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Week 3 is here, and the early-season noise is starting to settle into something you can actually trust. Two weeks of real snaps, usage, and matchups beat draft-day assumptions every time. If you are still staring at your lineup board wondering who earns a spot and who sits, MyGameSim's NFL Start or Sit tool breaks it down by position with projected fantasy points from our game simulations.
Below is a quick tour of the top projected players at each spot for Week 3. These are our model numbers, not consensus rankings, so you will see a few names that feel spicy. That is the point. Use this as a check against the chalk, then dig into the full board by position when you are ready to lock it in.
Baltimore's Lamar Jackson leads the week at 23.6 projected fantasy points on the road against the Cowboys. Dual-threat QBs usually climb our board when the script stays fluid, and this looks like one of those spots. Deshaun Watson comes in right behind him at 23.1 at home versus Carolina, a matchup our model likes a lot more than the public chatter around Cleveland.
Keep an eye on Tyler Shough (22.3) hosting Las Vegas for New Orleans, plus C.J. Stroud (20.5) at Indianapolis and Baker Mayfield (20.0) at home against Minnesota. Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen all clear 19.5 as well. If you are streaming or choosing between fringe QB1s, start with the QB Start or Sit list and sort by projection before you overthink the brand names.
Christian McCaffrey sits alone at the top of the RB board at 22.9 projected points against Arizona. When CMC is healthy and the 49ers have a soft run matchup, you do not need a long essay. Start him and move on.
Jahmyr Gibbs (20.4 vs. the Jets) and Jonathan Taylor (19.4 vs. Houston) round out a clear top three. After that, the board gets interesting: Kenneth Walker III (18.9) at Miami for Kansas City, D'Andre Swift (18.5) hosting Philadelphia on Monday night, James Cook (18.0) against the Chargers, and Ashton Jeanty (17.6) at New Orleans. De'Von Achane still clears 16.5 at home against the Chiefs. Volume and explosive plays are doing the heavy lifting in our sims this week, so check the RB projections if you are deciding between two mid-tier backs with similar season-long vibes.
The WR list is where our Week 3 board looks the most different from traditional ADP. Chris Olave tops the position at 16.4 against Las Vegas, with Jalen Coker (14.8 at Cleveland) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (14.1 at Washington) close behind. DeVonta Smith (13.9 at Chicago) gives the Eagles a strong Monday-night play even if you are also starting Hurts.
Josh Downs, Garrett Wilson, Justin Jefferson, and Rashee Rice fill out the next tier in the 11.0 to 11.7 range. Jefferson still projects as a strong start on volume alone at Tampa Bay, but Olave and Coker are the names our sims want you to prioritize if you have been underweighting them. Full WR rankings and matchup grades live on the WR Start or Sit page.
Dalton Schultz leads all tight ends at 11.0 projected points at Indianapolis, with Trey McBride right behind at 10.8 on the road against San Francisco. After those two, the drop is real: Dalton Kincaid (8.8), Harold Fannin Jr. (8.5), Hunter Henry (8.2), Mark Andrews (8.1), and Travis Kelce (8.0) are clustered tightly.
If you drafted Kelce as an automatic every-week start, this is one of those weeks where the projection says he is closer to a TE2 than a slam dunk. McBride and Schultz are the cleaner must-starts on our board. Browse the full TE Start or Sit rankings before you force a big name into your lineup just because of last year's reputation.
Chase McLaughlin (9.9 vs. Minnesota) leads kickers, followed by Harrison Butker (9.2 at Miami) and Tyler Bass (8.8 vs. the Chargers). On defense, Kansas City and Tennessee both project for 13.0 fantasy points, with the Jets, Colts, and Browns right behind at 12.0. Soft opponent offenses and takeaway upside are driving those D/ST ranks more than raw sack totals.
Need flex help or a deeper bench call? The FLEX board mixes RBs, WRs, and TEs so you can compare apples to apples in one place.
Our Start or Sit grades combine projected fantasy points with opponent defensive strength from the same simulation set. Higher projected points and softer defensive matchups climb the board. That does not mean you should blindly start every surprise name over a proven stud, but it does mean you should look twice when the model and your gut disagree.
Free users can see the top of each position list. GameSim+ unlocks the full Week 3 Start or Sit board, plus deeper player projections across the slate. Set your lineup with the data, not just the headlines.
