Here are the top six storylines from Week 3.
Drum roll, please...
6. SOME STUDS WERE DUDS
What do Hakeem Nicks (3-25-0), Philip Rivers (266-0-2), Steve Smith (Car) (2-15-0), Frank Gore (17-42-0 with no catches), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (9-16-0 with no catches), Michael Turner (11-20-0 with no catches), Deion Branch (0-0-0), Rashard Mendenhall (18-37-0) and Santonio Holmes (1-19-0) all have in common? They torpedoed quite a few fantasy teams. Tom Brady throws for 387 yards and four touchdowns, and Branch posts a goose egg. I still can't get over that one.
5. NEW ORLEANS RALLIES TO UPEND HOUSTON
After facing the Kerry Collins-led Indianapolis Colts and a Miami Dolphins team that had a letdown following an emotional Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots, the Houston Texans defense clashed with a real offense -- the New Orleans Saints. The result -- Houston's revamped defense needs some more revamping following a 40-33 loss in which the Texans allowed 23 fourth-quarter points. The Houston offense, however, was fine, as expected, with Ben Tate (19-82-0 and 1-8-0) filling in for Arian Foster in the short term. I was not big on Tate when the Texans drafted him, but the second-year pro is far more explosive than I had originally thought.
4. THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS CHOKE AGAIN
And Minnesota fans can't blame it on now-former head coach Brad Childress. Two weeks ago, the Vikings flubbed a 17-0 lead and lost 24-20 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Week 3, the Vikings choked away a 20-10 cushion and lost 23-20 to the upstart Detroit Lions in overtime. On the bright side, Donovan McNabb showed a fantasy pulse, throwing for 201-1-0, which was his best outing in a Vikings uniform.
3. THE DREAM TEAM OFFENSE LOOKED NIGHTMARISH
The Philadelphia Eagles were coming off an intense, emotional Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and they played like it. How else could they lose 29-16 to the sputtering New York Giants? Neither Michael Vick (broken non-throwing hand) nor Jeremy Maclin (hamstring) was able to play until the end of their team's surprising 29-16 drubbing at the hands of Big Blue. What happened to the all-star Asante Samuel-led secondary? Eli Manning tossed four touchdown passes! Come on! Eagles fans, I don't mean to pile on, but the offensive line blocking still needs work, and the linebacker play was terrible. How do you give up a 40-yard touchdown pass to the "speedy" Brandon Jacobs?
By the way, Vick is considered questionable to play in Week 4, and I suspect Maclin will miss at least two weeks -- possibly longer. I know many of you are tired of Vick news, but he was a second- or even first-round selection in a huge number of fantasy drafts.
2. MR. CJ2K, WHERE ARE YOU?
Although the Tennessee Titans prevailed over the Denver Broncos 17-14, Chris Johnson gave his owners yet another putrid outing. He managed just 21 rushing yards on 13 uninspired carries along with 4-54-0 as a receiver against a soft Denver Broncos defense that he should have shredded easily. With three games in the can, Johnson currently ranks outside the top 25 fantasy running backs in both rushing yards and total yards. His play has been inconsistent, and CJ often fails to finish his runs strong. In addition, some observers say Johnson looks disinterested. However, he should bust out at some point...I think. If you can manage it without gutting your team, buy low on him.
1. THE BUFFALO BILLS FANTASY STARS ARE THE REAL DEAL
First I want to give the Buffalo Bills credit for tripping the New England Patriots 34-31, because it's the first time Buffalo has defeated Tom Brady and company in the last 15 tries. Aside from Stevie Johnson (8-94-1), there was some skepticism about the Bills' fantasy stars -- Ryan Fitzpatrick (369-2-2), Fred Jackson (12-74-1 and 5-87-0) and David Nelson (6-84-0) -- and understandably so. In Week 1, Buffalo had defeated a train wreck of a Kansas City Chiefs team and slipped past a decent Oakland Raiders squad in Week 2. However, a triumph over the Patriots brings instant credibility. Fitzpatrick, Jackson and Nelson are not sell high fantasy players -- if you own them, keep them! I also want to give a nod to a Buffalo defense that picked Brady four times, which is the same number of interceptions that he threw during the entire 2010 season.
