Falcons-Packers Fantasy Football Week 3 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em

The Atlanta Falcons hit the road in Week 3 to face the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. The Falcons will be welcoming back Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback. Meanwhile, the Packers are looking for some consistency as they play at home for the first time this season. After a loss to open the season against the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers struggled in Week 2, needing overtime to beat the New York Jets. As the two teams are set to face off on Thursday, these are the players who should be in your fantasy football lineup, and others that need to be on the bench.

Week 3 Start ‘Em

Jordan Love, QB, Packers – Jordan Love has been inconsistent this year, with plenty of positives and some negatives. He was QB11 in Week 1, passing for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Still, he was intercepted once and sacked four times. In Week 2, against the Jets, he completed just 16 of 29 passes for only 145 yards. He was also sacked three times. On the positive end, he once again had two touchdown passes and did not get intercepted in the game. The Falcons are 23rd in the NFL against the pass this year, and this will be a spot where Love can thrive.

Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons – The lack of any sort of passing game for the Falcons this year has hindered Robinson so far. He opened the season as RB6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, after running for 83 yards while bringing in eight receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. Robinson was on the field for only 51 percent of the snaps against the Carolina Panthers, but still ran for 72 yards and brought in three receptions. Regardless, the Falcons were down early, limiting the chances for Robinson. He should have more chances to make an impact with Penix back under center, which will make Robinson a viable top-end running back option.  The Packers are 11th against running backs in fantasy this year, which will also help Robinson in this one.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Packers – Tucker Kraft had an underwhelming performance in Week 2. He was on the field for 98 percent of the snaps, but saw just three targets and had two receptions. Kraft has just five receptions this year, but facing the Falcons is a great spot for the Packers' tight end to rebound. The Falcons have allowed 17.7 points to tight ends so far this year, which is the fourth most in the NFL.

Christian Watson, WR, Packers – Multiple factors make Watson a must-start in this game. To begin with, the Falcons are great against running backs in fantasy, allowing the sixth fewest points to running backs. Further, the running back trio for the Packers has been underwhelming. Meanwhile, Jayden Reed, the number two receiver for the Packers, is currently questionable to play after being injured in Week 2. Watson also saw his snap count increase in Week 2. He moved from 76 percent of the snaps to 90 percent in Week 2. Further, he has ten receptions on 19 targets for 188 yards and three touchdowns already this season. Watson is in a great spot to put up major points this week.

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Week 3 Sit ‘Em 

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Falcons – The Packers have been middle of the pack against quarterbacks in fantasy this year. Still, Michael Penix Jr. is returning from a knee injury, which is going to limit any chances to get points from running on the ground. This will be his first game since tearing his ACL in November 2025. In fantasy, a quarterback that is not a major running threat and is primarily a pocket passer needs to be throwing multiple touchdown passes and near 300 yards passing. With the conservative nature of the Falcons offense, the high usage rate of running back Bijan Robinson, and the general sluggishness of the Atlanta offense, Penix is not someone to start this week.

Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons – Kyle Pitts got a massive contract this offseason and has not done much to support his new deal. So far this year, Pitts has been targeted just four times, bringing in one reception for 15 yards. With Penix back in the lineup, Pitts could see some more targets, but the lack of consistency makes it hard to put Pitts in the lineup against the Packers. Considering that Pitts also has to share targets with Robinson and Drake London. With the potentially slow rollout of the passing game and Penix returning from an ACL injury, Pitts needs to be on the bench.

MarShawn Lloyd/Chris Brooks/Kaleb Johnson, RB, Packers – The Packers' running game has not been good this year. MarShawn Lloyd has run the ball 19 times for 57 yards, while Chris Brooks has 11 carries for 40 yards, and Kaleb Johnson has eight carries for 32 yards. None of the running backs are averaging over four yards per carry, and they also have not scored a touchdown. None of the running backs are major threats in the passing game. Further, none of them are getting major chances in the red zone. Without high-volume running, pass-catching, or touchdown scoring, none of these backs should be in your lineup.