Through 3 weeks I’m not sure I can remember a fantasy season where so many top players have gotten off to poor starts. Adrian Peterson owners are not alone in anguish over their top pick. Shady McCoy went # 1 or #2 with Peterson in most drafts. He only managed 2 fantasy points in Week 3. McCoy was solid the 1st 2 weeks you certainly aren’t going to sit him. Jamaal Charles was picked 3rd in a lot of drafts. He was out with a high ankle sprain Week 3. Charles only put up 2 points the one game he was healthy. If he’s healthy enough to play you have to start him but I think Charles owners are in for a rough year. Arian Foster was out with a hammy Sunday. When he gets back in the Texans lineup, he should be back in yours. Doug Martin was a 1st Round pick in a lot of drafts. That was a bad pick and he has proven why. You may get a decent starting option when he does get healthy but does Tampa Bay look like a powerhouse offense?
Green Bay’s offense is off to a shaky start and fantasy owners are reeling because of it. If Eddie Lacy is on your team you probably used your 1st Round pick on him. You may regret that now but he seemed well worth the value. I would hesitate to bench Lacy unless you have a great option rotting on your bench. I do expect him to bounce back so be patient. Green Bay should bounce back. At least in fantasy football they should. The main reason behind that is of course Aaron Rodgers who has also struggled this year. Green Bay has some serious problems as a football team but Rodgers and Lacy are still going to end up having solid fantasy seasons. I don’t suggest sitting them or any top pick based on matchup. Your best players may have their struggles but you don’t want them on your bench when they do have their big games.
Week 3 was the last week for a while where GM’s won’t have to deal with bye weeks. There have been so many injuries and poor performances this season. With bye weeks now in play a lot of GM’s are in for a rough road. Here is a recap of Week 3 and an early look at Week 4.
The Highs
Andrew Luck – Luck had a huge Week 3 and is now the #1 rated fantasy QB. Luck has arrived and may be the best QB in football. For a long time.
Julio Jones – Julio had one of the most beautiful TD catches you’ll see Sunday. He scored an amazing 28 points against a hapless Bucs team. Julio looks like the best fantasy WR in the league when he’s healthy. He looks better than ever. Matt Ryan obviously had a nice rebound game as well.
Nick Foles/Jeremy Maclin – The Eagles have scuffled early in every game. They have managed to win every time. Unlike LeSean McCoy, Foles and Maclin had huge games Week 3. Foles had looked shaky the 1st 2 games. With Maclin looking to be 100% from his knee injury the Eagles vertical passing game should get rolling.
Kirk Cousins – Cousins went off in his first start for RGIII. Someone has been touting this since the preseason. I have to pat myself on the back but it’s only 1 game. Let’s see if he can keep it up. Surprisingly he is still only owned in 29.4% of ESPN leagues. That was up 21% but I expected much more. This week it surely will be.
Rashad Jennings – The Giants finally got a win and it was behind the running of Jennings. Rashad got a whopping 34 carries. It is unlikely that he will get that many touches again or 176 yards. Jennings did establish himself as a solid starter after Week 3.
Knile Davis – With Davis running the ball like this, why would the Chiefs rush Charles back? Could Davis end up with Charles job?
Antonio Brown – Brown is a consistent performer who also puts up huge games like he did Sunday Night. For fantasy owners that is a recipe for success!
Pierre Garcon/DeSean Jackson – I’m sure Jackson wanted the win but the long TD must have been sweet for him and his fantasy owners that stuck with him. Garcon returned after disappearing in Week 2. Like I said last week, The Redskins WR’s look a lot better with Cousins in the lineup.
Kelvin Benjamin – Benjamin seems to have already become Cam Newton’s favorite receiver. He had an impressive 11 targets and caught 8. Kelvin put up 17 points in Week 3 and in owned in less than 40% of ESPN leagues. Get with the program people.