WEEK 3 PLAYER ROUNDUP
It's Time To Celebrate:
Wes Welker -- Although the New England Patriots are loaded with pass-catchers, Welker is still Tom Brady's favorite. Welker rolled up 16-217-2, which was his second multi-score game of 2011. Jermichael Finley -- Welcome back, Mr. Finley. Thanks to a mind-blowing three touchdown grabs against the Chicago Bears, he is reestablishing himself as one of the top options in the Green Bay Packers passing attack. And he showed the fantasy football world that any decent tight end is a solid fantasy start against the Bears -- they can't contain tight ends. Fred Jackson -- This underrated and underappreciated dual-threat runner is finding tons of room to run with opposing defenses worried about the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led passing attack. Did you know Jackson has averaged 139 total yards and one total touchdown per game? If you drafted FJax in the lower rounds as a backup, you struck fantasy starter gold. Vernon Davis -- As I predicted last week, he rebounded. In case you missed the news, Davis and new head coach Jim Harbaugh had a face-to-face meeting last week to discuss the Pro Bowl tight end's role in the offense -- Davis was unhappy about not seeing the football -- and the little get together paid off. During the San Francisco 49ers boring 13-8 triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals, Davis led the team in targets, piling up 8-114-0. Too bad Davis can't face the Bengals every week. Daniel Thomas -- The rookie has taken over as the starter and has been more productive than much-hyped rookie runner Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints). After missing Week 1 with a hamstring injury, Thomas broke out in Week 2, amassing 18-107-0 and 1-10-0. In Week 3, he compiled 23-95-0 and 3-27-0 during his team's 17-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns. If you were able to hang onto Thomas, your patience is finally paying off. Dustin Keller -- I was wr...wr...wr...wrong about Keller. It looks like he finally has established himself as a consistent fantasy starter after two years of being one of the biggest fantasy teases at the position. He piled up 5-87-0 against the Oakland Raiders. Keller is clearly a must-start.
It's Time For Patience:
Steve Smith (Car) -- He caught just two passes for 15 yards versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, which was Smith's worst outing of the young season. However, you can blame the horribly rainy weather conditions and rookie Cam Newton's problem with inaccuracy in this contest. Smith still was targeted a team-high seven times, and he should bounce back next week. Michael Turner -- His 11-20-0 against what we thought was a soft Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense was one of the bigger fantasy disappointments of the weekend. The Falcons had to play from behind, and Turner, as we all know, is rarely involved in the passing game. Deion Branch -- What? Tom Brady throws for 487-4-4 and Branch doesn't catch a pass? The New England passing attack was mainly the Welker/Gronkowski show. Branch will have some better games down the line, but he is not the automatic start that some of us thought he was.
It's Time For Caution:
BenJarvus Green-Ellis -- His grip on the starting tailback job is starting to slip, because the New England Patriots were unable to generate anything on the ground during their loss to the Buffalo Bills. BJGE amassed just nine carries for 16 yards and was stuffed on each of three goal-line carries. Rookie Stevan Ridley took over as the featured runner for a few series, looking more explosive than Green-Ellis. Ridley piled up 7-44-0 and 1-8-0, and more playing time is likely in the future. Chad Henne -- What happened to the guy who lit up the New England Patriots secondary for 416-2-1 in Week 1? The 255-1-1 that Henne posted during a surprising loss to the Cleveland Browns wasn't terrible, but more was expected. In fairness, Henne does look improved, but he is not an elite passer. In addition, it looks like the Dolphins are finding more success on the ground with rookie Daniel Thomas. Mark Ingram -- The highly trumpeted rookie finally scored his first NFL regular-season touchdown on a 13-yard scamper, but is this a sign of better things to come? Ingram compiled just 9-38-1 on the ground and 2-(-3)-0 as a receiver. Since he is stuck in a time share and rarely touches the ball as a receiver, Ingram's fantasy value is dependent on scoring. Julio Jones -- He finally gave us a breakout performance, compiling 6-115-0, but Jones won't face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers soft secondary each week. James Starks -- He had looked poised to take over as Green Bay's starting tailback, but Starks