Week 3 - Who We Like, Who We Dislike

September 18, 2008 at 7:08 am | Article by Paul Hickey |

Week 3 - Who We Like, Who We Dislike Eli Manning exploded for 260 yards and three TDs against the Rams in Week 2, after a below average Week 1 performance against the Redskins. Many fantasy sites like him at home against Cincy in Week 2, find out why we don’t - as well as who else we like and dislike this week.

Nobody is more up and down that Eli Manning folks. In Week 1 he was average, in Week 2 he was up, and in Week 3, he’ll be down against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that is slowly but surely improving. Will the Giants win? Absolutely. But, will Manning be fantasy worthy in Week 3? With Antwan Odom and Keith Rivers healthy and playing well, I’m just afraid not.

What other QBs should owners avoid besides Eli Manning?

We really don’t like Matt Schaub against the Titans, Peyton Manning against Jacksonville, Brett Favre against San Diego, Jon Kitna at San Francisco, Derek Anderson at Baltimore or Philip Rivers against the Jets.

With all of those signal callers looking at a tough week, which ones do we like?

Other than the obvious guys like Jay Cutler and Drew Brees, who will participate in the shootout of the week in Denver, guys like JT O’Sullivan, Aaron Rodgers, Marc Bulger (yes, that’s right), Matt Hasselbeck - with the additions of Koren Robinson and Keary Colbert, Jason Campbell, Kurt Warner and even Kerry Collins should be very solid fantasy performers.

At New York, against a very solid pass rush led by Justin Tuck, this may not be the week that Carson Palmer and the Bengals’ offense bounce back, but don’t give up on them just yet.

Which running backs will be red hot in Week 3?

We absolutely love the match-ups that present themselves to Frank Gore (vs. Detroit) and Maurice Jones-Drew (at Indy without Bob Sanders) this week. We expect both of those two backs to put up HUGE digits.

Other rushers we love this week include Marshawn Lynch, Steven Jackson, Julius Jones, Chris Johnson (who we’ve liked every other week this season) and Darren McFadden (if healthy). Guys like Darren Sproles (if LT misses time) and Fred Taylor could also have very solid weeks as sleeper candidates.

Lastly, believe it or not, we really like Jonathan Stewart against the Vikings this week. After DeAngelo Williams starts the game and gets stuffed by that massive defensive line, expect Stewart to come in fresh and make some big plays.

Which rushers should owners avoid in Week 3?

Avoid LT, Willis McGahee, Thomas Jones, Jamal Lewis and Selvin Young.

Looking for a sleeper WR?

They’re everywhere this week, as Lee Evans and David Patten have great match-ups, and are WR3s that could play like WR1s. For more desperate owners, guys like Koren Robinson and Chansi Stuckey are great waiver wire pick ups and potential insertions into starting line-ups.

Robinson - a former first round pick of the Seahawks - went from being unemployed to being the team’s number one receiver this week, as the club also traded a 2009 fifth round pick for Keary Colbert to make up for the fact that their top five wide receivers are out with injuries.

Ike Hilliard fills in for the injured Joey Galloway in Tampa and could be a solid WR3 in PPR leagues.

We really like Randy Moss to bounce back and have a huge week, as well as Steve Smith to return to the Panthers line-up and be one of this week’s top producers.

The sleeper must-start of the week, however, is San Francisco’s Bryant Johnson, who is coming off a solid game against Seattle and entering a cupcake match-up against the Lions.

Expect Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh to enter back into respectability this week as the Bengals visit the Giants.

Which WRs should owners avoid?

We’re not too crazy about Santonio Holmes visiting Philly, Roy Williams heading west to San Francisco, Braylon Edwards getting locked down by Baltimore’s defense, Marvin Harrison being ignored by Peyton Manning or Bernard Berrian hobbling around against the Panthers.

TE Predictions - Look for Tony Scheffler to continue his hot streak against the Saints, and Vernon Davis to finally break out against the Lions.

IDP Predictions - Look for DEs Patrick Kerney, James Hall and Justin Smith to be very solid, along with LBs Keith Rivers, Freddie Keiaho, Thomas Davis and Chad Greenway and DBs Nate Clements, Bernard Pollard, Michael Griffin, Lawyer Milloy and Charles Woodson.

Looking for more solid fantasy advice? Sign up for the USP today and let us help you win your leagues. It’s not too late!

Subscribers get the following for only $9.99 a year:

- Unlimited year-round personalized line-up advice and team management advice.
- Updated printable draft kit rankings leading up to your drafts.
- Rankings include multiple scoring systems for Seasonal, Keeper and Dynasty formats.
- Rankings also include both IDPs and team defenses.
- Updated customized printable weekly cheat sheets during each week of the NFL Season.
- “Sunday Brunch” - including last minute inactives and game-day updates every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
- Exclusive information, including bonus “Our Sources Tell Us” blurbs and more.
- For a limited time, subscribers get a free Rototimes.com Guide To Winning Fantasy Football.

HOW TO SIGN UP AND GET STARTED:
The Ultimate Strategist Package forum is handled in a private paid-access sub-forum on the No-Offseason.com Forums. It’s an easy process with only a few steps, and you’ll be well on your way to insider-quality advice to give you the fantasy edge.

Simply register for the No-Offseason.com Forums (or login if you’re already a member).
New members need to merely follow the on-screen instructions. New accounts will be confirmed in e-mail, and you’ll be ready to login! Current forum members can skip this step.
After logging into the forum, visit the Payments page.
Instructions for placing an order for the USP service will appear on the screen. On the “COST” drop-down menu to the right, select the $9.99 option, and then click “ORDER”. You’ll confirm one more time, and select the Paypal payment processing.
You’ll be taken to a Paypal.com payment page, where you can either pay with your Paypal account or with a debit/credit card (joining Paypal is not required). Paypal is a secure payment processor. Once the payment is processed (it should be instant for most Paypal payments), you can log into the forum and visit the private-access Ultimate Strategist Package area.
Post your questions, and prepare to be given the hot answers you need to win.