Week 3 Fantasy Football position previews
BOSTON -- As we march toward Week 3 of the NFL season, it's time to really settle in to fantasy football. It's starting to get pretty serious.
For the best advice on how to put together a winning lineup, we turn to the CBS Sports fantasy football team and their weekly position previews.
Quarterbacks
The Top 5 quarterback plays this week need no introduction. They're all really, really good: Buffalo's Josh Allen (@ Miami), Philadelphia's Jalen Hurts (@ Washington), Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes (@ Indianapolis), Los Angeles' Justin Herbert (vs. Jacksonville), and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson (@ New England).
Need a streamer? It's a rough go in the land of quarterbacks, but Heath Cummings recommends Atlanta's Marcus Mariota and his matchup against the porous Seattle defense.
"It's a pretty terrible week at quarterback, but Mariota's rushing ability and good matchup make him a borderline start against Seattle. He's a better option in leagues that only reward four points per pass touchdown because it would be very surprising if he throws more than two. But he could run for another as well," writes Cummings.
Check out Cummings' full Week 3 QB preview here.
Running backs
The Colts had Jonathan Taylor run the ball just 10 times in last week's loss to the Jaguars, which is an interesting approach. He should be much more involved this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, and is Cummings' second-ranked running back for Week 3.
L.A.'s Austin Ekeler (vs. Jacksonville), Taylor, Cincinnati's Joe Mixon (@ NY Jets), New York Giants' Saquon Barkley (Monday night vs. Dallas), and Minnesota's Dalvin Cook (vs. Detroit) are his Top 5 rushers this week. Cummings is also very high on Tampa Bay's Leonard Fournette against the Packers, despite the running back's slow start to the season.
"The Tampa Bay receiving corps has been decimated by injuries and the suspension of Mike Evans, so I would expect a heavy dose of Leonard Fournette, who assured Fantasy managers this week that the touchdowns are coming," writes Cummings. "He's facing a very good Green Bay defense that still was gashed on the ground by David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, so it's not an impossible matchup. I wouldn't be surprised if Fournette leads Tampa Bay in catches as well."
Check out Cummings' full Week 3 running back preview here.
Wide receiver
For this week's top pass-catchers, L.A. Rams' Cooper Kupp (@ Arizona), Minnesota's Justin Jefferson (vs. Detroit), Buffalo's Stefon Diggs (@ Miami), Las Vegas' Davante Adams (@ Tennessee), and San Francisco's Deebo Samuel (@ Denver) are the top plays in Week 3.
If you need to snag someone who can catch a lot of passes, go for New England's Jakobi Meyers against the Ravens.
"Like Shepard, Meyers was supposed to be supplanted by more exciting wide receivers but just keeps earning the most targets. Now he gets to face a banged up Baltimore secondary that was just lit up by the Dolphins," writes Cummings. "Expect eight-plus targets and double-digit Fantasy points. He's a better add in full PPR."
Check out Cummings' full Week 3 wide receiver preview here.
Tight end
Kansas City's Travis Kelce (@ Indianapolis), Baltimore's Mark Andrews (@ New England), Las Vegas' Darren Waller (@Tennessee), L.A. Rams' Tyler Higbee (@ Arizona), and Atlanta's Kyle Pitts (@ Seattle) are Cummings' top plays at tight end this week.
If you need to go outside of the box, give Washington's Logan Thomas and his matchup with the Eagles could be a strong play.
"Thomas saw his participation increase in Week 2 and I'd expect that trend to continue moving forward," writes Cummings. "He has a lot of competition for targets, but playing one of the most pass-heavy offenses in football should help mitigate that. I'd expect Thomas to be a borderline top-12 tight end rest of season."
Check out Cummings' Week 3 tight end preview here.