Week 3 NFL Fantasy Football Focus

It’s week three in the NFL and so far it has been a very unpredictable year.  Your routine players are having off games, the players you put at the bottom of the list are blowing up.  What do we do?  Just like I said last week, do not panic and stick to your guns for at least four weeks.  Let your top ranked players show what they have.  After reading this article you should have your bench situation set.

Here are my top 10 rankings for week two Fantasy Football at each position

Quarterbacks

1. Cam Newton – This guy is serious and wants to win.  He was back in the film room thirty minutes after Sundays game, to study the Giants.  He is coming off of one of his best rushing yard games. (currently leads the panthers in rushing) Carolina is 7th in passing yards.  That’s a high rank after a brutal start verse Tampa Bay.  He also is becoming very comfortable with Brandon LaFell.

2. Matt Ryan – With Turner having a possible suspension in the air, Atlanta will have to air it out in San Diego.  If they do running plays, they will be more like screen plays to Rodgers.  Look for Ryan to have a huge day as he is showing a lot of consistency.

3. Robert Griffin III – RG3 is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks we have seen in years.  He is a match-up nightmare for Cincy.   He also has shown he can get the job done.  He makes great decisions and knows when to run the ball.  RG3 will float around 30 points every week.

4. Matthew Stafford – He is going to torch the 20th ranked passing defense in the NFL.  This is one of those type of games that gave Calvin the name Megatron.  I seriously wont doubt if Stafford and Johnson combine for three touchdowns.

5. Michael Vick – Vick is starting to look very solid, minus the few plays he made to cause turnovers, he has played great football.  He and RGIII are nightmares for defense as they can run like the wind.  Vick is going to have a big day here in Arizona as he plays well in the warm weather.

6.  Tom Brady –  I know its Baltimore and I know Brady has not looked like the Brady of old.  I am not giving up, plus this is the best QB in the business off of a loss.

7.  Ben Roethlisberger – Big ben is going against the Raiders.  The running game has not shown up in Pittsburgh, look for Ben to air it out and have a huge day vs the Raiders.

8. Andrew Luck – This guy is for real and only improving.  Jville just made Christian Ponder look like Joe Montana, what do you think Luck is going to do?

9. Joe Flacco – They air the ball out, Jacoby Jones finally looks comfortable, giving them a quadruple threat in the passing game.  This team is now a passing threat.  Plus New England has never had a good pass defense.

10.  Eli Manning –  Hakeem Nicks is out and that hurts their passing game.   They can key on Cruz now.  With this being said I still have Eli #10 because he is poise and gets the job done.  If Nicks was playing I would have Eli #1 this week.

Running Backs

1.  Maurice Jones-Drew –  MJD is defending his rushing title of last year.  It has been two weeks now for him to find his rhythm.  The Colts do not play very good defense, even though they are 14th overall in defensive rushing yards, Jones Drew is going to have a monster day verse Indy.

2. C.J. Spiller – Cleveland is currently ranked 18th in the NFL in rush defense.  C.J Spiller has the job to him self and he is one of the fastest backs in football.  Not only are the Bills going to Cleveland they are going to leave with a W, you can put that W on Spillers back.

3. Ray Rice – Rice is the #2 overall pick pre-rank.  The Ravens are passing a lot more, which is opening up rice even more.  Rice averages around 20 fantasy points a week, look for him to stay right there.

4. Reggie Bush – He is going against the Jets, who have not been to stout on run defense.  The Jets could not contain C.J Spiller in week 1.  Reggie Bush is very similar to  Spiller, he just runs with more authority.  Reggie will pick right up where  he left off last week.

5.  DeMarco Murray – I liked seeing Brown run hard last week vs Tampa.  DeMarco Murray is a much more talented back and the Cowboys are not scared to work horse him.  Should get 100 yards and at least 1 touchdown.

6. Trent Richardson – He finally broke out of his shell last week and found some rhythm.  This guy runs hard and is their featured back.  The Bills are not doing so well stopping the run.  Trent can put up 20 fantasy points against the bills with ease.

8.  LeSean McCoy – He is off to a slow start, but so is Philly.  Look for him to pick it up this week.  As Philly will hit the film room hard.

9.  Ryan Mathews – There is a lot of hype here and the guy has talent.  He runs hard and good old Norv Turner will get him the rock 20 plus times.

10. Frank Gore – This guy is one of the best running backs in the league over the last few years.  He is running like the healthy Frank the Tank I am used to.

Wide Receivers

1. Calvin Johnson – This is looking like its going to be one of those 4 touchdown weeks.  Tennessee lost their number 1 corner in Finnegan last year, and their pass defense shows it.  Calvin is uncheckable and the Lions have been down this year on O.  Stafford will get back to his roots.  Calvin is going to go off.

