NFL Week 3: Early Game Wrapup

Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens

Matt Leinart - 9/20, 53 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 1/2. Leinart was benched for poor play as the relentless Baltimore pass rush caused him all sorts of problems while he was in the game. He needs to be benched until he turns it around and should only be viewed as a QB2 for now, but don't drop him. He'll start next week, but further poor performance could result in a loss of job security.

Kurt Warner - 15/20, 258 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT. Warner replaced an ineffective Matt Leinart and lit up the Baltimore defense in the 4th quarter, leading 3 scoring drives that tied the game. Those who play in 2 QB leagues should pick him up and hope he takes over at some point, but those in 1 QB leagues can ignore him for now, but monitor the game next week.

Steve McNair - 20/27, 198 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 3/14, 1 FL. He wasn't that bad, but got pulled eventually anyways in favor of Kyle Boller later in the game. McNair is still technically the starter, but it's becoming obvious that Billick has no problem taking him out. I'd consider dropping him in redraft leagues depending on who's on your waiver wire.

Kyle Boller - 8/10, 83 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 1/2. He led the Ravens on a game winning drive that resulted in a 46 yard Stover FG in relief of McNair. The same holds true here for Warner...those in 2 QB leagues should pick him up, but those in 1 QB leagues should leave him on the wire.

Edgerrin James - 10/57, 1/10. He started off the game for Arizona with a 27 yard run, but was bottled up after that. The Ravens got out to a big lead and the Cardinals abandoned the running game. He was hard to start this week given the matchup, and unfortunately it doesn't get any easier next week against Pittsburgh.

Willis McGahee - 21/98, 4/23. Thanks to his surprising receiving numbers thus far, McGahee has been a solid RB2. The bad news? He's only scored once in 3 games. The good news? He gets the pathetic Browns defense next week. Look for McGahee to turn in his first 100 yard game and score at least once next week.

Anquan Boldin - 14/181. 2 TD. Ah, remember back in 2005 when Warner to Boldin was a thing of beauty? They re-kindled their old chemistry once Leinart was pulled and Boldin turned in a monster afternoon. Unfortunately for Boldin owners the QB change isn't permanent, so he'll continue being a solid WR2 while Leinart starts.

Larry Fitzgerald - 5/85, 1 FL. Warner helped turn Fitz's afternoon around as well. Leinart seems to prefer Fitzgerald, so while his owners are naturally frustrated at this point since he's not performing like a WR1, they have to hope that Leinart will constructively take his wakeup call here. Still, he'd post fine numbers if Warner took over as well.

Derrick Mason - 8/79, 1 TD. You probably didn't start him unless you play in a deep league or are dealing with injuries, but he turned in a fine afternoon and continues to be McNair's go-to guy. He's much better in PPR leagues, like I mentioned before, but seems to be a solid WR4 for normal leagues as well.

Mark Clayton - 5/34. He's back healthy now, but he's a bit inconsistent as he'll rely on big plays for his value. You could do worse for a WR3 now, but a permanent switch to Boller would be a positive for Clayton. Boller's big arm matches Clayton's downfield ability well.

Todd Heap - 4/60. Yet another solid afternoon for Heap. If the Ravens make a QB change at some point, I can't see it affecting Heap's value as a solid TE1.

San Diego Chargers at Green Bay Packers

Phillip Rivers - 27/36, 306 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 1/-1. That's much better. He accomplished this against a very tough and underrated Green Bay defense, which bodes well moving forward. The Chargers get KC next, so consider Rivers a QB1.

Brett Favre - 28/45, 369 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 2/1. A very impressive outing against the Chargers, although SD's secondary is definitely their weak spot. Favre had time to throw and he was able to pick him apart through the air en route to tying Dan Marino's record for career TD passes. Congrats, Brett! Dare I say he's edging on QB1 status currently?

LaDainian Tomlinson - 22/62, 3/33, 1 TD. LT was bottled up again, although like I said above, the GB defense looks quite tough this year. Still, he scored on a 21 yard reception and is primed to breakout in a big way next week against KC.

Brandon Jackson - 6/22, 3/22, 1 TD. The TD saved those who dared start him this week. GB ran a total of 11 times as they smartly chose to air it out instead. He's still not impressing anyone, although Jackson was not pulled at the goal line this time. The GB rushing situation remains a mess.

Antonio Gates - 11/113. He's on fire this year and has been clearly worth the high pricetag that came with him. Rivers' continued development is making Gates that much better.

Vincent Jackson - 6/98, 1 TD. He caught a beautiful throw from Rivers for his first TD on the year. Jackson remains a solid WR3 thanks to being the team's primary deep threat, and he's also a solid option in the redzone.

Donald Driver - 6/126, 1 TD. With the way Favre and the Packers are content throwing the ball, it should be another huge year for Driver. If you got him at a discount thanks to preseason injury concerns, it looks like he'll return excellent value this season.

