Fantasy football expert Brandon Funston provides his weekly insight and rankings of the best players to help you win big.
Quarterbacks
Matt Stafford threw just 21 times in a Week 2 win over the Giants, marking the second-fewest number of attempts in his career. Don’t expect another conservative approach for the Detroit offense this week — they’ll face an Atlanta defense that has seen more pass attempts against than any other team in the league. In a game expected to return the second-highest point total on the Week 3 slate, look for Stafford to have a big day in a shootout in Detroit.
Name | Team | Opp |
Matthew Stafford | DET | vs ATL |
Tom Brady | NE | vs HOU |
Kirk Cousins | WAS | vs OAK |
Philip Rivers | LAC | vs KC |
Aaron Rodgers | GB | vs CIN |
Matt Ryan | ATL | @ DET |
Derek Carr | OAK | @ WAS |
Drew Brees | NO | @ CAR |
Cam Newton | CAR | vs NO |
Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | @ CHI |
Dak Prescott | DAL | @ ARI |
Marcus Mariota | TEN | vs SEA |
Russell Wilson | SEA | @ TEN |
Jameis Winston | TB | @ MIN |
Sam Bradford | MIN | vs TB |
Jay Cutler | MIA | @ NYJ |
Carson Palmer | ARI | vs DAL |
Carson Wentz | PHI | vs NYG |
DeShone Kizer | CLE | @ IND |
Trevor Siemian | DEN | @ BUF |
Alex Smith | KC | @ LAC |
Andy Dalton | CIN | @ GB |
Eli Manning | NYG | @ PHI |
Deshaun Watson | HOU | @ NE |
Joe Flacco | BAL | @ JAC |
Jared Goff | LAR | @ SF |
Tyrod Taylor | BUF | vs DEN |
Jacoby Brissett | IND | vs CLE |
Blake Bortles | JAC | vs BAL |
Brian Hoyer | SF | vs LAR |
Josh McCown | NYJ | vs MIA |
Mike Glennon | CHI | vs PIT |
Running Backs
This week, Miami’s Jay Ajayi faces a Jets defense that has allowed the second-most rushing yards, as well as a healthy 4.7 yards per carry. After rushing 28 times for 122 yards in his season-opener last week against the Chargers, Ajayi is well-positioned to top the century mark in rushing yards for a second straight week.
Wide Receivers
Why does Carolina’s Kelvin Benjamin sit atop this week’s WR rankings, ahead of stars like Antonio Brown and Julio Jones? First of all, he has a dream matchup against a New Orleans defense that has allowed a league-high 388.5 passing yards per game and the most fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. And with Carolina tight end Greg Olsen out of action due to a broken foot, Benjamin should be leaned on even more than usual in the passing game.
Tight Ends
With over 90 yards in each of his two games played this season, Zach Ertz paces the tight end position with 190 receiving yards — 34 more than any other tight end. This week, he lands atop of the rankings at his position because of his bubbling chemistry with quarterback Carson Wentz, not to mention a matchup with a Giants defense that has allowed an opposing tight end to finish among the top six in fantasy points at the position in each of the first two weeks.
