Fantasy plays: Players to start and sit for NFL Week 3

It's been a roller coaster so far in the first two weeks of the NFL season.

Especially for some of the most reliable and coveted fantasy football players.

There are still plenty of solid plays to take advantage of in Week 3 though, and we’ve got them right here for you.

Start: Derek Carr, Saints vs. Eagles

Carr is off to a fast start with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, with 443 yards and five touchdowns and one interception. His dominant performances haven’t just come against winless teams such as the Panthers. This past week, Carr threw for two TDs and ran in one against the Cowboys. He could have a big game in Week 3 against the Eagles secondary.

Other locks:

—Baker Mayfield vs Broncos

—Jared Goff vs Cardinals

—Joe Burrow vs Commanders

—Lamar Jackson at Cowboys

Avoid: Jayden Daniels, Commanders at Bengals

Daniels had 2 rushing TDs in Week 1 and finished with 44 rushing yards and failing to find the end zone in Week 2 against the Giants. Daniels will face a Bengals defense this week that is top five in defending QBs.

Start: Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots at Jets

Stevenson is really the only thing the Patriots have going offensively, aside from Hunter Henry last week, surpassing 20 carries for the second straight week, on the way to 90 combined yards and 1 TD. In Week 3, he’ll face a Jets team that just allowed more than 100 yards rushing to the Titans.

Other locks:

—James Cook vs Jaguars

—Derrick Henry at Cowboys

—Jordan Mason at Rams

—Alvin Kamara vs Eagles

Avoid: Kyren Williams, Rams vs. 49ers

You might think Williams is in for a big game, considering all the other injuries the Rams offense has sustained over the past two weeks, but with fewer premier players to worry about, the 49ers defense can stack the box and give all of their attention to the Rams run game. And if the game gets lopsided in the 49ers’ favor, the Rams could move to Blake Corum in the backfield, as they did when the Cardinals got out to a big lead in Week 2.

Start: Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals vs. Commanders

Chase is off to a slow start, but he was on a snap count in Week 1, and he was bracketed all Week 2 with Tee Higgins absent. Even if Higgins sits this week, Chase should still be able to put up good numbers, as the Bengals will go up against the Commanders’ league-worst secondary in Week 3.

Other locks:

—Marvin Harrison Jr. vs Lions

—Nico Collins at Vikings

—Chris Godwin vs Broncos

—Brandon Aiyuk at Rams

Avoid: Drake London, Falcons vs. Chiefs

With an improved QB situation, there was hope London could put up big numbers this season. But aside from a last-minute TD against the Eagles on Monday night, London is off to a slow start. London and the Falcons passing game could struggle against the Chiefs’ top-five secondary in Week 3 on Sunday night.

George Kittle, 49ers at Rams

Kittle caught seven of his eight targets for 76 yards and a score against a stout Vikings defense in Week 2. With Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel out this week, he’ll need to be a major part of the 49ers offense again. His opponent, the Rams, are a top-10 matchup for opposing TEs, so Kittle shouldn't have a difficult time getting open.

Other locks:

—Trey McBride vs Lions

—Brock Bowers vs Panthers

—Pat Freiermuth vs Chargers

—Noah Fant vs Broncos

Avoid: Isaiah Likely, Ravens at Cowboys

Likely had a huge game in Week 1, catching 9 of 11 targets for 111 yards and a score, before catching only two passes for 26 yards in Week 2. With Mark Andrews getting four catches for 51 yards in Week 2, I want to keep Likely on the bench until we see him build some consistency.

This column was provided to The Associated Press by RosterWatch, www.rosterwatch.com.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) dives for extra yardage after catching a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. The Arizona Cardinals won 41-10. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, center right, runs into the end zone for a touchdown as Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams, center left, defends in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr reacts after teammate Alvin Kamara scored a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Liberian man who has been shuttled in and out of custody since immigration agents in Minnesota broke down his door with a battering ram was released again Friday, hours after a routine check-in with authorities led to his second arrest.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, backed off a bit from his threat a day earlier to invoke an 1807 law, the Insurrection Act, to send troops to suppress protests in Minnesota during an unprecedented immigration sweep in the Twin Cities.

“I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I’d use it," Trump told reporters outside the White House.

The dramatic initial arrest of Garrison Gibson last weekend was captured on video. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan ruled the arrest unlawful Thursday and freed him, but Gibson was detained again Friday when he appeared at an immigration office.

A few hours later, Gibson was free again, attorney Marc Prokosch said.

“In the words of my client, he said that somebody at ICE said they bleeped up and so they re-released him this afternoon and so he’s out of custody,” Prokosch said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gibson’s arrest is one of more than 2,500 made during a weekslong immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The operation has intensified and become more confrontational since the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7.

Gibson, 37, who fled the civil war in his West African home country as a child, had been ordered removed from the U.S., apparently because of a 2008 drug conviction that was later dismissed. He has remained in the country legally under what’s known as an order of supervision, Prokosch said, and complied with the requirement that he meet regularly with immigration authorities. =

In his Thursday order, the judge agreed that officials violated regulations by not giving Gibson enough notice that his supervision status had been revoked. Prokosch said he was told by ICE that they are “now going through their proper channels" to revoke the order.

Meanwhile, tribal leaders and Native American rights organizations are advising anyone with a tribal ID to carry it with them when out in public in case they are approached by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

Native Americans across the U.S. have reported being stopped or detained by ICE, and tribal leaders are asking members to report these contacts.

Ben Barnes, chief of the Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma and chair of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, called the reports “deeply concerning”.

Organizers in Minneapolis have set up application booths in the city to assist people needing a tribal ID.

Democratic members of Congress held a local meeting Friday to hear from people who say they've had aggressive encounters with immigration agents. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, who is Hmong American, said people are walking around with their passports in case they are challenged, and she has received reports of ICE agents going from door to door “asking where the Asian people live.” Thousands of Hmong people, largely from the Southeast Asian nation of Laos, have settled in the United States since the 1970s.

Minneapolis authorities released police and fire dispatch logs and transcripts of 911 calls, all related to the fatal shooting of Good. Firefighters found what appeared to be two gunshot wounds in her right chest, one in her left forearm and a possible gunshot wound on the left side of her head, records show.

“They shot her, like, cause she wouldn’t open her car door,” a caller said. “Point blank range in her car.”

Good, 37, was at the wheel of her Honda Pilot, which was partially blocking a street. Video showed an officer approached the SUV, demanded that she open the door and grabbed the handle.

Good began to pull forward and turned the vehicle's wheel to the right. Another ICE officer, Jonathan Ross, pulled his gun and fired at close range, jumping back as the SUV moved past him. DHS claims the agent shot Good in self-defense.

FBI Director Kash Patel said at least one person has been arrested for stealing property from an FBI vehicle in Minneapolis. The SUV was among government vehicles whose windows were broken Wednesday evening. Attorney General Pam Bondi said body armor and weapons were stolen.

The destruction occurred when agents were responding to a shooting during an immigration arrest. Trump subsequently said on social media that he would invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesota officials don’t stop the “professional agitators and insurrectionists” there.

Minnesota’s attorney general responded by saying he would sue if the president acts.

Associated Press reporters Ed White and Corey Williams in Detroit; Graham Lee Brewer in Oklahoma City; Jesse Bedayn in Denver; Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; and Ben Finley in Washington contributed.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, including one wearing a 'NOT ICE' face covering, walk near their vehicles, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Richfield, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A person looks out of their vehicle as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents walk away, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Richfield, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)