Greg Jennings - 4/85, 1 TD. He looked very healthy on a slant that he turned into a 57 yard TD. When healthy, he's a quality WR3 on a team that likes to pass a lot. Make sure he's owned.

James Jones - 6/79. Another solid game for Jones, and with the way the Packers are passing, he's worth holding onto. I'd favor Jennings as long as he's healthy, but Jones could be a solid bye-week replacement.

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

Peyton Manning - 20/29, 273 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. What's with Houston? They always seem to play the Colts tough, and I'm sure owners were left expecting more. Addai is better around the goalline than James was, so perhaps he'll take a few more of those TDs that Manning usually throws from the 1 yard line.

Matt Schaub - 27/33, 236 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1/5. Schaub, even without AJ, looked very good once again. If he gets dropped while AJ is out, make sure to pick him up if your QB's bye week overlaps with his return. He's as good as he was being hyped.

Joseph Addai - 22/72, 3/19, 2 TD. Houston's run D looks for real this season, but Addai made up for a subpar YPC with 2 scores. He's been a solid TD producer so far, and that should continue given the nature of the Colts offense. He should be as consistent as they come this year.

Ahman Green - 4/5, 2/11. Indy's run D looks as improved as Houston's is, but worse yet was Green leaving with a sprained knee and not returning. His week 4 status is in question, so check back during the week and I'll be updating all injured players.

Reggie Wayne - 4/84. He's been rock solid so far. He won't score every week, but he'll get consistent targets, yards, and fantasy points. He'll likely get Champ Bailey next week, so temper your expectations if that's the case.

Marvin Harrison - 6/53. He's bound to have a few of these throughout the year, but he should remain a solid WR1 throughout the season. He started slow last year as well before finishing fantasy's #1 WR.

Dallas Clark - 4/58, 1 TD. Likely a TE2 on draft day, he's turned into a consistent TE1. He's taken Stokley's role of working the middle of the field and he's thriving now that he's finally been healthy for a while. Keep using him.

Andre Davis - 4/70. With AJ and Jacoby Jones both hurt, Davis is now the top receiver in Houston. If you're struggling with depth, you might as well pick him up and see what he can do while Houston's better receivers are sidelined.

Owen Daniels - 7/56. He'll be even better in PPR leagues with AJ and now Jones out, but he's still a solid TE1 as he's probably Schaub's first read on most plays.

Jacoby Jones - 3/26. A separated shoulder ended his day early, and he's likely out 2-3 weeks. You can drop him for now, but keep an eye on him when he returns.

Minneasota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs

Kelly Holcomb - 14/28, 165 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT. Jackson is rumored to be ready for this week, so Holcomb will move back to the bench.

Damon Huard - 20/29, 206 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. Huard turned in another solid performance, but he won't replicate last year's numbers thanks to the deterioration of the offense.

Adrian Peterson - 25/102, 3/48, 1 TD, 1 FL. This is the type of performance he needed to ensure that Chester Taylor doesn't threaten his carries too much when he returns. Expect ADP to continue receiving the majority of the carries, and Chester to fill Mewelde Moore's role. Peterson struggles in pass protection, so that's something he needs to work on in his quest to be an every down back.

Larry Johnson - 24/42, 1/-5. Expected output given the poor offense around him, and the stiffling Minnesota rush defense. LJ will continue to struggle this year as teams have no problem stuffing 8 and sometimes 9 in the box to stop KC's only legit offensive weapon. The 24 carries were a nice sign if you're looking for a positive here.

Tony Gonzalez - 7/96. Gonzo put up a very nice 2nd half. If the offensive line can continued blocking fairly well, he'll be allowed to run routes more often which will lead to more consistent outings. TDs will probably be hard to find, however.

Dwayne Bowe - 5/71, 1 TD. He's a gamer. Bowe has a great future ahead of him, but it's hard to recommend a rookie WR on a bad offense as more than a WR4 at the moment. Another game or two like this would change my mind, but once KC moves to Croyle, expect his production to drop.

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

J.P. Losman - 1/1, 4 yards. Losman left Sunday's contest with a sprained knee, and appears to be out for multiple weeks. He can be dropped in all leagues for the time being.

Trent Edwards - 10/20, 97 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 1/0. He's the new Buffalo starter while Losman is out hurt. He has some pretty impressive physical skills, so there's a chance that he could establish himself and take Losman's job. He'll have an uphill climb with a poor offense around him, and no secondary weapon to Lee Evans.

Tom Brady - 23/29, 311 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 1/2. It's hardly fair. If his receivers stay healthy, Brady might have a chance to challenge Manning's TD record for a season.

Marshawn Lynch - 20/74, 2/6, 1 TD. He's really come on and established himself as a RB2 this year. Despite the rough matchups, he's posting reasonable yardage totals and has scored twice. He can look forward to bigger numbers starting this week against the Jets.

