Fantasy Football Focus: Week 3 NFL Review

Week 3 fantasy wasn’t quite as bad for me as my picks went. I wasn’t completely on top of my game, but I did finish on top of the rest of the guys in the group. If you can’t beat everyone, you might as well make sure to beat your friends. We all had some good picks and some misses as well. Here’s how the week went.

Elite Starters: Guys picked early that I love this week…

1. Maurice Jones Drew – 123 yards, three touchdowns, top running back, you bet. A+
2. Andre Johnson – 4 catches for 85 yards, well, after his 4th catch he got hurt, played but didn’t record another catch. C
3. Drew Brees – I said he had to come back down to earth, but said it wouldn’t be this week. I was right but wrong. F
4. Matt Schaub – #4 quarterback, finding himself high on the charts for the second week in a row. A
5. Brandon Jacobs – #13 running back, 92 yards and a touchdown, I expected more from Brandon than 15 points. C

Solid Starters: Guys picked in middle rounds that should outplay their ranking/draft position this week…

1. Ray Rice– #9 running back overall, not bad when your teammate was tied with you. B
2. Ryan Grant – 99 yards for Ryan on 26 carries, I expected more and at least 1 TD. The Pack hates giving him TDs. C-
3. Larry Johnson– And Larry Johnson might never be a high play for me ever again. 38 yards for Larry. F
4. Dwayne Bowe – Not really fair because he was a last second scratch after no info about that all week. F
5. Braylon Edwards – 3 catches for 35 yards, Braylon must hate his QB situation with a passion. I know I do. F

Sleeper Starters: Guys ranked low, drafted low or not at all, but I still like them this week…

1. Mario Manningham – 4 grabs for 55 yards, just a score away from a big week. I still like Mario. C-
2. David Garrard – A 16th rated QB this week, Garrard’s numbers were just fine. B-
3. Trent Edwards –Trent couldn’t do diddly against the Saints secondary, missing a lot of open plays. F
4.Fred Jackson– His team couldn’t do anything offensively, but Fred still carried the ball 18 times for 71 yards while grabbing 4 passes for 26 yards. Not a bad day for Fred, who has been good through three. B-
5. Jabar Gaffney – 4 grabs for 39 yards, ugh, lots of better sleepers I could have picked; Reed, Jacoby, and Wallace… D+

Sit ‘Em Son: I don’t care where they were drafted, I don’t like these guys starting this week…

1. Joseph Addai – 13 carries for 63 yards was better than I thought, plus he caught a short TD. Miss. F
2. Cedric Benson – 17 carries for 76 yards and  TD, better than I expected from Cedric. D-
3. Willie Parker – 20 fantasy points for Willie Parker, a very good week for the Steeler RB. F
4. Bernard Berrien – 4 catches for 56 yards, a little higher than I expected, but not starter worthy. B
5. Chris Johnson – 22 carries for 97 yards, not bad, but just 10 fantasy points, right what I expected. Ranked 31st RB. B+

PS – Don’t trust Eagles injury reports….

Week 2 Fantasy Rankings

Josh Arsenault	        Ryan Kauffman		Papa Weimer		Lucky Lester

QBs----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Drew Brees 28   	1.Drew Brees 28		1.Peyton Manning 1	1.Drew Brees 28
2.Tom Brady 13    	2.Aaron Rodgers 3	2.Tom Brady 13    	2.Matt Schaub 4
3.Phillip Rivers 17	3.Matt Schaub 4    	3.Drew Brees 28   	3.Peyton Manning 1
4.Aaron Rodgers 3  	4.Peyton Manning 1	4.David Garrard 16	4.Tony Romo 23
5.Carson Palmer 19 	5.Trent Edwards 27	5.Aaron Rodgers	3	5.Tom Brady 13
RBs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Michael Turner 32	1.Maurice Jones-Drew 1	1.Adrian Peterson 28	1.Maurice Jones-Drew 1
2.Maurice Jones-Drew 1	2.Brandon Jacobs 13	2.Steve Slaton 24 	2.Brandon Jacobs 13
3.Adrian Peterson 28	3.Ronnie Brown 18  	3.Maurice Jones-Drew 1	3.Adrian Peterson 28
4.Matt Forte 9		4.Matt Forte 9   	4.Fred Jackson 23 	4.Matt Forte 9
5.Clinton Portis 47	5.Steven Jackson 6	5.Clinton Portis 47 	5.Ryan Grant 29

