Fantasy Football Week 3 Lineup Advice: Start/Sit Debates, Breakout Picks & TD Calls (Ep. 2217)
Ryan Wormeli, Jake Ciely and Pat Fitzmaurice break down Week 3 start/sit calls, running through the week's hottest waiver adds (Gadsden, Mitchell, Boston), several head-to-head RB and WR debates (Hubbard/Skattebo, Judkins/Henderson, Coker/J-Mo, Boston/Dobbs) and a rapid-fire round of flex and QB toss-ups. They close with flag-plant sleepers and touchdown picks for the week.
This episode is a straight start/sit and waiver triage session built around three Browns-or-Panthers-adjacent debates that dominated the show, plus a running theme: don't let name value override current role and scheme fit. Ryan Heath, Jake Ciely, and Pat Fitzmaurice spend most of the hour disagreeing on tight end and receiver value in murky offenses (Chargers, Jets, Lions, Patriots) while mostly aligning on clear-role running backs.
The arguments
Adonai Mitchell is a legitimate flex/WR3 start, not just a stash. Jake argued Mitchell is outtargeting Garrett Wilson in a Jets offense where Geno Smith is merely competent-enough, and pointed to Mitchell leading the NFL in air-yard share (59.4% of Jets air yards) against a Lions secondary that's allowed 658 passing yards and six touchdowns. Fitz agreed Mitchell (WR31 for him) is a start, comparing his profile to Josh Downs/Xavier Legette-type volume plays who don't need efficiency to hit floor value.
Denzel Boston has real weekly helium, with Fitz far more aggressive than consensus. Fitz ranked Boston WR29 (consensus has him WR38), citing unanimous positive beat-writer reporting out of Browns camp and Dillon Gabriel/Joe Flacco-caliber quarterback play being merely serviceable enough (Watson 8th in passer rating, 16th in EPA/dropback). Jake was supportive but more conservative, slotting him as a low-end WR3 and flagging Cleveland's home wind as a swing factor.
Chuba Hubbard is a clear top-15 play over Cam Skattebo, and the gap is bigger than rankings suggest. Jake had Hubbard at RB14 versus Skattebo at RB24, arguing Hubbard now owns the Panthers backfield outright with Jonathan Brooks on IR and only A.J. Dillon behind him, while Skattebo isn't trusted in the passing game and Jameis Winston's Giants offense looks catastrophic. Fitz was lower on both (RB19 Hubbard) but still preferred Hubbard, and both agreed Skattebo's ceiling this week is minimal.
Jameson Williams versus Jalen Coker split the hosts along scheme-trust lines. Fitz stuck with Williams (five spots ahead of Coker for him) based on Detroit's efficient offense and Williams's high expected-scoring profile despite a rough box score start. Jake went the other way after hearing a Dowell Loggains/John Morton-style scheme comparison from OC John Petzing's own comments, arguing Sam LaPorta's return and Detroit's route-tree usage are re-creating the exact conditions that suppressed Williams before, and noted only Coker and Tetairoa McMillan rank top-12 in team target share among Bryce Young's options.
Quinshawn Judkins' volume is being wasted, tipping Jake toward Tre Tarheim... Travion Henderson's ceiling instead. Jake cited the Browns backfield averaging near-zero yards before contact and called Judkins this year's version of an inefficient volume back, preferring Henderson's big-play upside with the Patriots. Fitz stayed with consensus and Judkins, valuing his locked-in 12-plus carries per game and a Panthers run defense he expects to be a season-long funnel.
At quarterback, Fitz backed talent (Drake May) while Jake chased current production (Tyler Shough). Fitz argued May will solve the pressure/coverage issues New England's shaky line has created and kept him ahead of Shough in rankings. Jake countered that Jacksonville's defense is exactly the blitz-light, drop-six problem hurting May, and pointed to Shough's rushing usage (goal-line and scramble work) plus a softer Raiders matchup as reasons he has Shough inside his top 10 overall.
