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Fantasy Football is hotting up as we head into Week 3 of the NFL season, with many players now beginning to understand the makeup of their roster for the remaining weeks of the season. It is already clear which players will continue to rack up points on a regular basis, but it will be incredibly difficult to secure any of these players from other teams.
That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t improve your team. Trades are as important a part of Fantasy Football as they are in the real NFL. The issue is tempting one of your rivals to part with a star piece. Free-agency allows users to select players who may not be in the mainstream eye but are facing a favorable matchup.
Week 3 has several such matchups, and here are some fantasy picks you should investigate ahead of Sunday’s games:
#1. Mac Jones | New England Patriots
Mac Jones hasn’t had the best start to his second NFL season, but the New England Patriots are sitting in a solid position with a 1-1 record. Despite failing to build any sort of offensive rhythm in their opening defeat to the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots dug in and forced a 17-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jones has had a poor fantasy return in those two games, scoring a lowly total of just over 20 points. However, a favorable matchup on Sunday could make him a one-week star for your team. The Baltimore Ravens have an excellent offense, but on defense they just give up too many passing yards. It was evident against the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, and there is no real sign that anything is going to change ahead of Week 3.
Jason Pierre-Paul was an elite pass-rusher in his prime, but there is no way he can be as sharp as required in his first game with the team. So, you can still expect the Ravens to give up a lot in the passing game, allowing Jones to have his most productive game of the season.
#2. Stefon Diggs | Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are currently the best team in the NFL. They dispatched the Tennessee Titans with ease and hardly had to struggle to defeat the champion Los Angeles Rams on the road in Week 1. Josh Allen is arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now. He is very accurate in everything he does and will make plays against almost any defense.
In Week 3, the Bills are taking on the Dolphins who haven’t been amazing on defense this year. The Ravens shredded through them during the first half of Week 2 and the Bills have the weaponry to do the same on Sunday.
Stefon Diggs has never been happier than he is in Buffalo. He has found the perfect home and his connection with Allen has turned him into a serious, elite-level receiving option for a contending team. Of course, this was known throughout the 2021 season and many Fantasy players will have drafted him prior to the season.
This is where you might have to use your negotiating skills for a trade, as Diggs could well be in for a record-breaking game against the Dolphins. It’s difficult to see how they will be able to keep him quiet, especially with double coverage leaving their defense open to numerous other Buffalo threats.
#3 A.J. Brown | Philadelphia Eagles
A.J. Brown was one of the stories of draft night, with his trade to the Philadelphia Eagles taking everyone by surprise. As of yet, the franchise hasn't seen any returns in his opening two appearances. This hasn’t hindered them though, with the Eagles racing to the top of the NFC power rankings (after victories over both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings).
Sunday sees the NFC East leaders take on the Washington Commanders in a divisional matchup that should provide Brown with the chance to flourish.
He will be getting used to the Philly offense after two games and it’s simply a matter of time before he begins to produce Fantasy numbers. He led the Eagles in targets in Week 2 and just needs to turn those into catches to kick-start his season.
The Commanders allowed 36 points against the Detroit Lions and 22 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2021 Detroit and Jacksonville were the two worst teams in the NFL, yet the Commanders couldn’t keep them quiet at the start of 2022. This doesn’t bode well for Ron Rivera’s defense, and this is likely to be the week when A.J. Brown takes flight as an Eagle.
#4 The New York Jets defense
Robert Saleh is a defensive specialist, even if he hasn’t quite had the tools to build an elite line in New York as of this moment. The New York Jets have a tough task on Sunday as they take on last season’s AFC Champions, the Cincinnati Bengals. Now you may wonder why you should even contemplate picking the Jets defense in a game they’re expected to lose. Well, the answer is simple - they can’t protect Joe Burrow.
Their offseason moves to strengthen their O-Line haven’t worked and Burrow has already been sacked 13 times in two games. He was sacked 51 times in 2021 and is currently on course to record an even worse year in this regard.
In Fantasy Football, sacks and turnovers score defensive points, so whilst they may end up giving the Bengals a lot of yards, each sack will net you an additional point. If the Jets get anywhere near as close to Burrow as the Dallas Cowboys did on Sunday, you could be looking at an extra 5-7 points. For a defense, this is an excellent contribution and sometimes matchups are decided by the finest of margins.
