Fantasy Week 3: Research and Development
Once again, the first 8 games of Week 3 R&D will come today, which will be followed shortly by the final 8 games.
Jake Delhomme now has 6 TDs in 2 weeks and has to be considered a legitimate QB1. With 3 TDs to go along with 153 yards, Steve Smith looks poised to repeat or best his monster 2005 season. Both DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams had poor outings, with Carolina surprisingly playing from behind in the 2nd half. They have almost split carries evenly through 2 weeks, so neither should be considered startable right now. Drew Carter followed up his 2 TD Week 1 performance with 50 yards on 3 catches. He may be forcing the Panthers to try and get him the ball more in the future, and he’s worth a bench spot. Don’t forget TE Jeff King, who had 39 yards on 4 grabs, and is turning into a decent TE2.
Matt Schaub looked great in this one, completing 71% of his passes and tossing 2 TDs to Andre Johnson. Speaking of Andre Johnson, he left the game early with what is being called a sprained knee. It looks like he could miss a week or two, which will hurt Schaub’s value considerably, but boost the value of WRs Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter, as well as TE Owen Daniels. Ahman Green ran for 71 yards and a TD, but Ron Dayne actually out-carried him 18/15. Dayne was less than stellar with his carries, rushing for only 44 yards. I expected Dayne to take a backseat to Green on Sunday, but it didn’t happen. Continue to play Green as a weak RB2 and a great flex play until Dayne runs his way out of split carry duty. At that point, Green could become a legitimate RB2.
How do the Browns score 51 points? New starting QB Derek Anderson throws 5 TDs, 2 of them to Braylon Edwards, 2 of them to Joe Jurevicius, and 1 of them to Kellen Winslow, and Jamal Lewis comes out of his shadow to rush for 216 yards to go along with a 66-yard TD run. That is how. Winslow and Edwards have been borderline must-starts since Week 1, but Lewis, Jurevicius, and the newcomer Anderson will now tempt many fantasy owners. I would give Lewis another week to prove he may be back, while I would leave Jurevicius and Anderson on your FA list.
Carson Palmer’s 6 TDs carried many of his owners to Week 3 victory.
This just in….. Carson Palmer is good. Not only did Palmer please his owners by throwing 6 TDs, he also made sure both Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh owners were happy with 2 TDs a piece. Housh caught another 8 balls, giving him a league leading 17 after 2 weeks. This is exactly why I ranked him in my top 5 WRs. Rudi Johnson did what we all expected him to do, except he scored his TD through the air and not on the ground. Rudi will continue to be good against bad Ds and bad against good Ds.
Because I have hyped Maurice Jones-Drew since preseason, I’m going to continue to give his owners the same advice, and that is to keep playing him. It is only Week 3, and I haven’t heard anyone wanting to jump off the LaDainian Tomlinson and Stephen Jackson bandwagon despite their slow starts. LT has only 5 more rushing yards than Jones-Drew, and Jackson has equaled his TD total at 0. Extremely talented players will make extremely talented plays; you just have to be a little patient. The good news for the Jags offense is that David Garrard looks really good throwing the ball. He was 17-for-25 for 272 yards and a score in this one, and he is looking more and more like a decent QB2. Dennis Northcutt had another good game, catching 5 passes for 75 yards. He may end up being the most valuable WR to own in Jacksonville, which makes him a WR5.
Warrick Dunn had 13 carries for 50 yards and a TD, while Jerious Norwood got 9 carries for 30 yards. I’m not looking good on my Norwood prediction at the moment, but things should change soon. Dunn is old and Norwood is young and talented. Roddy White had a nice game for the Falcons, but whether it is Joey Harrington or newly acquired Byron Leftwich throwing the ball, no Falcons WR is worth owning. Alge Crumpler had 53 yards on 3 receptions, and he could benefit slightly if Leftwich takes over soon.
Surprise, Surprise, Eli Manning decided he was well enough to start this game. Now I am convinced, as I am sure others are that the entire separated shoulder story was completely fabricated. It is obvious that someone wanted to make Manning look like less of a sissy for leaving the Week 1 Sunday night game against the Cowboys early. In any event, his miracle appearance allowed Plaxico Burress to find the endzone once again, even though he left the game with a sprained ankle and only ended up with 32 yards. Early indications have him playing in Week 3. With the Giants defense being so horrendous, I am starting to feel great about Manning as a QB1, Burress as a WR1, and Shockey as possibly the best fantasy TE outside of Antonio Gates. Don’t forget about Amani Toomer, who had 48 yards on only 2 catches, as he will hold very good value as the 2nd WR in an offense that will be involved in weekly shootouts. Check your FA to see if he’s available in your league.
While I was hit and miss in my Week 2 start/sit article, Farve was one of my hits. He tossed 3 TDs and approached 300 yards, and he can now be placed back on owner’s benches. Rookie James Jones racked up 75 yards on 4 catches, and Donald Driver looked healthy with 73 yards and a TD. Continue to play Driver as a solid WR2, and store Jones on the bench as a BYE week replacement. The hottest pickup of the week will be Packers rookie RB DeShawn Wynn, who went for 50 yards and a TD on 10 carries in this one. I would let someone else grab him, as 38 of his 50 yards came on one TD run. Do the simple math and we realize that his other 9 carries went for just 12 yards. Brandon Jackson had only 35 yards on 17 carries, so the Packers are starting to realize that the rookie is not ready to be an everydown RB in the NFL. I don’t like Jackson, and I’m suggesting not to grab Wynn, so where does that leave me with the Packers RB situation? Just where I thought it would be when the season began, in Vernand Morency’s hands as soon as he is healthy, which may be as soon as this week. I would grab him off your waiver wire before I would Wynn.