WRs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Randy Moss 8		1.Andre Johnson 27   	1.Larry Fitzgerald 24	1.Andre Johnson 27
2.Larry Fitzgerald 24	2.Reggie Wayne 3  	2.Reggie Wayne 3	2.Randy Moss 8
3.Reggie Wayne 3   	3.Randy Moss 8		3.Steve Smith (NY) 12   3.Reggie Wayne 3
4.Andre Johnson 27	4.Greg Jennings	27	4.Andre Johnson 27 	4.Steve Smith (C) 55
5.Steve Smith (C) 55  	5.Santonio Holmes 93	5.Calvin Johnson 42	5.Jericho Cotchery 4

TEs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Chris Cooley 17 	1.Jeremy Shockey 11	1.Dallas Clark 3 	1.Antonio Gates 10
2.Tony Gonzalez	33	2.Tony Gonzalez	33	2.John Carlson 19 	2.Dallas Clark 3
3.John Carlson 19	3.Dustin Keller 22	3.Tony Gonzalez 33	3.Jason Witten 5
4.Antonio Gates 10	4.Dallas Clark 3 	4.Owen Daniels 7	4.Chris Cooley 17
5.Jason Witten 5  	5.Owen Daniels 7   	5.Jason Witten 5	5.Tony Gonzalez 33

DSTs-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.Ravens 2		1.Ravens 2		1.Bears 13		1.Ravens 2
2.Redskins 17		2.Broncos 3       	2.Steelers 25		2.Packers 10
3.Packers 10		3.Giants 7		3.Eagles 8		3.Broncos 3
4.Broncos 3		4.Bears 13		4.Packers 10		4.Redskins 17
5.Vikings 16		5.Redskins 17		5.Redskins 17		5.Eagles 8

Kickers-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top 5 Kickers for Week 3: Olindo Mare, Stephen Gostkowski, Mason Crosby, Ryan Longwell,
Matt Prater
Keeping score for week 3! This is the positional breakdown based on Week 3's rankings:
Josh Arsenault		Ryan Kauffman		Papa Weimer		Lucky Lester

1.QBs 4         	1.QBs 2		        1.QBs 1  		1.QBs 3
2.RBs 3		        2.RBs 1	   	        2.RBs 4                 2.RBs 2
3.WRs 3		        3.WRs 4		        3.WRs 2         	3.WRs 1
4.TEs 4  		4.TEs 3          	4.TEs 1         	4.TEs 2
5.DST 3         	5.DST 2         	5.DST 4         	5.DST 1

