If The Lion King taught us anything (Don’t be friends with dudes named Scar? Meerkats are hilarious?) it taught us that you can’t change the past even though it may hurt, but you can learn from it.
So if you’re hurting from starting Alfred Morris, Matt Jones, Pierre Garcon, Shane Vereen or Rashad Jennings in that sloppy Thursday nighter there’s no choice but to move on and redeem yourself by making the best possible decisions for your roster Sunday.
With that in mind, here’s some advice on players you might be on the fence about for Week 3.
QB
Start Cam Newton vs. the Saints.
No Kelvin Benjamin? Not much production from Jonathan Stewart or Greg Olsen? No problem. Cam Newton showed shades of his old self as he put up nearly 30 fantasy points last week against J.J. Watt and the Texans. Newton now goes up against a Saints defence that hasn’t been able to stop opposing QBs this year.
Start Peyton Manning vs. the Lions. The future first ballot Hall of Famer really struggled through the first six quarters of the season, but started to get things going from the shotgun in the second half against the Chiefs last week. The Lions allow 269 yards per game through the air and haven’t been able to pressure opposing quarterbacks this season. Peyton should be able to throw for two or three touchdowns this week.
Other solid starts: Andy Dalton vs. Ravens, Ryan Tannehill vs. Bills, Blake Bortles vs. Patriots, Tyrod Taylor vs. Dolphins
Sit Sam Bradford vs. the Jets.
You saw how the Eagles played last week against the Cowboys, right? Philly can’t get their run game going, Bradford seems to panic under pressure, Jordan Matthews was even dropping easy passes last week, and the Jets are no joke.
Sit Drew Brees vs. Panthers. In case you hadn’t heard, he’s not playing, so, um, don’t play him.
Sit Matt Stafford vs. Broncos
Stafford has come up big in spotlight games at home in the past and he’ll need to be special Sunday night if the Lions want to avoid starting the year 0-3. This cool stat from NFL.com’s Matt Harmon sums up why starting Stafford is a major risk this week.
Other risky starts: Marcus Mariota vs. Colts, Teddy Bridgewater vs. Chargers, Derek Carr vs. Browns
RB
Start Le’Veon Bell vs. the Rams!!!
Don’t forget! He is back from suspension and he should be a top-five running back this week. If you were lucky enough to draft him, adjust your roster accordingly.
Latavius Murray vs. the Browns. Cleveland’s front seven was supposed to be a strength, but they’ve performed poorly against the run allowing a league-worst 160 rushing yards per game. Murray is one of the most talented young running backs in the AFC and he’s also catching a few balls out of the backfield each week.
Start Mark Ingram vs. the Panthers. With Drew Brees out with a shoulder injury there will a heavier emphasis on the run game. Although Ingram hasn’t racked up the miles on the ground (just 77 yards on 25 carries in two weeks) he has 103 receiving yards and should get plenty of touches against a Carolina defence that is without Luke Kuechly. Look for Saints backup QB Luke McCown to lean on Ingram and checkdown to him and C.J. Spiller often.
Other solid starts: Joseph Randle vs. Falcons, Jeremy Hill vs. Ravens, Melvin Gordon vs. Vikings, David Johnson vs. 49ers, Devonta Freeman vs. Cowboys
Sit DeMarco Murray vs. the Jets.
(UPDATE: Murray is listed as inactive. Leave him on your bench)
Nothing we’ve seen from the Eagles and how they’ve used their prized off-season acquisition suggests you should start DeMarco Murray this week. Philly is a mess on offence — not calling many north-south run plays for DeMarco has been a contributing factor — and the Jets have one of the best defences in the NFL.
Lamar Miller vs. the Bills.
It always feels like Miller should be better than he is. He hasn’t been running well this season, he’s dealing with an ankle injury and he’s going up against the Bills. Nothing here points to a big game from Miller.
Sit DeAngelo Williams vs. the Rams.
Even though he’s the top-scoring fantasy back through two weeks, see the Le’Veon Bell note above. If you’ve got Bell, keep Williams on your roster as a handcuff.
