FANTASY FOOTBALL: WEEK 3 TIPS

Week 2 was a return to normalcy after a topsy-turvy week 1. The big names like Matt Schaub, Frank Gore, Peyton Manning, and Adrian Peterson all had big

Week 2 was a return to normalcy after a topsy-turvy week 1. The big names like Matt Schaub, Frank Gore, Peyton Manning, and Adrian Peterson all had big weeks. Of course the consensus fantasy #1 player, Chris Johnson, laid a massive egg. But when your team turns the ball over 7 times (one of them being a fumble by you, Mr. Johnson) you aren’t going to see a whole lot of opportunity to score big. Hopefully all of you avoided the 0-2 start last week, now let’s move on to week 3:

Quarterback

BEST:   Tony Romo- DAL

Romo has looked pretty bad so far this year, but he’s too talented, and he has too much talent around him, for that to continue. He gets the Houston Texans this week who are coming off back to back wins. However, those same Texans have also given up back to back 400 yard performances to opposing quarterbacks. It’s a tall order to expect 400 yards from Romo, but I have to believe he’ll put up some nice numbers this week against a porous Texans secondary.

WORST:Â Mike Vick- PHI

Kevin Kolb may have been cleared to practice by Eagles’ team doctors however it looks like the Eagles are going with Mike Vick again this week. I’m simply just not sold on Vick yet. He did this kind of thing when he was a starter for the Falcons where he would have a few great weeks followed by an inexplicable stinker. Even though this game is against a sub-par Jaguars defense, I just don’t trust Vick not to have a bomb of a game this week. If you have been starting the Eagles QBs these last two weeks I strongly suggest looking for an alternative.

Running Back

BEST:   Chris Johnson- TEN

Johnson had a rough time getting much room to run against the Steelers last week. However, this week he faces a Giants defense which looked particularly bad against the Indianapolis Colts run game last Sunday. The Colts don’t have any backs with the talent Johnson has, so I expect CJ2000 to have a big week. One word of warning however: If Jeff Fisher continues to play this game with benching his quarterbacks like he did against the Steelers it could mean more and more 8 man fronts for Johnson and a tougher season than he had last year.

WORST:Â Any Green Bay Packer

You know how everyone was telling you to pick up Brandon Jackson last week and he would step in and be just like Ryan Grant? Well so much for that. Jackson didn’t show the burst Grant had last week and fullback turned backup halfback John Kuhn didn’t impress much either…and that was against the lowly Bills. Unless the Packers make a trade for Marshawn Lynch, as has been rumored they’re trying to do, I can’t recommend starting any Packer running back for the foreseeable future.

Wide Receiver

BEST:   Randy Moss- NE

Randy the Slouch (thank you for that fun nickname, Darelle Revis) made a fantastic one handed grab for a touchdown against the Jets last week, but was otherwise fairly quiet. This week one of the most explosive receivers in the league gets to match up against the Buffalo Bills, who were just gashed by the Green Bay Packers last weekend. Buffalo doesn’t have a terrible secondary, but last year Moss had 2 very good games against the Bills, and I expect that to continue this week.  Something to the tune of 100+ yards and a touchdown should be what you can expect from Moss this week.

WORST:Â Mike Williams- TB

One of my favorite sleepers this year (and he hasn’t disappointed thus far scoring in both of his first two NFL games) is on my “worst starts” list this week. He’s going up against a very tough Pittsburgh defense who made Vince Young and the Titans passing game look absolutely silly last week. The Buccaneers aren’t talented enough in the run game to force the Steelers to stack 8 in the box regularly, so I think Williams is going to have a tough time getting open all day.

Tight End

BEST:   Chris Cooley- WAS

Cooley is a very good tight end, and we all know McNabb loves to throw to his tight ends. With McNabb at the helm Cooley has had 2 nice games thus far in 2010, and with the lowly Rams on the schedule in week 3 I expect one of his biggest games of the season on Sunday. He’s a great red zone target for Washington, so I expect him to find the end zone at least once. Since he’s not a particularly fast tight end like Vernon Davis or JerMichael Finley the huge yardage numbers may not be there, but if (when) he scores, you’ll be happy.

WORST:Â Owen Daniels- HOU

I’m not sure if it’s the fact that he’s coming back from injury, or something else, but the Texans just don’t seem to be looking for Daniels like they used to. Of Matt Schaub’s 497 yards last weekend Daniels only managed to account for 24 of those yards. In fact, on the season Daniels only has 3 catches for 33 yards. Stay away from Daniels until he can prove that he’s 100% and Schaub starts getting him the ball.

Defense

BEST:Â Baltimore Ravens

This one is a no-brainer. One of the best defenses in the league facing off against a pathetic offense helmed by the ever-interception prone Jake Delhomme? Where do I sign up?

WORST:Â Houston Texans

The Texans have given up a ton of yards through the air this year, and with the Cowboys coming to town I don’t expect that to change this week. The Texans may be able to win that game, but if they do it will be because of their offense. Look for the Texans to give up at least 24 points and possibly into the 30’s this week.

SLEEPER OF THE WEEK

-Oakland Raiders Defense

Many people tend to overlook the Raiders defense, but they really aren’t that bad. This week they get the Arizona Cardinals who just haven’t been themselves since Kurt Warner retired. If you don’t have a dominant defense the Raiders would be a great option this week. There’s very little chance the Raiders have a bad game in week 3, and could end up creating some turnovers for a big week.