How should fantasy GMs attack week 3? Which offenses you can trust? | The Audible

# The Audible – Week 3 Preview, Part One

This episode is Cesar Lammy and Sigmund Bloom's game-by-game walkthrough of the Week 3 slate, mixing streaming and start/sit calls with bigger-picture reads on which offenses are trending up or down. The throughline is that several units are hitting inflection points — Atlanta, Green Bay, Cleveland, Indy, Kansas City — while others (the Chargers, Steelers, Giants) look like sustained problems rather than blips.

The arguments

Michael Penix's return unlocks Atlanta's passing game. Bloom argues Penix's aggressive downfield style is tailor-made for Drake London and Kyle Pitts, both of whom "play above the rim," and that offensive coordinators can finally use parts of the playbook that were shelved under Cooper Rush. Both hosts frame job one as simply keeping Penix healthy, with Bijan Robinson benefiting incidentally from better game scripts.

Green Bay's backfield remains unownable, but Jordan Love is a buy-low. Lammy states plainly that nobody in the Marshawn Lloyd/Chris Brooks/Josh Jacobs timeshare is doing the "total job," and he doesn't expect that to change. Both hosts pivot to Love as the actual value, citing his downfield passing ability, a rested Matthew Golden poised for a breakout, and a Steelers/Falcons-driven soft stretch on the schedule; Chris Brooks (pass-blocking) and Caleb Johnson get flex looks over Lloyd given the matchup script.

The Chargers' offense is a full-blown crisis, and Josh Allen is essentially untouchable in trades. Lammy leans on Daniel Popper's parting tweet to lay the offense's dysfunction at Mike McDaniel's feet, questioning whether the Harbaugh-McDaniel pairing was ever sound; both hosts agree Buffalo should be started against everywhere, and Lammy states no trade return currently matches Josh Allen's per-game scoring lead (roughly seven points ahead of the field, per his framing) even against players like Jahmyr Gibbs.

Deshaun Watson and the Browns are being treated skeptically even as his play improves. Lammy jokes he can't take Cleveland seriously "until there's a quarterback change," while Bloom plays devil's advocate, crediting OC Todd Monken's scheme and weapons (Harold Fannin, Denzel Boston) for making Watson viable as a streaming/superflex QB2 against Carolina. They flag this as a "prove it" week before any Shedeur Sanders change of heart.

Kansas City's offense is now must-start across the board with Mahomes, Kelce, and the run game all clicking together. Bloom says he was wrong to doubt Mahomes given the offensive line issues, but a real running game (Kareem Hunt/Isiah Pacheco mix referenced as "Emma Johnson"-type role) has unlocked downfield shots for Kelce, Rice, JuJu-type depth pieces, and touchdown-vulture risk for anyone in the red zone against Miami's defense.

Indianapolis is set up for a smoother schedule and more offensive success than Houston this week. Lammy notes Indy already put up 30 on Kansas City and hung with Baltimore, and with Josh Downs likely to see a heavier target share after Alec Pierce's injury, Daniel Jones's offense should outproduce a Houston running game that still isn't getting push despite an offensive line built for exactly that.

The Steelers' offense and Giants' quarterback situation are both effectively lost causes for fantasy. Both hosts dismiss Pittsburgh's skill-position value (DK Metcalf, Jalen Warren) given Aaron Rodgers' erratic play and questionable coaching relationship with Mike McCarthy, while on the Giants side, Malik Nabors' recurring shoulder instability and a worse-than-reported Jaxson Dart injury make Jameis Winston's supporting cast (Nabors, Darnell Mooney) unreliable despite a favorable Tennessee pass defense matchup.

What it means for your roster

• Start Drake London and Kyle Pitts with confidence now that Penix returns; both are viewed as primary beneficiaries of a more vertical passing attack.
• Buy low on Jordan Love if his owner is discouraged by the backfield chaos — hosts see a friendly upcoming schedule and note Matthew Golden as a breakout watch.
• Do not trade Josh Allen under any circumstance per Lammy; his per-game scoring lead makes any realistic offer light. Start Buffalo's full complement (Cook, Kincaid, Shakir, Moore/Coleman) as high-floor plays against the Chargers.
• Bench/avoid the Chargers offense outright — Herbert's supporting cast (Njoku, Kolar out) and McDaniel's scheme dysfunction make this a fade, not just against Buffalo but for the stretch ahead.
• Stream Deshaun Watson in superflex against Carolina, and roster Harold Fannin as a low-end TE1; treat this as a "prove it" audition given Shedeur Sanders looms.
• Prioritize Kansas City's full passing-game corps (Kelce as TE1, Rice/Worthy as WR plays) and remain cautious on Kenneth Walker's second-half workload in blowout scripts.
• Fade Steelers skill players and Giants' passing-game weapons this week — Metcalf, Warren, Nabors, and Mooney are all flagged as unreliable given coaching/QB instability on both sides.