Name | Team | Opp |
Zach Ertz | PHI | vs NYG |
Jordan Reed | WAS | vs OAK |
Rob Gronkowski | NE | vs HOU |
Travis Kelce | KC | @ LAC |
Delanie Walker | TEN | vs SEA |
Jack Doyle | IND | vs CLE |
Eric Ebron | DET | vs ATL |
Martellus Bennett | GB | vs CIN |
Kyle Rudolph | MIN | vs TB |
Evan Engram | NYG | @ PHI |
Jason Witten | DAL | @ ARI |
Coby Fleener | NO | @ CAR |
Hunter Henry | LAC | vs KC |
Austin Hooper | ATL | @ DET |
Gerald Everett | LAR | @ SF |
Zach Miller | CHI | vs PIT |
Benjamin Watson | BAL | @ JAC |
Cameron Brate | TB | @ MIN |
Jimmy Graham | SEA | @ TEN |
Tyler Eifert | CIN | @ GB |
Ed Dickson | CAR | vs NO |
Jesse James | PIT | @ CHI |
Charles Clay | BUF | vs DEN |
Jared Cook | OAK | @ WAS |
Julius Thomas | MIA | @ NYJ |
Antonio Gates | LAC | vs KC |
Austin Seferian-Jenkins | NYJ | vs MIA |
Seth DeValve | CLE | @ IND |
George Kittle | SF | vs LAR |
David Njoku | CLE | @ IND |
Defense / Special Teams
On Sunday, the Patriots will play host to a Houston team that ranks 31st in the league in yards per game, 29th in points per game, and they’ve allowed the most QB sacks, to boot. In fantasy leagues, the Texans have been the second-most generous offense to opposing defenses, which helps explain why New England is on top of the fantasy defense ranks this week.
Name | Opp |
New England Patriots | vs HOU |
Philadelphia Eagles | vs NYG |
Minnesota Vikings | vs TB |
Denver Broncos | @ BUF |
Green Bay Packers | vs CIN |
Miami Dolphins | @ NYJ |
Baltimore Ravens | @ JAC |
Pittsburgh Steelers | @ CHI |
San Francisco 49ers | vs LAR |
Los Angeles Rams | @ SF |
Seattle Seahawks | @ TEN |
Jacksonville Jaguars | vs BAL |
Kansas City Chiefs | @ LAC |
Arizona Cardinals | vs DAL |
Tennessee Titans | vs SEA |
New York Giants | @ PHI |
Carolina Panthers | vs NO |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | @ MIN |
Indianapolis Colts | vs CLE |
Cleveland Browns | @ IND |
Houston Texans | @ NE |
Oakland Raiders | @ WAS |
Dallas Cowboys | @ ARI |
Buffalo Bills | vs DEN |
Los Angeles Chargers | vs KC |
Detroit Lions | vs ATL |
Atlanta Falcons | @ DET |
New York Jets | vs MIA |
Chicago Bears | vs PIT |
Washington Redskins | vs OAK |
Cincinnati Bengals | @ GB |
New Orleans Saints | @ CAR |
Kickers
Kickers are always presented without comment… always!
Name | Team | Opp |
Stephen Gostkowski | NE | vs HOU |
Matt Bryant | ATL | @ DET |
Dan Bailey | DAL | @ ARI |
Mason Crosby | GB | vs CIN |
Matt Prater | DET | vs ATL |
Justin Tucker | BAL | @ JAC |
Graham Gano | CAR | vs NO |
Cairo Santos | KC | @ LAC |
Adam Vinatieri | IND | vs CLE |
Giorgio Tavecchio | OAK | @ WAS |
Chris Boswell | PIT | @ CHI |
Blair Walsh | SEA | @ TEN |
Dustin Hopkins | WAS | vs OAK |
Brandon McManus | DEN | @ BUF |
Will Lutz | NO | @ CAR |
Kai Forbath | MIN | vs TB |
Ryan Succop | TEN | vs SEA |
Cody Parkey | MIA | @ NYJ |
Greg Zuerlein | LAR | @ SF |
Robbie Gould | SF | vs LAR |
Phil Dawson | ARI | vs DAL |
Jason Myers | JAC | vs BAL |
Jake Elliott | PHI | vs NYG |
Younghoe Koo | LAC | vs KC |
Nick Folk | TB | @ MIN |
Steven Hauschka | BUF | vs DEN |
Zane Gonzalez | CLE | @ IND |
Connor Barth | CHI | vs PIT |
Randy Bullock | CIN | @ GB |
Aldrick Rosas | NYG | @ PHI |
Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | @ NE |
Chandler Catanzaro | NYJ | vs MIA |