Fantasy Football Start Sit Week 3: Kyler Murray Gets a Chance to Flash His Upside

Scoring was down in Week 2 while injuries increased, leaving fantasy managers scrambling for starters.

We dove into every Week 3 matchup and found the sneaky starters and players to avoid so you don't have to.

Our Draft Sharks Who to Start tool is an invaluable weapon in the arsenal of the well-prepared fantasy manager.

Quarterback to Start

Kyler Murray, Vikings

Murray’s first Vikings appearance ended with a first-quarter concussion, but he’s in line to return this week.

Week 3 features a matchup that sets the eighth-year QB up well. He faces a Buccaneers defense that has allowed the fifth-most points to QBs so far.

Murray was one of just 10 QBs to post at least 4.0 rushing points per game last season. He has reached that mark every year of his career, hitting at least 5.0 rushing points per game in five of his past six seasons.

Factor in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and Murray lands among our top 12 QBs for the week.

QB to Sit

Matthew Stafford, Rams

Stafford bounced back from a QB32 finish in Week 1 to deliver the position’s sixth-best score in Week 2.

The Rams QB notably achieved the QB1 performance despite missing Puka Nacua, who was out with a hip injury. That seems likely to be the case again this week.

Week 3 presents a Broncos defense that allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards last season and has allowed the eighth-fewest this season despite facing Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence.

Stafford’s lack of rushing production  leaves him projected as a middling QB2 in Week 3.

Running Backs to Start

Quinshon Judkins, Browns

Judkins is off to an underwhelming start, producing fewer than 10 PPR points in each of his first two games. The Browns RB holds an RB32 ranking two weeks into the season.

But you wouldn’t have assumed that based on his usage. Judkins is one of just 12 RBs this season accounting for at least a 50% carry share and 10% target share.

His poor efficiency to this point (2.3 yards per carry) should get a boost from this week’s Carolina matchup. The Panthers have allowed more RB yards per carry than any other team (6.3).

The Panthers haven’t just been bad; they’ve been the worst, giving up 96 more yards than any other defense.

Judkins should get a high-volume workload in a high-efficiency matchup. That makes him an RB to start.

Jaylen Warren, Steelers

The Steelers RB has produced as both a rusher and receiver, despite the Steelers’ lack of production as a whole. Warren is one of just nine RBs this season to supply at least 2.00 yards per team rush attempt and 0.75 yards per team pass attempt.

That production has come alongside Rico Dowdle, who has accounted for 34.1% of the Steelers’ rush attempts.

Dowdle looks like a long shot to play this week with a toe injury, which should mean even more usage for Warren.

That’s quite a boost for an RB who already ranks 15th at the position with a 12.3% target share. And this week brings a Bengals defense that has allowed the sixth-most passing yards.

The combination of increased usage and a favorable matchup make Warren a start this week.

RBs to Sit

David Montgomery, Texans

Montgomery ranks as an RB1 through the first two games of the season, but his high average draws primarily from a 28.9-point Week 1 that included 20 rushing attempts. And more than half of Montgomery’s total PPR points this season have come from touchdowns.

The eighth-year RB has scored on 9.7% of his rushing attempts, highest among all RBs with at least 25 attempts and 3.9 percentage points higher than his career high.

Montgomery is also at risk of a decreased workload moving forward after being out-carried by Woody Marks last week. Montgomery’s mere 2.7 yards per attempt sits well under the league average of 4.2.

Role uncertainty plus poor efficiency makes Montgomery a shaky Week 3 option, even in a positive matchup with the Colts.

TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots

Henderson made his season debut last week after missing opening night due to an ankle injury. The Patriots RB ripped a 39-yard TD run in the first quarter on his way to 13.9 PPR points, good for RB14 in Week 2.

But rushing production will be tougher to come by in Week 3, facing a Jaguars defense that’s allowing the fourth-fewest points to RBs this season.

Receiving production has already been hard enough to come by for Henderson, regardless of matchup. The second-year RB accounted for an 8.4% target share last season, which ranked 29th among RBs, and came away from last week’s game without a target.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson is also healthy, leaving Henderson projected for another limited role in Week 3.

Sit Henderson at least until his work share improves.

Wide Receivers to Start

Deebo Samuel, 49ers

Samuel has been impressive to begin his return to the 49ers. He’s one of just 11 WRs to earn a target on at least 28% of routes while averaging at least 2.00 yards per route run this season.

