Welcome to the 2022 Fantasy Football Week 3 Vampire League Starters article!
This is a first for me as the vampire; I'm starting this year 0-2. I'm beginning to think I should post my opponents' lineups, so people know who will have a huge week. Even Christian Kirk (with another strong outing) and James Robinson gave me great weeks; it wasn't enough to overcome Amon-Ra St. Brown and Mark Andrews.
I hope you guys were successful and avoided the 40-plus point buzzsaws in Week 2. If you are in the same boat as me, let's focus on Week 3 and snag a victory.
2022 Fantasy Football Week 3 Vampire League Starters
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Quarterback
Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons
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Week 3 is going to be a tough week for vampires. There are few quarterbacks with good matchups, and the ones with great matchups are ones you can't trust.
Despite a so-so performance in Week 2, Marcus Mariota hasn't looked terrible so far this season. He scored 19.8 points in Week 1 and 15.4 in Week 2 and has been getting plenty of rushing attempts. Mariota will have a chance to show that he can bounce back from last week with a good matchup against the Seahawks.
The Seahawks allow 18.4 fantasy points, 262 yards, and one touchdown per game to quarterbacks. Since Jamal Adams is out for the rest of the season, Mariota will have wide-open running lanes and one less ball hawk in his way.
Mobile quarterbacks are almost nonexistent in vampire leagues, so when you have a mobile quarterback available and a decent matchup, take the chance on them.Â
Running Backs
J.D. McKissic, Washington Commanders
McKiss should be a solid back for vampires in Week 3! He has been getting 40 percent or more of the offensive snaps and gained an increased target in Week 2. Surprisingly, McKissic has a 23.3 target-on-route percentage.Â
The Commanders face off against the Eagles in Week 3. This matchup is twofold for McKissic; the Eagles have not been great at stopping the run. The Eagles are allowing 27.2 fantasy points per game to running backs. Plus, it's very easy to see a negative game script for the Commanders early in the game, forcing them to be pass-heavy, which means more snaps and targets for McKissic.Â
He averages 15.3 fantasy points in games where he gets seven targets or more. If Washington is playing behind again (like they have in the first two weeks), it's very easy to see McKissic get that target amount.
Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis ColtsÂ
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Speaking of pass-catching running backs with a great matchup, Nyheim Hines is poised to have one of his week-winning performances in Week 3. Â
Hines has a decent 14.1 percent target share but a fantastic 31.4 targeted-on-route percentage. It also bodes well for Hines that many of the Colts' wide receivers are dealing with injuries which could result in a higher target share for Hines. Hines' matchup against the Chiefs will maximize the potential higher target share.
The Chiefs allow the second-most fantasy points (28.7) to running backs. They have allowed the most receptions to running backs and the second-most receiving yards to running backs.
Wide Receivers
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
Despite the Patriots having a lackluster offense, Jakobi Meyers is a bright spot and has a lot going for him. He has been on the field for 80 percent or more of the Patriot's snaps and has been productive with those snaps.
He is averaging 100 air yards per game. Meyers has a 29.7 percent target share, 63.3 targeted-on-route percentage, and 35.8 percent of his team's air yards. All this shows that Mac Jones only has eyes for Meyers, which means he'll get all the work against the Ravens.
The Ravens allow the most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, allowing 66.8 fantasy points, 293.5 yards, and 2.5 touchdowns per game.
D.J. Chark, Detroit Lions
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I know it seems ridiculous to suggest Chark after his terrible performance in Week 2, but I expect him to have a bounce-back week against the Vikings.
Even though Chark had the goose egg, he is still an intricate part of the Lions' offense. Chark is averaging 105 air yards per game, 17.5 yards-per-target, and has a 36.3 percent share of the Lions' air yards. These stats show that Chark is just waiting for a breakout week, which could happen against the Vikings.
The Vikings are allowing 35.5 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. The Vikings struggled at stopping big plays in the passing game in Week 2, and Chark is the Lions' big-play wide receiver.
Tight End
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Higbee is forcing every fantasy manager, not just vampires, to make him a starter after two weeks of solid play. He has a 26.7 percent target share, a higher target share than Travis Kelce (21.9%). That's not the only percentage that Higbee has higher than Kelce. Higbee's 46.5 targeted-on-route rate is about two percent higher than Kelce's.
Now that Higbee has a Kelce-like workload let's see if he can have a Kelce-like performance against the Cardinals. The Cardinals are back to being terrible against tight ends, allowing the most fantasy points to TEs through two weeks. They are unbelievably allowing 106 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game to tight ends.Â
Higbee is a must-start for everyone in Week 3.
Flex
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
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Shepard is another fantasy relic showing some potential and has something left to offer fantasy managers. He is averaging 67.8 air yards per game and has a fantastic 26.4 percent target share. But he has a crazy 42.9 percent of his team air yards, roughly a few percent behind Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson.
In Week 3, Shepard has a great matchup against the Cowboys. They are allowing 37.2 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. As you'll read in the defense section of this article, I expect the Giants' defense to perform well, which will result in more snaps for the offense.
Defense/Special Teams
New York Giants
The Giants have gotten an interception yet, but that streak should end in Week 3 against Cooper Rush and the Cowboys.
Rush was only sacked once against the Bengals. It's hard to believe that the Cowboys' injury-riddled offensive line will hold up consistently. The Giants' secondary is excellent and will force Rush to hold the ball longer, providing plenty of time for the pass rush to get to him. That will result in more fantasy points for vampires to claim their next victim.
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