s backfield touches.

SIT · TE · ATLANTA FALCONS

Kyle Pitts: Penix Is Back, but the Role Has Not Earned Trust Yet

Week 3TE19

Rest of SeasonTE10

Opponent@ GB

Michael Penix Jr. returning changes the Atlanta offense, but I am not skipping past what Pitts has actually done through two games. He has one catch for 15 yards on four targets. In Week 2, he played only 38% of the snaps, ran a route on fewer than half of Atlanta’s dropbacks and finished with fewer routes than Austin Hooper.

Some of that came in a blowout with Atlanta’s backup quarterbacks struggling, so I am not giving up on Pitts for the season. He is still TE10 for me rest of season. Week 3 is different. I have him TE19 at Green Bay because I want to see Penix put Pitts back into a real route and target role before trusting him in a lineup.

My Call Sit Pitts if you have a healthy top-12 tight end available. I want to see Penix put Pitts back into a full route-running role before I chase the name or the season-long rank on Thursday night.

SIT · WR · DETROIT LIONS

Jameson Williams: The Ceiling Is Still Better Than the Weekly Floor

Week 3WR26

Rest of SeasonWR23

Opponentvs. NYJ

Williams is exactly the kind of name that can stay in a lineup too long because one deep ball can erase a quiet afternoon. The problem is that Detroit has not given him enough steady volume through two weeks. He has six catches for 78 yards and no touchdowns, and his target share fell sharply in Week 2 while Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta handled the more reliable work.

I have Williams WR23 rest of season and WR26 for Week 3. That is only a small weekly fade, but the Jets matchup is not where I want to bet on a low-volume explosive play. I still want Williams on my roster. I just do not want to need the long touchdown for my flex spot to work.

My Call Sit Williams if you have a stable top-25 receiver or running back for the flex. He can absolutely hit on one play, but the target floor has not been strong enough for me to chase that ceiling against New York.

SIT · WR · CHICAGO BEARS

Rome Odunze: Monday-Night QB Uncertainty Is Too Much

Week 3WR36

Rest of SeasonWR27

Opponentvs. PHI

Odunze has made some explosive catches, but he has only five receptions for 95 yards through two games. That leaves too much of his fantasy line riding on a few downfield chances. Now the quarterback situation is moving in the wrong direction. Caleb Williams’ right hamstring injury has him week-to-week, and Tyson Bagent is in the concussion protocol.

That matters even more because Chicago does not play until Monday night. If Bagent cannot clear the protocol, Case Keenum is the likely starter. PFM has Odunze WR36. I do not want to carry that much quarterback uncertainty into the final game of the week when I can use a healthy Sunday option instead.

My Call Sit Odunze if you have a healthy top-35 receiver or flex alternative. If Williams or Bagent gets surprisingly strong news later in the week, I can revisit it, but I would not build my lineup around that outcome.

What I Am Trusting in Week 3

The four starts have something I can point to beyond a matchup. Shough has already produced two QB1 weeks. Schultz has 22 targets through two games. Watson is earning real receiver volume. Hubbard has a top-20 weekly rank and enough useful touches to survive without another touchdown spike.

The sits are different. Pitts is about waiting for the route and target role to come back before trusting the name, Williams is about a big-play ceiling sitting on top of a shaky target floor, and Odunze is about a thin weekly floor meeting real quarterback uncertainty. None of those calls changes how I value the player for the rest of the season. They are lineup decisions for this week.

Ranks reviewed: September 23rd, 2026. Week 3 Half-PPR rankings can move before kickoff as injury and availability news changes. Kyle Pitts and Christian Watson both play Thursday night, so those decisions need to be made before the weekend.