After an exciting and upset filled week two, what possibly could the NFL have in store for us this time around? Fortunately, we don’t have to wait long to find out. Thursday night, just like last week, brings us a divisional prime time matchup. For this contest, it is the New England Patriots visiting the New York Jets. Just like last Thursday, this Patriots/Jets Fantasy Starts/Sits edition is here to help get your week three off to a winning start!

Truly, Thursday night games can be difficult to decide on which players to get into the starting lineup and who to leave on the bench. With that in mind, this edition strives to make those decisions easier. One piece of advice: NEVER start any player in a Thursday night game in a flex position. Having said that, and since there is little time to waste, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Patriots Starts

Unbelievably enough, I will begin with a selection that almost no one would have seen coming before the season began. However, week two was a huge breakout for tight end Hunter Henry. After a near invisible showing in week one, Hunter exploded against the Seattle Seahawks.

Henry finished the game with eight catches on 12 targets for 109 yards. Without doubt, it was a career highlight day for him. The Jets are middle of the pack against tight ends so far in 2024, ranking 15th. If you waited on a tight end in your draft and wound up with Henry, there is no reason to sit him this week.

There were questions on how good could Rhamondre Stevenson be this season. Consider the answer to be certainly a positive one. In the first two games, Stevenson has 46 rushes for 201 yards and two TDs. True, he isn’t catching many passes, but that’s not why he was drafted. The Jets have a fearsome defensive reputation, but enter this contest ranked only 22nd against fantasy runners. If anyone is a start for the Patriots, it most certainly has to be Stevenson.

Patriots Sits

For the most part, Jacoby Brissett has kept his head above water so far this season. While the Patriot faithful wait on a certain rookie QB, that is about all they could ask for. Even so, the yards haven’t been there for Brissett. He’s thrown 51 passes in the first two games, but only for a total of 270 yards. He hasn’t thrown an interception, which is great. However, he only has a single TD through the air.

While New York hasn’t shown out on defense against the run, it is a completely different story against the pass. Entering this game, the Jet D has the eighth best defense against quarterbacks. Even in two QB or superflex leagues, there has to be a better option than Brissett. Keep him on the bench in this one.

As for receivers I will keep this short. They only accounted for three catches against Seattle. There shouldn’t be a lot of Patriots receivers on rosters to begin with. Even if that’s the case, keep them glued to the sideline Thursday night.

Jets Starts

Truth be told, Aaron Rodgers hasn’t posted much air yards yet himself this season. He enters week three with a total of 343 yards. However, he does have three touchdown passes against one interception. The reality is that the first two Jet games were on the road. That is a lot to ask of anyone, especially a 40 year old quarterback.

Expect that Rodgers will get things going at home this week. New England comes in with the 22nd ranking against fantasy QBs. If you drafted Rodgers, in any setting, this Patriots/Jets Fantasy Starts/Sits edition says set him up as a fantasy starter.

I assume there is no reason to debate Garrett Wilson. Despite catching just four passes last week, he is as solid a starter as there is to be found. End of debate.

Ditto Breece Hall. Despite the Patriots having the ninth best defense against fantasy RBs, Hall is a must start here, despite only gaining 116 yards in the first two games. Once again, just like with Rodgers and Wilson, at home, expect that Hall will deliver.

Jets Sits

There were many, including myself, that thought that a breakout was coming for Tyler Conklin. Even with a small sample size, it looks like he may be more of a breakdown than a breakout. In two games, Conklin has a grand total of two catches. New England ranks ninth against tight ends. This is not the game to look for Conklin to turn his season around. Keep him away from starting lineups until further notice.

Expecting a big game from Wilson is an easy decision to come to. However, don’t expect the same for Mike Williams. He has a single catch through two weeks. He will have to show that he can put up the numbers before he can be trusted in fantasy. It is bench city for Williams for the time being.

Truly, research made the conclusions on the above players pretty straight forward. That wasn’t the case for Braelon Allen. Truth be told, Allen did everything possible to make this a difficult choice. After rushing for just eight yards and catching only one pass against the 49ers, Allen had a very nice game against Tennessee. Scoring a TD on the ground and through the air will do that.

Even so, those TDs clouded the fact that Allen didn’t have many touches in the game. He ran the football a total of seven times and received only four targets, catching two. Chasing touchdowns is usually a bad idea in fantasy. Don’t expect the same results against New England. Keep him on the bench in this game.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this Patriots/Jets Fantasy Starts/Sits edition! Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to bellyupsports.com/ and bellyupfantasysports.com/ for all the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and the latest sports news!

I am a co-host of The Sports Stove Fantasy Baseball Show. Our final show of the season will be live Sunday September 29 at 8 pm Eastern. If you’ve missed a single episode this season, head on over to Youtube and give us a look! You can check out our latest show, dedicated to fantasy baseball championship strategies, waiver pickups and more here