VideoFrom Ron Stewart
7 Stats You Must Know For Week 3 (Sneaky Starts)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.
17 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 25, 2026
Published
Fri, September 25, 2026
9
Player insights
9
Players mentioned
Topics
Dylan SampsonGeno SmithJahmyr GibbsJonathon BrooksMalik WashingtonPuka NacuaQuinshon JudkinsTerrance FergusonXavier Hutchinson
Player analysis
Player insights
Dylan Sampson
NegativeProjection6:49
Ron Stewart uses Dylan Samson as a statistical benchmark, noting that RJ Harvey ranks just behind him in fantasy points per route run.
Insight pageGeno Smith
PositiveUsage14:08
Geno Smith is the recommended QB streamer of the week for deep leagues, particularly for managers replacing injured starters like Jayden Daniels. Although ranked as QB20, he faces a Lions defense allowing a league-high 33.5 points per game to quarterbacks. Smith has performed well against the blitz this season, ranking 4th in passing yards, 5th in yards per attempt, and 10th in fantasy points per dropback against pressure.
Insight pageJahmyr Gibbs
NegativeProjection6:53
Ron Stewart notes that RJ Harvey is tied with Jahmyr Gibbs at 0.51 fantasy points per route run, highlighting Harvey's efficiency as a receiver.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
NegativeInjury7:06
Ron Stewart mentions Jonathan Brooks as a player who has underperformed and is now on IR, serving as context for why a manager might need to start a player like RJ Harvey.
Insight pageMalik Washington
PositiveUsage11:14
Malik Washington is a recommended deep-league WR start (WR44), ranking six spots higher than consensus. Ron Stewart notes Washington leads all Miami wide receivers in targets and routes run, and expects him to be peppered with targets against a Chiefs defense that struggles against slot receivers. The source also took the 'higher' on his 2.5 receptions projection in fantasy pick'em.
Insight pagePuka Nacua
NegativeInjury8:05
Puka Nacua is listed as doubtful for the upcoming game, which Ron Stewart identifies as the primary catalyst for Terrence Ferguson's increased opportunity in the slot.
Insight pageQuinshon Judkins
PositiveValue3:21
Ron Stewart ranks Judkins as his RB22 for Week 3, three spots higher than consensus, citing a favorable matchup against a Panthers defense that has allowed the second-most rushing yards (833) to running backs over their last six games. Judkins is a 'between-the-tackles' runner who benefits from playing at home, where he averages 14.3 points per game compared to 9.8 on the road. Additionally, he saw a 17% target share last week and is expected to operate as a three-down back in a high-pace game environment. Stewart also took the 'higher' on his 59.5 rushing yards projection in a fantasy pick'em entry.
Insight pageTerrance Ferguson
PositiveSleeper7:16
Ron Stewart ranks Terrence Ferguson as his TE14, six spots above consensus, recommending him as a top tight end streamer. Ferguson is rostered in only 25% of ESPN leagues and is considered a better play than other options like Arande Gadston and Harold Fannon. His value is tied to his role in the slot, where he excelled in week two, and the expected absence of Puka Nacua.
Insight pageXavier Hutchinson
PositiveSleeper12:40
Xavier Hutchinson is a recommended desperation lineup filler for deep 3-WR leagues, ranked as WR52 (five spots higher than consensus). He led all Texans in routes run and air yards (118) last week, finishing as the WR57 despite usage metrics (targets, aDOT) suggesting top-30 potential. He faces a Colts defense that allows the most fantasy points to slot receivers in the NFL.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00What's going on, man? Welcome back to
0:02the basement. I'm Ron and if you're down
0:04bad in fantasy football, this is the
0:06video for you because today I'm going to
0:08talk about my seven sneaky starts and
0:10stats for week three of the fantasy
0:13football season. If you're without Puka
0:15Nakua, Zay Flowers, Nico Collins, if
0:18you're without Jaden Daniels, Caleb
0:20Williams, among dozens of other [snorts]
0:24studs in fantasy football were without
0:26this week, this is the video for you
0:28because we're going to talk about the
0:29fillins, the dirty dumpster diving
0:31starts this week, where we go past the
0:33top 24 running backs and wide receivers
0:36by consensus, the top 12 quarterbacks
0:38and tight ends by consensus, and give
0:39you some guys that you can potentially
0:41pick up off waiverss and plug right into
0:43your lineup and steal a win this week
0:45while you wait for those players to
0:46return from injury. As always, if you
0:48enjoy, leave a like, subscribe if you're
0:50new. Now, before we talk about any of
0:51the players in this video, let's do a
0:54report card. Let's keep ourselves
1:00honorable. Keep ourselves accountable
1:02was the word I'm looking for. Last week,
1:05our first sneaky starts and stats video
1:06of the year, it was up and down. All
1:09right, calling the tight end one on the
1:11weekend Daltton Schultz was a massive W.
