Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 3, 2023: Model says start Jerome Ford, sit Terry McLaurin

The New York Giants were trying to milk the clock and set up their kicker for a potential game-winning field goal when they handed star running back Saquon Barkley the ball late in the fourth quarter of a Week 2 matchup against the Cardinals. Unfortunately for the Giants, Barkley was met near the line of scrimmage and had his ankle rolled up while being taken to the ground. Barkley had been instrumental in New York’s comeback, but is now iffy for Thursday Night Football against the 49ers. Anybody who has him in their Fantasy football lineups is now scanning the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings for a replacement.

Matt Breida is the presumable favorite for carries without Barkley, but he’s only had four touches this season and slotting him into your Week 3 Fantasy football lineups against one of the league’s best defenses is a risk. Which of your backup running backs should be among your Week 3 Fantasy football picks and how should you handle any other difficult start-sit decisions? Before you lock in your Week 3 Fantasy football lineups, be sure to check out the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.

When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine’s model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.

Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see these weekly Fantasy football rankings.

Top Week 3 Fantasy football picks 

One player the model is high on this week: Browns running back Jerome Ford. A fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft who played collegiately at Alabama and Cincinnati, Ford finds himself as the new No. 1 running back in Cleveland after Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending leg injury on Monday Night Football against the Steelers in Week 2.

Ford stepped into the featured role after Chubb left and finished the game with 16 carries for 106 yards while catching three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. He looked dynamic while breaking off a 69-yard run in the third quarter to set up a Browns touchdown. That burst is a big reason why the model ranks him as a top-24 running back for a Week 3 matchup with the Titans.

And a massive shocker: Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who is coming off three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and is rostered in 98% of leagues, stumbles big-time and doesn’t even crack the top 45 at his position. Washington is off to a 2-0 start and new starting quarterback Sam Howell has played well, but the connection hasn’t been there early in the season between McLaurin and Howell.

McLaurin was only targeted four times and finished with two catches for 31 yards in Week 1 against the Cardinals. He followed that up with five catches for 54 yards on six targets in Week 2 against the Broncos, but salvaged his Fantasy performance with a touchdown. However, now he gets a difficult matchup against a Bills defense that has only given up 302 passing yards so far this season. For more start/sit Fantasy football advice, be sure to check out the rest of the Week 3 Fantasy football rankings.

How to set Week 3 Fantasy football rankings

The model is also calling for a surprising running back you aren’t even thinking about to finish in the top five of its Week 3 Fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. See the Fantasy football QB, RB, WR, TE, defense and kicker rankings here.

So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising running back could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 3 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which RB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top five, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.