NFL Week 3: Late Game Wrapup

Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos

David Garrard - 14/20, 154 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 12/52, 1 FL. Garrard had another impressive outing on Sunday, taking what was given to him by a stingy Denver secondary, and adding solid fantasy points on the ground. He should continue being an excellent QB2 for your fantasy team despite the lack of quailty wideouts. He's a poor man's Vince Young.

Jay Cutler - 16/23, 222 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2/-1. A pretty efficient outing against a solid Jacksonville secondary. He utilized Brandon Marshall well as Mathis took away Javon Walker. He'll have better outings against weaker defenses. He's a borderline QB1.

Fred Taylor - 17/84. Taylor had another solid afternoon on the ground, and the word out of Jacksonville is that he's close to becoming the featured back again. Maurice Jones-Drew (15/37, 2/18, 1 FL) fumbled on the goal line, and Greg Jones subsequently punched in a TD from inside the 5 later in the game. Taylor will be a very solid RB3, and a RB2 in the right matchup while healthy if this proves to be true. Jacksonville is on bye this week, so we'll have to wait a week. Spelling Taylor is still a good idea given how often Jacksonville will run, but he's definitely earned a bigger role.

Travis Henry - 11/35, 1 TD. He saved his day with a TD as Jacksonville solidified their run defense with this effort. Henry continues to be a reliable RB1 with 100 yard, 2 TD upside in better matchups.

Marcedes Lewis - 3/44. Lewis has developed into a solid weapon for the Jaguars, and Garrard might start looking his way more given the lack of quality options at WR for Jacksonville. This is purely speculation on my part, but he's a solid TE2.

Brandon Marshall - 7/133. Marshall broke through with a huge game against a great secondary. He has excellent talent and has emerged as a solid WR3. Denver is far more comfortable throwing the ball with Cutler this year than they have been in the past with the erratic Jake Plummer, and Cutler has the talent and the system to produce 2 fantasy-worthy WRs. His talent is comparable to Terrell Owens, but perhaps not quite as fast. He's for real.

Javon Walker - 2/10. Thanks, Rashean Mathis. Mathis is a legit shutdown corner and did an excellent job of taking Walker out of the game. It'll happen, but Walker is a WR2 at worst this year.

Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders

Derek Anderson - 18/37, 248 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 2/12. A far cry from his explosion at Cincy. He remains someone to keep an eye on, however, as he's not afraid to use the talents of Edwards and Winslow. Oakland still has a solid secondary and presented a tough matchup.

Daunte Culpepper - 8/14, 118 yards. He's the new starting QB in Oakland. It remains to be seen how effective he can be, but he's not a bad QB2 to stash if you don't play matchups with your QBs. He doesn't have the mobility that he used to possess thanks to the severe knee injury he suffered, but he still possesses a big arm and decent weapons in Oakland.

Jamal Lewis - 15/56, 2/22. Back to the Jamal Lewis we know and dislike. If you can deal him based on his week 2 performance, do it. He'll be lucky to hit 100 yards again.

LaMont Jordan - 29/121, 2/32, 1 TD. He busted out with a monster 2nd half to turned in yet another great performance. Jordan is clearly back to his 2005 form with a capable offensive system around him. Even when Jordan is held in check on the ground, expect continued solid games thanks to his receiving skills. He's a RB1 against non-elite defenses. His balky back remains a source of concern, but the fact he took 29 carries and got stronger as the game went on after a week filled with concerns shows that it's not a big deal right now.

Kellen Winslow - 6/88. Winslow is the only TE even close to Gates, and he's doing a great job keeping up with him. He's an elite TE1.

Braylon Edwards - 4/83, 1 TD. He's playing like a WR1 right now despite the uncertainty at the QB position. Don't get suckered into the hype regarding Brady Quinn...he'd be a drain on his numbers. Anderson is more pro-ready and hopefully he'll remain the QB over the rest of this season.

Ronald Curry - 3/62, 1 TD. Curry bounced back after a tough matchup against Champ Bailey with a solid showing against the weak Cleveland defense. I'm not sure how the switch to Culpepper will affect him as McCown made a concerted effort to get Curry the ball, but he's playing like a very good WR3 right now.