1:13If you went out there, you picked up
1:14Daltton Schulz to play, you probably won
1:16your matchup. But the rest of the video
1:17is okay. Woody Marks, we got to finish
1:19as the RB32. He was the RB42 by
1:22consensus. So, we got a 10 spot
1:24difference there. Aaron Jones was fine
1:26as the RB22. Matthew Golden was just the
1:28wrong week. He went crazy this past
1:30Thursday night. Uh Carson Wentz was a
1:32tough one. He was my quarterback
1:33streamer of the week. Finishes at the
1:35QB30. That's a really tough one. But
1:38when I recorded the video, I didn't know
1:40it was going to be as rainy and as
1:41weather impacted. That's a lesson moving
1:44forward. And then Alec Purus gets hurt
1:46in the first half. So all in all, up and
1:48down, but the Dolan Schultz hit was
1:51huge. Now moving on to week three. Let's
1:54talk about my number one sneaky start
1:58for week three. Now, we're going to go
2:01much deeper. All right, Quinn Sean
2:02Judkins is the RB25 by Consensus. But I
2:04just want to give you the confidence to
2:07play Quinn Shawn Judkins. I always like
2:09to have one of these in here where you
2:10might be thinking about, all right,
2:12maybe it's time to just sit down Quinn
2:13Sean Judkins at this point. Judkins, I'm
2:15scrolling all the way down. He's the RB
2:1629 on the season. You probably drafted
2:18him around RB 18, RB1 19. You keep
2:20putting him in the RB2 spot. He's doing
2:22a whole lot of nothing. I think this is
2:24the week where Quinn Sean Judkins is a
2:26must start in your lineup. He's my RB22
2:29at home verse the Panthers. I am three
2:31spots higher than Consensus. Here is
2:34why. Now, the format of this video is
2:36I'm going to give you a sneaky start.
2:37you're going to have above the stat
2:41listed and then a little bit of a
2:42breakdown here. Now, this is honestly
2:44this could potentially be a uh article,
2:46but this is what I do. We make videos uh
2:49and this is just a fun video I like to
2:50put at the end of each week. Um so, with
2:54Judkins, the stat here is Carolina has
2:57allowed 833 rushing yards to opposing
3:00running backs over their last six games,
3:03the second most of 740. So almost 100
3:06more rushing yards to running backs,
3:08more than any other opponent. They also
3:10allow the second most fantasy points to
3:11running backs in 2026.
3:13They are really susceptible to running
3:17backs
3:18in particular on the ground. So yes, you
3:21have your Macaffies of the world where
3:23they're going to catch seven plus balls
3:25against a defense. The Panthers are
3:27susceptible to between the tackles
3:28runners, guys who are grinders. That is
3:30Quinn Sean Judkins profile. He is a
3:33between the tackles runner. He also
3:34averages 14.3 points per game in home
3:37games versus 9.8 points per game in away
3:40games, meaning that he produces a lot
3:42better at home. He is at home in this
3:45game. He was also used as a three- down
3:47back last week. He had a 17% target
3:49share versus the Buccaneers, his second
3:51highest ever in a single game in the NFL
3:53without Dylan Samson. He should be used
3:55as a three-own back at home between the
3:58tackles against a Panthers team that is
4:00actually really fun for fantasy
4:02football. They have the fastest neutral
4:03pace and the highest pass rate over
4:05expectation in the NFL. Their contest
4:07ranked third in combined plays and
4:08second in total points. That's via Pat
4:11Thorman by established the run. I will
4:12say a lot of the stats in the usage for
4:14this video is going to come from
4:15fantasylife.com. It's going to come from
4:17established the run. Pat Thorman's snaps
4:19and pace article is awesome. Uh on top
4:22of that, you can look at fantasy points
4:24data sweet 2.0 has been awesome as well
4:28for a lot of this data. Also, the Browns
4:31are fourth neutral pace. So you have two
4:32teams that are top five in pace of play.
