FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast

Episode: The Biggest Fantasy Football Questions For Each Team in Week 3 (Ep. 1720)
Date: September 19, 2025
Hosts: Ryan Wormley, Derek Brown ("Debro"), Pat Fitzmaurice ("Fitz")

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ryan, Derek, and Pat tackle the biggest fantasy football questions for every NFL team heading into Week 3. They go game by game, breaking down lineup decisions, key player performances, and what to watch for—offering actionable insights and rankings straight from the FantasyPros consensus. The crew debates difficult start/sit choices, flags potential breakout performances, and provides betting angles for marquee matchups.

Key Discussion Points & Insights by Game

1. Falcons at Panthers

Main Question: Who has a higher positional finish: Tetaro McMillan (WR) or Kyle Pitts (TE)?

• Pat: Kyle Pitts, higher TE finish likely due to shallow TE pool. "I think he has better odds of a top 10 finish than Ted Arom. McMillan does." (03:00)
• Derek: Agrees, calling this a "Kyle Pitts week" and highlighting the Panthers' vulnerability vs TE and Pitts' heavy involvement.

  "Kyle Pitts was the easy answer here for me... He's been extremely involved." (04:06)

• WR Rankings: Both have McMillan at WR16, but if Falcons CB AJ Terrell is out, McMillan is boosted a bit.

Memorable quote:

"This is where Pitts eats, man... Kyle Pitts week. Saddle up, let's go."
— Derek Brown (04:06)

2. Packers at Browns

Main Question: Can the Packers’ offense hold up vs the hot Browns defense, especially with injuries (Jaden Reed, Tucker Kraft)?

• Pat shares nostalgia about Packers-Browns history and notes the matchup will be tough, with possible absences in the passing game and an elite Browns run D limiting Josh Jacobs.

  "I think this could be a pretty low scoring affair." (07:05)

• Derek: More optimistic about Green Bay’s passing game, says Jordan Love is quietly playing great, and can exploit Browns' weaker secondary. Suggests LaFleur should lean pass-heavy.

  "If I'm LaFleur, you lean into the passing game dude... and unleash Jordan Love." (10:00)

Betting note: Pat is picking Packers against the spread; doubts the Browns’ offense can do enough.

3. Texans at Jaguars

Main Question: Who bounces back: Nico Collins (HOU) or Brian Thomas Jr. (JAX)?

• Derek: "I'm going to take Nico, but... I don’t feel great about either one of these guys... I'll go with Nico, but my confidence level's not high for either." (17:36)
• Rankings: Nico WR8, Thomas WR11 in Expert Consensus; both top-15 starts but confidence is shaky due to difficult CB matchups.
• Both see Jaguars DB Derek Stingley shadowing Thomas as a big concern.

Rapid start/sit:

• Nico Collins > Zay Flowers (18:17)
• Derrick's call: A.J. Brown is the surprising name to outrank Brian Thomas this week.

QB edition:

• Derek: Trevor Lawrence over Stroud; Stroud is struggling and Jags’ D not as weak as expected.
• Pat: Chooses Stroud, citing his great history vs JAX: "In four career starts... Stroud has averaged 292.8 passing yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He owns the Jaguars." (21:48)

4. Bengals at Vikings

Main Question: Who moves the ball better, Minnesota (Wentz) or Cincinnati (Browning) offense?

• Pat: "I say Wentz. US Bank Stadium is one of the hardest places to play... I suspect they're going to be breathing fire this week." (22:27)
• Derek: Leans Browning due to volume and trusting the Bengals’ supporting cast more than Wentz, but is not overly optimistic about either QB.
• Both note how the defense, especially Brian Flores’ blitz schemes, could make Browning's life difficult.

5. Steelers at Patriots

Main Questions: Are the Steelers a defense to target when setting lineups?

• Derek: "I've had a hard time reconciling how much talent they have ... and how horrible they have played." (27:00) Steelers D allowing big plays and points.
• Pat: Agrees, noting high pay and underperformance, but expects some positive regression.

  "I don't think the Steelers are a defense we're going to be picking on in fantasy... But I don't think it'll be this bad all year." (28:08)

RB question: Ramondre Stevenson (RB19 for Derek) still owns the backfield; Fitz is lower at RB30, sees a narrower split with Travion Henderson, due to Henderson's pass-game involvement.

6. Rams at Eagles

Betting Focus

• Spread: Eagles -3.5
• Pat: Leans Eagles; likes Higby under 22.5 yards. (32:20)
• Derek: Thinks Rams are live to win; likes the over.
• Prop to watch:

  "A.J. Brown over 61.5 receiving yards at Hard Rock bet... I think A.J. brown's going to have an eruption game here." — Derek Brown (33:17)

7. Jets at Buccaneers

Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson with Tyrod Taylor starting

• Pat: "Treating them the same as if Fields were healthy… have Garrett Wilson WR14, Breece Hall RB18." (35:24)
• Derek: Has Hall lower (RB20) due to Tampa’s run D, but believes both Jets are fine plays and likes Tyrod’s upside vs Bucs.

8. Colts at Titans

Is the Colts’ offensive start for real?

• Pat: Week 3 optimism is a 6/10; season-long confidence is 2/10.
• Derek: About a 7-8/10 confidence for week, but only a 4-5/10 for season; expects Pittman and Warren to remain the top options, doesn't trust Down's usage or Alec Pierce.

Quote:

"Maybe Daniel Jones turns back into a pumpkin." — Derek Brown (38:32)

9. Raiders at Commanders

Ashley Genti (RB) panic meter after two inefficient games?