Fool’s Gold – Don’t get too excited about the huge games from LaGarrette Blount, The Falcons D/ST and Devin Hester. Blount got his points in mop up time. He had 0 points in Week 2. The Falcons D/ST was rated dead last going in to Week 3. If you had Hester and Falcons D/ST boy did you hit a homerun last Thursday! Hester is becoming a somewhat viable fantasy option but don’t expect 16 points from him again. Consistency is the key. These 3 are the opposite.
The Lows
Matthew Stafford – Stafford had one of his worst fantasy games in a while putting up only 3 points. He was that 4th rated QB in preseason by most. He has not looked like that since Week 1.
Drew Brees – Brees hasn’t been terrible. He had his best scoring game Week 3 in the Saints first win. It was only 19 points. Fantasy owners have to be disappointed with Brees production so far.
Darren Sproles – Like McCoy, Sproles struggled against Washington. I proclaimed Sproles a must start last week. Have to acknowledge the bad calls as well. I think both Eagles RB’s getting shut out like this is going to be a 1 time thing this season.
Keenen Allen – Hobbled with a groin injury Allen only managed 1 point. Not sure if the injury affected him but he didn’t look explosive. The Chargers offense looks good so far but they don’t seem explosive. Teams may be keying on Allen as well. Allen has not gotten into the end zone yet and is ranked 69th amongst WR’s.
Demaryius Thomas – Thomas only put up 5 points in Week 3. Fantasy owners had high hopes for Demaryius but he’s ranked 36th amongst WR’s so far.
Larry Fitzgerald – Fitz wasn’t highly ranked going into the season but he looked nice on a lot of your rosters as a potential late round sleeper. Unfortunately it looks like Fitzgerald may belong on fantasy benches from here on out.
Bye Weeks/Week 4 Preview
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, St. Louis, Arizona and Seattle are on byes this week. Many fantasy owners are not savvy enough to prepare themselves for bye weeks in the draft. Have no fear, lateroundsleepers is here! The key players on bye weeks are; Peyton Manning, Marshawn Lynch, Giovani Bernard, Julius Thomas, AJ Green and Seahawks D/ST. Manning owners may not have a solid back up if any back up at all. If you can get Kurt Cousins you should be all over it. If not Ryan Tannehill has a decent matchup this week against Oakland. He is available in most leagues. After that the pickings are pretty slim. Generally if you can get an established veteran like Eli Manning, Joe Flacco or Alex Smith they stand to hurt you less than younger QB’s like Geno Smith or EJ Manuel.
You should already have a backup RB on your bench. Lorenzo Taliaferro, Alfred Blue, Matt Asiata and Bobby Rainey look to be your best options if you don’t. If you have Arian Foster you need to handcuff him with Blue if you haven’t already. If you handcuffed Giovani Bernard with Jeremy Hill you made a smart move and should not consider cutting Hill to find a starting RB off the scrapheap for this week. You won’t get him back. You should only consider cutting your handcuff if he has a low ownership %. If he doesn’t a savvy GM like myself will scoop them up from you.
If you have Julius Thomas or need to replace Dennis Pitta your best bets for a starter this week off waivers are Niles Paul and Owen Daniels. Jordan Matthews had a breakout game in Philly and Philly Brown scored a few points in Carolina. Allen Robinson has emerged as a starter in Jacksonville. Those players should be available in your league if you need to spell Demaryius or AJ. Eddie Royal and Brain Hartline should also be available if you prefer a veteran with a favorable matchup. Matthews then Robinson have the most upside to me.
If you have the Seahawks D/ST you know they haven’t gotten you many points yet. I certainly wouldn’t cut them this week to fill your D/ST slot like you might a normal defense. Seattle will pay off for you. Take that as a tip if own any strong D/ST or Kicker. Don’t cut a good one just to fill your roster for the week. Find another way to fill the void. If you have a high waiver pick the guys I’d be looking at are QB Kirk Cousins, WR Jordan Matthews and RB Lorenzo Taliaferro. If Cousins is still available he should be your 1st waiver priority.