4:34There could be more points in this 41.5
4:36point total would suggest. And the
4:38Browns are projected for the 32nd most
4:40points over the entire season, but
4:42projected for the 25th most in week
4:44three, meaning that Vegas likes to score
4:46a lot more points than usual this week.
4:48They're at home. If there was ever a
4:49time for Quinnon Judkins to rush for 100
4:52plus yards, score a touchdown, hit a 20
4:55plus point spike week, it would be in
4:57week three. If you have Quinn Sean
4:59Judkins, he's going in your lineup. Now,
5:01our second sneaky start of the week is
5:04RJ Harvey at home versus the Rams.
5:06Here's my RB36. I am 11 spots higher
5:08than consensus on this play.
5:12Now, I do want to make it clear. Quinn
5:14Sean Judkins is the only mustar in this
5:16video. Everybody else is if you are down
5:19bad. All right? If you have Quinn Sean
5:20Judkins, fire him up. Do not throw R.J.
5:23Harvey in your RB2 spot over Chubba
5:25Hubard because I told you that Harvey is
5:26a sneaky start. These are sneaky starts.
5:28These are if you are down bad at RB2.
5:31Maybe you drafted Marshon Lloyd in the
5:33seventh round in late August and he's
5:34been absolute dust. You can throw AJ
5:36Harvey in that RB2 spot and do all right
5:39here. Now, here's the stat. He has 248
5:41receiving yards or the Rams are allowing
5:42248 receiving yards, two running backs.
5:45That is the second most in the NFL over
5:46their last six games. Now, when I say
5:48last six games, that's two from 2026 and
5:51then four from 2025. Two games is still
5:53a really small sample size. Six games
5:55gives you some of the 2026 stuff, some
5:58of the 2025 stuff. The Rams are
6:00susceptible to running backs underneath.
6:03Now, it's a tough matchup on paper. The
6:05Rams are allowing the eighth least
6:06amount of fantasy points to running
6:07backs on the season, but with the
6:09Broncos being home underdogs. They'll
6:11have to throw the ball in a trailing
6:12game script, and R.J. Harvey could get a
6:14lot of the underneath usage. Now, R.J.
6:16Harvey is practiced in full on Thursday,
6:19Jonah Coleman is not going to be in this
6:21game. So, we're going to get a usually
6:23messy backfield shrink down to a twoman
6:25backfield of RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins. I
6:28think that it's going to consolidate. RJ
6:30Harvey kind of missed last game as more
6:32of a
6:34precautionary measure than it was like
6:36him being really really banged up. This
6:38is a guy in RJ Harvey who has the 12th
6:40most receiving yards among running backs
6:42since getting drafted with 379 receiving
6:44yards among 63 running backs with 100
6:46plus routes since 2025. He is behind
6:49only Dylan Samson in fantasy points per
6:52route run and he is tied with Jir Gibbs
6:54at 0.51. He is a boom bust running back
6:57play you can throw in your RB2 spot. Now
6:59I do want to make it clear when it comes
7:00to a running back like RJ Harvey. I'm
7:02not throwing him in my flex really. This
7:04is much more of if you did a hero RB
7:06build and your RB2 is air. Maybe you
7:07drafted Jonathan Brooks and he's been
7:09trash and now he's on IR. RJ Harvey is a
7:11guy where if he's on your bench and
7:12you're thinking about it, I want to give
7:14you the confidence to play him this
7:15week. Now, in this same matchup, my
7:17third sneaky start is our tight end
7:20streamer of the week, Terrence Ferguson.