• Derek: No panic yet, "This is buy-low not panic." Notes poor OL play, expects improvement with a soft upcoming schedule. (40:55)
• Pat: Panic at 3 of 10 — notes usage is still good, problems all stem from OL. (42:03)
• Start/sit consensus: Jordan Mason over Ashley Genti for Week 3.

10. Broncos at Chargers

"Pick-to-outperform" on each offense

• Pat: Courtland Sutton bounceback (43:19)
• Derek: Keenan Allen "[is] going to have a really strong day" vs the Broncos, dismisses ECR putting him outside WR1 territory. (44:04)
• Troy Franklin gets a speculative nod from Derek, with a risk of a Sean Payton "rug pull" given volatility of snap counts.

11. Seahawks at Saints

Ken Walker vs Zach Charbonnet workload

• Derek: If Charbonnet (questionable) is out, it's "Ken Walker wheels up… could be a monster game for Ken Walker." (46:36)
• Pat: Penciling Walker as a back-end RB1 if Charbonnet sits, RB16 if he plays.
• Both see Charbonnet as likely to have a smaller but still notable role once healthy.

12. Cowboys at Bears

Rookie WR Rome Odunze’s breakout?

• Pat: Not quite buying superstar status yet, ranks him well below consensus (WR22) and warns about overreaction to targets.
• Derek: Slightly below consensus (WR18), but calls the game setup "firework filled", pounds the table for DJ Moore as the best Bears WR bet this week.
• Multiple DJ Moore prop bet recommendations: over 4.5 receptions, over 54.5 yards.

  "If you can, ladder bet him, please do this week and enjoy it... This is gonna be a firework filled game and I'm all in for DJ Moore." — Derek Brown (54:34)

13. Cardinals at 49ers

WR3 debate: Ricky Pearsall vs. Jauan Jennings

• Pat: Leaning Pierceall, especially if Jennings is hampered by injury.
• Derek: If healthy, prefers Jennings for red zone/first read role. Both skeptical about Marvin Harrison Jr. deserving a significant ranking gap above these guys, with Fitz noting, "fundamentally, nothing really different so far with Marvin Harrison."

14. Chiefs at Giants (SNF)

Is this the Chiefs’ “get right” game?

• Derek: Not buying a true “get right” game, more a “look better” spot.

  "Where’s the explosive element?... This is not a get right game for KC." (58:45)

• Pat: Skeptical due to O-line and run game struggles.
• Both like the Giants (+6) and even think the Moneyline upset is live against a broken KC offense.

15. Lions at Ravens (MNF)

Highest total of the week—betting over/under & one key fade

• Ryan: Predicts the game "played in the 60s" points-wise — "I think it's easily an over." (64:07)
• Derek: Likes the over; fade is Mark Andrews due to usage and Lions’ TE defense.
• Pat: Also leans over, gently fades Derrick Henry due to matchup, jokes that he's cursed Henry by finally acquiring him in fantasy.

Baltimore at home = Ravens side

• Both prefer Ravens -4.5 at home in prime time.

Lamar playoff debate: Playful sparring closes the pod, teases a possible deep dive into postseason narratives in a future episode.

Notable Quotes

• "This is where Pitts eats, man... Kyle Pitts week. Saddle up, let's go." — Derek Brown (04:06)
• "If I'm LaFleur, you lean into the passing game dude... and unleash Jordan Love." — Derek Brown (10:00)
• "In four career starts... Stroud has averaged 292.8 passing yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He owns the Jaguars." — Pat Fitzmaurice (21:48)
• "I've had a hard time reconciling how much talent they have ... and how horrible they have played." — Derek Brown on the Steelers defense (27:00)
• "A.J. Brown over 61.5 receiving yards at Hard Rock bet... I think A.J. brown's going to have an eruption game here." — Derek Brown (33:17)
• "If you can, ladder bet [DJ Moore], please do this week and enjoy it... This is gonna be a firework filled game and I'm all in for DJ Moore." — Derek Brown (54:34)
• "Where's the explosive element?... This is not a get right game for KC." — Derek Brown (58:45)
• "I think this game is going to be played in the 60s. Like, I don't care that it's a high total." — Ryan Wormley (64:07)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Falcons at Panthers / Pitts vs McMillan: 02:13 – 05:56
• Packers at Browns: 06:16 – 11:53
• Texans at Jaguars WRs: 17:21 – 19:05
• Texans at Jaguars QBs: 20:33 – 22:16
• Bengals at Vikings: 22:27 – 26:12
• Steelers D: 27:00 – 29:17
• Patriots RB Split: 29:20 – 31:45
• Rams at Eagles (betting focus): 31:45 – 34:46
• Jets at Buccaneers: 35:24 – 36:44
• Colts at Titans: 37:19 – 40:12
• Raiders at Commanders (Genti panic): 40:55 – 42:57
• Broncos at Chargers: 43:19 – 46:21
• Saints at Seahawks (Walker/Charbonnet): 46:21 – 49:22
• Cowboys at Bears (Odunze/Moore): 49:45 – 55:20
• Cardinals at 49ers: 55:33 – 58:24
• Chiefs at Giants: 58:37 – 62:09
• Lions at Ravens: 62:23 – 66:44

Final Thoughts

The hosts provide detailed, data-driven, and at times strongly opinionated answers to the week’s burning questions. There’s healthy debate, actionable takeaways for your lineups, and plenty of humor—along with bold calls on both players and sides in the betting market. If you need a quick takeaway: Pitts, A.J. Brown, and DJ Moore are strong plays; be cautious with Steelers’ D, Marvin Harrison Jr., and some high-profile RBs with bad matchups. And circle Ravens-Lions for fantasy fireworks on Monday night.