struggled mightily against the Chicago Bears, amassing just 11-5-0 and 3-9-0 while Ryan Grant for the first time all season looked like the better runner (17-92-0). Jordy Nelson -- He rolled up just 3-40-0, and Jermichael Finley (7-85-3) may have reclaimed his spot as the No. 2 option in the Green Bay Packers passing attack. Johnny Knox -- Has Knox reclaimed his spot as the Chicago Bears' top wideout? He amassed a decent 4-84-0 while "coveted free-agent acquisition" Roy Williams posted a goose egg. Donald Jones -- The Buffalo Bills' other starting receiver rolled up a nice 5-101-0 stat line, but it took Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing for 369 yards to make it happen. Jones still is the No. 3 option in the Bills passing attack behind Stevie Johnson and Donald Nelson. Thomas Jones -- Just 14-31-0 and 1-2-0 as the Chiefs new starter while facing what was admittedly a challenging matchup against the San Diego Chargers. Jones is not the answer, but how long will Kansas City stick with him? It's Time To Panic:
Mike Williams (Bucs) -- After amassing one grab for negative four yards, Williams piled up just 5-43-0 against a porous Atlanta Falcons secondary. Opposing defenses are targeting him more than ever, and Williams is not getting consistent separation. It's too hard to trust him right now as a regular starter. DeAngelo Williams -- It's starting to look like the $43 million dollar man's starting job is in jeopardy. Williams posted another very disappointing outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, compiling 10-18-0 and 2-17-0, but Jonathan Stewart also received the same number of carries (10) and did more with them (59 rushing yards). Stewart, who is the better receiver of the two, also amassed 3-26-0 through the air. Don't forget -- Stewart is a former first-round selection. Frank Gore -- His role in the passing game has all but dried up in new head coach Jim Harbaugh's offense, and Gore (ankle) has been struggling in the rushing department, averaging 2.5 yards per rush on the season. In addition, Kendall Hunter vultured a goal-line carry against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Cross your fingers and hope he gets better. Reggie Bush -- His days as Miami's starter quickly have come to an end with the emergence of rookie Daniel Thomas. Bush is just a third-down guy now and a low-end flex option for fantasy owners in PPR leagues. C.J. Spiller -- Although his team rolled up 400-plus total yards against the New England Patriots, the No. 9 overall pick (2010) touched the ball a grand total of two times for a net of minus five yards. The Bills insist they are planning to use Spiller at wide receiver, but he looks like a non-factor going forward.
TOP 10 PERFORMERS BY POSITION
(Through Sunday night)
QUARTERBACKS
PLAYER
TEAM
COMP
ATT
YARDS
TDs
INTs
1.
Joe Flacco
BAL
27
48
389
3
0
2.
Tom Brady
NEP
30
45
387
4
4
3.
Matthew Stafford
DET
32
46
378
2
0
4.
Matt Schaub
HOU
22
39
373
3
1
5.
Drew Brees
NOR
31
44
370
3
2
6.
Mark Sanchez
NYJ
27
43
369
2
1
7.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
BUF
27
40
369
2
2
8.
B. Roethlisberger
PIT
25
37
364
1
1
9.
Matt Ryan
ATL
26
47
330
1
1
10.
Matt Hasselbeck
TEN
27
36
311
2
0
RUNNING BACKS
PLAYER
TEAM
RUSH
YDS
TDs
1.
Darren McFadden
OAK
19
171
2
2.
LeSean McCoy
PHI
24
128
1
3.
M. Jones-Drew
JAC
24
122
0
4.
Ryan Mathews
SDC
21
98
2
5.
Daniel Thomas
MIA
23
95
0
6.
Ryan Grant
GBP
17
92
0
7.
Joseph Addai
IND
17
86
1
8.
Ahmad Bradshaw
NYG
15
86
0
9.
Ben Tate
HOU
19
82
0
10.
L. Blount
TAM
24
81
0
WIDE RECEIVERS
PLAYER
TEAM
REC
YDS
TDs
1.
Wes Welker
NEP
16
217
2
2.
Torrey Smith
BAL
5
152
3
3.
Mike Wallace
PIT
5
144
1
4.
Roddy White
ATL
9
140
0
5.
Andre Johnson
HOU
7
128
0
6.
Greg Jennings
GBP
9
119
0
7.
L. Tomlinson
NYJ
5
116
1
8.
Julio Jones
ATL
6
115
0
9.
Victor Cruz
BAL
3
110
2
10.
Sidney Rice
SEA
8
109
0
TIGHT ENDS
PLAYER
TEAM
REC
YDS
TDs
1.
James Casey
HOU
5
126
1
2.
Vernon Davis
SFO
8
114
0
3.
B. Pettigrew
DET
11
112
0
4.
R. Gronkowski
NEP
7
109
2
5.
Jimmy Graham
NOS
4
100
1
6.
Dustin Keller
NYG
5
87
0
7.
Jermichael Finley
GBP
7
85
3
8.
Owen Daniels
HOU
5
76
1
9.
B. Watson
CLE
5
64
0
10.
Todd Heap
ARI
6
61
0
One final thought about Week 3:
The injuries continue to pile up. In Week 3, it was Michael Vick (broken non-throwing hand), Kerry Collins (concussion), Frank Gore (ankle), Kenny Britt (knee -- possible ACL) and Jeremy Maclin (hamstring) among others. Put aside the concussions for a minute. Are the other injuries happening because of missed practices and conditioning during the Lockout? If your fantasy team makes the playoffs, it might because you have the one of the most injury-free teams in your league, maybe not necessarily the best one.
In The Spotlight: Week 3 fantasysharks.comMon 9/26/11 9:06 AM