7:22He is my tight end 14. I am six spots
7:25higher than Consensus. He is on the road
7:26on the other side of this matchup versus
7:29Denver. The stat here is 2.25 yards per
7:32outr run allowed to the slot by Denver.
7:36That is the eighth most in the NFL this
7:38season. So, while the Denver defense is
7:40really good, they are strong, they are
7:42awesome, pretty much across the board.
7:43Outside of running backs early on this
7:45year, they've actually allowed a decent
7:46amount of fantasy points, too. But
7:48that's just because of Kenneth Walker
7:50week one really, if we're being honest.
7:52Uh, this Denver defense is amazing.
7:54They're really good, but if they were to
7:56be susceptible to anything, it would be
7:58slot receivers
8:00from their opponents. And why that is
8:03important is because Terren Ferguson
8:05last week in relief of Puka Nakua who is
8:07doubtful for this game. He's not going
8:09to play is my assumption here is he led
8:13all Rams last week in routes run out of
8:15the slot and among 58 wide receivers and
8:17tight ends with 10 or more routes run
8:19from the slot in week two. He ranked top
8:22three in both fantasy points per route
8:23run and expected fantasy points per
8:25route run. I believe nine of his targets
8:27came on routes lined up in the slot. He
8:30is a matchup nightmare. He's kind of
8:32more of a wide receiver than a tight
8:34end. They throw him in the slot. They do
8:35these C gap inserts with him. As long as
8:38Puka Nakua isn't in there, Terren
8:40Ferguson had nine targets, six catches,
8:4154 yards, and a touchdown last week
8:43against a Giants team where it wasn't
8:44even competitive and they were still
8:46throwing the ball a ton to Terren
8:48Ferguson. I really like him in this
8:50matchup. He is rostered in only 25% of
8:52ESPN leagues. He might be hanging out on
8:54the waiver wires uh in your league. And
8:56at my tight end 14, he's probably better
8:58play than a lot of guys out there. I
8:59have him ahead of Arande Gadston. I have
9:01him ahead of I think Harold Fannon as
9:03well. So, if you have one of those guys
9:04you might have drafted early on uh in
9:07your draft that have been pretty tough,
9:09Terren Ferguson is a decent pivot
9:11option. Of course, we love Dalton
9:13Schultz this week, but he got steamed up
9:14to like 60% plus rostered after his
9:17blowup game last week. So, he's not a
9:18streamer qualifier. Now, our fourth
9:21sneaky start here is EMTT Johnson. And
9:23the stat here is he has 10 missed
9:24tackles forced on 14 touches. The only
9:27other running backs with 10 or more
9:28missed tackles forced this year have 40
9:30or more touches each. He is on this list
9:33with only 14. There are five running
9:36backs with 10 or more miss tackles
9:37forced. He is one of them and he has
9:40only 14 touches. He is a monster. He is
9:43going to be on the road verse Miami. He
9:46is my RB38,
9:47two spots higher than consensus. I think
9:49that this is a good enough spot where
9:50you can actually throw EMTT Johnson into
9:52your RB2 spot and feel decent about it
9:54if you are down bad here. This is an
9:55Andy Reid quote last week. He said the
9:57other part is allowing EMTT to grow. And
9:59so I think EMTT will continue to get
10:00more snaps and that'll take a little bit
10:02of the load off Kenny, but he wants that
10:04ball. He wants to play every play. Uh
10:06Ken does and he's not asking to be
10:07relieved or anything else. But I think
10:08as it goes on, you get a nice balance
10:10with those two in there and then it
10:12keeps them even more fresh as the season
10:14goes on. To me, it would make a lot of
10:16sense on the road versus Miami. The
10:1849ers pretty much pants this team last
10:20week. I expected the Chiefs to win by
10:22three or more scores and that means
10:24third quarter, fourth quarters are
10:25salting this game away. They unleash
10:28their kind of secret weapon in EMTT
10:30Johnson to get touches and get the feel
10:32of the NFL and I think that that's going
10:34to be a big spot for Emtt Johnson to end
10:36up with like 12 plus touches in this
10:38game. Miami also allows the most fantasy
10:40points to running backs over their last
10:41six games, allowing 33.9 points per game
10:43to running backs. The next highest is
10:45Carolina with 27.3. So almost six
10:48points, actually more than six points
10:51per game allowed than the second worst
10:53defense against fantasy football running
10:55backs. There's plenty of room after
10:56Kenneth Walker. And I just think with
10:58the Chiefs implied for the second most
11:00points this week, we're going to see 12
11:02plus Emma Johnson touches, maybe 50
11:03total yards, a touchdown, and end up
11:05being a guy that puts up like 13 14 PPR
11:08points in your RB2 spot in a pinch. Now,
11:11our fifth sneaky start of the week,
11:14we're getting nasty at wide receiver.
