Each week the guys go through the NFL matchups and give you their studs (guys in the top 12) to temper your expectations on, or even sit for the week. On the flip side, they will also provide a sleeper (a player outside the top 12) that is set for a big week and will find their way into the top 12 at their respective position. Let’s check out some week 3 hits from the show. You can catch Thursday Checkdown, every Thursday at 7:00pm Eastern on The Sports Affiliation YouTube.

Stud to Sit: Tony Pollard came in as the 12th highest scoring running back in PPR (points per reception) leagues, and he finished as the RB49 in Week 3. Rick, who you can follow @Rbrusuelas on X explained that Green Bay would not be a good matchup for Pollard and suggested to sit him this week. Although the Packers had given up a lot on the ground over the first two weeks, the Titans lack the offensive line of Green Bay’s first two opponents in the Eagles and Colts. The Eagles weapons and Anthony Richardson as a dual-threat, pose a much tougher attack than this Will Levis led offense. Taking all that into account, coupled with Tennessee possibly having a negative game script (playing from behind), was not a good combination. The takeaways from week 3 would say that Tony Pollard may look to be a lot more positive game script dependent than we had hoped for. Pollard is involved in the passing game as he has had 4, 6, and 4 targets in each of the first three contests, and has a snap percentage over 60% in this offense. Pollard can be started in week 4 against a struggling Dolphins team. RB 20 or so finish makes him a running back 2 for fantasy rosters this week. Keep an eye on the matchups and potential game scripts moving forward. Green Bay still has to prove they can stop the run against good O-lines, but if they can produce points (and Jordan Love should be returning soon), it will make them much tougher to run on as the year goes on.

Stud to Sit: Alvin Kamara came in to the week as the running back 1. Disco, who you can follow @BigDraftersHQ on X, put us on alert that this had the chances of a down week for Kamara. The Eagles would be a tougher matchup than he had seen over the 1st two games. This is where “temper your expectations” comes into play. Disco explained that you cannot sit Alvin in a PPR league, but not to expect top 12 numbers. The advice here comes in extra handy for all the DFS (daily fantasy sports) players out there. Kamara finished as the RB15 on the week, but if you paid up for him as your RB1 you would be disappointed. One of the great things about this segment is how it can apply to any type of league you might be in. Alvin Kamara will be in your managed lineup every week, but this is a great reminder that even the top players don’t always finish in the top 12.


Stud to Sit: Anthony Richardson came into the week as the QB 8 through the 1st two games. Most of this came in week 1 where he flashed off the exciting ceiling he can have, and dropped 27 points. The struggles started in week 2 against Green Bay and then he was drawing a Bears defense that Tipp, @tippmajor on X explained had looked very good down the stretch to end 2023, dominated Will Levis, and held CJ Stroud in check. Stroud had some success with 260 yards because he completed 63% of his passes with no interceptions, but just one touchdown. The issue with Richardson is he now has 6 interceptions (5 in the last 2 games), and he is completing under 50% of his passes. It is time to possibly start sitting him in a 1 quarterback league. At least in the tougher matchups. He finished as QB 31 in week 3. The exciting upside is there as we saw in week 1, but he needs to start showing it consistently or it is very hard to trust him. I heard it said as something like this, “Anthony Richardson can complete passes that 99% of NFL QBs cannot complete. Anthony Richardson cannot complete passes that 99% of NFL QBs can complete”. He draws a tough matchup with Pittsburgh this week, but his rare upside will be hard to sit in the three following weeks. That rare upside will cause us to be more patient, but like all situations, do not be afraid to stream better matchups if it looks like the right call. It isn’t about who wins the week for you, it’s about winning the week regardless.
Sleeper to Start: Joe Burrow entered the week as QB 19. Lucky for him, his week 3 matchup was with the Washington Commanders. Tipp and all of us at The Sports Affiliation were ready for the coming out party of Ja’Marr Chase in this one, and we got it! The Commanders were the best matchup for quarterbacks in 2023, and it has continued to be true in 2024. They once again allow the most points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Two easy takeaways from this contest. You can stream a quarterback against Washington and feel good about it. With Tee Higgins back and Ja’Marr looking like Ja’Marr, you are inserting Burrow into your lineup with confidence. As a bonus, this Bengal defense has not looked good; Joe may have to throw the ball and score even more if that continues.