Sit/Start Week 3: Reviewing All Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 24th, 1:00 PM ET

Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford New Jersey

Betting Odds: NYJ +2.5, 37 total via PFF.com

Network: CBS

Writer: Justin Mello (@JustinMelloNE on Twitter)

New England Patriots

Quarterback

Mac Jones (Sit)

Despite the 0-2 record, Mac Jones has been more impressive than most anticipated through the first two weeks of the season. Perhaps the subtraction of Matt Patricia and the subsequent addition of Bill O’Brien was an overlooked benefit for the development of the third-year signal caller. Mac Jones is completing over 68% of his passes and has 547 yards and 4 TDs through two games. Those numbers are good enough to make him the QB8 overall in fantasy for the time being. Unfortunately, he gets a tough road opponent in the New York Jets this week. Jones was limited to under 200 yards passing in his first matchup with Gang Green last year, and the entire Patriots offense was held without a touchdown in their second contest of the season. The Jets defense is still as loaded as ever and reduced Josh Allen to debatably the worst version of himself since his rookie year. Even with Jones looking the part more so than last year, the lack of talent around him likely isn’t enough to compensate for the elite defense he faces on Sunday. He is a low-end QB2 at best, but there are likely better options so Mac can stay on the bench.

Running Backs

Rhamondre Stevenson (Start, RB2), Ezekiel Elliott (Sit)

It’s been a messy and at times ugly path to the RB10 overall spot for Rhamondre Stevenson through two weeks. He’s averaged a dreadful 2.8 yards per carry playing behind the beat-up Patriots offensive line, which has missed at least two of its five starters each game so far. The offense as a whole has struggled to score points and has often been playing from behind which has minimized Stevenson’s touchdown upside. He also faces a stout run defense on Sunday which is ranked seventh overall by PFF in that category. Now that we got all the bad out of the way though, let’s talk about the good. Stevenson has been very involved in the passing game catching nine passes through two weeks. He also has been the clear engine of the offense and is playing 74% of the offensive snaps despite the off-season acquisition of Ezekiel Elliott. For the first time this season, this game figures to be one where the Patriots aren’t playing from behind which bodes well for the game script and benefits Stevenson as well. The previously mentioned concerns limit his RB1 upside, but there are enough things to like to make the third-year back a high-end RB2.

His counterpart, Elliott, hasn’t had enough opportunities in this offense to make him a starting candidate, and he’s done little with the opportunities he’s had. He is nothing more than a handcuff at this point in his career.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Juju Smith-Schuster (Sit), Kendrick Bourne (Sit), DeVante Parker (Sit), Hunter Henry (Start, TE1), Mike Gesicki (Sit)

After going to New England as a free agent from Kansas City, Juju Smith-Schuster has been one of the biggest mid-round fantasy busts so far this year. The expectation was that he could and would fill the Jakobi Meyers role (who got essentially an identical contract from Las Vegas this offseason), but Juju has looked washed. He is PFF’s 93rd-ranked WR and is 4th in the New England receiver room in snaps per game. It seems safe to say that he is not the clear top receiver in this offense as many had hoped for.  Kendrick Bourne enjoyed a wonderful Week 1 boom against Philadelphia but played second fiddle to DeVante Parker, who returned from injury in Week 2. Parker was able to turn his team-leading 74 snaps (100% of offensive snaps) into a respectable fantasy performance, but he was still held to under 60 yards. As for this Sunday, he figures to frequently line up across from Sauce Gardner as the top outside receiver for the Patriots. You probably don’t need stats to convince you of how good Sauce is, but I’ll give them to you anyway. The 2022 Rookie of the Year is currently PFF’s 11th-ranked cover corner and was 1st last season. This is a receiver room to stay away from in Week 2.

Hunter Henry on the other hand has been a delightful surprise to those who drafted him and is definitely a viable starter. He has 13 targets through his first two contests and has acted as a red zone threat similar to what he was in 2021 under Josh McDaniels. The Jets have allowed the seventh most fantasy points to the tight-end position this season, so Henry can be considered a low-end TE1 with touchdown upside. Mike Gesicki has been involved in the offense but is clearly second in the pecking order behind Henry as he has only played 55.8% of offensive snaps. He hasn’t topped 36 yards yet this year and should remain on the bench.

New York Jets

Quarterbacks

Zach Wilson (Sit)

The former second-overall pick has turned into a headbanded headache for Jets fans as well as those who have ever started any of his receivers in fantasy. There really aren’t any matchups where Zach Wilson, PFF’s 33rd-ranked passer this year, is an enticing start. This matchup is no exception. Wilson is 0-4 against Bill Belichick’s Patriots and has averaged under 6.5 fantasy points per game in those four matchups. Don’t even think about starting him.

Running Backs

Breece Hall (Start, FLEX), Dalvin Cook (Sit)

This running back room has been and will continue to be a headache for fantasy managers. Breece Hall has looked healthy and recovered from the brutal ACL injury that he suffered last year. He has averaged over nine yards per carry through two weeks (although that is admittedly inflated by one 83-yard run). The problem? He touched the ball just four times in Week 2. Fantasy managers were rightfully very upset, but Hall was maybe even more frustrated given his not-so-subtle comments about his lack of usage. Hopefully, Robert Saleh and Nathaniel Hackett hear those concerns and get their second-year running back more involved. They may be incentivized to do so given how inefficient Dalvin Cook has been. Cook is averaging an abysmal 2.4 yards per carry and seems to have lost a step from his Minnesota days. The good news is they’re playing a defense that just let Raheem Mostert run all over them and has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to RBs this season. The bad news is it’s still a confusing committee. Hall is a risky FLEX play with upside if he is utilized more in Week 3. Cook has less upside and only a slightly higher floor, making him someone who should probably remain on the bench.

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

Garret Wilson (Start, WR3), Allen Lazard (Sit), Randall Cobb (Sit), Tyler Conklin (Sit)

There are a whole lot of people who may be relying on Garrett Wilson as their WR2 or even WR1 based on where you had to draft him to get him. I don’t trust him as anything more than a touchdown-dependent WR3 though. The talent is undoubtedly still there as showcased by his 68-yard touchdown against the Cowboys. Zach Wilson is a BIG problem though. Although the touchdown salvaged his day from a fantasy perspective, Garrett only had one catch for 15 yards otherwise. Zach Wilson has only completed 54.2% of his passes and has proven to be a liability. In 2022, Garrett Wilson had 49 receptions for 656 yards and 4 touchdowns across 8 games while playing without Zach Wilson. With Zach Wilson, the numbers were significantly worse. He had 34 receptions for 447 yards and 0 touchdowns in 9 games. The Patriots defense is respectable as the 13th-ranked coverage defense per PFF, and they have allowed the 18th fewest fantasy points to the WR position despite having injuries at CB and facing A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Tyrek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle so far this year. This all makes Garrett Wilson a risky WR3 candidate who will likely need to make a big play like he did last week to be worth the start.

The rest of the New York receivers including former Packers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb should remain far away from your starting lineup for as long as Zach Wilson is under center. Lazard is the WR with the second most fantasy points on the team with a whopping 10.9 points through two games. There is no reason to believe things will get better.

Lastly, Tyler Conklin faces the same offensive struggles that the rest of the NYJ weapons do, and the Patriots have allowed the second-fewest points to tight ends thus far this season. Steer clear.