Samuel’s route share also jumped from 52.8% in Week 1 to 80.0% in Week 2. De’Zhaun Stribling’s absence should keep that number up. And the 49ers also lost Demarcus Robinson to a Week 2 high-ankle sprain and opened the practice week with Mike Evans sidelined (hip).

The 49ers don’t have the most difficult path to passing production in Week 3, facing a Cardinals defense that just gave up 235 yards and 3 TDs to Drew Lock.

We project Purdy well inside QB1 territory this week. So start a WR who should be one of his favorite targets.

Adonai Mitchell, Jets

Mitchell ranks as the WR34 through two weeks with 10.7 PPR points per game. The third-year WR has produced weeks of 9.0 and 12.3 PPR points without accounting for a TD yet.

Mitchell has been a strong target earner with the Jets, even with Garrett Wilson back in the lineup this season. (Wilson missed nine of the final 10 games last year, including all eight of Mitchell’s appearances.)

Mitchell earned a target on 23.0% of his routes after joining the Jets for Week 11. That’s almost identical to the 22.9% target per route he’s posting this season that ranks 11th among all WRs with at least 50 routes run.

The Jets WR is also coming off a Week 2 where he led the Jets with 12 targets, good for a 29.3% target share.

The matchup helps, too. The Lions have allowed 71 points and 815 yards through two games, trailing only the Colts in each category. Start Mitchell in Week 3.

WRs to Sit

Stefon Diggs, Commanders

Diggs enters Week 3 with a team-high 18.6 PPR points per game and 21.7% target share.

But Terry McLaurin has commanded at least a 20% target share every year since Washington drafted him and figures to climb beyond his 18.8% target share through two weeks. We already saw McLaurin climb from a mere 4 targets in Week 1 to a team-high 9 at Dallas last week.

The Commanders are facing a Seahawks defense that has allowed the fewest points to WRs this season, while not allowing a WR to score even 10 PPR points.

The setup gets even tougher for Diggs with starting QB Jayden Daniels sidelined following his elbow dislocation, leaving backup QB Marcus Mariota to lead this passing offense.

Mariota hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game since 2019 and is facing a defense that hasn’t allowed 300 passing yards since Week 9 of last year, leaving Diggs as a sit in Week 3.

Tre Tucker, Raiders

Tucker just finished as a WR1 in Week 2 with 22.9 PPR points, marking the second-highest scoring week of his four-year career.

The Raiders WR has averaged 5.5 targets so far while in a field-stretching role with an average depth of target of 17.5. That type of role hasn’t historically met with strong target volume.

Only six WRs have ever averaged 5.0 targets or more per game with an average depth of target of at least 16.0 yards. All six finished those seasons in WR3 range or lower.

Last year’s target-share leader, TE Brock Bowers, looks poised to return this week from a knee injury, making Tucker’s path to targets even tougher.

Bowers returned from last year’s knee injury in Week 9. From there through Week 16 (before he missed the season’s final two games), Tucker averaged 5.2 targets per contest.

His downfield ability means he can score from that level of work, but you should be able to find a more reliable target source for your lineup.

Tight End to Start

Mark Andrews, Ravens

Andrews is coming off his first TE1 week of the season. Now he gets a weak Cowboys defense and potentially a second consecutive game without WR Zay Flowers.

Andrews has commanded the fifth-highest target share among TEs (23.2%) so far. He’s been efficient as well; his 1.75 yards per team pass attempt rank sixth among all TEs.

A lack of TDs has kept Andrews outside the top 12 for the season to date, but only six TEs have more receptions. Add 1 TD to Andrews’ stat line, and he’d be the TE7 right now.

Here comes help from the Cowboys, who have given up the fifth-most passing TDs this season. Start Andrews.

TE to Sit

Colston Loveland, Bears

This one may not surprise you, after Loveland managed just one catch for 3 yards across the first two games.

Loveland ranks as the TE77 at 0.7 PPR points per game entering a matchup against an Eagles defense that has given up the fewest points to TEs this season. That lines up with last year, when Philly yielded the second-fewest points to the position

If that wasn’t risky enough, the second-year TE is slated to have third-string QB Case Keenum start. Keenum hasn’t played a game since 2023 with the Texans. He started two games in place of a concussed C.J. Stroud that season, totaling just 291 passing yards, 1 TD, and 3 INTs.

I expect Loveland to surpass his season high of 1.3 PPR points on Monday night, a mark he out-produced in all but one game during his rookie season. But not by enough to avoid being a sit in Week 3.