11:15All right, nasty. We have Malik
11:17Washington here. He's my wide receiver
11:1844 at home verse the Chiefs. Six spots
11:21higher than Consensus. I am not telling
11:23you to plugandplay Malik Washington. But
11:26if you're in one of these three wide
11:28receiver one flex leagues and you are
11:30really down bad at wide receiver 3,
11:32which is happening to a lot of us out
11:34here, Malik Washington, you can throw
11:36him in this week if you need to. The
11:38start or the stat here is five plus
11:41receptions per game to slot wide
11:42receivers by Kansas City. that is the
11:44second worst in the NFL over their last
11:47six games. We just saw it with Josh
11:49Downs. Josh Downs had nine targets,
11:51seven catches, 72 yards out of the slot
11:53versus this defense. I think we see the
11:55same for Malik Washington at a much
11:57lower capacity. Maybe we're talking
11:58like, you know, five catches, 60 yards
12:00and then you pray for a touchdown that
12:02gives you some kind of spike week or if
12:04not, you know, 11 12 PBR points is very
12:06much in his range of outcomes here.
12:07Malik Washington so far this season
12:10leads all Miami wide receivers in
12:12targets and routes. He has 25 routes
12:13from the slot, the most on the Dolphins
12:16to this point. Caleb Douglas has ruled
12:18out their only other playmaker in this
12:21offense. So, I think we're just going to
12:22see a spot here where Malik Washington
12:23is peppered out of the slot. I don't
12:25know that a spike week is really in
12:27range. But, I do think six targets, five
12:31catches, 60 yards, maybe a touchdown is
12:34on the table for Malik Washington as the
12:36wide receiver 44 this week in my
12:38rankings. And then we have my wide
12:40receiver 52 Xavier Hutchinson. I am five
12:44spots higher than Consensus. He is on
12:46the road in the dome in Indianapolis.
12:50And the stat here is 26.8 points per
12:52game to slot wide receivers by the
12:53Colts. That is the sec that is the most
12:55in the NFL through two games. The second
12:57most total in 2025. The Colts have
13:01allowed a ton of points per game to slot
13:04wide receivers. And Xavier Hutchinson
13:06with Nico Collins ruled out last year.
13:08Last week he led all Texans in routes
13:10run. He also led the team in air yards
13:12at 118. This led to him finishing as the
13:14wide receiver 57 despite being the wide
13:16receiver 28 in usage. And that is the
13:18key part in usage in terms of targets.
13:20ADOT, all of that. He should have been a
13:22top 30 wide receiver last week. So I
13:24think that firing him up here makes a
13:26lot of sense. The Colts have allowed the
13:28fourth most fantasy points to wide
13:29receivers in 2026. As we mentioned, they
13:31are vulnerable to the slot. They've
13:32allowed 26.8 eight points per game, two
13:34slot wide receivers through two games
13:36this season, even dating back to 2025.
13:39They allowed the second most in the NFL.
