Week 3 Thoughts

Another week, another set of excitements and disappointments.  Let's take a look:


Arizona Cardinals - Warner was simply abused by the Colts ends.  He looked pretty solid when he had time, but that wasn't often.  With the Cardinals still not running the ball, it's allowing pass rushers to pin their ears back and come after Warner without worrying about off-tackle runs and draws to make them pay for their aggression.  This whole offense is under-achieving, and the play calling doesn't show that there's any light at the end of the tunnel.  Continue using Warner/Fitzgerald/Boldin as you normally would, but understand that expectations need to be tempered, especially against teams with a strong pass rush.

Atlanta Falcons - Belichick get the best of Ryan and Turner as the Patriots game planned very well for this offense.  Just a simple off-game for Ryan against a very clever coaching staff.  Luckily, Turner scored again to make up for the fact that he's nowhere near as proficient on the ground this season.  Roddy White has been a disappointment so far, but with Matt Ryan looking better the last season, White is an excellent buy-low candidate.

Baltimore Ravens - Flacco simply can't be stopped, apparently.  Those who took a chance on him, despite the lack of explosive passing game options and a run-first offense, have to be grinning to own one of the biggest QB surprises thus far this season.  Rice and McGahee continue to split carries and annoy owners, although both are arguably RB2s with Rice generating solid yardage each week and McGahee scoring each week.  Mason exploded and Heap also posted a solid outing.

Buffalo Bills - Trent Edwards went back to his dink-and-dunk ways while also mis-firing on the couple deep throws he did attempt.  This is shaping up to be yet another lost season for Lee Evans who continues to frustrate thanks to his horrible QB situation.  Terrell Owens was held catch-less for the first time in almost 200 games.  It's hard to say if it's the play calling or Edwards reluctance to look down field, but there is absolutely no excuse for the pathetic passing game thus far.

Carolina Panthers - Delhomme was a mixed bag...he made a few nice throws and a few horrible ones, but mostly wasn't accurate throwing down the field.  Steve Smith is going to have an up and down year if Delhomme can't get him the ball deep at least once a game.  Given how little he threw the ball down the field, especially during crunch time after his pick six...I wonder if all these interceptions since the postseason last year are mentally affecting him.  To combat that, it seems like the Panthers are panicking with the rushing attack.  They're still busting off solid gains when they want, but they don't seem as committed to pounding the rock as they did last season.  With Stewart continuously eating into DeAngelo's time, Williams is no longer a RB1 as Carolina can't seem to sustain drives.  I apologize for reversing my opinion on Williams after Stewart's injury-wrecked preseason.

Chicago Bears - Cutler continued his week 2 rebound with another solid performance capped off by a game-winning drive.  Hester has been producing at a WR3 level, and Greg Olsen is slowly getting better each week as the offense gets comfortable with each other.  Forte finally posted good yardage, but he again frustrated with a horrible YPC.  I think the problem is that their offensive line is built for pass blocking rather than run blocking.  By moving Chris Williams to RT, they now have essentially 2 pass blocking specialists in Pace and Williams manning the perimeter, and they don't have 2 road-grading guards to balance it out.  Things should get a little better for Forte once Cutler continues to open up the passing game, but I worry about the offensive line in regards to Forte.

Cincinnati Bengals - Palmer predictably struggled against a good Pittsburgh defense, but turned it on down the stretch by leading a game winning TD drive.  Benson continued his resurgence by posting yet another quality game.  He's an every week RB2 at this point.  Caldwell continues to impress and has to be close to replacing Coles in the starting lineup.

Cleveland Browns - Boy what a mess.  Quinn gets yanked after another mediocre start, and then Anderson comes in to toss 3 INTs.  At least Anderson tries to go down the field.  Edwards owners, like myself, should debate alternatives for the time being.  Anderson would provide some upside, but it's in the Browns best interest to let Quinn continue to play and see what they have in him.  They already know what they have in Anderson.  This offense continues to be a wasteland.

