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Erickson: NFL Week 3 fantasy football start 'em or sit 'em

Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) drops back to pass against the Washington Football Team during the first half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Week 3 of the 2021 NFL season is already here, and that means fantasy football start and sit decisions are once again keeping us up at night.


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My goal in this weekly piece will be to feature fringe, underrated or overrated players across all positions in traditional 10- and 12-team leagues, along with deeper formats.

Without further ado, let's dig into the 2021 PFF fantasy football start ‘em or sit ‘em for Week 3 of the NFL season.


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QUARTERBACKS

START

DANIEL JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS

There is no better waiver wire quarterback than Daniel Jones this week. The Giants' signal-caller has earned PFF's second-best passing grade (85.4) at the position through two weeks, and his success should only continue with the Atlanta Falcons on deck.

The Falcons have allowed nearly 30 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs to start the season. The Dirty Birds will simply have no answer for an up-tempo Big Blue offense that ranks first in plays run from the no-huddle. Jones’ supporting cast is also healthy across the board, which represents a boon to his fantasy stock. 

Related: NFL Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings via Andrew Erickson

Jones has averaged 23.3 fantasy points per game in 12 games played with Saquon Barkley. In his last seven games with a healthy Sterling Shepard, the Giants quarterback averaged 20.6 fantasy points per game.

Jone’ dual-threat ability as a rusher — he's third in quarterback rushing yards — in addition to a vastly underrated supporting cast of playmakers makes him a locked-and-loaded fantasy QB1 for Week 3. 

JUSTIN FIELDS, CHICAGO BEARS

Don’t be hesitant to start a rookie quarterback making his first start on the road. Justin Fields will be under center in Week 3 with Andy Dalton week-to-week dealing with a knee injury, and it’s difficult to contain my excitement about thrusting the first-year player into starting lineups. 

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