2.  Roddy White –  Julio is questionable and could miss some practice.  He draws a lot of attention and will open up Roddy White.  The match up this weekend is in Roddy’s corner.

3. Demaryius Thomas – He is one of the biggest and fastest WR in football.  Peyton Manning had a really rough start last week due to Atlanta Falcons coverages.  Peyton will fix his mistakes and get the ball to young Demaryius.

4.  Victor Cruz – Hakeem Nicks is out and thats all you really need to know.  This guy is #1 in fantasy amongst WR.  Cruz is going to go off under the lights and in the spot light.

5.  Dwayne Bowe – Very steady and consistent, he is going to torch the Saints who are averaging 217 yards against passing.  Plus Castle is very comfortable with Bowe and feeds him the ball.

6.  A.J. Green – Washington is doing nothing to stop WR’s.  They have given up 75 fantasy points already in two games.  Good luck holding young athletic A.J Green down.

7.  Reggie Wayne – One of the most consistent veteran WR in the NFL.  Be careful because Donnie Avery is coming into his own, and does very well on turf.  He can steal some off the spot light.  Wayne is ranked #5 for a reason because he puts up the yards.

8.  Malcolm Floyd – Monitor if Gates is playing or not, either way this is clearly Phillip Rivers number one option.  Floyd has now put up two consecutive double digit fantasy point weeks, look for him to continue on this path.

9.  Andre Johnson – He is one of the most talented receivers in the NFL.  Denver is a much better challenge this week, which will put them in a dog fight, not on cruise control.  Forcing them to use Johnson more.  When this team is tested they will draw up plays for the beast in Andre.

10.  Mike Wallace  –  One of the fastest WR in the NFL.  Big Ben is never scared to throw him the jump ball.  They love him in Pittsburgh and he is clearly the #1 go to guy.  Look for the Steelers to air it out as their running game is struggling.  Wallace will have a huge piece of that action.

Tight Ends

There are some TE in my current fantasy leagues that you can still get off waivers, hopefully in your case you can still get these guys.  This week with Hakeem Nicks out I moved Martelus Bennett into my #1 tight end ranking this week.  Eli has a lot off trust in his tight end and seems to hit him in any 1 on 1 situations.  He also is Eli’s favorite red zone target.  Dennis Pitta is a must have in your starting lineup, or on your bench.  He leads the Ravens in targets, thats all you really need to know.  The Ravens clearly are showing they want to throw the ball as well.  Brent Celek is a great option this year, if you have Michael Vick it makes it that much better.  He already has over 200 yards and 12 receptions.  Get him in your lineup this week.  Kellen Winslow is not a must have but a guy to keep your eye on.  He has never had a fair opportunity to really show case his talent.  New England could showcase that talent until Hernandez comes back.  Stafford has been off to a slow start, but Brandon Pettigrew
is a great option, he will pick it up this year and Stafford loves to hit him in the 1 on 1 match ups.  He is bigger and more talented than most tight ends in the NFL.  Heath Miller has been very consistent for years, and a target that Ben really trust.  Keep an eye on Mr. Miller as he can be a great red zone target.

Working the Waiver Wire

Besides your obvious pick ups and break out players, which I am sure have gone this week to waivers.  Here are some guys that should be left on the board for you to grab.  I also like to save a few spots on my line up for players that I think can break out. I like to add them right before Sunday when the free agency locks out until Wednesday.  Then I do not have to worry about someone grabbing them, or losing them to waiver order.
For example Mikel Leshoure, I had him on my lineup since week one, I seen he was a very hard runner in pre-season and also Detroit does not have a big back in their system.  He is now named their #1 starting back this week.  I call it seeing into the fantasy future.  I am here to be your fantasy crystal ball.
Like I said before I am a firm believer in sticking to your guns and trusting you drafted well.  You only want to give that theory a few weeks and then move on.  If you have a few potential bust on your bench that you are just giving up on then here are some great moves.  First I really do not care who your kicker is you better grab Justin Tucker.  This kid is for real and drills it down the middle every time.  He can hit a 60 yard field goal as well.  Next Donnie Avery is a good pick up, and even a handcuff to Reggie Wayne.  Avery does very well on turf, he is a great flex option when the Colts are at home.  Danny Amendola if he is on the board add him.  I watched every play in that game and he is the only receiver Bradford is throwing to with full confidence.  Finally go get the Seahawks defense.  In all five of my leagues no one picked them up, because they are against Green Bay this week.  They have one of the highest turnover differences in the league and with the 12th man start them at home every time.
Also look for higher draft picks that people are dropping.  Capitalize on those mistakes,  as some of these young guys take a few weeks to find rhythm.