Cincinnati Bengals at Seattle Seahawks

Carson Palmer - 27/43, 342 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1/-1. Palmer exploded for another huge yardage day, but he had problems producing TDs with all that yardage. He received no help from his rushing attack which prevented the team from moving the ball more efficiently.

Matt Hasselbeck - 24/37, 248 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INT. Hasselbeck had another solid afternoon and made use of his matchup against a weak Cincy secondary. He remains a borderline QB1 to be used in the right matchups.

Rudi Johnson - 17/9, 1/33. What a disasterous afternoon for Rudi who left the game early with a hamstring injury. He left his owners high and dry as his heavy workload over the past several seasons might be catching up to him a bit as his YPC has been a problem for over a year now. All Rudi owners should pick up Kenny Watson if they plan on utilizing a Cincy RB next Monday.

Shaun Alexander - 21/100, 2/8. Alexander had a big 2nd half in his 3rd straight game, but didn't manage a TD in this one. He looks much better than I thought he would this year so far, but I still think he's a solid sell high candidate. It was revealed that he's playing with a broken wrist, but he will continue playing through it.

T.J. Houshmanzadeh - 12/141, 1 TD. Finally a big yardage day from Housh who turned in yet another solid performance. He's turned into a borderline WR1 thanks to Cincy's horrible defense and propensity to throw a lot.

Chad Johnson - 9/138. Another great game from Chad Johnson who's easily putting up the monster season many were expecting. Like I said above, given Cincy's bad defense and the fact they need to throw all game, you can expect CJ to put up a career year this season.

Deion Branch - 6/77, 1 TD. Back to back solid games from Branch after being shutout in week 1. He was likely drafted as a WR3 and should outperform expectations this year.

Nate Burleson - 6/76, 1 TD. With Hackett out, Burleson has re-emerged as a fantasy option. If he's still available, I'd add him to your WR depth.

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

Jake Delhomme - 10/18, 109 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 2/1. Atlanta was curiously playing solid defense in this one against the pass, but the major story here is the health of Delhomme's elbow. He left the game for good with an elbow injury, and his status for week 4 is up in the air.

David Carr - 3/4, 56 yards, 2/-1. Those in QB2 leagues looking for another starting QB to add to their roster should grab Carr in case Delhomme misses a week or more, but don't be expecting too much. He's shown happy feet in the pocket (for good reason) and the inability to throw the deep ball effectively. Steve Smith owners can't be happy.

Joey Harrington - 31/44, 361 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 1/4. What the? Harrington had a couple explosions like this last year, but don't read too much into the performance. His receiving options are still less than average, and Harrington just isn't very good. That being said, you might as well keep an eye on him.

DeShaun Foster - 20/122, 1/13, 2 TD. What the (part 2)? Foster owners should pay close attention to Foster's carries next week. Atlanta can't stop anything on the ground, but Foster is clearly running better than DeAngelo Williams (11/47) right now and could emerge as the featured RB in this offense. Don't read too much into one game (he only had 9 carries last week), but he might emerge as a solid option in the right matchup.

Warrick Dunn - 11/55, 4/13, 1 FL. Yet another mediocre outing from Dunn. He's barely worth discussing.

Jerious Norwood - 6/32, 3/34. Patience.

Jeff King - 4/56, 1 TD. He's a lower tier TE1 right now and is an excellent option for Vernon Davis owners.

Steve Smith - 1/10, 1/6. Ugh, but it happens. DeAngelo Hall's play caught up to his mouth for once. Smith owners should be more worried with Delhomme's health than this performance.

Roddy White - 7/127, 1 TD. He'll be a popular pickup this week and is worth serious consideration given your roster situation. He has emerged as the go-to WR that he was expected to become, but thanks to Joey Harrington and the poor Falcons offense, his upside is limited. He's a solid WR4.

Alge Crumpler - 6/63, 1 TD. He's not doing too bad with Harrington so far, maintaining his solid TE1 status.

