Fantasy: Start, Sit, Stash, Quit - Week 3

SSSQ is a weekly look at under-the-radar fantasy players to consider starting and potential busts you should leave on your bench. We also identify breakout candidates to stash on your roster and players you can safely cut.

For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult our Week 3 rankings. You can also listen to the Week 3 preview episode of theScore Fantasy Football Podcast.

StartCarson Wentz, Eagles

vs. Bengals

Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Early-season injuries to his offensive line coupled with a pair of bad matchups against strong defensive fronts have led to a subpar start for Wentz, as well as most of the Eagles' skill-position players. However, hope is on the way in the form of a get-right game against the Bengals.

Consider this the sequel to the Browns' matchup last week, when Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham, and Co. rebounded thanks to Cincy's generous defense.

After being sacked eight times already this season, Wentz will find similar success facing a pass rush that's struggled to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and has just a pair of sacks through two weeks.

We should also expect a lot of volume in this one. The Bengals and Eagles rank among the top seven in plays per game and were highlighted in Pat Thorman's Snaps and Pace column at Establish the Run this week.

With time to operate and plenty of fast-paced action, Wentz will get back on track and remind fantasy managers how dangerous he can be when Philly's offense is running hot.

Boone's projection: 276 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 9 rushing yards

Other QBs to start

• Ben Roethlisberger vs. Texans
• Matthew Stafford at Cardinals
• Ryan Tannehill at Vikings

David Montgomery, Bears

at Falcons

Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Montgomery's draft stock plummeted in late August and early September due to a groin injury that threatened to sideline him early in the season. Fortunately, he recovered quicker than expected and played on 45% of Chicago's offensive snaps in the opener, rushing for 64 yards on 13 carries, catching one pass for another 10 yards, and escaping with a clean bill of health.

His playing time continued to rise last week, and so did his involvement in the offense. Montgomery turned 16 carries into 82 yards on the ground, but, more importantly, he caught all three of his targets for 45 yards, including an impressive 28-yard touchdown.

Montgomery is trending toward a much bigger passing-game role in 2020 after receiving six targets through two outings, and that could be the key that unlocks his fantasy value.

His next opponent - the Falcons - have a history of giving up a high volume of receptions to running backs in past years and have already allowed Chris Carson and Ezekiel Elliott to catch six balls each this season.

Don't hesitate to start Montgomery as a top-20 fantasy back in Week 3, and get used to him ranking in that range for the rest of the year.

Boone's projection: 79 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards, TD

Other RBs to start

• Kenyan Drake vs. Lions
• Jerick McKinnon at Giants
• Joshua Kelley vs. Panthers

Diontae Johnson, Steelers

vs. Texans

Joe Sargent / Getty Images Sport / Getty

I moved Diontae Johnson above JuJu Smith-Schuster in the Week 3 rankings after talking about it on this week's episode of theScore Fantasy Football Podcast.

Smith-Schuster missing practice Wednesday and Thursday facilitated the change, but Johnson is leading the team in almost every utilization metric.

The sophomore wideout has followed up his strong rookie campaign by pacing the Steelers in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and air yards through two appearances. An unbiased observer would absolutely peg Johnson as Pittsburgh's No. 1 wideout if there weren't names on the back of the jerseys, and that's occurring after he missed time in training camp due to injuries.

Johnson will continue to flourish as his connection with Ben Roethlisberger grows, giving him an outside chance to flirt with WR1 numbers in fantasy while JuJu becomes a steady WR2.

Boone's projection: 89 receiving yards, TD

Other WRs to start

• Marquise Brown vs. Chiefs
• CeeDee Lamb at Seahawks
• Cooper Kupp at Bills

Hunter Henry, Chargers

vs. Panthers

MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images / MediaNews Group / Getty

Henry has been a big part of a Chargers passing attack that's working at a quicker pace than we expected entering the season.

Despite being one of the slowest offenses in 2019, Anthony Lynn's crew has floated closer to league average and is currently sitting 19th after two games, according to Football Outsiders.

That's helped Henry get off to a fast start with 16 targets and stat lines of 5-73-0 and 6-83-0.

First-rounder Justin Herbert's 311 passing yards during his impressive debut only breeds more excitement for this passing attack's potential moving forward.

Herbert will get a favorable matchup this Sunday against an exploitable Panthers defense in the middle of a rebuild, so expect Henry to continue his early-season surge with another solid outing and his first trip to the end zone this year.

Boone's projection: 71 receiving yards, TD

Other TEs to start

• Jonnu Smith at Vikings
• T.J. Hockenson at Cardinals
• Jordan Reed at Giants (If George Kittle is ruled out)

SitJared Goff, Rams

at Bills

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Coming off a top-12 fantasy finish in Week 2 where he tossed three touchdowns to tight end Tyler Higbee, recency bias might have fantasy managers overvaluing Goff. However, this is a matchup to fear for the Rams' offense.

The Bills' defense is giving up the 11th-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, including Ryan Fitzpatrick's 328-yard performance against a Buffalo team without its top two linebackers in Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano.

Both ballhawks are on track to return to the lineup this Sunday. Additionally, the Bills have historically been more stout when playing at home.

