We Were Right About, We Were Wrong About

September 21, 2008 at 5:30 pm | Article by Paul Hickey |

We Were Right About, We Were Wrong About Bills RB Marshawn Lynch has four TDs in his first three games, but put up very modest statistics in Weeks 1 & 2. We told fantasy owners that this would be the week Lynch showed his true colors and finally had a breakout performance. The second year man from Cal followed through for us, racking up 83 yards and two TDs on the ground, while hauling in four passes for 31 yards.

We Were Right About…

Matt Schaub, Texans QB - We told owners to completely avoid Schaub in Week 3 due to a horrible match-up against the Titans. Not only was he someone to avoid, throwing for only 188 yards, zero TDs and three interceptions, but we believe he’s on the verge of being benched for Sage Rosenfels.

Carson Palmer, Bengals QB - With a ton of fantasy sites down on Carson Palmer, we told owners that this just may be the week that he bounced back. Although we didn’t call him a must start, we told fantasy owners to have faith, and that things would be looking up soon. We were correct, as Palmer threw for a respectable 286 yards and a TD.

Julius Jones, Seahawks RB - We told all owners with Julius Jones to start him this week against the lowly Rams defense. By the end of the third quarter, Jones had 96 yards rushing and a TD. While he’s not getting the goal line carries, he scored form more than 20 yards out for the second straight week. He’ll go into a bye in Week 4, but he should beat out Maurice Morris for the featured gig when the veteran returns from a knee injury.

Frank Gore, 49ers - Gore was a no-brainer call against the Lions, and we predicted a 200+ all-purpose yard performance from him. By the end of the third quarter, he already had 120 total yards and a TD.

Maurice-Jones Drew, Jaguars RB - MJD was our gutsy call of the week, as we told owners to start him over several other players who may have seemed like more obvious calls. Despite not doing anything spectacular, Mojo did post very solid overall numbers, racking up more than 100 all purpose yards and a TD by the end of the third quarter.

Ronnie Brown, Dolphins RB - Although Brown wasn’t included in our Week 3 predictions, we did refer to him as an up and coming star in our sources tell us, noting that Brown would take over the bulk of the load from Ricky Williams and become a must-start fantasy option. 116 rushing yards, four rushing TDs and one passing TD later, Brown is now a must-start fantasy option in all formats for the remainder of the season.

Fred Taylor, Jaguars RB - With Bob Sanders out for the next four to six weeks, we’ve noted to fantasy owners that teams will definitely be able to run against the Colts. Because of Jacksonville’s struggling pass offense, Taylor was a logical super sleeper RB choice heading into Week 3. We were certainly right about that, as Taylor had 104 yards on 18 carries by the end of the third quarter.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Bengals WR - We told fantasy owners not only to have faith in T.J. Houshmandzadeh this week, but also to buy him low and put him in their line-ups this week. Housh hauled in 12 balls for 146 yards and a score and looks like a must start moving forward.

Justin Smith, 49ers DE - IDP owners looking for a near sure bet need to always look at who is playing against the Lions. Big play IDPers are very happy if they listened to us, as Smith had a sack and a forced fumble in the first quarter.

Michael Griffin, Titans S - Speaking of big play IDPers, those that followed our lead by picking up Titans safety Michael Griffin were extremely happy, as he picked off Matt Schaub twice today. The Titans defensive backfield of Griffin and Cortland Finnegan remain must starts.

Ike Hilliard, Buccaneers WR - Hilliard was our super sleeper WR of the week, and he came through for us with Joey Galloway inactive, hauling in five balls for more than 50 yards and a score. Be careful at how much you value Hilliard moving forward though, as the 32 year old former seventh overall pick in the NFL Draft will lose value when Galloway returns.

Gaines Adams, Buccaneers DE - We’ve been high on the second year DE from Clemson since late last season, and after his second big game in a row (he had a pick-six against the Bears), he’s now a very legit IDP.

Michael Bush, Raiders RB - We didn’t promise anything from Bush, but we did tell owners that he would be productive in an increased workload. He did lead the Raiders in rushing with 55 yards on 14 carries. With Justin Fargas out with a pulled groin, Bush will continue to be a pretty solid deep sleeper option as Oakland’s RB2.

Santana Moss, Redskins WR - We advised many owners to start the red hot Santana Moss this week, and he didn’t disappoint, hauling in seven balls for 75 yards and a TD. With the Cowboys and Eagles coming up, Moss could be due for some big games, but with the Rams, Browns and Lions following, he will likely be a must start as owners gear up for their fantasy playoff runs.

JT O’Sullivan, 49ers WR - Are you all catching on to our predictions each week that whoever plays against the Lions gives us some movement in our short pants? O’Sullivan had two TDs in the first half, and garnered 30 yards on the ground in addition to 200 via the air.

We Were Wrong About…

Eli Manning, Giants QB - We actually weren’t feeling Eli Manning at all this week, as he’s easily one of the most inconsistent signal callers in the league with regards to statistics. Manning delivered late, however, and was helped by overtime, throwing for 289 yards and a TD.

Lee Evans, Bills WR - Not that the Bills star 27 year old WR didn’t have a solid week - catching four balls for 65 yards - but he didn’t break out like we said he would against the Raiders defense. Evans will continue to be a solid WR3 option, but is an apparent victim of QB Trent Edwards spreading the rock around this season. Hopefully, for Evans owners, he’ll benefit in the long run from Buffalo’s improved offense.

Willis McGahee, Ravens RB - We told owners to avoid McGahee, but he actually played pretty well on his bum knee before injuring his face. He finished the game with 65 yards and a score.

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