Dallas Cowboys - Romo had a pretty solid game football-wise, but threw up another stinker fantasy-wise.  He made mostly good decisions and also kept several plays alive with his feet, but with Roy Williams not making plays for him, his fantasy upside is extremely limited as there's no WR even close to Owens on this roster.  He mauled Tampa's secondary, but that was heavily aided by multiple blown coverages leading to long TDs.  Romo is a low-end QB1 thanks to the talent being on the running side of the offensive scheme.  The rushing attack looked good, but I think it's officially time to call Felix Jones injury-prone.  He flashes when on the field, but he's always seemingly getting nicked up, including last night when Choice played most of the 2nd half in their game without Barber.

Denver Broncos - Orton posted another workman-like game as the rushing attack took center stage.  With Moreno finally healthy and Buckhalter hitting big plays, the Broncos have a great 1-2 punch to base their offense around.  Moreno can be used as a RB2 now that he's healthy, but Buckhalter will definitely continue to be a part of the rushing attack.  Marshall had a good game and is rounding into form.  I think he can be started now that he has his attitude right and is getting consistent playing time.  What a difference a week makes, huh?  Eddie Royal is absolutely lost and can be benched now.  I hate Josh McDaniels...this team is going to have a rude awakening when they stop racking up wins off of fluke plays and against the worst the NFL has to offer.

Detroit Lions - Stafford showed improved accuracy and decision making yesterday in the Lions first win since 2007.  It appears he's still going to take shots down the field, so as long as the improvement doesn't take a toll on his willingness to go down the field to CJ and company, CJ owners will like it.  Kevin Smith posted another solid game, but keep an eye on his mysterious shoulder injury.

Green Bay Packers - Rodgers got right back on the horse with a big day, and Jennings also righted the ship, making the most of his 2 receptions for over 100 yards.  Grant almost got 100 yards, falling 1 yard short, although it took him 26 carries to get there.  Grant just isn't busting big plays like he made a habit of doing during the 2nd half of 2007, but with the lack of quality options to take carries for him, his volume will make him a solid RB2.

Houston Texans - Schaub again blew up with a big game, and Kevin Walter picked up right where he left off last season after missing the first two weeks with an injury.  This passing game is cruising now, but Slaton continues to disappoint.  He actually ran the ball very well, but he was always replaced in the red zone by Chris Brown.  Brown lost a huge fumble at the end zone, however, so that warrants monitoring.

Indianapolis Colts - This passing game is absolutely on fire now with everyone except slot receiver Austin Collie posting good numbers.  Addai continues disappointing, but at least he scored on a middle screen pass at the goal line.  Donald Brown still looks like the better of the 2 RBs, although Manning did state that he views Addai as more reliable in the passing game right now.  Brown's 72 yard reception utilizing his great acceleration begs to differ.  Addai is nothing more than a RB3.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Apparently Houston's pathetic defense is all you need to rebound.  Garrard looked pretty good, often looking to new #1 wideout Mike Sims-Walker, who posted another solid receiving game despite the lost fumble.  MJD was a beast against a bad defense.  Sims-Walker is a WR3 moving forward and has provided great bench depth to all who picked him up.  I'd suggest attempting to sell high on him given his lengthy injury history, but few know who the hell he is.  Expect continued production while healthy.

Kansas City Chiefs - Without Bowe, this offense looked even more awful.  Nobody but Bowe from this sack of crap is worth starting.

Miami Dolphins - I'm a bit conflicted with Chad Pennington's injury.  He's an excellent game manager and is very accurate, but his arm strength is well below average.  Henne will probably take more shots down the field, but he's going to make more mistakes.  This offense was having problems anyways, so change can't be bad, can it?  None of the passing game was worth using anyways, but hopefully this doesn't mean even more men in the box to slow down Ronnie Brown and company.

Minnesota Vikings - Favre had the reigns removed, taking more shots down the field and posting a solid fantasy day.  Peterson was a bit of a disappointment not getting into the end zone with the Vikings attempting to throw more than usual despite it being a close game.  Consider this an anomaly.

New England Patriots -  Brady posted another workman-like effort, failing to throw for 300 yards or multiple scores again.  Certainly those who drafted him have been disappointed with the past two weeks, and I regret changing my stance after watching him light it up in the preseason.  He's clearly rusty and is taking some time to get back into synch with his offense.  Welker's injury certainly hurts as well, and Edelman wasn't nearly as productive as he was in week 2.  Is there some clarity to the rushing attack?  Fred Taylor dominated the carries and looked very good while doing it.  He's definitely worth adding to find out.

