The NFL action in Week 2 left our fantasy football rosters devastated by injuries. We did our best to fill the gaps by adding hopeful commodities off the waiver wire ahead of Week 3, but with new and revamped rosters, there are sure to be tough roster decisions on the horizon.
I’m here to be your guide through weekly sit/start questions across traditional 10- and 12-team leagues, along with deeper formats.
So, without further ado, get ready for the third edition of the 2020 PFF fantasy football start ‘em or sit ‘em.
Please. Stay. Healthy.
QUARTERBACKS
Start: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady disappointed in the fantasy column in Week 2, finishing with a meager 10.7 fantasy points and ranking as the QB29 on the week. But his poor fantasy performance can’t be put entirely on him — his supporting cast was of little help.
Chris Godwin missed the game after leading the team in targets in Week 1. In his absence, the other Bucs players combined for a league-high seven drops — two of which were blatant drops in the end zone. Brady earned PFF’s second-highest passing grade (88.5) among quarterbacks, and I expect that to be the driving force behind a QB1 fantasy performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 3.
First off, he gets Godwin back healthy after a one-week absence. When Brady targeted Godwin in the home opener, the dynamic receiver hauled in six of his seven targets for 79 yards. Most importantly, he had zero drops. Sure hands are nothing new for the Buccaneers’ wide receiver — he has just two drops over the past two seasons.
The matchup versus the Broncos’ exploitable defense should also work in Brady’s favor. The Broncos have faced the third-most passing attempts this season and felt the loss of starting cornerback A.J. Bouye in Week 2. Ben Roethlisberger threw for over 300 yards and two scores. Without Von Miller to apply pressure, Roethlisberger saw pressure on just 19% of his dropbacks.
Brady is going to have plenty of time to dissect the defense and distribute the ball to his top playmakers, which will result in him finishing as a QB1 in Week 3.
And for those that think the Buccaneers will just go into Denver and steamroll the Broncos because they’re starting Jeff Driskel, don’t jump the gun. Driskel is feisty and will keep games competitive. In his last nine games (including last week), his team lost by just one score in seven.
We could see more back-and-forth action than initially anticipated. After all, Driskel brings a #yolo ball mentality to the lineup. His 10.3 aDOT since the start of 2019 ranks third among all quarterbacks behind only Matthew Stafford and Jameis Winston.
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