Other risky plays: Eddie Lacy vs. Chiefs, Chris Ivory vs. Eagles, C.J. Anderson vs. Lions, LeSean McCoy vs. Dolphins, Dion Lewis vs. Jaguars, Doug Martin vs. Texans
WR
Start Brandon Marshall vs. the Eagles.
Byron Maxwell has been carved up by top receivers all year and Marshall has been a beast with Ryan Fitzpatrick under centre. You see him bully his way into the end zone against the Colts? He should be able to do that again this week.
Start Allen Robinson vs. the Patriots.
New England has given up the third most fantasy points to wide receivers this season and Robinson’s chemistry with Blake Bortles shone though last week.
Other solid starts: Jarvis Landry vs. Bills, Doug Baldwin vs. Bears, Keenan Allen vs. Vikings, Kendall Wright vs. Colts, Donte Moncrief vs. Titans, Terrance Williams vs. Falcons
Sit Brandin Cooks vs. the Panthers.
The elusive second-year man hasn’t been able to replicate what he did in the pre-season and without Brees he’ll have an even more difficult time putting up big numbers. He was dealing with a minor ankle injury this week, which could hamper his movement slightly as well.
Sit Travis Benjamin vs. the Raiders.
He was a popular waiver claim this week, but he doesn’t have proven chemistry Josh McCown. He’s a boom-or-bust play.
Other risky plays: Mike Wallace vs. Chargers, Golden Tate vs. Broncos, Davante Adams vs. Chiefs, Eric Decker vs. Eagles
TE
Heath Miller vs. the Rams.
The reliable veteran is Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 1 choice when the Steelers get in the red zone. Through the first two weeks, Miller received 62.5 per cent of the team’s red zone looks. Those numbers will likely decrease with Le’Veon Bell back but Miller should remain productive.
Other solid starts: Greg Olsen vs. Saints, Jared Cook vs. Steelers
Sit Jason Witten vs. the Falcons. Witten isn’t 100 per cent and now has to catch passes from Brandon Weeden, which doesn’t bode well for his chances at a big game.
Other risky plays: Eric Ebron vs. Broncos, Jordan Cameron vs. Bills, Crockett Gillmore vs. Bengals, Kyle Rudolph vs. Chargers
DEF
Start the Jets vs. the Eagles. Todd Bowles has galvanized this unit and the Eagles offence at the moment is what’s affectionately referred to as a dumpster fire.
Other solid starts: Texans, Colts, Panthers, Seahawks (with Kam Chancellor!)
Sit the Browns vs. the Raiders. Despite a huge game from the Browns against the Titans, Oakland started putting things together last week and it appears it could give Cleveland some trouble this week.
Other risky plays: Dolphins, Rams, Vikings, 49ers
K
Start Phil Dawson vs. the Cardinals. Arizona’s defence holds teams to field goals, which is good news for Dawson since his 49ers should have trouble in and near the red zone.
Other solid starts: Nick Folk, Adam Vinatieri, Mike Nugent
Sit Cody Parkey vs. the Jets. New York has given up the fewest fantasy points to kickers and Parkey isn’t hitting the ball consistently enough to feel confident in him.
Other risky plays: Matt Prater, Josh Scobee, Greg Zuerlein
Sleepers
Fred Jackson vs. the Bears.
The Seahawks are slowly incorporating the veteran into their offence and last week he had a touchdown. Marshawn Lynch is a game-day decision with a calf injury, plus the Seahawks are playing the lowly Bears, which could result in decent playing time for Jackson.
Ted Ginn Jr. vs. the Saints.
Cam Newton really likes targeting the return specialist (15 targets in first two weeks) and he’s going up against a Saints defence that might be on the field a lot Sunday.
Rishard Matthews vs. the Bills.
He doesn’t have the name value of a Jarvis Landry but he’s putting up similar fantasy points. Ryan Tannehill loves looking at Matthews when Landry is covered.
Coby Fleener vs. Titans.
Dwayne Allen is out and that means Fleener will finally get some targets. Fleener put up solid numbers last year when Allen missed time.
Lance Dunbar vs. the Falcons. Atlanta gives up more fantasy points to RBs than any other team and Dunbar, the Cowboys’ passing downs back, will likely be used often.