Despite the Rams' hot start, you may want to temper your expectations for Sean McVay's surrogate in this matchup.

Boone's projection: 234 passing yards, TD, INT, FUM

Other QBs to sit

• Drew Brees vs. Packers
• Baker Mayfield vs. Washington
• Daniel Jones vs. 49ers

David Johnson, Texans

at Steelers

Bob Levey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Johnson appears to have recaptured a lot of his speed and playmaking ability after they were sapped by injuries in the second half of 2019. He's also seeing incredible volume in Houston. The veteran received 73% of the Texans' backfield touches in Week 1 before assuming 100% of the workload in Week 2 with Duke Johnson out of the lineup.

Unfortunately, Johnson's efficiency cratered last week as the Ravens shut down Houston's offense. He came away with just 34 yards on 11 carries, adding two catches for 16 yards.

Baltimore has been the toughest defense in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, but the Texans' next challenge isn't much easier.

The Steelers rank fourth in fantasy points allowed and have held Saquon Barkley and Melvin Gordon in check.

Unless Johnson can find the end zone, it's likely to be another hard week for his fantasy managers before Houston's schedule begins to lighten up.

Boone's projection: 32 rushing yards, 24 receiving yards

Other RBs to sit

• Mark Ingram vs. Chiefs
• Ronald Jones at Broncos
• Devonta Freeman/Dion Lewis/Wayne Gallman vs. 49ers

A.J. Green, Bengals

at Eagles

Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

Green currently leads the league in air yards through two games, which is normally indicative that a breakout is coming for an underperforming pass-catcher. And one might certainly be on the way for Green with rookie Joe Burrow looking like he can be a true franchise quarterback in Cincinnati.

However, there's a reason why Green is the WR63 in fantasy at this point despite all the opportunities he's been given. The 32-year-old isn't the same player after missing a year and a half due to injuries. He's struggling to get the kind of separation he's used to and he's been unable to win as many contested catches.

That task won't get any easier against a revamped Eagles secondary that now features Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman. That unit just limited top Rams wideout Robert Woods to two catches for 14 yards in Week 2 and held Terry McLaurin to a fairly quiet five-catch, 61-yard day in Week 1.

Perhaps volume will win out in the end, but I'm sending Green to my bench until we see him prove it. You should also consider stashing rookie wideout Tee Higgins after his playing time and targets rose significantly last week.

Boone's projection: 43 receiving yards

Other WRs to sit

• Jarvis Landry vs. Washington
• Will Fuller/Brandin Cooks at Steelers
• Marvin Jones at Cardinals

Chris Herndon IV, Jets

at Colts

Steven Ryan / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Tight end has always been the hardest position to identify sit options each week because if you have a quality player at the position, you're likely starting them.

So instead we'll take the time to say goodbye to Herndon as a fantasy breakout candidate. Despite all the offseason hype over the last two years from coaches and front-office staff in New York, Herndon - like so many other skill-position players in recent years - has fallen victim to the Adam Gase curse.

One would think it wise to feature the Jets' pass-catching tight end with the receiving corps decimated by injuries. Sadly, Herndon has been used as a blocker more than anticipated and has just 42 yards over the first two games.

With Jamison Crowder hurt, we can safely stay away from this New York offense in fantasy until further notice.

Boone's projection: 26 receiving yards

Other TEs to sit

• Austin Hooper vs. Washington
• Rob Gronkowski at Broncos
• Jordan Akins at Steelers

StashAlshon Jeffery, Eagles Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

Jeffery (10% rostered) made a surprise appearance at Eagles practice Thursday. Though he won't be in the lineup this week, there's hope he could suit up as early as Week 4. While we should be skeptical about Jeffery's fantasy upside, it won't cost you much to roster him for the next week or so as long as you have an open spot on your injured reserve list. Pick up Jeffery, stash him on IR, and wait to see if he can get back to being a difference-maker in Philly's offense. At worst, his trade value should increase over the next week as news trickles out about his return.

Jeff Wilson, 49ers Julio Aguilar / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The focus has shifted to Jerick McKinnon in the 49ers' backfield with Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman sidelined, and for good reason. McKinnon has been explosive in his return to the lineup after missing two seasons with injuries of his own. However, Kyle Shanahan has an affinity for using multiple backs, and while McKinnon should command 12-15 touches, there'll be room for another runner to work alongside him. Wilson (16% rostered) stepped up last year, serving as the temporary power back and goal-line option. We should expect him to take on that role again for at least a week or two until Mostert gets healthy.

QuitTevin Coleman, 49ers Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Since we're stashing Wilson, we can definitely let Coleman (40% rostered) hit the waiver wire. He'd taken a back seat to Mostert and McKinnon even before suffering a knee injury. Now that Coleman's on injured reserve, we're unlikely to see him again until the middle of the season at the earliest.

Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty

Gronkowski has two catches for 11 yards on just four targets through two games with the Buccaneers, yet he's somehow still rostered in 65% of fantasy leagues. If you missed it this week, Bruce Arians made it clear that he's not concerned about getting Gronk the ball and is fine with him serving primarily as a blocking tight end. It appears Gronk's days as a fantasy asset are over.

Copyright (C) 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.