Laurence Maroney - 19/103. Ok, it's officially time to worry about his role near the redzone. Morris again scored a TD, this time from 4 yards out, and when they were at the 3 earlier in the game, Brady lobbed a TD pass to Moss. It's very possible that the Patriots are worried about his durability, and the fact he danced behind the line too much last year might play a role in that decision as well. He'll be a solid yardage producer, but it seems like he'll have to score from outside the 5 yard line, which is a very real possibility against the Bengals next week.

Lee Evans - 1/7. This is just puke so far. With the schedule lightening up, I like him as a buy low candidate now. I'm curious to see what type of chemistry he'll show with new QB Trent Edwards, however.

Randy Moss - 5/115, 2 TD. And so it continues. I'm sure some people are wondering about selling high here given Moss' injuries the last 3 seasons, but I don't see why you should. He's finally on a team that is dedicated both winning and getting him the ball all over the field. It's a perfect fit for his demeanor.

Wes Welker - 6/69. You can count on this all season long with a couple TDs mixed in. He's a better asset in PPR leagues, but he's a very nice WR4 option in normal leagues.

Ben Watson - 2/17, 1 TD. He's gonna put up some stinkers as he's relied on scoring so far, but you might as well ride the hot streak out. There just aren't enough targets for him to be a reliable yardage contributor.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

Trent Green - 23/36, 318 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Apparently the Jets really are that bad on defense. Regardless, Green is a heady veteran with decent talent around him, and Cameron produces quality offenses. Perhaps he's a better QB2 than I thought.

Chad Pennington - 15/22, 124 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 4/-1. Noodle arm had a pretty solid game with the 2 TDs and remains a lower tier QB2 option if he's healthy. Coles and Cotchery are a very solid combination of WRs.

Ronnie Brown - 23/112, 6/99, 3 TD. Booyah, and Ronnie Brown has arrived. It's hard to get too excited given it was the Jets defense we're talking about here, but Chatman didn't have a touch and it looks like Brown received whatever message Cameron was trying to tell him. Consider him a high upside RB2 if he has indeed turned it around. Oakland is a solid matchup up next.

Thomas Jones - 25/110, 2/1. A trip to the endzone would have been nice, but he took advantage of a Miami defense missing Zach Thomas and posted a great yardage total. Now that the horrible early season matchups are out of the way, expect better production from Jones moving forward. It was nice to see him get 25 carries to Washington's 7.

Chris Chambers - 6/101. No TD yet, but solid yardage numbers for Chambers. He could approach WR2 status if he starts scoring some TDs, and he's hanging onto the ball better this year.

Marty Booker -5/60. He's not bad to have stashed as your WR5.

Jericho Cotchery - 5/54. He had almost half of the yards that Pennington through, so a solid performance given that.

Laveraneous Coles - 3/30, 1 TD. Thanks to that TD he turned in a solid fantasy day. Pennington clearly likes him around the redzone, so hopefully Chad stays healthy.

Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles

Jon Kitna - 29/46, 446 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 2/1, 2 FL. Vintage Kitna. Tons of attempts, yards, and turnovers with a few TDs mixed in. Given he had over 300 yards and both TDs at halftime, he could have turned in a real monster. The 9 sacks are a serious concern for someone who suffered a concussion a week before. I hope he can hold up.

Donovan McNabb - 21/26, 381 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 3/7, 1 FL. McNabb is back. Patient owners were rewarded with a monster game from McNabb as he picked on a bad Detroit secondary all day. He shed the knee brace and looked much better in the pocket. He's fine to use moving forward, and a weak Giants secondary is up next.

Kevin Jones - 3/5, 1/16, 1 TD. His first carry back went for a TD, but true to their word, KJ saw limited action on the field, and was smartly held out for most of the 2nd half when the game turned into a blowout. I'd wait another at least one more week to judge his performance and workload before moving him back into your lineup.

Brian Westbrook - 14/110, 5/111, 3 TD. Bested Brown by 10 yards for best RB performance of the week. Westbrook absolutely shredded the Lions defense, but he left the game early with an abdominal strain. It's of some concern, but Westbrook tends to play through most injuries, and play through them with success. Keep an eye on him this week and hope he practices once.

Roy Williams - 9/204, 1 TD. His TD was a beautiful slant turned 91 yard TD where he ran past several defenders. The weakened secondary provided a nice matchup for him, and Roy delivered. If Calvin Johnson misses time, he'll probably receive even more targets.

Calvin Johnson - 2/58. He hurt himself on the 39 yard deep ball he hauled in, landing hard on his back. It looked bad at the time as he was helped off the field, but the Lions are downplaying the injury and expect him to suit up this week. Check back to make sure.

