Week 3 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts & Sleepers

Sep 17, 2025

Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

I’ll put the defense’s aFPA rank in parentheses below, though users should exercise caution in putting too much stock into last year’s strength-of-schedule. The higher the number, the better the matchup. We will update aFPA for 2025 starting with Week 4 of this season.

After my prop plays went 6-1 in Week 1, they went a dreadful 1-5 in Week 2–both Caleb Williams and Joe Flacco were benched before they could beat their number (I’m not salty at all)–so they are 7-6 on the season. I’ll sprinkle a few more throughout Sneaky Starts as they come up.

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert is playing at a high level and is an every-week QB1 at this point.

Caleb Williams, Bears (vs. DAL, 29)

Caleb Williams sits as the QB10 through two weeks, with finishes of QB9 and QB20. His rushing ability (85 yards and a touchdown so far) provides a steady fantasy floor, and Week 3 sets up as a bounce-back spot. The Cowboys have yielded the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, allowing 283 passing yards per game at 9.4 YPA. With Dallas’ offense rolling, Chicago may have to throw to keep pace, giving Williams a path to QB1 numbers.

Daniel Jones, Colts (@ TEN, 17)

Daniel Jones has been the biggest surprise at quarterback so far, ranking as the fantasy QB2 through two weeks with finishes of QB3 and QB5. His legs have been the difference, as he’s already rushed for three touchdowns, but he's averaging 294 passing yards as well. The Titans have been stingy against the pass in the early going, but they did allow the 10th-most passing touchdowns (27) a year ago. Given his dual-threat production, Jones belongs firmly in the QB1 conversation for Week 3.