Week 3 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts

Sep 20, 2017

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

The injuries are really piling up. In Week 1, we lost David Johnson, Danny Woodhead, and Allen Robinson. In Week 2, Greg Olsen and Corey Coleman suffered multi-week injuries, while Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jordan Reed, Tyler Eifert, Jimmy Graham, Jordan Howard, Terrance West, Corey Davis, and Rob Kelley are all dealing with injuries that may impact their availability for Week 3. (Editor's Note: Corey Davis has been ruled out for Week 3.)

With that in mind, let’s dive into several Sneaky Starts at each position.

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler, Dolphins (@ NYJ)

In Week 2, Cutler posted a reasonable 230 yards and a touchdown against a pretty good Chargers pass defense. He has a chance for a productive day against a Jets secondary that has yielded five total touchdowns to Derek Carr and Tyrod Taylor through the first two weeks. After the Jets, Cutler faces the Saints, Titans, and Falcons before facing the Jets again in Week 7, so he’s a decent short-term option.

Carson Palmer, Cardinals (vs. DAL)

Palmer finished with 332 yards and a touchdown against a shaky Colts defense in Week 2. He returns home, where he has played better over the last two-plus seasons. After shutting out Eli Manning in Week 1, the Cowboys defense yielded four touchdowns to Trevor Siemian, so Palmer should be a solid start in Week 3.

Trevor Siemian, Broncos (@ BUF)

This doesn’t look like a great matchup since the Bills have yet to allow a passing touchdown this season (to Cam Newton and Josh McCown), but dare I say that Trevor Siemian is hot? Through two weeks, Siemian has thrown six touchdowns and rushed for another, and that gives him the second-most fantasy points at his position.

Andy Dalton, Bengals (@ GB)

It’s a downright terrifying prospect to start Dalton given his start this season—0 touchdowns, 4 picks—but the Bengals fired offensive coordinator Ken Zampese and promoted Bill Lazor to replace him. I’m expecting more A.J. Green and Joe Mixon going forward, along with some more inventive play design. The Packers (and their shaky secondary) are coming off of a tough outing against the Falcons and are banged up on both sides of the ball. This seems like a chance for the Bengals offense to “get right.”

Jacoby Brissett (vs. CLE) and DeShone Kizer (@ IND) square off in what could be an entertaining game. Both defenses tend to struggle against the pass, and both players have the ability to put up points in the running game.