13:40And then on top of that, Colts opponents
13:42are looking to pass the ball more than
13:44expected with a plus 4.4% pass rate over
13:47expectation in 2026. The Texans have
13:50also played faster with the 10th inside
13:53the top 10 in neutral pace so far this
13:56season. They've been top 10 in pass rate
13:58so far this season as well. To me,
13:59Xavier Hutchinson is a good, not great
14:03desperation uh lineup filler in like
14:06three wide receiver formats. And then we
14:08have our QB streamer of the week, Gino
14:11Smith. We're looking to bounce back
14:12after last week. I debated extremely
14:15hard between Gino Smith and Kurt Cousins
14:16this week, but I ended up with Gino
14:17Smith. He's my QB20 on the road verse
14:21Detroit. Now, if you have a Bryce Young
14:23or a Tyler Shuck or even a CJ Strad, uh
14:26I am playing all of those guys over Gino
14:28Smith. This is more if you're in a deep
14:30league. None of those options are
14:31available. I would be playing Gino
14:33Smith. I believe I'm playing him in one
14:34FFPC league. Those ones where it's like
14:3620 rounds, super deep. Uh I lost Jayen
14:38Daniels. I'm firing up Gino Smith this
14:40week. Here's the stat. 33.5 points per
14:43game to quarterbacks have been allowed
14:45by the Lions most in the NFL. The second
14:48most is 27.5. So, they are allowing
14:50almost six points per game, more than
14:52any other defense. Now, of course, they
14:53played Josh Allen, but their first game
14:55was against Tyler Shuck, who Tyler Shuck
14:57is great, don't get me wrong, but he's
14:58not Josh Allen or one of these world
15:00beaters at quarterback just yet. So, I
15:02think that this is a soft spot where
15:03Gino Smith could exploit this defense.
15:06Gino Smith and the Jets have their
15:09honestly, I think this is going to be
15:10their highest implied total on the
15:11entire season. They are 20th in the NFL
15:13in terms of implied points this week.
15:15For the entire season, they are
15:17projected for the third fewest amount of
15:18points scored. So Vegas thinks are going
15:20to score points this week. And then
15:22outside of the Vikings, the Lions blitz
15:24the second most in the NFL, blitzing
15:27over 50% of the time when they are on
15:29defense. Gino Smith has been bad against
15:33pressure over his career. He's actually
15:34been good against the Blitz if the Blitz
15:36doesn't get home, which it hasn't
15:38against the Jets yet this year. And I
15:40would bet on it not getting home too
15:42often in this game as well. against the
15:43Blitz this year. Gino Smith ranks fourth
15:45in passing yards, fifth in yards per
15:46attempt, and 10th in fantasy points per
15:48drop back against Blitzes this season. I
15:51think that he is a strong streamer this
15:53week if you're in a tough spot. But that
15:56is all my seven sneaky starts and stats.
15:58I'll also say I did string them all
16:00together for an underdog pickum entry.
16:04Of course, if you are new to underdog,
16:06use promo code Ron when you sign up and
16:08you'll get your deposit matched up to
16:1050%. And I believe 50% of your deposit
16:12will get matched up to like $1,000. What
16:14I mean to say, but promo code Ron, you
16:16can get the link in the description and
16:17the comment section down below. Also
16:19have the link to this pickum entry as
16:20well where we used one of their promos.
16:22It's like the move the chains promo. I
16:24think it's a 40% boost uh where we took
16:27for fun. These are just I think they're
16:28just fun to kind of throw out there uh
16:30as we make these videos every week. But
16:32we took the higher on Quinn Sean Judkins
16:3359.5 rushing yards. Xavier Hutchinson
16:36and Malik Washington higher than 2.5
16:38receptions each and an EMTT Johnson
16:40touchdown. Can we make it happen? As
16:42always, promo code Ron link in the
16:44description in the comment section down
16:46below. But thank you guys for watching.
16:49Leave a like, subscribe if you're new,
16:50and I'll see y'all in
16:52the next one. [music]
17:00>> [singing]
17:05>> Le [music and singing] stones like this
17:07froze.
17:11I like I'm frozen.