New York Giants at Washington Redskins

Eli Manning - 21/36, 232 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 1/-1, 1 FL. Most importantly here is that Manning finished the game this time, again with no health problems. His shoulder is fine, and he'll have better games in better matchups. Washington's secondary is playing well now.

Jason Campbell - 16/34, 190 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 4/12. It's really hard to keep recommending him as a QB2 as he mixes solid decisions and pocket presence with some horrible plays as well. He's a young QB still learning the game, but if you can get someone like David Garrard instead, go for it.

Derrick Ward - 26/94, 6/26. He again put up a great yardage total, but it was extremely disappointing that Reuben Droughns came in on the 1 yard line twice to vulture TDs. This seems to be the arrangement that the Giants will use despite Ward being plenty big to assume goal line duties. He's a solid RB2 while Jacobs is hurt, however.

Clinton Portis - 14/60, 6/37, 1 TD. A week after showing progress in the touches department, Portis dropped back down this week again, but he made the most of his touches and scored for the 3rd straight game. Despite his goalline work the first 3 games, Gibbs used Betts inside the 5 at the end of the game, and Betts was stuffed and then tripped up on 3rd and 4th down carries. Hopefully that will prove to Gibbs who needs to be in the game in the redzone.

Plaxico Burress - 5/86, 1 TD. Another great game from Burress who turned in a solid 2nd half to post good numbers. His ankle was sore after the game, but he appears just fine and gets a nice matchup against a banged up Eagles secondary this week. Keep an eye on Lito Sheppard's health to determine exactly how good of a matchup it'll be. He's worth starting no matter what, however.

Jeremy Shockey - 5/79. He continues to post solid yardage totals on a weekly basis and is still a very good TE1.

Santana Moss - 3/82. Luckily he had a big 49 yard catch in the first half to keep his yardage total solid for the day. He's playing like the WR3 he was expected to be, but Campbell's inconsistency is holding him back. Worse yet, he suffered yet another groin injury, but he'll have a bye week to rest up and hopefully he'll be ready for week 5.

Chris Cooley - 3/19, 1 TD. The TD saved his afternoon as he is suffering from Campbell's growing pains as well. He's still a quality TE1.

Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears

Tony Romo - 22/35, 329 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. This is the first time I've been able to watch Romo this year, and there's absolutely no question this kid is for real. He has excellent pocket presence combined with quick feet that allows him to buy time and find an open receiver. He undoubtedly has a strong arm as well, and he's a very real QB1.

Rex Grossman - 15/32, 195 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 1/12. He had a flash for a drive of solid play, but his boneheaded throws continued and he's officially lost his job. If Griese plays well, this will be Grossman's last game in a Bears uniform. He can be dropped in all but deep 2 QB leagues.

Marion Barber - 15/102, 1/10, 1 TD. Is this the changing of the guard? Barber had another huge game despite coming off the bench, and with Jones' concussion, his season looks bright. Don't go crazy over this one outing against a worn down defense, but his carries are well worth watching next week and he's again a great RB2.

Julius Jones - 7/26, 2/29. A concussion knocked him out of the game, and he's bound to continue losing carries to Barber. His role is very uncertain, and he's not a good RB3 anymore.

Cedric Benson - 16/46, 1/8, 1 TD, 1 FL. Stuffed again. He's a borderline RB2 right now that should be used in the right matchup. Owners should hope that Griese can bring some stability to the offense and open up a few extra running lanes for Benson. He's not a RB that can create plays by himself.

Terrell Owens - 8/145. Another huge day from Owens, although he didn't find the endzone this time. He's an elite WR1.

Jason Witten - 8/90, 1 TD. Romo loves him and he's emerged as the 3rd best TE in fantasy football right now behind Gates and Winslow. He's a great TE1 despite likely being drafted as a TE2.

Bernard Berrian - 6/73. He's remained a solid WR3 despite Grossman's struggles. Griese can't throw the deep ball like Grossman can which may limit his big play potential, but Berrian has rounded out his game this year and will likely continue to be a very solid producer regardless. Grossman wasn't hitting him down the field this year, anyways.

Greg Olsen - 2/28. Keep an eye on him. He's healthy and the Bears want to use him in the redzone, assuming they can get there.