Author: George Kurtz, Staff Writer
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is that it doesn’t look like any major injuries occurred, or at the very least, none that were season-ending. This is what the NFL has come down to for Fantasy players, hoping and praying that you still have a Fantasy team left each Monday. With the bye weeks approaching, depth will be even more important, so don’t forget to check your waiver wire this week to see if someone may have slipped in there.
Houston at New England: There really is nothing you can say about the Texans. It was just a bad night. The Patriots were able to take Will Fuller away by playing a safety over the top more often than not. Bill Belichick is the best coach in the NFL. What’s that old saying? He can take his and beat yours or he can take yours and beat his. I truly believe this. Rob Gronkowski was a bust. Maybe he was a decoy. Maybe once Belichick realized that he didn’t need Gronk to beat Houston, he removed him; or maybe Gronk just didn’t feel right. Either way, we learned our lesson about starting a player right away when he comes back from an injury that has kept him out multiple weeks.
Arizona at Buffalo: Perhaps the Cardinals aren’t the team we thought they were. Carson Palmer really hasn’t looked good now since late last season. It’s probably just a slump, but maybe not. Sammy Watkins missed the game with a foot injury and this was really the best thing for Fantasy owners. It allowed you to just take him out of your lineup. You didn’t have to play the “should I or should I not start him game.” It also gives Watkins 10 days to heal.
Trevor Siemian had a surprisingly good game in Week 3. Photo Credit: Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire
Oakland at Tennessee: This is another glass half-full or half-empty game for Latavius Murray. He averaged less than four yards per carry but scored. DeAndre Washington averaged almost 10 yards per carry. Murray also only had 11 touches (seven for Washington). If you take those scores away, Murray may not have the starting job. There is a reason I can’t trust Marcus Mariota and the passing game. They truly only have two weapons on offense, and when you take away their best option (Delanie Walker), they are kind of easy to defend. DeMarco Murray had another big game here and is a must-start for me week in and week out.
Cleveland at Miami: The Browns find new and impressive ways to lose every week. Three missed field goals by Cody Parkey. You decide to kick off to start overtime even though you win the toss. Well, the good news is that perhaps that offense isn’t dead with Cody Kessler at QB. His numbers weren’t great, 21 of 33 for 244 yards, but that’s respectable enough to keep defenses honest. Terrelle Pryor has become a must-get, as he has become the new “slash.” He did everything but attempt a kick Sunday and considering how the team lost, they should’ve let him try that also. I’m not sure what would’ve happened had the Dolphins lost, but it wouldn’t have been pretty. KenyanDrake was a surprise start for Miami at RB, but after a strong start, he failed to impress overall. Jay Ajayi, who seems to have fallen out of favor in Miami, didn’t show much either but did end up scoring the winning TD. Even Arian Foster isn’t a great start when healthy. The thing to remember is that the Dolphins were without their best run blocker in Mike Pouncey, and he will return next week.
Baltimore at Jacksonville: This was really an ugly game. The running game was once again non-existent, and you just have to think that once Kenneth Dixon (knee) proves to the team that he is healthy and can take on a full load, the job is his to lose. The passing game also had issues, with the exception of SteveSmith. He is looking better and better each week, as he presumably gets healthier and healthier. The end is coming soon for head coach Gus Bradley. The Jags were thought to be a dark horse this season. Yeah, not so much. Allen Robinson finally showed up for the 2016 season, but Blake Bortles looks to have taken a step back. It doesn’t help any, though, when he was tied for the leading rusher on the team with a whopping 17 yards. Hopefully, this gets better as Chris Ivory gets more involved in the offense. T.J. Yeldon is one of the most disappointing Fantasy players in the game for me.
Detroit at Green Bay: How worried should we be about Golden Tate? In a game in which MatthewStafford threw for almost 400 yards, he had a measly four receptions for 40 yards. Marvin Jones had six receptions for 205 yards. This is a pattern now. Dwayne Washington was pretty much a bust with only 38 yards on 10 carries. He will be no more than a Flex play most weeks. The Green Bay defense is banged up, and you should think about picking on them until they return to health. The offense, however, returned to form as Aaron Rodgers had no problem picking apart the Lions’ secondary. Randall Cobb was a huge disappointment, though, with only one catch.
Denver at Cincinnati: Was this the coming out party for Trevor Siemian? It was thought that the rookie would have trouble in his first road game versus a top contender. Well, scratch that, as he threw for 312 yards. The happiest guys may have been Emmanuel Sanders, who had 117 yards and Demaryius Thomas with 100. If he can continue to progress like this, watch out. You really shouldn’t feel bad about sitting Jeremy Hill. You weren’t alone. Hill is owned in over 95 percent of leagues, but only started in a little bit over 30 percent of them this week. It happens. Hey, at least he looked good.