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees deferred to the rushing attack, especially Pierre Thomas, in week 3.  Thomas must have had his owners shitting a brick after not receiving a carry in the first half, but he blew open the doors in the 2nd half with 14/126 and 2 TDs.  Expect to see him starting from here on out...he's back.

New York Giants - Eli continues to post QB1 numbers with his young receivers as they develop before everyone's eyes.  The rushing attack also got back on track with big days from both Jacobs and Bradshaw.  With Nicks possibly back at practice, Manningham owners might need to start looking over their shoulders a bit.  We'll have to see how this plays out when Nicks returns.

New York Jets - Mark Sanchez is clearly the real deal as he singled handedly tore apart the TEN secondary after his rushing attack was stuffed by the vaunted TEN rushing defense.  Cotchery is blowing away his ADP thanks to the maturity Sanchez has shown on the field as a true #1 WR.  Thomas Jones has come back to earth after a huge 2nd half in week 1.

Oakland Raiders - Russell fucking sucks, and nobody on this offense can be started right now.  My continued hyping of Zach Miller looks foolish as Russell continues to get worse.  Miller is no longer Russell-proof and cannot be trust as a starter, but I wouldn't cut bait on him yet unless you can pick up a Vernon Davis type.

Philadelphia Eagles - Kolb posted QB1 numbers again, and I wish I had taken my own advice and started him.  :)  Brent Celek has been a favorite target of his and posted another huge game.  Westbrook was a surprise inactive Sunday morning, and LeSean McCoy responded with a great day for those who plugged him in as a RB2.  With Westbrook's continued injury problems and McCoy's great week 3, they have to be concerned a bit that McCoy will turn this into some sort of committee.

San Diego Chargers - Phillip Rivers continues to rack up the yardage as SD has transitioned into a run-first team.  Vincent Jackson is enjoying a true breakout into the WR1 category while Chris Chambers disappears and probably won't be starting soon.  Malcolm Floyd is a better WR at this point and should start soon.  Unfortunately for Gates' owners, Jackson's emergence has dropped him to 2nd in the pecking order, but he's still posting fine numbers for the pass-first offense.

San Francisco 49ers - Gore re-injured his ankle on the first play and looks set to miss a few weeks, and Glen Coffee will be a popular waiver add with a favorable schedule the next two weeks.  Coffee struggled, but that was against the vaunted MIN rushing defense.  Hopefully Gore owners handcuffed him with the preseason star.  Vernon Davis also posted the game of his life and most certainly should be owned.  He's making a statement to be considered as a TE1.

Seattle Seahawks - Wallace actually looked pretty solid, and his favorite receiver was definitely Nate Burleson, who's proving to be quite the waiver add thus far.  I think Wallace makes for a reasonable QB2 while Hasselbeck is out, which probably won't be for much longer.  Burleson has stepped into the #1 receiver role while Housh earns a bunch of money and does nothing with the football.  Consider Housh only a WR4 at this point.  Carlson has crashed after his first two weeks...he's being asked to block a lot with their mangled offensive line.  He's only a TE2.  Julius Jones went right back to looking good after a horrid week 2, keeping Forsett off the field.  I guess he's a RB3?  I give up with him.

St. Louis Rams - Bulger might be done for a bit, and unfortunately for his replacement Kyle Boller, Laurent Robinson definitely done (broken leg) after such a promising start to the season.  On the bright side, Boller moved the offense far better than Bulger did, so perhaps the lone startable option, Steven Jackson, might have some more success if Boller can keep the defenses back a bit.  Donnie Avery stands to benefit a bit here...stash him as a WR5 if he was dropped after his awful start.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Leftwich...from rising QB2 to benched by his own team.  After a horrible start against a tough Giants D, he was benched in favor of Josh Johnson, and head coach Raheem Morris made it official today moving forward.  Seems like a harsh move so early in the season, but this team clearly isn't playing for much at 0-3 and already know what they have in Leftwich.

Washington Redskins - The offense looked about as expected...mediocre...for the 3rd week in a row.  Campbell was erratic.  Santana Moss had a monster week against a weak defense, supporting my match-up WR3 projection for him last week.  Hopefully you had him starting.  Clinton Portis is about done as he can't even produce in a horrible match up.  You can't start him any more.