Chase McLaughlin is a fair Week 3 play — our K15 at 7.5 projected points, right around the K starter line.
- Projection
- 7.5 pts
- K rank
- #15
- Matchup
- vs MIN
Chase McLaughlin's fantasy role in Week 3
Chase McLaughlin goes into Week 3 of the 2026 season as a deep-league K flyer for the TB. He is rostered in 20% of leagues and actually started in 17% of them, and we rank him K15 on our own weekly board at 7.5 projected points.
Roster rates are steady week over week, so his role looks settled rather than in flux.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 3 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs MIN. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 2 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting K baseline of 7.5 points, his 7.5-point projection is 0 points better. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Chase McLaughlin is a fair Week 3 play — our K15 at 7.5 projected points, right around the K starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another K, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Chase McLaughlin (TB K), our K15 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season vs MIN, projecting 7.5 projected points with a spicy Pepper Meter rating. 7.5 projected points is roughly 0% more than the K baseline, and that gap is the entire argument for the spot at K15. Facing MIN in front of his own crowd, the script reads neutral to friendly, not scary. Only 20% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Sally keeps the Pepper Meter at Spicy here because the ceiling is capped, not the role.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Chase McLaughlin (TB K), our K15 this week for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season vs MIN, projecting 7.5 projected points with a spicy Pepper Meter rating. 7.5 projected points is roughly 0% more than the K baseline, and that gap is the entire argument for the spot at K15. Facing MIN in front of his own crowd, the script reads neutral to friendly, not scary. Only 20% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Tina keeps the Pepper Meter at Spicy here because the ceiling is capped, not the role.