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

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 24th, 8:20 PM ET

Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

Betting Odds: LV -2.5, 43 O/U total via OddsShark

Network: NBC

Writer: Nick Beaudoin

Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterback

Kenny Pickett (Sit, QB2)

With an upgraded cast of weapons and a strong finish to last season, Kenny Pickett had high expectations placed upon his shoulders entering year two. So far, though, we have been severely disappointed. Pickett and the entire Steelers offense have once again sputtered under OC Matt Canada’s seemingly inept coaching and play calling, inciting Steelers fans to call for his head. Even against a Raiders secondary ranked #30 by PFF, there is little to get excited about with Pickett who has mustered just two touchdowns and three interceptions this season. To make matters worse, #1 WR Diontae Johnson has officially been placed on IR. It will be extremely hard to trust Pickett as more than a low-QB2 this week against Las Vegas.

Running Backs

Najee Harris (Start, RB1), Jaylen Warren (Sit, Flex)

Najee Harris is someone I’m buying back into this week, and buying low wherever I can. Najee is still an extremely talented RB taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, and is highly capable in both the rushing and passing games. We’ve seen him have stretches of RB1 numbers, and I do believe he will get back to that form when the offense [hopefully] figures itself out. Yes, he only has 76 total yards entering Week 3; however, his matchups have been horrible against potential top-5 defenses in San Francisco and Cleveland. This week, he takes on a Raiders defensive line that just gave up 178 yards and two touchdowns to the Buffalo Bills trio of backs. With an implied point total of 20, I expect the Steelers to try and establish the run with Najee, giving him the highest likelihood on the team of scoring a touchdown. Fire up Najee as a back-end RB1.

Jaylen Warren has become everyone’s favorite sleeper this season, and although he has outperformed Najee through the first two weeks, he is still very much the backup in Pittsburgh. Warren put his receiving abilities on display last week with 66 yards on four catches, which is where all of his value lies. He has earned his 6-10 touches each game, however his upside is capped with Najee in line for goal line carries, leaving Warren as the fourth [or even fifth] option on a low-scoring offense. Warren is no more than a FLEX play this week, with low touchdown upside.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Diontae Johnson (Out), George Pickens (Start, WR2), Allen Robinson (Sit, Flex), Calvin Austin (Sit), Pat Freiermeuth (Sit, TE2)

Diontae Johnson is one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL. He is arguably the best separator in the league, and is coming off a season where he commanded the 147 targets; 8th-highest in the league. Somehow with all those targets, he magically defied all odds, scoring zero touchdowns on the year. It was admittedly a down year in his first season without Ben Roethlisberger, however the talent is there with WR21 and WR8 finishes in the two seasons before. Unfortunately for the Steelers, Diontae has officially been placed on the IR with a hamstring injury, meaning he will miss at least the next four games.

Next man up. Before we begin, I am not a George Pickens truther. Don’t get me wrong – He is an absolute monster. However, the analytics behind his performances do not support him ever being great. Sure, he’s made some of the most impressive catches I’ve ever seen – but he is also one of the worst separators in the league, which forces him to rely on pure athleticism and acrobatics to make these plays. Is it fun to watch? Of course. Is it sustainable? Time will tell, but I lean towards “No.” Because of his inability to separate, he also does not command targets like a true #1 WR. Where Diontae Johnson averaged 8.6 targets/game last season, Pickens averaged 4.9. Of course this is a small sample size, but compared to other players in his draft class like Garrett Wilson [8.6 targets/game] and Chris Olave [7.9 targets/game], this is extremely low volume for someone you’re hoping to become your Alpha. Now, in two games this season Pickens has stepped up, averaging 8.5 targets/game and gaining 127 yards and one touchdown last week (let’s disregard the fact that he caught just four of his ten targets). Without Diontae on the field, I do like Pickens’ opportunity this week, and believe he will again get the volume necessary for him to be a solid fantasy contributor. He clearly has a chip on his shoulder, and this is his chance to prove to the world that he is a WR1. With that being said, I have him as a WR2.

I have always loved Allen Robinson to a fault, and it is truly a shame he never got to experience his prime with a top-tier QB. After two straight disappointing seasons with the Bears and Rams, I have all but given up on him being fantasy relevant. Both him and second year receiver Calvin Austin will need to step up in the absence of Johnson, but neither can be trusted more than a touchdown-dependent FLEX option for the time being. If you’re for some reason choosing one of them, I’d lean the big-bodied Robinson as more likely to see red zone targets.

