Question 1: Asked by @Magnific_ANT_1

I wake up this morning and I’ve been offered Julio Jones for Tim Hightower. What about the Helu factor. That’s has been a reason for me wanting deal Hightower.

Answer

I would not do this deal. Helu is likely to stay in his change of pace roll as long as Hightower is able to keep up this production. I do not think Julio Jones is going to be overly productive this season.  I would have liked to see him have a big scoring play already and think his progress will be a little too slow to be a big fantasy-factor this season.

Question 2: Asked by @aglikas

Crazy thought, putting in a waiver claim for Ochocinco and dropping Hines Ward. Are you in favor of this?

Answer

I think it is a very smart move. Ward is old and his production has dipped too far with the Pittsburgh offensive line playing so terribly. Chad might not be playing well right now but the Patriot offense is a machine and I didn’t expect very much from him early on. Ward has no chance to break out, but Chad still has time to get his act together and become a valuable target for Brady.

Question 3: Asked by @jersymikejr

Cam Newton, Matt Ryan or Kevin Kolb?

Answer

This is a two man race between Ryan and Newton in my eyes and it is REALLY close. I don’t discredit Cam for last week’s game in a monsoon… he did get the win after all and posted decent fantasy points.  Ryan has a safe match up here and I have to give him the nod against a bad Seahawks team. Newton has potential for a bigger game this week, but I think Ryan will get you over 15 points for certain and the rookie is always more likely to implode and do nothing.

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49ers at Eagles

Well clearly this week is light on the  really good match ups, since Alex Smith’s team is making it into my preview article.  But oddly enough the 9ers sit at 2-1, in first place of their division and the Eagles are currently at 1-2 in last place of theirs. The so-called dream-team has some work to do as they figure out how to work as a team and keep their QB from being battered bruised and broken before the bye week. The Eagles secondary is by far the most talented group in the NFL and yet Eli Manning picked them apart last week and their line-backing corp is a legitimate weak spot that makes them vulnerable to the run.  The 49ers offense however has looked sluggish and down right bad so far despite the winning record.  Their biggest threat, Frank Gore, has been a HUGE disappointment for fantasy owners and even last week the backup Kendall Hunter seemed faster into the holes and seemed to be able to find better creases in the defense.  The only chance the 9ers have to steal a win on the road this week is for Gore to step it up and be the player he has been for the past few years.  If he is able to keep drives alive and be an effective runner, then the 49ers will have a shot.  Their front seven is going to be able to reach Vick plenty in this game as the Eagles have yet to figure out their offensive line issues.   Vick is coming off a concussion and what they thought was a broken non-throwing hand which turned out to be a bruise and if the pressure is getting to him and the 49ers can get a running game clicking, this could become a very close game.  I wouldn’t start any 49ers apart from Vernon Davis and Frank Gore (only out of sheer necessity as he continues to plummet in my ranks with each terrible performance). And you can feel comfortable starting all your Eagles play makers, even if Vick is for some reason not in the lineup they would be OK in this match up. I think the Eagles will prove to be too tough for the 49ers and if Gore continues this slump, it could get ugly.

Lions at Cowboys

Detroit finally appears to have things turned around as they have been an explosive offense over the first three games and are still undefeated as they head down to play the Cowboys in Dallas. If both teams were healthy I would probably take the Cowboys at home but with just one quality receiver to cover, I think the Lions’ offense will lead them to a shocking 4-0 start in what may turn into a shoot out. Tony Romo won’t be as banged up this week as he was in week 3 and I think he is able to connect with Witten and Bryant quite a bit. You will want to start all of your fantasy players in this game as I don’t think either secondary matches up well against the quality of the passing attacks in this game.  Jahvid Best’s value will continue to depend on his receiving ability and the big play and he remains, in my eyes, the best flex play available. Calvin Johnson and his two TDs in every single game has become the top fantasy WR in the NFL and Matthew Stafford even cracked my top 5 at QB. Look for the Lions to win a nail biter here and for everyone to have a good statistical performance in a high scoring game.

Jets at Ravens

I do not like this match up for the Jets. This new look, pass-first, Jets offense is not as impressive to me as the ground and pound attack that has taken them to two consecutive AFC championship games.  This should be a close game, but I definitely think that the Ravens are able to force turnovers and keep Sanchez in check throughout this game.  I am looking for the Ravens to use Ray Rice to expose the weakness of the Jets Defense… stopping the run. I would not expect to see a big game from ANY receivers or QBs in this game and would look to find a serviceable replacement for both Sanchez and Flacco if you’ve been using them thus far. Santonio Holmes is the one guy that is probably worth a flex start as he is just the one that is most likely to pull off a big play. I think these teams are definitely both playoff teams, but this could get ugly for the Jets.  Sit everyone not named Ray Rice and brace yourselves for a one-sided Ravens victory, Jets fans.

