Week 3 of the NFL season has arrived! Multiple major injuries have already shaken things up around the league, setting the stage for a myriad of tough fantasy lineup decisions. Let’s break down my fantasy football start/sit Week 3 picks for the 2026 season.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Picks
QB Start/Sit Week 3
Start: Patrick Mahomes at Dolphins
He’s baaaaaaaack.
Coming off a short return from a torn ACL? No problem for Patrick Mahomes, who has looked much sharper through two weeks than he has over the last two seasons. Maybe all he needed was a long offseason to return fresh and ready to roll. Mahomes diced up the Colts on Sunday night, amassing 382 passing yards and three touchdowns to finish with 29 points on the week.
The two-time MVP has now recorded at least 22 fantasy points in each of Kansas City’s outings, and he should keep that momentum rolling against a subpar Dolphins defense in Week 3. Fire Mahomes up as a strong QB1 once again.
Sit: Justin Herbert at Bills
Maybe this is cheating, because Herbert was my sit of the week at QB ahead of his matchup with the Raiders, but I think I’ve earned the right to run it back. I’ll make this simple: if you are still starting this man, take him out of your lineup.
The Chargers have been playing some of the most uninspired football I’ve seen from a “good” team in recent memory, dropping back-to-back very winnable games against Arizona and Las Vegas. A large chunk of those struggles can be chalked up to Herbert, who has more interceptions (three) than passing touchdowns (two) up to this point. L.A.’s QB hasn’t eclipsed the 15-point mark yet this season. You certainly can’t trust him in Week 3 against the Bills.
WR Start/Sit Week 3
Start: Romeo Doubs at Jaguars
The Patriots offense didn’t exactly bounce back in a huge way after their disastrous collapse in Seattle, but they did steady the ship. That includes Doubs, who had one of the worst drops of the year in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks. The guardian cap clad receiver was more more effective in his second outing as a Patriot, hauling in three balls for 96 yards against Pittsburgh.
Doubs will need to be Drake Maye’s most productive receiver in A.J. Brown’s absence, and this was a solid start. He’ll look to build on that momentum in what projects to be a high-scoring affair in Jacksonville this week. Maye will likely have to look to the air early and often, which will only benefit Doubs. Start him with confidence as a WR3/FLEX with upside.
Sit: Emeka Egbuka vs. Vikings
Brian Flores is a madman, and every offense who faces his defense should be terrified.
The Bears put up 59 points in Week 1 against the Panthers. FIFTY NINE. You know how many they scored against the Vikings? Three.
This defense is not to be trifled with, which isn’t good for Emeka Egbuka’s fantasy prospects after two middling outings to open the season. The versatile receiver hasn’t scored more than 12.3 points in a game yet this season and will now have to deal with a secondary that completely shuts teams down. Keep Egbuka on your bench until he returns to form.
Find all of our Week 3 fantasy football advice and content here!
RB Start/Sit Week 3
Start: Aaron Jones at Buccaneers
At 31 years old, many people doubted Aaron Jones’ ability to handle a bell cow’s workload. The veteran proved them wrong last Sunday.
Jones saw 23 carries against the Bears, turning them into 105 yards. That production proved to be the largest difference-maker between the two sides, as no touchdowns were scored and the Vikings won 9-3. With Jordan Mason still on IR, Jones will have to maintain his workhorse role as the Vikings aim to remain undefeated. The Buccaneers have looked solid against the run through two games, but you can still fire Jones up as a workload-dependent RB2/FLEX with upside.
Sit: Bhayshul Tuten vs. Patriots
Bhayshul Tuten is clearly the top RB in Jacksonville’s backfield, but the presence of Chris Rodriguez Jr. is persistent enough to cause headaches. Tuten is coming off a solid outing against Denver, in which he racked up 13 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown and finished with 14.2 PPR points.
The problem is, Jacksonville hosts a stingy Patriots run defense this week. New England has kept Jadarian Price, Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren in check on the ground through two weeks, and that appears likely to remain the case this Sunday. Tuten will see enough of a workload to produce, but he’s going to either need to score or rack up the catches to churn out a solid fantasy outing. A dud feels more likely than a breakout in this case.
TE Start/Sit Week 3
Start: Dalton Schultz at Colts
No Nico Collins meant it was next man up time for Houston against the Bengals. No one necessarily expected that man to be Dalton Schultz, but here we are.
Schultz saw a monstrous 14 targets in Week 2, hauling in 12 of them for 140 yards. That’s good enough to catapult him firmly into TE1 territory with or without Collins in the lineup next week. At just 30 years old, Schultz is a veteran still capable of handling a high-volume workload. Next up, he draws a matchup against the Colts, who just surrendered nine receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown to Travis Kelce. That bodes well for Schultz, who now looks like a must-start at his position.
Sit: Colston Loveland vs. Eagles
Colston Loveland was drafted as the consensus TE3 this offseason. Through two games, he has one catch for three yards.
What’s even more noteworthy is that Loveland only managed those minimal numbers throughout a game in which the Bears scored 59 points in. We’re not dealing with a small problem here, a legitimately concerning trend is developing. With Caleb Williams now dealing with a hamstring injury that could sideline him a few weeks or longer, that concerning trend turns into a potential fantasy disaster.
In Week 3, Loveland draws the Eagles, who have allowed just six receptions for 42 yards to tight ends through a pair of games. Loveland has quickly fallen from must-start to must-sit until further notice territory. He shouldn’t be in lineups until he showcases some semblance of a return to form.
Those are my Week 3 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em picks! Stay tuned for positional WR and RB 2026 Week 3 start/sit picks and advice later this week.
