Matchups to target for Week 3 in fantasy football

It is never too early to look ahead in fantasy football, especially if you are coming off a down week. And especially if you faced Derrick Henry in any of your leagues (raises hand). 

Let’s take a look at a few matchups that stand out for Week 3 in the NFL before it even kicks off. 

Sterling Shepard vs. Atlanta Falcons

Yes, Kenny Golladay was paid a ton of money by the Giants, but make no mistake: This team’s WR1 is Sterling Shepard, who has 16 receptions on 20 targets for 207 yards and a touchdown through the first two weeks of the season. Having a viable wideout to play on the outside is great for Shepard, who has always been far more efficient from the slot over the course of his career. We saw him move outside a bit more last year due to the Giants personnel but so far this season, Shepard has lined up in the slot right around 75% of the time. That bodes well for a matchup with the Giants, who allowed a touchdown and 44 yards on four receptions to DeVonta Smith from the slot back in Week 1. Shepard is approaching must-start territory, especially in PPR leagues where you start three receivers.

Tight ends vs. the New York Giants

On the other side of this game, Kyle Pitts should be able to build off his strong Week 2 performance here. After a down debut in Week 1, Pitts bounced back Sunday with five receptions for 73 yards against the Buccaneers. His playing time went up, as he played more snaps than Hayden Hurst, and continues to line up in the slot, out wide, wherever. Pitts hasn’t found the end zone yet, but I think that changes in Week 3 against a Giants defense that has allowed a tight end to score in consecutive weeks to start the season. And the two tight ends to find the end zone against them have been Ricky Seals-Jones and Albert Okwuegbunam, who aren’t nearly as involved in their team’s offense as Pitts is. Start Pitts with the utmost confidence this weekend. 

Austin Ekeler vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Austin Ekeler’s usage in Week 1 and Week 2 were essentially polar opposites. In Week 1, Ekeler saw 15 carries and two carries from inside the 5-yard line, though he didn’t register a single target. On Sunday of Week 2, his carries dropped to nine, but he caught all nine of his targets for 61 yards. He logged around 63% of the snaps and ran a healthy 27 pass routes and now gets a matchup against the Chiefs that should feature plenty of points and opportunities for receptions for Ekeler. We also just saw Kansas City get absolutely torched on the ground by the Ravens Sunday night, and while Lamar Jackson certainly had a lot to do with that, they also allowed a ton of chunk runs to Latavius Murray, Ty’Son Williams and Devonta Freeman. The Chiefs have also been bottom-eight in receptions, receiving yards and fantasy points per game to opposing backfields since the start of last season.