16 NFL players who start or sit on the bench

Even if your team is 0-2, your fantasy football season isn't over. While fantasy isn't real life, over the last two seasons teams have started 0-2 and still made the playoffs. Why isn't your fantasy team making it? If you want to crawl out of this hole, however, you need to make the right decisions about who to start and who to bench in the future.

Those right decisions can mean the difference between a win on the week and a loss so bad your league group chat is Photoshopping your players onto the sides of milk cartons. But USA TODAY is here to help you make those decisions. Here are eight players who will start in Week 3 and eight more who will stay on the bench.

September 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) runs against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

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Players starting in Week 3:

Quarterbacks:

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Derek Carr has started the 2024 season off to a great start, and now he's facing an Eagles secondary that gave up the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks a year ago? That's a winning combination. Although Carr doesn't do much with his legs, the Saints offense looked like one of the best in the league early on. Unless the Saints get another massive early lead, Carr should have a lot of work and an excellent matchup ahead of him.

Running backs:

Chicago's offense has looked abysmal so far, but the Colts' run defense has arguably looked even worse. In two weeks, the Colts have allowed both Houston's Joe Mixon and Green Bay's Josh Jacobs to total over 300 yards. Opponents have realized that the best way to beat the Colts is to attack them on the ground. It may not be pretty, but Swift should have his best day of the season this weekend.

Washington's pass defense has been atrocious, and with Tee Higgins potentially missing Week 3 as well, the Bengals' pass catchers should have great performances, so why would we list a running back here?

Well, Cincinnati should have a big lead from the start, and even if not, Moss has proven he's a very capable pass catcher. The Commanders just gave up 95 yards to Devin Singletary in Week 2, and in Week 1, this Washington defense allowed six pass catches and 75 yards to Rachaad White. In PPR formats, Moss should have a solid day against Washington.

Tony Pollard is the clear leader in Tennessee, and in Week 3 the Titans will face a Packers defense that allowed three touchdowns to Saquon Barkley in Week 1 and gave up over 100 rushing yards on just 12 carries to Jonathan Taylor in Week 2.

Wide receivers:

Fans weren't sure if Shakir or first-round draft pick Keon Coleman would be Josh Allen's new favorite target without Stefon Diggs in town. Shakir has emerged as that top guy. Jacksonville's secondary is coming off an atrocious performance that actually made Deshaun Watson look like a decent quarterback. Josh Allen is actually a good quarterback, and his top target should benefit from that.

The Saints offense was one of the best in the NFL to start the season and can't be ignored at this point. While Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara will always be starting, Week 3 presents a great opportunity to put Rashid Shaheed in the starting lineup as well. The Eagles secondary tends to allow big plays, and Shaheed is the guy to make the big plays in New Orleans. Additionally, Shaheed has averaged over 10 PPR points per game, even when you subtract his touchdowns. While the volume isn't quite where you want it for a FLEX receiver, a tighter game against Philadelphia should give Shaheed more playing time.

Tight Ends:

Against an atrocious Carolina defense, Bowers should have a field day. That's pretty much all that needs to be said. Although Bowers' touchdown chances are slim against a lackluster Raiders offense, the Raiders will never have a better opponent than the one they have this Sunday. Bowers has 15 receptions on 17 targets through two weeks, and considering how little some of the game's star tight ends have been used this year, those are huge numbers that guarantee a safe floor pretty much every week.

Defense/Special Teams:

You'll see a pattern here, but any defense that plays against the Panthers is a must-watch for anyone who streams defenses. The Panthers have scored 13 total points in two weeks, and their only touchdown came in overtime against a Saints team that had a big lead early on. Until Carolina's offense shows it can complete multiple passes in a row, any defense that plays against them is a safe bet.

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Players sitting on the bench in Week 3:

Quarterbacks:

We don't currently know the severity of Cooper Kupp's injury, but if history is any indicator, this will be a problem for the Rams' star receiver for quite some time. Without Kupp or Nacua, none of the Rams' pass catchers have proven capable of leading a passing attack. Stafford is a good quarterback, but against a very talented 49ers defense, he won't be able to do much without talent in the receiver room.

In this new Jim Harbaugh offense, it's clear that the Los Angeles Chargers will be running a lot. That alone is enough to bench Justin Herbert, but when you add in Pittsburgh's incredible defense, there's little to no reason to use the Chargers' playmaker in Week 3.

Running backs:

Dobbins has started the season off fantastically. Despite Jim Harbaugh's insistence on splitting the workload in the backfield between Dobbins and Gus Edwards, Dobbins has had a slight advantage since Week 2. However, facing a strong Steelers defense in Week 3, Dobbins will likely post his lowest efficiency of the season. With no action in the passing game either, Dobbins will likely be a touchdown-dependent player, and that ceiling isn't high enough to warrant a spot in your starting lineup.

Over the past two weeks, the Arizona Cardinals, who on paper have one of the worst defenses in the league, have proven that they can actually stop opposing running backs very well. Kyren Williams managed just 2.1 yards per carry on Sunday, and a week earlier, James Cook managed just 3.7 yards per carry.

Additionally, the Cardinals have been one of the NFL's best first-half teams so far. It's entirely possible that they build a sizable lead by halftime and the Lions rely on the passing game in the second half, paving the way for Jahmyr Gibbs to do most of the work in the final 30 minutes.

Wide receivers:

It's clear that Chris Godwin is the best receiver in Tampa without Dave Canales as offensive coordinator. Yet Evans is still the most feared receiver and he's still the best receiver on the team's roster. When he faces the Broncos in Week 3, two factors work against Evans:

He will probably be shadowed by Patrick Surtain
The Broncos are not good. Tampa Bay should get a big lead and run a lot.

Evans has shown he still has a lot left in him, but the Broncos are not a good opponent for the five-time Pro Bowler.

While it was always going to be difficult for Aiyuk to make an immediate impact after missing most of training camp, his performance over the past two weeks has been nothing but disappointing. Aiyuk's production, lack of volume, and the use of players like Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel all bode poorly for Aiyuk's short-term success. Additionally, Aiyuk has been very weak against the Los Angeles Rams in the past, scoring more than 12 PPR points in just three of seven games against Los Angeles.

Tight Ends:

The Chiefs are fantastic at blocking opposing teams' best offensive options. In Week 1, they held Mark Andrews and Derrick Henry to 60 total yards. In Week 2, they held Ja'Marr Chase to 35 yards. The Falcons' best option is obviously Bijan Robinson, but there's no way you can start Robinson. Next up, however, is Pitts, and while Pitts scored a touchdown in Week 1, he likely won't have the same success in Week 3 against Kansas City.

Yes, this man just scored 18.9 PPR fantasy points. But this is still Hunter Henry we're talking about. Do we really want to bet that Henry will repeat such a performance – something he's never done before – against a very solid Jets defense? No.

Henry has certainly earned his spot on your roster, but let's wait a bit before dismissing him as a “set it and forget it” tight end. After all, despite his excellent stats, he only had a single red zone attempt in Week 2. In a weak New England offense, Henry's touchdown potential isn't the best. He'll rely solely on his volume, which is unlikely to be repeated in Week 3.

16 NFL players who start or sit on the bench

Players starting in Week 3:

Quarterbacks:

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16 NFL players who start or sit on the bench

Players starting in Week 3:

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