Minnesota at Carolina: If the Vikings’ DST is still available on your WW, go and get them. The running game was nothing to write home about, and even though Matt Asiata got the start, it’s Jerick McKinnon who received the bulk of the carries, and he is the one you want. You also want Kyle Rudolph if you’re looking for a TE; if he’s not the first target for Sam Bradford, he’s the second. Cam Newton had a dud of a game, no denying that; but he was also sacked eight times. The offense, on the whole, played badly and that includes Kelvin Benjamin. The running game, without Jonathan Stewart, belonged to Cameron Artis-Payne. He wasn’t spectacular by any means, but he did average almost four yards a carry versus that defense; so it could’ve been worse I suppose.
Washington at Giants: This game wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination. There were plenty of mistakes from both sides. Kirk Cousins had some questionable throws but in the end, didn’t throw the picks that Eli did. His deep ball leaves something to be desired, however, as for the second week in a row he missed a WR or two who was wide open behind the secondary.
Also for the second week in a row the Giants gave away points in the red zone via turnovers and dropped passes. This week the main culprit was Eli Manning. Sure, they scored 27 points but the offense has yet to click on anything close to all cylinders. Rashad Jennings was a late inactive with the hand injury. Shane Vereen and Orleans Darkwa looked good but Vereen also had a costly fumble. Still no action for rookie Paul Perkins, and the reason seems to be that the team believes he will put Eli on the IR due to his poor pass protection.
Los Angeles at Tampa Bay: Well, this was a fun game. I really dislike when they delay games for lightning, but I get it. Todd Gurley, like Allen Robinson, showed up in this one with 85 yards and two touchdowns. This is why we preach patience. In deeper leagues Tavon Austin could be a play, although, I’d be cautious about looking too deep into his big game Sunday. When looking at the final numbers, I was surprised to see Charles Sims only had 55 yards rushing, but not surprised to see he had 124 total yards. He’s going to be just fine until Doug Martin returns. It may be time to look for someone other than Vincent Jackson, though. He put up another lackluster game with three catches for 37 yards. What is it they say? Two is a coincidence, but three is a pattern.
San Francisco at Seattle: I have to admit that I didn’t see Carlos Hyde having the game he did, especially in a blowout. He gets a much better matchup next week versus the Cowboys. We will all once again be on pins and needles this week regarding the status of Russell Wilson. He left the game Sunday after having his left ankle rolled up on. The game was a blowout so the Seahawks didn’t need to push Wilson, but this could still be a problem. Christine Michael just might be the RB to own in Seattle even when Thomas Rawls is healthy. He is doing what T.J. Yeldon couldn’t, making the most of his opportunity.
Jets at Kansas City: The emergence of Quincy Enunwa is going to make the Jets’ passing offense extremely difficult to defend when Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t throwing the ball to the other team. The Chiefs are going to have a good problem on their hands when Jamaal Charles returns. They can’t forget about Spencer Ware, he is just too valuable and too dangerous to rot on the bench.
San Diego at Indianapolis: Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams had solid days, but not the big games that we were expecting versus the Indy secondary. Melvin Gordon did reach the end zone, but only rushed for 35 yards. The bottom line is that they are going to be started in most leagues; but that doesn’t mean they will always produce. It may not be officially time to worry about Dwayne Allen. Jack Doyle once aga,in caught more passes (6-3). I don’t want to drop Allen, but you may want to cover yourself here. T.Y. Hilton was another slow start player who had a big game. There’s a reason that it’s only under rare circumstances that you sit a stud player. It’s because you don’t want to miss games like this.
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia: DeAngelo Williams owners didn’t want to see his last game as a starter go down like this. What a dud. LeVeon Bell is back next week and although Bell will eventually garner the full-time load, it may not be next week if the Steelers elect to bring him along slowly. Okay, Carson Wentz is for real. He could be even better when Zach Ertz returns. The Philly defense is also for real. The NFC East is once again looking like a division that’s going to be fun to watch this season. The Eagles may have told a bit of a lie about the health of Ryan Mathews. He only had two carries for -5 yards and that ankle injury may be more serious than first let on. Go and get WendellSmallwood.
Chicago at Dallas: Jeremy Langford suffered an ankle injury and missed a good portion of the game. If you need a RB, you may want to go out and grab Jordan Howard. One problem though, the Bears are going to be trailing in most games, so the run game won’t be a high priority. The Cowboys and Dez Bryant look to have escaped serious injury when Dez had to leave the game with a knee injury in the 1st quarter. He will have an MRI on Monday though. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott may have had their best games so far this season in this one and they should only get better.
As always feel free to follow me on Twitter and ask any questions you, @georgekurtz.