Will Fuller always has a chance to make a big play. Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images
The second week is in the books, and I have more sleeper plays for Week 3. Let’s take a peek at how I did last week, and then look ahead to this week’s slate of games. My criteria for a good game is around 100 total yards and/or a TD. Last week was decent considering I’m not picking studs. Here’s how I did in Week 2.
James White (NE): Right, 83 yards with 7 catches in a PPR
James Conner (PIT): Right
Lamar Miller (HOU): Wrong, they got behind early
Dion Lewis (TEN): Wrong
TJ Yeldon (JAX): Wrong
JuJu Smith-Schuster (PIT): Right (Wow)
Cooper Kupp (LA): Wrong, but 12 ppr points didn’t kill you
Mike Williams (LA): Right, thankfully he scored
Brandon Marshall (SEA): Wrong, thought he would get a revenge TD
Eric Ebron (IND): Right
Jack Doyle (IND): Wrong
Jordan Reed (WAS): Wrong, though he's a decent play again this week.
Not a great week going 5-7, but these are sleeper plays. We’ll try and do better this week. I have included some REALLY deep plays, OJ Howard for example, so a lot of these guys should only be used if you're really hurting due to injuries, or you're looking for a good value play in DFS.
Week 3
RB
Jordan Howard (CHI): You’re probably starting him every week, but he has a really nice matchup, so fire him up. Arizona gives up the most fantasy points to RBs this year.
James Conner (PIT): You can’t sit him, and this will probably be the last time he appears in this article. He’s in must-start territory, but I included him because his matchup is terrific. The Bucs give up over 38 FPTS/G to RBs.
Latavius Murray (MIN): With Dalvin Cook out for this week's game, Murray is a nice start. He’s playing the Bills, enough said.
Matt Breda (SF): The Chiefs are a Top 5 matchup for RBs and have already given up 21 receptions to the RB position. Alfred Morris is not much of a receiver.
WR
Keelan Cole (JAX): It’s always dangerous starting a Jags receiver, but he’s a decent play this week. The Titans are giving up over 52 FPTS/G to the receiver position. If you have the stones, and are thin at WR, his matchup suggests he could come through.
Chris Godwin and DeSean Jackson (TB): Hopefully, Ryan Fitzpatrick has a little more magic left in him. The Steelers are giving up a ton of production to WRs. Joe Haden’s return could be an issue, and I don't advise starting both of these guys on the same team.
Will Fuller (HOU): When Fuller plays with Watson usually good things happen. The Giants are pretty decent against receivers by the numbers, but if you need some upside, give Fuller a shot.
Nelson Agholor (PHI): Carson Wentz is coming back, and who else is he going to throw to besides Zach Ertz?
TE
Eric Ebron (IND): Jack Doyle is now officially out for this week's game against the Eagles. Ebron should get an uptick in targets, so he's worth starting this week for sure.
Jesse James (PIT): He’s hard to trust, but his matchup is fantastic. The Bucs are giving up over 20 FPTS/G to TEs. If you're desperate, he's a decent option.
George Kittle (SF): He let us down last week, but we’ll give him another shot. The Chiefs are giving up the 3rd most points to the position.
OJ Howard (TB): He’s a long shot, but the matchup is really good. This is only if you’re stuck and need a TE.
QB
Jimmy Garoppolo (SF): I think Jimmy is worth a shot this week and is a Top 10 option. This should be a shootout with the Chiefs.
Matt Ryan (ATL): Don’t count on him getting two rushing TDs again this week, but he should put up some points against the Saints.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Astros-Reds opener could hinge on these critical factors
May 9, 2025, 12:30 pm
It’s been a slog on the treadmill of mediocrity for the Astros thus far in 2025. Their 18-18 record heading into a weekend series at Daikin Park vs. the Reds is appropriate. Plenty of good teams will have similar stretches this season. The Astros have to prove that this year’s edition is a good team. Plenty of time for that remains. Reminder that the breakout 2017 Astros had a 74-game stretch over which they went 37-37. 162 games allow for a lot of ebb and flow. Of course, the 2025 Astros’ roster is not close in quality to that of the 2017 squad. The point isn’t that this team could be a 101-game winner but that the 88 victories good enough for a playoff spot last year are still quite plausible this year.
The Rockets achieved mediocrity last season after three seasons as a laughingstock. This season they made the leap to good. While curling up and succumbing to Golden State in the decisive game seven of their first-round playoff series was a disappointment, the Rockets are in excellent position moving forward. Where they go from here should be quite interesting,
OF COURSE the Rockets are going to explore trading Jalen Green. He is obviously their most physically gifted player, but his consistent inconsistency is exasperating. Green’s series against the Warriors was basically an embarrassment with the exception of his 38-point game two outburst. The other six games, a meager nine-point-two points per game. That Green is still just 23 years old means it is not near obligatory they move on from him as Green starts a three-year 105 million dollar contract extension. However, the state of his game and comparison to a few specific players cast enough doubt about Green’s ceiling that declaring him “untouchable” would be ridiculous. During the Golden State series, an NBA play-by-play guy who I think is very good overall once referred to Green as the “Rockets’ superstar.” Anyone, including Green himself, who calls him a superstar either misspoke, was caught up in a moment, or is clueless.
Jalen Green just finished his fourth NBA season. Fairness requires noting that his first two seasons were compromised by being on atrocious Rockets’ squads. That said, Green was on 41-41 and 52-30 teams the past two seasons. In neither of him did he shoot a league average percentage either overall or from behind the three-point line. He did approach the three-point league average of 36 percentage made with his 35.4. That Green is an 80 percent career free throw shooter gives hope the three-point shooting can further develop. Better shot selection sure would help.
Green was the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, one year removed from high school. The player taken ahead of him was Cade Cunningham who also played just one year out of high school before going NBA. Cunningham joined a joke Detroit Pistons team. Cunningham is a much better player than Green at this point.
Other shooting guards who played one year after high school then jumped to the NBA, who were markedly ahead of Green after four NBA seasons include Anthony Edwards (first pick in his draft class), and Shae Gilgeous-Alexander (11th), and Devin Booker (13th). In comparison to each Green is a disappointment, though certainly not a bust.
What is head coach Ime Udoka’s bottom-line belief in Green fulfilling his potential? My guess is that cup is not overflowing. The Rockets’ half-court offense simply is not of championship caliber. Can it evolve there with Green, or is he better used as a piece in a trade offer with other players plus draft picks for a Booker or Kevin Duran? The Phoenix Suns are a near assets-less mess of a franchise in dire need of a reset. Durant will be 37 years old when next season starts, but is still a tremendous offensive player who would be a gargantuan half-court offense upgrade for the Rockets. The Rockets have so much draft capital that offering two or three first round picks plus Green, Cam Whitmore, and another player or two to make the salary cap math work would A: not empty out the Rockets’ flexibility going forward and B: have to get the Suns’ attention. If I’m Udoka and General Manager Rafael Stone, I’m making the call.
Courtesy of the Suns, the Rockets hold what is currently the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. The draft lottery is Monday night. The Rockets’ have a three-point-eight percent chance of winning it and the right to make Duke freshman superstar (and Final Four loser to UH) Cooper Flagg the number one pick. There is a 13.5 percent chance the Rockets move up to pick two, three, or four. Otherwise, it’s ninth, or lower if another team or teams vault up the lottery board.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
_____________________________________________
*Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!