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Love

Michael Turner, RB, ATL – The Falcons are on the road and have not been playing that great so far this season.  They have gotten down early and this has minimized Turner’s impact on each of the first three games.  Do you think Seattle’s offense can get off to a blazing start and keep the Falcons passing the entire game? I don’t.  I don’t like the Seahawks’ rush defense and I think Turner might be in a for a really big game. Double digit points should be just about guaranteed.

Matthew Stafford, QB, DET – The Lions’ offense would be the biggest talk of the NFL if it wasn’t for the Bills and this week Stafford has a great match up against a weak Cowboys secondary. The Cowboys offense is banged up and could have troubles sustaining drives against the Lion’s VASTLY improved defensive unit. This will lead to a lot opportunities for Stafford and with Megatron pulling down 2 TD passes per game, there is no reason to not ride out the wave.

Mario Manningham, WR, NYG – The Giants face off against the Cardinals, who I think might have the worst pass defense in the NFL this season.  The currently are ranked 25th and have faced Carolina, Seattle and Washington.  None of these teams have top-end passing attacks and the Giants are coming off of a big game through the air against the most talented secondary in the league.  I have my concerns about their chances this year as well as the play of Eli Manning, but last week lessened them and the match up is just too good to ignore.

Ray Rice, RB, BAL – The Jets just did not look like Rex Ryan was in charge of the defense last week as Darren McFadden ran all over them to give his Raiders a big win.  Ray Rice is a premiere back in this league and after he shredded the Steelers in week 1, I am just simply not at all scared of what would normally be a poor match up.  I think the Ravens match up very well against the Jets and will win this game on the legs of Rice.

Rex Grossman, QB, WAS – The Monday night game was conservative and hard fought.  Grossman put up OK numbers and didn’t kill fantasy owners that needed to use him last week.  This week the Skins get to play the Rams in a dome. After watching Flacco tear the Rams’ secondary apart last week I think Grossman has a great chance for a really good game. St Louis is not as competitive so far this season as they were last year and I am choosing not to overreact to a mediocre offensive outing in an NFC East rivalry game.

Jermaine Gresham, TE, CIN – Buffalo has been an entirely different team this year.  They have been able to stop the run and put up huge numbers on offense. One weakness they still have is at linebacker. Last season the Bills allowed 11 TDs to opposing tight ends (worst in the NFL) and an average of 9.2 fantasy points per game (also worst in the NFL).  That average is down to 8.7 so far this year, but have only faced one legitimate TE (Gronkowski) and he tore them apart.  It is also worth noting that this weakness is why Wes Welker went crazy last week on short crossing routes.  I look for the Bengals to try and mirror this approach and with Dalton playing this well, it should be a relatively effective strategy.

Percy Harvin, WR, MIN – I won’t be shocked if Harvin doesn’t have a big day, but Harvin is the one spark that the Vikings have in their receiving corp and without Eric Berry, the Chiefs secondary is far more vulnerable to the deep play.  I personally like safe and consistent producers, but I can’t ignore the high likelihood of Harvin ripping off a long TD run or catch against this secondary.

Hate

Mark Sanchez, QB, NYJ – The Jets offense has become much more about the passing attack and I don’t think that is the kind of QB that Sanchez is best suited to be. So far he has proved me wrong and put up some quality numbers.  I do not think it is very likely to happen in this game and think that the Ravens will be able to force some bad decisions out of Sanchez. Don’t let his early production fool you, I do not think he is a legit #1 QB for fantasy owners.

Mike Tolbert, RB, SD – Most people thought that Tolbert was the guy you wanted to draft from the Charger’s backfield because he was available much later and likely to see a lot of goal line touches. This was affirmed in week 1 and since then, it looks like we were dead wrong.  I am not jumping ship yet, but the Chargers have not been playing inspired football in recent weeks and despite a good match-up I don’t think Tolbert is a very good start this week. I want to see how the work load is distributed in a couple weeks when the Chargers are back to their old selves again.  I wish I could figure out why they are so bad early in the year and so good late…

DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR – What is it about all the RBs who received big contracts this off season? they all seem slow and unable to find a crease to run through.  Williams hasn’t been widely discussed as a bust because Chris Johnson and Frank Gore are taking all the heat, but he has just been awful as of late and Jonathan Stewart is clearly the guy worth starting if you need a Panther RB in your lineup.