Well, Josh came in last for this week’s rankings. Papa and Kauffman came in tied for second (as they like to say) or tied for 3rd (as I like to say). The winner, for the 3rd straight week is me. I’m telling you, I had a tough week in picks, and my fantasy predictions didn’t end up being too great as far as sleepers, elite guys, starters, and sits, but as always it’s nice to beat your friends at stuff. I’ll go for 4 straight weeks as the top fantasy genius in Week 4. As for this week, we got a few things right. Our number one ranked RB, between the four of us, was Maurice Jones Drew – he came through in fine fashion. Three of us had Peyton ranked in the Top 5, and he was the top QB this week. Reggie Wayne was our top rated receiver, and he was ranked 3rd overall this week. Kauffman swung and really missed on Santonio Holmes, as the man crush comes back to haunt him again. As the 93rd rated receiver this week, he pretty much had no chance at anything but 4th in receivers. Drew Brees let everyone down, as only Papa Weimer didn’t rank him 1st for Week 3. Sticking Jericho Cotchery in my top five made up for keeping Steve Smith there, and despite Steve’s low output I still snuck away with the top receiver spot this week. Who’d we miss? Lets go backwards, the Dallas Cowboys were the #1 ranked defense for the week, they didn’t make any top 5 list. New Orleans, San Diego, and Indy rounded out 4, 5 and 6 this week, not a one made our lists. Vernon Davis was the beast that everyone thought he’d be when he first came out of Maryland, taking the top TE spot for Week 3 while Brent Celek finished a close second in helping the Eagles win big. A cat named Daniel Fells caught a couple touchdowns for the Rams, making the most of his two grabs – he finished 4th. And Greg Olsen was 6th overall, finally showing what many expected. Either it was crazy that nobody listed Santana Moss in their top 5 lists, because he ended up with 7 more points than any other receiver in the league, or his huge performance was a stunner. I’ll go for stunner. DeSean Jackson wasn’t supposed to suit up, or so the Eagles made fantasy owners believe all week long, only to finish 2nd overall in fantasy points while also performing a front flip splits move celebration in the end zone… I think his groin is fine. Jerks. Kevin Walter had a big week and Derrick Mason had his first lofty performance of the season. Andre Caldwell burst onto the scene to finish in the Top 10, one wonders what to expect of him going forward? As for running backs? How about lots of misses, we only picked one out of the Top 5, as Pierre Thomas, Tashard Choice, Julius Jones, and Willie Parker rounded out the Top 5. Who knew? Fred Taylor and Ricky Williams also made Top 10 performances of the week, bringing us back to the year 2000. As for QBs, Kevin Kolb was huge again for the Eagles, and maybe they knew what they were doing drafting the gun slinger a couple years ago, huh? Also in the top 10 and off of our lists, how about Jason Campbell, Jay Cutler, Brett Favre, Big Ben, Mark Sanchez, and a little guy name Kyle freaking Boller. How about that one? Check back later to see our picks for Week 4, and wait and see if somebody can’t dethrone me as the token fantasy genius!

NFL Fantasy Football Advice: Ask Papa Weimer Week 3

I’m old. I’m tired. I’m grumpy. My ass hurts from sitting in this chair. Where can I get one of those soft little pillow doughnut things to sit on anyway? Note to family: get my ace a nice chair for Christmas or you’re not getting any inheritance. I’ve had questions screaming in this week, people wondering which guy to start, who to trade, who to target in trades. These are the questions and answers I picked out to share.

Dennis in and out of the US asks, “I have a couple guys that I think are overachieving, and I know there are some players out there underachieving. Of these four guys (Percy Harvin, Cadillac Williams, Cedric Benson, and Santonio Holmes) which ones would you try to trade, and are there any guys you’d try to grab while their value is down?

Red Red Ryan makes a pretty good point about Cedric Benson, but I think he’s still a solid guy to have on your squad, he and the three other guys you mention should all have solid years, but you’re right in assessing their value right now, it’s probably higher than it should be. I would probably try to move Benson, Harvin, and Williams and keep Holmes, if you can get some good value. I think Holmes might be a treat for fantasy owners that paid the price for his services this season. He’s getting tons of targets on a Steelers team that doesn’t run the ball well, and is going to throw a lot more this season. Plus, he’s a playmaker. But like I said, all four of these guys are solid, I just think Holmes holds onto his value all season long, while a couple of these guys will fall off. In a trade, I would try to acquire Matt Forte, Steve Slaton, Clinton Portis, Steve Smith (Carolina), Ryan Grant, Knowshon Moreno, and Daren McFadden. All of those guys have pretty low value considering their ability, and all look like they are going to gain some value this week. I think all of them will have pretty solid seasons. Forte and Slaton have begun the season with really tough match-ups. Portis has an easier schedule coming up. Steve Smith’s value is still suffering despite being heavily targeted early in the season. Ryan Grant will get more rushing attempts from here forward. Moreno is dynamic and will only get better as he gets used to the speed of the game. And McFadden is still a superior talent. If you can trade some guys flying high for a couple guys that haven’t impressed owners, I think it’s a good move.