Any other season without Kyle Pitts entering the draft, it would have been Pat Freiermuth as the #1 TE off the board. “Baby Gronk” is an all-around complete TE, with both blocking and receiving prowess. I want to believe in Freiermuth this week, but with just five yards receiving (and one touchdown) on the season, it is definitely hard to trust him. However, at a volatile, touchdown-dependent position like TE, you can certainly do worse than a player who finished as TE13 and TE7 in his first two years in the league. He has not received the volume so far, but with Diontae Johnson out, he is a stream-worthy option as the team’s top red zone target.

Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterbacks

Jimmy Garoppolo (Sit, QB2)

Jimmy Garoppolo has done an absolutely perfect imitation of Jimmy Garoppolo so far this season, “leading” his new team to a 1-1 record, despite not topping 200 yards passing in either game. Although the Steelers will be without DT Cameron Hayward (groin) and potentially S Minkah Fitzpatrick (chest), their secondary will still be a challenge for the run-first Raiders, after forcing two defensive touchdowns against the Browns last week. With a team implied point total of 23, Garoppolo is a low-floor, low-ceiling option, and cannot be trusted as more than a mid-QB2 against the Steelers this week.

Running Backs

Josh Jacobs (Start, RB1), Zamir White (Sit)

The RB3 in 2022 has been off to a slow start (to say the least), but the former first-round pick is still one of the most talented backs in the league, and is undoubtedly the bell-cow of this offense. Coming off a -2 yard rushing stat line on nine attempts (he did have five receptions for 51 yards) against the Bills, I fully expect Jacobs to bounce back this week against Pittsburgh. If there is one place to beat the Steelers so far this season, it has been on the ground, allowing 150+ rush yards to both the 49ers and Browns. As home favorites, the Raiders will try to establish the run early and often, putting Jacobs back in the 15-20 touch range like he had in Week 1. Even against a TJ Watt-led Pittsburgh defense, Jacobs is a must-start RB1 each and every week.

Zamir White appeared to be the Raiders RB of the future after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Jacobs had other plans. White has struggled to get on the field behind the All-Pro, and provides little to no value unless as long as Jacobs is healthy.

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends

Davante Adams (Start, WR1), Jakobi Meyers (Start, WR3), Hunter Renfrow (Sit), Austin Hooper (Sit)

Despite a lateral-at-best QB change to begin the season, Davante Adams has picked up right where he left off, with 12 receptions for 150 yards and one touchdown through his first two games. The Steelers secondary has plenty of talent, featuring CB Patrick Peterson and (still monitoring the status of) S Minkah Fitzpatrick, but matchups don’t matter for WRs of Adams’ caliber. Fire up Davante as your WR1 with confidence this week and every week moving forward.

Although Jakobi Meyers and Garoppolo’s time in New England never actually synced up, they both clearly felt right at home in Josh McDaniels’ system, starting off the season with nine receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos. Meyers missed Week 2 in concussion protocol, but is on the practice field this week and trending in the right direction to play against the Steelers. As a New England fan, I have seen Meyers perform well for literally years without scoring a touchdown, so I am not buying into this two touchdown performance quite yet – but if he is able to go, he should see a healthy 5-7 targets, making him a safe, low-floor WR3 in Week 3.

With a few injuries hampering his ’22 season, slot receiver Hunter Renfrow has not been the same player that we saw his rookie year. He still has the talent and opportunity, but with just one reception for 23 yards so far this season, he can remain on your waivers for the time being.

I honestly don’t know what the Raiders plan is anymore. When McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler came over from New England, they made splashes both offensively and defensively in free agency, appearing to be in a “Super Bowl or bust” mentality. However, after an extremely disappointing 2022 season, they swapped their scapegoat QB Derek Carr for Jimmy Garoppolo, and TE Darren Waller for Austin Hooper. Josh Jacobs has since re-signed on a one year deal, and Davante Adams is in his age-30 season. This team has all the makings of sitting at or below .500 for years to come.

Anyway, I digress. The moral of this rant is: Do not start Austin Hooper.

– Nick Beaudoin