The Browns won a game… finally. Thursday Night Football was one to remember as Carlos Hyde celebrated his birthday and the birth of his new son the best way possible by rushing for two touchdowns. Also, we can now start the debate of whether Hue Jackson is actually a competent coach! Okay, maybe not that last part, but the fact remains, the Browns are higher in the standings than 18 other NFL teams including the Patriots, Saints, and the Super Bowl Champion Eagles (yes, we realize this will change once teams play on Sunday). Now getting back to fantasy, if you did start Hyde, congrats on the quality start to Week 3! To help keep the train going, we asked our featured experts below who they believe will surprise in both positive and negative ways this week. Looking at our PPR flex rankings, here’s who could provide sleeper value and who could disappoint.

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Q1. Who is a player outside of our top 100 flex rankings that is a deep sleeper start and why?

Calvin Ridley (WR – ATL)
“I was tempted to say Tre’Quan Smith because I think it could be a breakout week for him, but I’ll go to the other sideline and say that Calvin Ridley will perform much better than expected when he matches up against Ken Crawley in coverage. He’s been one of the worst cornerbacks in football over the first two games, allowing three touchdowns on just 14 targets. While Julio Jones deals with Marshon Lattimore, Ridley could be the main beneficiary.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Paul Richardson (WR – WAS)
“Despite having fewer targets through two games than both a running back and tight end on his own team, Paul Richardson is in a sneaky-good spot against Green Bay this week. He leads Washington in Average Depth of Target according to AirYards.com, and the Packers rank 28th in defending deep passes according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA. Even while hobbled, Aaron Rodgers should keep pressure on Washington’s offense to score, and Richardson could be a big beneficiary of a pass-happy game script in this particular matchup.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)

Dante Pettis (WR – SF)
“With Marquise Goodwin out last week in an expected shootout with the Lions, Dante Pettis was a popular week 2 add/GPP play. Unfortunately, Pettis disappointed, ending with one catch for 35 yards. However, the rookie was able to pace the 49ers wide receivers in snaps and he gets the Chiefs this week who have given up a league-worst 860 yards through the air. Even if Goodwin were to return, there will be plenty of opportunities for multiple receivers to put up strong flex-worthy numbers. Don’t let last week’s let-down prevent you from taking advantage of this week’s production.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)

Dante Pettis (WR – SF) | Josh Doctson (WR – WAS)
“This is contingent on the status of Marquise Goodwin, but Dante Pettis is worth a look this week. The 49ers face a Chiefs defense giving up gobs of aerial production through two games, including four touchdowns to wide receivers and a league-worst 40 receptions. Only three receptions on the season for the rookie, but Pettis had a 35-yard touchdown last week. He offers more upside than Pierre Garcon, though his floor is much lower. If Goodwin plays and limits Pettis’ snaps, consider Josh Doctson a hold-your-nose flyer. Washington is dealing with injuries at receiver and tight end Jordan Reed only played half the snaps during the first two weeks and Green Bay is allowing the fourth-most wide receiver production in PPR formats.”
– Ben Standig (The Sports Capitol)

Tyler Boyd (WR – CIN)
“A couple of the tight ends (Howard, Ebron) seem obvious, but let’s go with WR Tyler Boyd of the Bengals. He went 6-91-1 on 9 targets last week and has become an important part of the gameplan. Also, the Panthers will be missing one of their starting safeties and possibly a starting cornerback (Donte Jackson). Looking for secondary receivers could pay off this week for Andy Dalton, and while it would be fun for that to mean John Ross, Boyd is the smarter play.”
– John Halpin (RotoWire.com)

Q2. On the flip side, what player inside the top 40 flex rankings is likely to disappoint fantasy owners?

Giovani Bernard (RB – CIN)
“I’m not sure why everyone is going gaga over Giovani Bernard this week. I get the fact that Joe Mixon is out, but Bernard is dealing with some sort of knee injury that had him limited in practice on Wednesday. The team went out and signed Thomas Rawls off the street this week when they already have Mark Walton and Tra Carson on the roster, which raises some questions. On top of that, the Bengals will be without first-round pick starting center Billy Price against a strong front-seven of the Panthers. Bernard is very likely to disappoint.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“Last season, week 14 was known to DFS enthusiasts as “Giovani Bernard Chalk Week,” as the Bengals backup running back (with a near-minimum price tag) posted 19 PPR points filling in for injured starter, Joe Mixon. With Mixon out 2-4 weeks with a knee injury, owners are counting on a repeat of last season. While Bernard’s opportunity and receiving ability certainly gives him a safe floor, Marvin Lewis hinted this week that Bernard will be sharing carries with rookie Mark Walton. How much of a split remains to be seen, but don’t underestimate Walton. He was one of the better receiving backs in this past draft class and was a productive runner at Miami. Owners seem ready to pencil in low-end RB1 numbers for Bernard, but don’t be surprised if Walton eats into his production and Bernard ends up as a low-end RB2 in standard/mid-range RB2 in PPR.”
– Matthew Hill (DataForce Fantasy Football)

Stefon Diggs (WR – MIN) | Adam Thielen (WR – MIN)
“The Vikings won’t be hard-pressed to take care of business against the lowly Bills, and that creates concerns for Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Both are fine plays in a vacuum, but there shouldn’t be any need to get both wideouts heavily involved in the game plan. I slightly prefer Thielen to Diggs because Thielen’s been more heavily targeted through weeks, but either player could see a usage reduction as the Vikings lean on their defense and running game to get through this contest.”
– Greg Smith (TwoQBs)

Nelson Agholor (WR – PHI)
“On the one hand, Nelson Agholor should benefit from the return of Carson Wentz. The 16 receptions thru two games works. The 7.6 yards per catch does not. Yet there is some risk with Wentz shaking off the rust in his first game since last year’s season-ending knee injury. The Colts secondary isn’t amazing, but they shut down Washington’s wideouts last week. Indy can steer focus on Agholor with Alshon Jeffrey, Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles and Mike Wallace all out. PPR owners might be cool with an 8 for 60 line.”
– Ben Standig (The Sports Capitol)

Emmanuel Sanders (WR – DEN)
“Sanders only had four targets in Week 2 and has a tough matchup coming at Baltimore. The Broncos’ projected point total is below 20 for this game. No, thanks.”
– John Halpin (RotoWire.com)

Thank you to the experts for giving their sleeper starts and duds for Week 3. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.

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