What it means for your roster
- Start Adonai Mitchell as a confident flex/WR3 against Detroit; both hosts back the volume case regardless of catch-rate concerns.
- Prioritize Denzel Boston as a start against Carolina, especially in leagues shying away from name value — Fitz has him as high as WR29, well above the field.
- Play Chuba Hubbard over Cam Skattebo with a clear margin; Skattebo shouldn't be trusted as more than an emergency fill-in given Giants offensive dysfunction.
- Fade Quinshawn Judkins for upside plays if you need a spike week — consider Travion Henderson instead, but keep Judkins as the safer, PPR-floor option given locked touches.
- Treat Jameson Williams as a boom/bust WR3, not a must-start, and consider buying low if a manager is spite-benching him; Coker is the steadier weekly play given target-share concentration in Carolina.
- At quarterback, favor Shough over May in single-QB formats this week if you need a floor; only roster May as a bounce-back stash if you can absorb another shaky week.
“He's 2025 Woody Marks.” — Jake Ciely
Players in this episode
→ Struggling due to a poor offensive line generating pressure despite defenses dropping coverage; Fitz still trusts him to figure it out over Tyler Shough.
↑ Despite a slow start, hosts like him over DeAndre Swift in a likely shootout against Baltimore, viewing this as his 'get right' game.
↓ Hosts note his screen-game usage has disappeared this year (fewer targets than Xavier Worthy), making him a different, less valuable player than in past seasons.
↓ Hosts are down on Skattebo, noting he's barely used in the passing game and could be crushed if Jameis Winston struggles again; seen as a low-floor option.
↑ Jake prefers Henderson's ceiling over Judkins' capped floor, noting Henderson had more snaps/carries than Stevenson in his return game.
↑ Getting lead work and goal-line carries over Rodriguez; Jake would start both him and Washington if possible, slightly leaning Tuten.
→ Judkins is getting volume but has negative yards before contact and has been compared to 2025 Woody Marks in terms of inefficiency; still preferred by Fitz for role certainty.
↑ Expected to get the bulk of the Steelers backfield work with Aaron Rodgers as a check-down artist, preferred over Rashee Rice in a flex debate.
→ Fitz calls him a buy-low after a slow start driven by drops/bad luck, while Jake remains wary the offense is reverting to a Ben Johnson-style downfield scheme that limits him.
↑ With Jonathan Brooks on IR, Hubbard gets the backfield to himself against Cleveland and both hosts view him as a solid RB2 despite mixed feelings on his ceiling.
↑ Fitz calls him a budding star and prefers him clearly over teammate Bhayshul Tuten in a flex spot.
↓ Both hosts have him buried in the 50s at wide receiver, well below names like Keon Coleman, amid Arizona's non-existent passing game.
↑ With Kolar and Njoku both injured, Gadsden becomes the clear top target in a shaky Chargers offense; both hosts rank him well above ECR (TE11-15) chasing upside.
↑ Experiencing a resurgence as the Chiefs funnel him targets over the middle, with both hosts now viewing him as a top-8 tight end again.
↑ Leading the NFL in passing yardage and getting Jalen Hurts-style goal-line/rushing usage; Jake ranks him inside his top 10 QBs and prefers him over Drake May.
↓ Called 'touched on our bus' by Jake — he had chances to do more last week and remains a capped, unexciting weekly floor play, preferred against by Carnell Tate.
↑ Preferred over Ja'Corey Croskey-Merritt this week because Seattle struggles covering backs in the passing game and Tampa may be playing catch-up.
↑ Coker is tied with McMillan for the highest target share on the team and is viewed as a clear start over Jameson Williams this week.
↑ Rookie standout who both hosts now rank well above his ECR (WR29 for Fitz) after two strong games and glowing camp reports, viewed as a startable WR3.
↑ Out-targeting Garrett Wilson and leading the NFL in air-yard share, Mitchell is viewed as a clear WR3 start against a leaky Lions secondary.