By: Jonathan Goad

Before we get into the players for this week, let me apologize for the mistakes I made last week.

I’m sorry for Adrian Peterson who only had 50 yards on 14 touches.

I’m sorry for Amari Cooper, who you probably had on your bench without my advice. He ended up with 10 catches for 116 yards. Obviously, I’m shocked!

I won’t apologize for the players I said to “Flex.” There’s always risk involved with those type of players. If it makes you feel better, I flexed Jalen Richard and he was nonexistent.

Look, I’m not perfect. I’m going to make mistakes. But no one will try harder than I will to correct them.

Consider that my Tim Tebow speech.

Week 3. Here we go!

START

Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

With Joe Mixon out, Bernard looks to be a three-down back for the Bengals. He should see close to 20 touches, if not more. The Bengals face the Panthers who just gave up 107 rushing yards on 16 carries and 18 yards on 4 catches to Tevin Coleman. Fire him up like your old Geo Metro.

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Mahomes is a good old-fashioned gunslinger. He’s not afraid of trying to fit the ball into small windows. Guess what. He hasn’t thrown a pick yet. He faces the 49ers who haven’t been great against the pass so far. Look for Mahomes to continue his excellent start to his career. Start him.

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

Golladay has had a nice start to the season with 13 catches for 203 yards and a score. He’s seen at least nine targets in both games so far. He should see a similar number of targets against New England this week. Blake Bortles torched the Pats secondary last week and Stafford is a much better QB than Bortles. Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook, and Donte Moncrief all had touchdowns for the Jags. Golladay will return to the end zone again this week. Start him.

BENCH

Josh Gordon, WR, New England Patriots

Gordon is going to be a fantasy stud for the rest of the season if he can stay on the field. However, I don’t like him this week. He’s joining a new team and has to learn a new playbook. On top of that, he’s battling a hamstring injury. Detroit also hasn’t been terrible against WRs. There’s a lot to be excited about with Gordon going to the Pats, but pump the brakes on him this week.

Jay Ajayi, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Yes, he has scored three TDs. Yes, he’s also dealing with a back injury. Ajayi has become a bit touchdown dependent in fantasy football. The Colts also haven’t been bad against the run. Joe Mixon had a nice game in week one, but they held Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson to 21 rushing yards. Where they give up yards is in the passing game, which Ajayi doesn’t factor into all that much. Corey Clement is the guy you want this week in the Eagles backfield. Bench Ajayi.

Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

Rivers has started the season very nicely. He’s thrown for 680 yards and six touchdowns to just one interception through two games. Solid numbers. The issue this week is he faces the Rams who are tough against the pass. They’ve picked off four passes and only given up 393 yards through the air so far this season. Hopefully you’ve got another capable QB this week. Leave Philip in a van down by the Rivers.

FLEX

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals

I love Fitz. He’s the ultimate pro. He’s a great teammate and has been a fantasy stud just about every year. However, he’s off to a slow start –ten catches for 98 yards and no touchdowns. He’s also dealing with a hamstring injury. The reason I say “Flex” him is because he’s capable of having a monster game every week and eventually, he’ll put it together. Plus, it’s very difficult to bench Fitz. Maybe lower your expectations, though.

Chris Thompson, RB, Washington Redskins

Thompson has become one of the better pass catchers out of the backfield. He has 19 receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown in the first two weeks. However, he’s only had nine carries for 66 yards. The Redskins play Green Bay this week who held Jordan Howard to five receptions for 25 yards, Tarik Cohen to three receptions for 16 yards, and Dalvin Cook to three catches for 52 yards. The upside with Thompson is Washington is likely to be trailing in this game, so he should see plenty of passing situations.

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle had a nice week one but followed that up with a dud last week. Two catches for 22 yards is not a good week for a tight end. He has a chance to have a nice bounce-back game this week against Kansas City. The Chiefs gave up eight catches for 164 yards and a score to Pittsburgh tight ends last week. Kittle is just as capable as Jesse James or Vance McDonald. Don’t be overly optimistic, though.

Take my advice or don’t. These are my picks for week 3.