I’ll save my J.P. Losman ragging for another day, because he and the rest of the Bills were playing with a heavy heart following the Kevin Everett injury in Week 1. Lee Evans is a great buy low candidate with just 22 yards in 2 weeks (yes that is correct). He will remain inconsistent, but he is going to have his yearly 200 yard/3 TD game in the near future. Marshawn Lynch had 85 total yards against the tough Steelers defense, which is all owners could really ask for. He will remain a solid RB2 going forward.
Ben Roethlisberger’s yards were better in Week 2 (242), but he had just the 1 TD toss to 2nd TE Matt Spaeth. Yes, that is 2 TDs in 2 weeks for Spaeth, but leave him alone. Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense look good; they just haven’t had to display it that much in two relatively easy wins. Keep playing Big Ben, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Heath Miller, as they will all have solid seasons. By the way, Roethlisberger looked Ward’s way several times inside the 10-yard line once again in Week 2, and the underrated WR is poised to score 10+ TDs for the 4th time in his career.
Not that it was any consolation, but it was nice to see Frank Gore and the 49ers get a win as he was playing just after his mom passed away earlier in the week. His fantasy status goes without saying. Alex Smith looked terrible once again in Week 2, and I would seriously consider dropping him if there is a better option on the FA list, which would be almost anyone. Vernon Davis had just 23 yards on 2 catches, while Darrell Jackson had 61 yards on 3 receptions. Jackson is no more than a WR3 this year, as I find it hard to believe he will score more than 5 times. Davis is looking like a low end TE1 unless Smith completely turns his game around in the coming weeks.
Now that is more like the Marc Bulger we have come to know, 368 yards and TD toss. I said last week that someone needed to get downfield for Bulger, but little did I know it would be the soon to be 35-year old Isaac Bruce racking up 145 yards on 8 grabs. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again, but he’s worth owning as WR4 or more realistically a WR5. Torry Holt scored a short TD once again, and wound up with 74 yards on 5 receptions. That is 2 TDs in 2 weeks for Holt, but he still has yet to have a 75+ yard receiving game. I remain skeptical of his knee. Steven Jackson had just 60 yards on 21 carries, but at least he caught 3 passes for 36 yards to somewhat salvage the day. Without All-Pro tackle Orlando Pace for the rest of the season, I’m beginning to wonder if Jackson can repeat his 2006 numbers. Certainly don’t give up on him yet, as it will take just one huge day to make everything better.
The million dollar question….. what in the world is going on with the Saints offense? At least Drew Brees got a late TD, or his owners would really be sour. Marques Colston was on the receiving end of the Brees TD in garbage time, and his final numbers of 8 catches and 70 yards weren’t all bad. Nothing, however, could save Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, as they both failed to rush for 50+ yards or score. Bush caught 6 passes for 43 yards, but more is expected out of the 2nd year sensation. Now is the time to trade for any and every Saints offensive star, as they will all bust out big Monday night at home against the Titans. Get ‘em while they’re not, and before they get hot. Nothing can be more true of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister, and Marques Colston. Buy low, buy low, buy low!
Jeff Garcia threw only 16 passes, but managed 243 yards and 2 scores doing so. Joey Galloway owners were pleased, as he toasted the Saints secondary to the tune of 135 yards and the 2 Garcia TDs. As the only Garcia option in Tampa, Galloway should remain a solid WR2 and an unbelievable WR3 as long as he is healthy. Carnell Williams gutted through his rib injury to score twice and rush for 61 yards. He didn’t catch any passes, which will remain a constant, but his continued goal line touches with Mike Alstott gone make him a decent RB2. TE Alex Smith caught 2 passes for 45 yards, but he has gotten us all excited before, only to let us down. Maybe Garcia and Smith can develop a connection in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on him as a possible TE2.
Peyton Manning didn’t have the follow-up game we were all expecting, but after all, he is human. He still managed 300 yards despite the fact that he only tossed 1 TD, which went to TE Dallas Clark. Marvin Harrison (87 yards) and Reggie Wayne (70 yards) both had decent days, and they will make up for their lack of scoring Sunday at Houston, a game in which they should both get in the endzone. Rookie slot WR Anthony Gonzalez finally showed up to play, as he caught 3 passes for 49 yards. Once again, the Colts are splitting Dallas Clark out much more than they are putting Gonzalez in the slot, which means the rookie should remain on your FA list. Dallas Clark, however, is becoming a legitimate TE1.
If you are continuing to start Vince Young as a QB1, please stop before it is too late for your team. He has 262 passing yards in 2 games, to go along with only 1 passing TD. He has 75 yards rushing and a score on the ground, but that isn’t enough to make up for his lack of production through the air. I could talk about Roydell Williams solid game (72 yards/TD), and about how Brandon Jones has potential, but why bother when Young is the one throwing them the ball. Because Chris Brown decided not to show up in this one, LenDale White surprisingly out-carried him 15/12. Brown was terrible early, which led to White getting more looks. White went for 64 yards and a TD, but once again looked sluggish and slow doing so. White cannot be discarded as a fantasy factor, but I would still rather own Brown.
Feel free to email me at Jdimaggio5@aol.com with any questions you might have regarding your own team.
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