David from Minnesota asks, “Would you trade LT away to get Ray Rice? How about Leon Washington and TJ Houshmanzadeh moving to get LT and Donald Driver or Percy Harvin? Thanks in advance!”

David, thanks for the questions. These must be different leagues as you’re trading away LT in one, and getting him in another. On the first half, Yeah, I think so. I think LT will be fine. But Ray Rice is solid too – tough call, but I’d probably go with LT if I had the choice. On the second question, It just depends what you think about the Hawks and their recent string of injuries to start the season. I personally think they’ll get healthy here very soon, and TJ Housh will be huge, especially in PPR leagues – so I would much rather have him than Driver or Harvin, even though he’s firmly behind them in rankings thus far. Leon looks like he’s getting at least 20 touches per game, which should lead to some big days. ON the other side, as much as I love LT, I’m not sure he’s going to be getting much more than 20 touches the rest of the way. The Jets have a stellar offensive line, better than the Chargers if you ask me. If I had to choose, between LT and Leon, I would go with LT, like I said – but I don’t think I’d give up Housh to do so – his value is still high on my board.

Pretty Patty in Seattle asks, “Weims, having trouble picking my starters this week. Who do you like this week between these guys. (Need to pick 3 to go with my other two starting receivers, colston and manningham) Thanks! (Steven Jackson, Darren Mcfadden, Leshon McCoy, Braylon Edwards, Johnny Knox, Nate Burleson) PPR league…

Pretty, McCoy would be a sure thing if, and only if, you’re sure Westbrook isn’t playing. He should get lots of carries against the Chiefs porous run defense, and if it’s a PPR league I’m sure he’ll get a handful of catches as well. Steven Jackson is one of the three no matter what. The Packers have been terrible against the run, and I’m sure Jackson will be a huge part of the Rams game plan as they try to trick the Packers out of a win. Bulger can only throw 10 yards accurately, which puts Jackson in his range most of the time. Plus, he’s just flat out the best player in this group, and you have to go with your horses. I think another guy would be Braylon Edwards. Surprisingly, the Ravens have been pretty terrible against the pass, as Brodie Croyle of all clowns, had a good outing against them in Week 1, and Rivers torched them to the tune of one billion yards in Week 2. The problem with the Ravens is they are so good against the run, and they’ll likely be up early, so the Browns will probably have to throw a lot. I usually don’t like Cleveland offensive players, but 7 catches and 100 yards from Edwards wouldn’t surprise me. If Westy is going to play, and from what I read, it looks like he will, I think I’d go with McFadden. Now this one is a little tricky because Denver has been great against the run this season, but then again, you have to look at who they’ve played. Cincinnati and Cleveland aren’t two rushing attacks that strike fear into my heart. So I’m not sure they’re as good as they are lucky to have been scheduled to pissy running attacks to start the season. The Raiders can really run, and McFadden should get the ball more this week. JaMarcus Russell has been a joke (he’s barely batting .350 through the air, gross) so Denver could stack up against the run – but I still think they don’t have elite front 7 power, and McFadden should have his best yardage output of the season. If you don’t want to go with McFadden, take a chance on Nate or Knox. Nate’s been getting targeted lots of times, and obviously a dynamic touchdown threat, he could get to the house against a Bears secondary that doesn’t really have the speed to cover elite WRs. Nate might not be elite, but his speed and touchdown play potential is definitely amongst the games best. Knox is looking like one of Cutler’s favorite targets, and the Hawks secondary isn’t an exciting shut down group at the moment. I just think the Bears will run a lot more this week against a D-front that doesn’t look powerful after Frank Gore had his way with them. So I’d side with Nate, but just barely. Hope that helps, Patty. Good luck!