Shaun McDonald - 5/76, 1 TD. This is becoming ridiculous, and he's providing excellent waiver wire value. He'd be the clear winner if Johnson doesn't play on Sunday, but it looks like he's worth using no matter what as a WR3. The 2007 version of Brandon Stokley?

Kevin Curtis - 11/221, 3 TD. What in the hell? He smoked the Detroit secondary all day, and he's clearly McNabb's favorite target. He's received 30 targets to only 15 for Reggie Brown, and if that keeps up, he'll obviously turn in many more fantasy points. He's a smart, fast route runner who is a solid WR3 if McNabb is playing well.

Reggie Brown - 2/23. I can't imagine the frustration his owners felt looking at the score, McNabb's stats, and then Brown's stats. McNabb favors Curtis, and unless that changes, Brown is settling in for a disappointing season. I expect better things moving forward if McNabb plays well, so don't give up.

San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers

Alex Smith - 17/35, 209 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3/32. Did you really expect much more against Pittsburgh? Keep him benched until he figures things out, but don't drop him as he likely possesses more upside than anyone on your waiver wire. He's still a solid QB2.

Ben Roethlisberger - 13/20, 160 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 1/18, 1 FL. I expected much more from Big Ben so far, but given the weak schedule so far in terms of team strength, they haven't needed to pass much at all. SF possess a solid secondary as well. Still, Ben has been very efficient and has eliminated the boneheaded throws he was making last season. Expect better results moving forward, but he's definitely not hurting you.

Frank Gore - 14/39, 2/12. Alex Smith is killing Frank Gore. Teams are loading up men in the box to stop Gore and daring Smith to beat them. Plus that broken hand is limiting Gore from being as efficient in the passing game, which is also a concern. I still have confidence that Smith will eventually straighten himself out and give Gore more lanes to run in.

Willie Parker - 24/133, 1/9. Another monster game from Parker on the ground, but the Steelers are having problems stalling near the redzone, which is limiting his ability to score TDs. Still, the preseason fear that he'd be replaced on the goalline has proven false, and Parker remains a solid RB1.

Darrell Jackson - 4/69. He's not doing too bad considering Smith's struggles, but he's nothing more than a decent WR3 until Smith gets going.

Vernon Davis - 4/56. He got more involved in the offense this week after complaining about his role, but the bad news is the knee sprain that's going to knock him out of the next 2 weeks. Hopefully he can return after SF's bye.

Heath Miller - 4/82. A big yardage game from Miller who's looking like a solid TE1 so far this season. New offensive coordinator Arians is definitely giving him a bigger role in the offense, and he'll see even more targets if Hines Ward misses this week.

Hines Ward - 1/2. He left the game with a knee sprain and is considered doubtful for this coming week. Tough break for his owners this week.

Santonio Holmes - 3/49. No big plays this week, but if Ward is out, expect a solid game next week against Arizona.

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Marc Bulger - 17/26, 116 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT. Another disaster from Bulger, and it was revealted that he's been playing with 2 broken ribs, which explains the poor performance. Dallas is up next on the schedule, but if they have Terrance Newman back for good, it's not going to be as great of a matchup.

Jeff Garcia - 14/22, 151 yards, 3/3. A workman-like effort while the ground game produced all 3 TDs for the team. He remains a solid QB2.

Steven Jackson - 30/115, 4/18. The large amount of carries helped him produce a solid yardage total, but he still hasn't scored, and he'll have to wait to do so. Jackson suffered a tear in his groin, and while some outlets are reporting it was a 1 week injury, expect him to miss 3-6 weeks. This is not a minor injury, and if he comes back too soon, he'll risk performance problems and re-injury. Hopefully you handcuffed him with...

Brian Leonard - 4/21, 1/6. Make Leonard your #1 waiver priority this week. Leonard is a well rounded RB from Rutgers who possesses a very nice size/speed combination along with good hands. He'll be the Rams starter and could emerge as a RB2 option while Jackson is out.

Cadillac Williams - 12/46, 1/3, 1 TD, 1 FL. Another injury caused Williams to leave the game early. Owners who drafted him likely knew what they were getting into with him, but at least he's producing and scoring before he leaves. He's expected to be ready for next week.

Earnest Graham - 8/75, 2 TD. He's the 3rd RB behind Cadillac and Pittman. Don't you dare waste your waiver position on him.

Torry Holt - 5/63. He's still producing solid WR2 numbers despite the Rams offense being a mess in its current state. Once Bulger starts feeling better and playing better, expect the old Holt to resurface. Until then, temper your expectations.

Isaac Bruce - 3/14. He's going to be the big loser if Bulger can't get himself going. I'd bench him for now if you've been using him.

Joey Galloway - 4/42. Much more was expected against the Rams, but the Bucs didn't need to pass much, which held him back. He's a solid WR2 while Garcia is the starter.