Fantasy Football: 5 Major sleepers with tasty Week 3 matchups

Five fantasy football sleepers that deserve consideration for your Week 3 lineup.

We are now officially two weeks through the 2020 NFL season and, even though Week 2 brought us some spectacular games, it also brought an onslaught of injuries to star players all across the league. Fantasy football managers lament.

On Sunday, we saw Saquon Barkley, Courtland Sutton and Christian McCaffrey, among others, all suffer injuries, with the former two being season-ending. We also saw stars on the defensive side of the ball go down, with 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa and Ravens cornerback Tavon Young suffering season-ending injuries.

From a fantasy football perspective, these injuries in tandem with the previous week’s can lead to a lot of holes in manager’s lineups. Whether you were hit hard by these injuries or are just looking for an under the radar start, here are five sleepers that can make an impact in your Week 3 lineup.

Note: All fantasy stats and info via Fantasy Pros.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 5: QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati (vs. Philadelphia)

Joe Burrow looked electric in Week 2 against the Browns, completing 37 of his 61 pass attempts for 316 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 3, he draws a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, who just got gashed by Jared Goff for 267 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bengals took two close losses in the first two weeks but have a good opportunity to get in the win column in Week 3 against an underwhelming Philadelphia team. And Burrow should be the prime fantasy beneficiary.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 4: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami (vs. Jacksonville)

Ryan Fitzpatrick put up one of his classic stat lines in Week 2, completing 31 of 47 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns, adding on 12 rushing yards and a two-point conversion against a stout Buffalo secondary. After facing New England and Buffalo in the first two weeks, he gets his first light matchup in Week 3 against a Jacksonville defense that just gave up four touchdowns to Ryan Tannehill. Look for Fitzpatrick to put up strong numbers in a Thursday night shootout.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 3: RB Joshua Kelley, LA Chargers (vs. Carolina)

Rookie Joshua Kelley saw incredible volume against Kansas City in Week 2, out-touching teammate Austin Ekeler 25-20. Ekeler was far more efficient with his touches, as Kelley only managed 64 yards on 23 rushing attempts for a measly 2.8 yards per carry. However, it is clear that Kelley is a lock for goal-line work and at least 15 rushing attempts a game.

In Week 3, he gets a matchup against a Carolina defense that has given up six rushing touchdowns through the first two weeks. Even though Ekeler will take a majority of the passing work and will hold Kelley back from being in the RB2 conversation, he remains a matchup based flex based on volume alone.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 2: WR Anthony Miller, Chicago (vs. Atlanta)

Anthony Miller put up a goose egg in Week 2 against New York after a solid Week 1 performance. However, in Atlanta’s first two games, they have allowed 38 and 40 points, respectively. Even though the Bears are unlikely to put up that sort of point total with Mitchell Trubisky under center, the point remains that Atlanta has one of the weakest secondaries in the NFL.

Though I wouldn’t be rushing to play Miller over any proven wide receivers as he has shown he provides no floor, he certainly warrants FLEX consideration in a game where there should be plenty of targets to go around.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Sleeper No. 1: TE Logan Thomas, Washington (vs. Cleveland)

After emerging in Week 1 with eight targets and a touchdown, Logan Thomas disappointed owners who chased that stat line, finishing as the TE27 in Week 2. However, through two weeks he is currently tied for third in targets among tight ends.

Even though the quality and depth of those targets are not particularly high, in PPR formats he is almost a weekly start based on volume alone and has top-five upside if he starts catching a higher percentage of his targets.