Week 2 of the NFL brought many surprises and created the start of some interesting trends. We found out who was a Week 1 fluke and who was not. We gained further knowledge as to who we should buy into and who we should not.
With no openly gay players in the league, we formed a fantasy team from players who have shown their support for LGBT issues in interviews with Outsports and other media.
Last week, the team performed extremely well. The squad posted up 104 fantasy points in a standard Yahoo league.
Here are Team Outsports Equality’s Starts and Sits for Week 3:
Quarterback
Start: Aaron Rodgers @ Redskins
Despite a rough performance against a stout Minnesota defense last week, Rodgers is still the quarterback you want to own in fantasy this week. Expect him to have a better showing against the Redskins.
Sit: Cam Newton vs. Bengals, Derek Carr @ Dolphins, Andrew Luck @ Eagles, Russell Wilson vs. Cowboys
Cam Newton and Russell Wilson have struggled mightily out the gate. Andrew Luck looked sharp last week but it will be harder to keep that up against the Eagles. Derek Carr faces an undefeated team this week with a defense that has surprised many out the gate.
Running back
Start: Jordan Howard @ Cardinals
He’s the top back on our squad, and despite a poor showing against the Seahawks, I expect him to play well against the Cardinals, the worst offense in the league. This likely means the Bears will be winning most of the game and they will try to eat clock by running the ball and feeding Howard.
Start: Giovani Bernard @ Panthers
This is the one major change to the lineup this week. Joe Mixon could be out a few weeks with an injury, which means Bernard is the first in line to receive his carries. Expect a big game from Gio on Sunday.
Sit: Frank Gore vs. Raiders, Kyle Juszczyk @ Chiefs
Gore and Juszczyk should not be considered unless it is an extremely deep league. Gore may show signs of life against the Raiders, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Wide receiver
Start: DeAndre Hopkins vs. Giants
Hopkins found the end zone for the first time this season against the Titans. He’s very likely to find the end zone again at home against a weak Giants secondary.
Start: Adam Thielen vs. Bills
Thielen had the game-tying touchdown against the Packers last week. Playing the Bills this week is a matchup you simply cannot say no to.
Sit: Davante Adams @ Redskins, Marquise Goodwin @ Chiefs, T.Y. Hilton @ Eagles, Kenny Stills vs. Raiders, Robert Woods @ Rams
Adams and Hilton are good plays, but they fall short to Hopkins and Thielen. Goodwin, Stills and Woods are players we need to wait on before we see their true fantasy impact for the season.
Tight end/Flex
Start: Rob Gronkowski @ Lions (SNF), Travis Kelce vs. 49ers
Gronk had a poor showing against the Jaguars last week. But this week, he draws a much more favorable matchup and should see more targets on Sunday Night Football.
Kelce had two TD’s last week and Patrick Mahomes is a TD machine. Expect Kelce to be one of the main beneficiaries.
Defense
Start: Minnesota Vikings vs. Bills
Starting any defense against the Bills is a wise decision. But one of the best defenses led by Harrison Smith in the league at home? This matchup is too good to be true.
Kicker
Start: Matt Prater vs. Patriots (SNF)
Prater had a good game last week against the 49ers and had his chances to score for the Lions. With the Pats in town, expect a high-scoring affair on SNF and Prater to get plenty of chances to contribute to your fantasy team.
Sit: Brandon McManus @ Ravens
McManus leaves friendly altitude-laden Denver for Baltimore this week. It hurts his fantasy value as the Broncos face one of the better defenses in the league.
LGBT Focus
Read more on these players’ LGBT views:
- These eight players would support a gay teammate (from 2018)
- These New England Patriots linemen would support a gay teammate (from 2018)
- 14 NFL Pro Bowlers say they would welcome a gay teammate (from 2017)
- NFL players react to Michael Sam coming out (from 2014)
- 62 active NFL players who have made statements in support of gays (from 2013)
- Carson Palmer, 12 Indianapolis Colts would embrace openly gay teammate (from 2013)
Jeremy Brener is a student at the University of Central Florida who writes for Outsports. He can be reached via email ([email protected]) and followed on Twitter.