Fantasy football projections, Week 3: Raiders vs. Patriots featuring James Jones, Tom Brady, Julian Edelman

The Week 3 matchup between the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots features one team still searching for its first win while the other looks to double its total. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.

Wide receiver James Jones caught nine passes for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans last week. That automatically catapults him to one of the higher-ranking additions on the waiver wire going into Week 3. Coming into this season, Denarius Moore and Rod Streater figured to be in the mix in the Raiders' passing game as well, but neither of the two has been consistent. Jones, on the other hand, has always had the size and talent to make him a go-to receiver, at the very least on a mediocre team. Jones' 13 targets last week could be the sign of a trend that continues against the Patriots.

That said, Jones can only go so far as rookie quarterback Derek Carr can take him. Carr did OK from a fantasy perspective last week, but his saving grace was the fact he managed 58 yards rushing on four scrambles. Generally speaking, Carr will go through most of the season trying to learn from his mistakes, and he'll make a lot of them with the Raiders playing from behind most of the time. At this point, gambling on him to put up fantasy points in garbage time is not the way to go, as Carr will be in a tough position at Gillette Stadium this week.

Tom Brady has only completed three of the 20 pass attempts he's made this year that have traveled over 15 yards. He hasn't necessarily looked like the Golden Boy we're used to seeing out there. In his defense, the Patriots were up big in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, which meant that Brady could afford to hand the ball off to running back Stevan Ridley. Brady only attempted 21 passes against the Vikings. Week 3 could prove to be the same old story in that regard, as the Oakland Raiders won't exactly strike fear into the hearts of the Patriots, especially with the game being played in New England.

When Brady does have to throw the ball, he'll frequently be looking for wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman has been targeted 15 times so far this season and he's racked up 12 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown to this point. Although he's currently dealing with a back injury, Edelman is fully expected to start on Sunday and continue playing his role as the Patriots' slot receiver and chain-mover. That could mean another touchdown on the board for his fantasy owners this week, along with a healthy number of catches, making him even more of a must-start in PPR leagues this week.