Fantasy: Start, Sit, Stash, Quit - Week 3
SSSQ is a weekly look at the under-the-radar fantasy players you should consider starting and the potential busts you should leave on your bench. We also identify breakout candidates to stash on your roster and players you can safely cut. For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult our weekly rankings.
Start
Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys
at Rams
Romo doesn't look like his usual gun-slinging self this season and there's speculation his surgically repaired back is the culprit. Look for him to improve on a so-so first two games this weekend, as the Rams don't have a secondary that can hang with Dez Bryant and the Cowboys' other receiving weapons. Look for the Rams to sell out to stop DeMarco Murray, who shredded the Rams for 428 yards in two previous contests, opening things up in the passing game.
Fearless prediction: 265 yards passing, 3 TDs
Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals
vs. Titans
The Titans allowed DeMarco Murray to gash them for 169 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. Meanwhile, Hill and Bengals starter Giovani Bernard were feasting on the Falcons defense. Bernard should lead the Bengals in touches against the Titans (and he's a top-5 fantasy starter this week), but Hill is also a very attractive option. A touchdown is likely; 100 yards rushing for the first time in his career isn't out of the question.
Fearless prediction: 102 yards rushing, TD
Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots
vs. Raiders
Tom Brady has struggled to get on the same page as every Patriots wideout not named Edelman this season. He should make an effort to correct that this week against the lowly Raiders defense, but not at the expense of Edelman's touches. The Raiders don't have an answer for Edelman on screens and slants.
Fearless prediction: 86 yards receiving, TD
Charles Clay, TE, Dolphins
vs. Chiefs
The Chiefs can't cover the tight end, in large part because of the stress injuries to Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry have placed on the team's defense. Clay is off to a slow start, but look for that to change this week. The Dolphins need to kickstart Ryan Tannehill's season and getting his security blanket more involved in the game plan is a great way to do it.
Fearless prediction: 63 yards receiving, 2 TDs
Sit
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers
at Panthers
Even with Greg Hardy on the exempt list, this Panthers defense is proving to be again among the NFL's most suffocating. After holding Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and the Lions' high-flying offense to a single touchdown in Week 2, the Panthers will clamp down on Roethlisberger and company. No quarterback has passed for multiple touchdowns against the Panthers in more than a year.
Matt Asiata, RB, Vikings
at Saints
Asiata is the Vikings' new starter with Adrian Peterson sidelined indefinitely, but nobody should expect Asiata to deliver even a third of the value Peterson does. Asiata offers no sizzle and very little steak. In three seasons with the Vikings, the plodder is averaging under four yards per carry. His 30 carries for 51 yards (1.7 yards per carry) and three touchdowns in his first career start last season is one of the most hilarious stat lines in fantasy football history. Stash Asiata on your bench to see if he's improved, if you must, but don't you dare start him against a desperate Saints team at home.
Victor Cruz, WR, Giants
vs. Texans
You can't trust any Giants receiver right now - and especially not against a Texans defense that promises to harass Eli Manning all afternoon. Cruz hasn't scored a touchdown in a dozen games and he's topped 100 yards receiving just once in that stretch. J.J. Watt and company will ensure the slump extends at least one more week.
Kyle Rudolph, TE, Vikings
at Saints
You probably can't trust any member of the Vikings offense beyond Cordarrelle Patterson until we see how this team stabilizes without Adrian Peterson. Find another option on the waiver wire.
Stash
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Vikings
Adrian Peterson won't play until his legal situation is resolved and indications are that may not happen until 2015. Matt Asiata will get the first chance to carry the load in Peterson's place, but he's a tremendously unexciting player. Third-round rookie McKinnon, on the other hand, is an athletic freak who has the potential to run away with this job if he can convince his coaches he knows the offense and can adequately pass block. Stash him and pray for Asiata to struggle.
Davante Adams, WR, Packers
Adams overtook Jarrett Boykin as the Packers' No. 3 wideout in Week 2. The Packers offense is good enough to make the rookie a startable fantasy option at that spot on the depth chart (think of James Jones two years ago), but Adams' value would explode if Randall Cobb or Jordy Nelson were to get hurt. Sit him on your bench and see what you have.
Quit
Robert Griffin III, QB, Redskins
Don't waste a roster spot waiting for Griffin to get healthy. By the time he does (which may not be for eight weeks), there's a good chance he won't have a starting job waiting for him. Griffin wasn't a fantasy difference-maker before he got hurt. Why should anyone believe he'll be one after?
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Raiders
This team probably isn't going anywhere and Jones-Drew's beaten-down body certainly isn't, either. You're better off stashing a high-upside rookie running back who's buried on his team's depth chart, like Devonta Freeman or Isaiah Crowell. At least then you have a shred of hope.