4 Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 3

Jason Schandl
Fantasy football sleepers for Week 3, including Curtis Samuel.
Fantasy football sleepers for Week 3, including Curtis Samuel. / Justin Casterline/Getty Images
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The fantasy football landscape was shaken up by a ton of injuries in Week 2, and that could leave fantasy managers looking for some more unconventional players to start in Week 3.

With that in mind, here are fantasy football sleepers for Week 3.

1. Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers

Mike Davis is the obvious top fantasy football beneficiary of Christian McCaffrey's injury. Curtis Samuel could quietly see a nice boost as well. A former running back, Samuel was given 19 carries in 2019, and he already has 5 in 2020. He's unlikely to see any traditional RB work, but he could get a few more carries with McCaffrey out. He's also being used in the short passing game, with a 7.9-yard average depth of target, so he could soak up some of the receiving volume that McCaffrey's absence frees up — especially since Davis hasn't been much of a receiver over his NFL career. That makes Samuel an especially interesting play in PPR leagues.

2. Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos

Rookies Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler are getting plenty of fantasy football love now that Courtland Sutton is done for the season, but don't sleep on Noah Fant. Catching passes from Jeff Driskel may not be the most fantasy-friendly situation, but Driskel targeted Fant 5 times in the second half alone in Week 2. Fant is the Broncos' leader in receptions (9), receiving yards (138) and receiving TDs (2), and even with Driskel at the helm he should be plenty productive.

3. Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers

With Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman on the shelf, Jerick McKinnon is set to be the San Francisco 49ers' RB1 in Week 3. He may not be the only back with value, however. Kyle Shanahan is no stranger to applying an RB-by-committee approach, and Wilson could get plenty of volume as the No. 2. McKinnon has not handled more than 10 carries in a game since December 2017, and while he's a big-play threat, he doesn't really profile as a workhorse. Plenty of fantasy managers are in a tough spot at RB this week thanks to the plethora of injuries, and Wilson makes for an interesting stop-gap play.

4. DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles' start to the season has been ugly, but DeSean Jackson has still shown off some serious fantasy upside. He's been targeted 16 times through two games, and his 282 air yards are the third most in the NFL. That kind of consistent downfield usage gives Jackson elite upside on a weekly basis.


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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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