Love/Hate Lists for Week 3
Love
Joe Flacco, QB, BAL – If you drafted Flacco I understand your frustration, but he IS playing against the Browns. And really, he did well in week 1 considering he was facing the Jets. Both Flacco and Boldin are pretty safe bets to have a big game this week. Don’t let one bad game lead you to leave points on your bench.
Pierre Thomas, RB, NO – Like I said on twitter after Reggie Bush’s injury, I always hate to see an injury but as a Pierre Thomas owner I am pretty pleased with how much work Thomas is likely to receive in the absence of Bush. Based off of the anticipated increase in both rushes and receptions as well as how effective Thomas was against a great Vikings run defense I expect Thomas to be a top 10 back while Bush is inactive.
Miles Austin, WR, DAL - Despite the massive concerns I have for the Cowboys running backs you can not really come up with a legitimate reason for why Austin will not succeed. In the past two weeks the Cowboys have gone win-less and have struggled with penalties, protecting the QB and especially running the football. Austin still leads the league in receiving yards and is currently the only consistent fantasy threat on the Cowboys.
LeSean McCoy, RB, PHI - Vick at the helm turns this offense into a more balanced attack. Vick will be able to draw the attention of the linebackers on defense and make them more vulnerable to counters and misdirection. This week the Eagles have a pretty good match-up vs a struggling Jaguars team that does not have an overwhelming defense and is trying to get past a problem with turnovers.
Donovan McNabb, QB, WAS – Even though you probably drafted McNabb as your backup QB he is set to have a great week. I rank him at 11th so if you are in a deep format or a 2 QB league McNabb has been a diamond in the rough thus far.
Frank Gore, RB, SF – Despite losing the game the 49ers re-enforced my preseason opinion of the team. Alex Smith was effective and showed poise in the pocket under pressure late in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs do not have as good of a defense as the Saints do and with it being much more likely that the 49ers dictate the pace of the game you can be confident that Gore will be given plenty of opportunities.
DeSean Jackson, WR, PHI – With a 2nd good match-up for DJax and the Eagles combined with how well Vick has been performing it would be pretty foolish to sit a guy like Jackson that is such a dangerous weapon. The balance of the Eagles offense will provide some chances to both Jackson and Maclin to face one on one man coverage and have a very productive week.
Rashard Mendenhall, RB, PIT - Some fantasy owners are not all that pleased with the performance of Mendenhall so far this season and I don’t quite get it. Even though it took going to overtime in week 1 to get him in the end zone, it’s not like that doesn’t count. He is the only consistent fantasy threat on the Steelers offense and is currently 4th in the league in rushing yards.
Fred Taylor, RB, NE - With Faulk out for the season and Maroney shipped off the Denver Fred Taylor and BenJarvus Green-Ellis are about to get an increased workload. It makes sense that Taylor gets the lead back carries with BJGE taking care of the third down and receiving work. Against a great match-up at home against Buffalo Taylor may just have his best game of the season.
Roddy White, WR, ATL - Roddy White is the only reliable receiving target for Matt Ryan and currently leads the league in both receptions and targets. Since White cannot get penalized for sacks or interceptions he is a great start this week. The Falcons will not be as effective as the 49ers where at controlling the Saints defense with the running game and will need to abandon it for an aerial assault in an attempt to stay in the game.
Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, MIN – I expect that the Vikings are able to win their first game of the season in rather convincing fashion against the Lions in week 3. The Lions are very vulnerable to the big play and with a lack of reliable receiving threats the smart money is on Shiancoe to lead the team in receiving.
Hate
Ricky Williams, RB, MIA - With Revis likely to miss the game this week I expect the Dolphins to lean heavy on the passing attack this week. This was how the Ravens were able to beat the Jets. With limited work to share and a stout Jets run defense there is not much room for fantasy value from the Dolphins running game this week. Smart money is on Brown to be more productive, not Williams.
Thomas Jones, RB, KC - Thomas Jones is so beloved by the Chiefs coaching staff that they are willing to risk losing a close game and limit their offensive production just to feed him the ball. Jones is not done in this league, but he should be be getting MORE carries than Jamaal Charles that is absurd. It is not a matter of being greedy for fantasy points it is about production and yards per carry average. Jones is too slow to be effective against a Patrick Willis lead 49ers defense.
Carnell Williams, RB, TB – I don’t care if the Buccaneers are 2-0 or how good Josh Freeman has been playing. The Steelers defense has been dominating opponents even without a balanced offense to help them out. They held Chris Johnson to 53 all purpose yards and forced 7 turnovers. You have to ask yourself how good the Buccaneers really are have only beaten the Browns and an apparently bad Panthers team.
Pierre Garcon, WR, IND - I have been big on Garcon for the past two weeks and have been disappointed both times. If you have any other viable options it is probably time to use them until Garcon earns the trust of Peyton Manning all over again.
Terrell Owens, WR, CIN - As I thought Palmer has looked pretty bad so far this season. In order to win games and make a playoff push this season the Bengals will need to lean on the running game and while Ochocinco has been able to be productive this far, this offense cannot sustain two consistent receivers for fantasy football.
Mike Williams, WR, TB – See Carnell Williams.
