My week three choices bombed. Absolutely bombed. I’m okay with having an off week, but I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever get a RB start to go my way. As I dust myself off, we turn the calendars to October where fantasy owners are faced with their first bye week. It’s Week four and lineup choices are getting tough! Read MoreFantasy owners are given a break from deciding on Westbrook with the Eagles on a bye. However, first round picks Michael Turner, Larry Fitzgerald and DeAngelo Williams have fantasy managers hoping their replacements have nice outings.
Start Sit or Squat and Pray!
QB
Start: David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars – It might not be flashy, but Tennessee has been susceptible against the pass and Sims-Walker is emerging as a nice target.
Sit: Eli Manning, New York Giants – Ok now I’m not benching him over any QB, but I’m not expecting huge fantasy totals from Eli this week. He is on the road at arrowhead with an inexperienced group of receivers.
Squat and Pray: Shaun Hill, San Francisco 49ers – If Hill is a consideration for your lineup this week you are dealing with some injuries or a bye week. The match up looks awfully nice for Hill but it’s equally nice for the running game.
RB
Start: Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins – Chad Henne has a full week of practice under his belt, but the Dolphins still have ample reason to employ the wildcat this week.
Sit: Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers – He’s been scrappy in posting nice totals thus far but the Vikes run defense is superb and one of the two remaining teams that hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown this season.
Squat and Pray: Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders – The Texans have given up more rushing yards than any other team, including 7 scores. Just hope that Michael Bush doesn’t vulture the few touchdown opportunities Oakland gets.
WR
Start: Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions – The injury status of Kevin Smith should give Mathew Stafford and the Lions more reason to look Johnson’s way and the Bears don’t have anyone to cover him.
Sit: Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers – I will be extremely surprised if the Chargers do not center their game plan on stopping Holmes. A banged up backfield and the return of Merriman to the lineup should have Roethlisberger under pressure all day.
Squat and Pray: Randy Moss, New England Patriots – starting receivers against the Ravens defense is normally not a great idea, but if Baltimore’s offense continues to put points on the board, you don’t want Moss on your bench in a shootout situation.
TE, DEF, K
Start: Dustin Keller, New York Jets – The Jets will have to throw and Keller will be the target of plenty of Mark Sanchez passes. Red zone looks make him one of the better plays at TE this week.
Sit: Denver Broncos Defense – The defense is improved but they do not match up well against Dallas. With a mammoth offensive line, the Cowboys should be able to plow straight ahead Sunday negating Denver’s fleet-footed defenders.
Squat and Pray: Dan Carpenter, Miami Dolphins – The weather is nice in South Florida and a conservative run-orientated offense could stall a few times providing Carpenter with a couple of FGs.
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Week 3 Recap:
QB
Start: Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills – 156 pass yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Sit: Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears – 247 pass yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
S and P: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals – 183 pass yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
The shootout that never was translated into weak fantasy totals in Buffalo including Edwards’ paltry effort. Chicago’s turnovers prevented them from ever establishing a lead in the game. Ultimately, Cutler was asked to get the job done for the Bears again and in the end he walked away from Seattle with fine totals. Palmer was able to escape with the win, but his fantasy output was modest at best. Bad week for me at the QB position.
RB
Start: Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins – 42 rush yards, 1 rec, 6 rec yards, 0 TD
Sit: Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders – 45 rush yards, 2 rec, 3 rec yards, 0 TD
S and P: Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams – 117 rush yards, 5 rec, 46 rec yards, 0 TD
Portis’ lousy day against the Lions has me baffled. An injured running back with Portis’ skills should be able to produce something against Detroit. Washington is in trouble. McFadden is having trouble getting it going with in inept QB. Jackson’s day was about what you should expect: nice yardage with no touchdowns.
WR
Start: Mario Manningham, New York Giants – 4 rec, 55 rec yards, 0 TD
Sit: Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos – 5 rec, 67 rec yards, 1 TD
S and P: Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City – Inactive
Manninghamg was targeted 7 times, but the Bucs were so bad the Giants didn’t even need to use the long ball. Two words on Marshall, “wrong again.” Shortly after I posted, Bowe’s status for the weekend was uncertain. Yet it was par for the course on my picks this week.
TE, DEF, K
Start: Bengals Defense – 20 Points Allowed 1 Sack, 1 Int, 1 TD
Sit: Rian Lindell, Buffalo Bills – 0 FG, 1 XP
S and P: Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers – 5 rec, 20 rec yards, 0 TD
The Bengals defense cashed in by returning their lone Roethlisberger interception for a touchdown in the third quarter. Woohoo, I was right about the kicker! Lindell never attempted a FG. Miller had 6 targets but didn’t find the end zone. He’ll probably get more love in coming weeks after Sweed’s drops but that doesn’t change his output from last week.
NFL GAMES WEEK 4
Bye: Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, and Carolina Panthers
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears -- 1 p.m.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns -- 1 p.m.
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans -- 1 p.m.
Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts -- 1 p.m.
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars -- 1 p.m.
New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs -- 1 p.m.
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots -- 1 p.m.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Redskins -- 1 p.m.
Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins -- 4:05 p.m.
New York Jets at New Orleans Saints -- 4:05 p.m.
Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos -- 4:15 p.m.
St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers -- 4:15 p.m.
San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers -- 8:20 p.m.
Monday: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings -- 8:20 p.m.
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