Mike Williams, WR, TB – This has nothing to do with his recent performance really. I didn’t expect him to improve on last season much, if at all and the Buccs are a young team that is sstill establishing their identity. A big part of this identity needs to be LeGarrette Blount and he needs to see at least 20 carries to be as effective as they would like.   I think the Buccs will take a conservative approach and try and run early and often against a bad Colts rush defense. Williams is still the go-to guy when they need a big play through the air, but his targets will be down as there is not likely to be much need to take risks against the win-less, Peyton-less Colts.

Anquan Boldin, WR, BAL - Have you met Darrelle Revis yet Mr. Boldin?

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Studs

Wes Welker, WR, NE – Bill Belichick is the master of exploiting a defense’s weakness and despite the loss, week 3 was no exception.  Buffalo is now weakest in their line backing corp and the Patriots abused this group with Welker running a lot of shallow crossing routes and Gronkowski out matching the secondary and forcing safeties to get too deep to help cover Wes.

Fred Jackson, RB, BUF – He has just been incredible for a guy that has already turned thirty years old.  He hasn’t been a feature back long and has young legs, which has helped  him to an average yards per carry of over 6 yards. And there is no reason to be concerned with him sharing too much work with Spiller as the number of carries for each has been very one sided. Bottom line here is that Jackson is now a top 10 RB and he is still climbing as this offense has been incredibly productive thus far this season.

Jermichael Finley, TE, GB – Seven catches for 85 yards and three TDs. What a huge game to get from your TE position.  With Gates on his way to see a specialist and already having issues with his foot, I see Finley as the top fantasy TE in the NFL.  I’ve said it before, this guy is a nightmare to try and cover and Aaron Rodgers and the Packers know how to create mismatches with this guy. Look for a very productive season from Finley.

Torrey Smith, WR, BAL – Smith looked terrible in the preseason.  So much so that the Ravens went and traded for Lee Evans to ensure some depth and talent at the position as they were pretty sure that Smith wasn’t ready to be a play maker in this league. Oops. Smith’s first three catches in the NFL came in the first quarter of week 3 since Evans was hurt and all three were TDs.  Clearly no one told Smith he isn’t ready to be a starter and I don’t see how the Ravens don’t bump him up to #2 on the depth chart permanently after this performance.

Eli Manning, QB, NYG – My bad on this one. I hated Eli in this game and didn’t see how he could be productive against this Eagles secondary. The answer was apparently Jacobs out of the backfield and short routes to play-making receivers. Eli completed 23 passes for 254 yards and 4 TDs. Most impressive to me was the lack of an INT. My faith has slightly been restored in Eli and he think he is one of the better backup QB or QB 2 options out there again.

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET – Megatron had done nothing in the first half, like most of the Lions. But he was also a huge part of their comeback. Johnson finished over 100 yards and had two TDs for his third straight game. This guy is an absurd talent and your lucky to have him if you drafted him as this offense appears to be the real deal over the first three games.

Duds

Frank Gore, RB, SF – I am just disgusted with his lack of performance.  I had him ranked as my #5 overall player this season and it appears my faith in Gore and Coach Harbaugh were misplaced.  I think once the team gets used to their new system, he may rebound… but that hope is running out fast with each bad performance.

Michael Turner, RB, ATL – The Falcons can’t seem to get an early lead to save their lives.  This means that Turner’s touches are down and he simply isn’t making the most of them. I’m not as worried about him as I am Gore, but that is just because of how well the Falcons play at home.  Which means you should get a very solid game from Turner when they play in the dome.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, NE – The Pats got up big early and the Law Firm was just not able to find creases in the Bills’ defensive front seven. They seemed to be there for Stevan Ridley later in the game but once Buffalo started to light up the Pats’ defense, Brady had to try and out duel Fitzpatrick and ignore the ground game.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT – The Colts really just have a bad rush defense, but apparently the Steelers have a worse offensive line.  I am very worried about Mendenhall the rest of the way. He remains a top 15 RB but he is certainly falling as this offense continues to struggle.

Philip Rivers, QB, SD – Zero TDs and 2 INTs against a bad Chiefs team is shocking for me. Rivers should have picked the secondary apart and he just didn’t.  They got the win and Rivers is still an elite QB so I am not worried, but this does look  like a little more than a slow start. It is time to get nervous, but not bench Philip.

James Starks, RB, GB – Just as soon as I thought Starks was the clear guy to own in this offense, Grant goes off and Starks implodes.  Expect the Packers to ride the hot hand and make it a nightmare for fantasy owners to try and decide which one is the guy each week.

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