Week 3 Lineup Winners: Underrated Players You Should Start in Fantasy Football (Ep. 2218)

September 25, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

"Bryce Young is the QB2 in fantasy points per game through two weeks, and he's ranked QB17 in ECR. I don't understand why he's ranked as low as he is." That's the kind of disconnect that wins or loses weeks in fantasy football, and the FantasyPros crew spent this episode hunting for similar mismatches between expert consensus rankings and actual production.

The episode's core argument is that early-season fantasy success depends on identifying players whose usage, matchup, and team context are better than their ranking suggests. The hosts, Seth Woolcock and Derek Brown, walk through a series of underrated starters at each position, focusing on concrete metrics rather than reputation.

Quarterback: The Bryce Young Reckoning

The most striking example is Bryce Young. Through two games, Young leads the league in passing touchdowns, ranks second in passing yards per game, and sixth in quarterback rating. Yet the expert consensus rankings have him at QB17, behind quarterbacks like Jordan Love, Kyler Murray, and Bo Nix. Derek Brown argues this is a clear miss. The Panthers lead the NFL in neutral passing rate at nearly 72%, meaning they throw in close games more than any other team. Their pass defense matchup against Cleveland is favorable — the Browns have allowed the fifth-highest passing success rate and seventh-highest pass rating allowed.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Intro & Banter** - Seth Woolcock and Derek Brown open the show, joking about Derek's "junior high football coach" vibes.
2 (03:00) **Bryce Young (QB, Panthers) - Why He's Ranked Too Low** - Derek argues Bryce Young should be ranked much higher than QB17 in ECR.
3 (07:00) **Kyle Manongai (RB, Bears) - A Strong Flex Play** - Derek recommends Manongai as a flex option regardless of who starts at QB for Chicago.
4 (11:00) **Dontavian Wicks (WR, Eagles) - Clear WR2 with Upside** - Derek highlights Wicks as a strong WR3/flex with WR2 potential.
5 (15:40) **Devon Bailey (WR, Saints) - Taking an L, But Still a Start** - Derek admits he was wrong about Bailey but still recommends him as a strong flex.
6 (19:00) **AD Mitchell (WR, Jets) - Volume and Big-Play Threat** - Derek backs Mitchell as a WR3/flex with a high ceiling against the Lions' secondary.
7 (22:13) **Pat Fryermuth (TE, Steelers) - A Reliable Streamer** - Derek and Seth argue Fryermuth should be ranked higher than TE17 in ECR.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Seth Woolcock Derek Brown

Show Notes

Seth Woolcock and Derek Brown are back with their top fantasy football must-starts for Week 3, beginning with why Bryce Young deserves more respect in the rankings against Cleveland.

From there, they look for value deeper in fantasy lineups, focusing on emerging players whose volume, matchups and opportunities make them strong flex considerations.

The show wraps with Pat Freiermuth as a potential tight end answer against the Bengals and a final push to get your Week 3 lineup set.

Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)

Intro - 0:00:00

Bryce Young - 0:02:20

Kyle Monangai - 0:06:30

TrophySmack Giveaway - 0:10:17

Dontayvion Wicks - 0:11:00

Devaughn Vele - 0:13:10

Adonai Mitchell - 0:16:18

Pat Freiermuth - 0:19:32

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