1. Patrick Mahomes vs. CHI

2. Jalen Hurts @ TB

3. Josh Allen vs. WAS

4. Justin Herbert @ MIN

5. Lamar Jackson vs. IND

Tier 2

6. Kirk Cousins vs. LAC

7. Tua Tagovailoa vs. DEN

8. Justin Fields @ KC

Tier 3

9. Trevor Lawrence vs. HOU

10. Deshaun Watson vs. TEN

11. Dak Prescott @ ARI

12. Geno Smith vs. CAR

Quarterback – Start Of The Week

Geno Smith vs. CAR

The rule for my start of the week is to go beyond the obvious and pick a quarterback outside the top 12 FantasyPros consensus rankings. After a big bounce back, Geno Smith is my start of the week against the Panthers.

Due to his late breakout age, this off-season may have questioned whether Smith is actually good or just a flash in the plan. Smith struggled in Week 1, scoring 9.1 points, further raising these questions. However, Smith looked fantastic in Week 2, scoring 23.1 points, helping put these allegations to rest.

DK Metcalf is slated to play after missing some time in Week 2, which will help Smith a ton. On top of that, Tyler Lockett has looked great, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to expand his role in the offense by the week. Although the Seahawks have seen a considerable amount of injuries to their offensive line, Smith has some elite weapons at his disposal.

The Panthers have struggled this season, but I expect Smith to pick them apart. Although Smith doesn’t have the potential to be a top-five quarterback this week due to the low-scoring environment, he should be a top-12 guy. 

Week 3 – Tight End Rankings

Not Applicable: George Kittle, Darren Waller

Tier 1

1. T.J. Hockenson vs. LAC

2. Travis Kelce vs. CHI

Tier 2

3. Mark Andrews vs. IND

Tier 3

4. Dallas Goedert @ TB

Tier 4

5. Hunter Henry @ NYJ

6. Evan Engram vs. HOU

7. Pat Freiermuth @ LV

8. David Njoku vs. TEN

9. Zach Ertz vs. DAL

Tier 5

10. Sam LaPorta vs. ATL

11. Tyler Higbee @ CIN

12. Jake Ferguson @ ARI

Tight End – Start Of The Week

Zach Ertz vs. DAL

Coming off a major knee injury in a bad offense, Zach Ertz was the last tight end I expected to be averaging close to 10 PPG. Even in a horrible offense, Ertz looks like the number target for the Cardinals. Josh Dobbs looked serviceable in Week 2, which is a great sign. Although I don’t expect Dobbs to continue to play at this caliber, it’s encouraging that Ertz has more targets than even Marquise Brown so far.

At the end of the day, the tight end position is such a crapshoot; if you get a guy who can command targets, they automatically become a top-12 player. Ertz is 32 years old, and he’s not the same player he once was, but if he gets even six to seven targets a game, that makes him very fantasy-relevant.

Even though the Cowboys defense has been stellar all year, Ertz should still be a top-12 tight end this week. The Cowboys are favored by 9.5 points, according to Odds Shark, but this could help Ertz due to the increased passing volume. The Cardinals should be trailing the whole game, ultimately benefiting Ertz.