Fantasy Football Week 3 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Target
If you aren't scouring the waiver wire for weekly sleepers, you either have the best fantasy football roster ever assembled or you're doing it wrong.
There is too much volatility in NFL production to ignore the many potential gold mines out there. In Week 2 alone, Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz and Joe Flacco were all top-six fantasy performers at the quarterback position, per FantasyPros.
If you want to get in on these undervalued numbers, you're in luck. We're here to lay out our favorite deep sleeper—rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues—at the three marquee positions for Week 3.
Quarterback: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (37 Percent Rostered)
It's possible Jared Goff turns back into a pumpkin at some point, but his early-season heater is worth your attention.
He was solid in Detroit's season opener, throwing for 215 yards and two scores. In Week 2, though, he upped the ante with 256 yards and four touchdowns.
The list of quarterbacks with at least 450 passing yards, six touchdowns and more than one interception includes Goff, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert. That's it. That's the statistical company Goff is keeping so far.
This start has been incredible, and he has a chance to keep it going against a Minnesota Vikings defense that just allowed Jalen Hurts to go 26-of-31 for 333 yards and a touchdown.
Running Back: J.D. McKissic, Washington Commanders (26 Percent Rostered)
Game script plays a huge part in J.D. McKissic's fantasy appeal.
If the Commanders can grab control of a game early and lean on their running game, that can torpedo McKissic's involvement. He was barely an afterthought in their season opener, when he managed just six touches for 28 yards.
That all flipped in Week 2, though, as Washington attempted to wiggle out of a 22-point halftime deficit. McKissic was targeted seven times in the contest, ultimately receiving 10 touches and turning them into 63 yards.
In Week 3, Washington draws a Philadelphia Eagles team that is 2-0 and has scored 62 points. The Commanders could lean heavily on the pass this weekend, which means they'll likely be leaning on McKissic again.
Wide Receiver: Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots (48 Percent Rostered)
The Patriots haven't gotten a ton of mileage out of their aerial attack, but they have aired it out often enough for Jakobi Meyers to make a fantasy impact.
He was solid in Week 1, turning six targets into four receptions for 55 yards. He was closer to special in Week 2, as he received 13 targets and finished with nine catches for 95 yards.
If he's healthy enough to suit up on Sunday—he didn't practice Wednesday due to a knee injury—he could keep his production trending up.
New England is about to lock horns with the Baltimore Ravens, who are beat up in the secondary and just stomached a 469-yard, six-score performance by Tua Tagovailoa.