Start Sit Week Three

The Week Three slate is underway. Game on! The Giants played a great all-around game on Thursday night, taking it to the Redskins. OBJ looked good. Reuben Randle had the game of his life. And Washington was handled. Their offense was stuck in the mud. Now we head into the weekend slate of games. All teams still playing this week for the last time until Week 12.

So here we are again. Meeting here is becoming commonplace these days. I don’t mind. Always happy to talk about Fantasy and give you my thoughts about players and their situations. Who do I like this week? Who do I not like? What defense am I interested in? What quarterbacks can be streamed this week? Well let me tell you what I think.

Image Source: nflspinzone.com

Start

John Brown, WR, Arizona

Get used to Brown being on this list. He is a great player in a great situation. As long as Carson Palmer, the offensive line, and Brown stay healthy, he’s pretty much a weekly starter in this offense. Brown has had decent stats so far, and a monster is coming. On top of his nine catches for 91 yards and a score, Brown has drawn two pass interference calls. This week the Cardinals play a 49ers defense that was lit up by the Steelers last week. Still reeling, I don’t believe the 49ers are the team from Week One, and are actually the leaky boat that played Week Two. A big game is in the works for John Brown. Don’t let him have it from your bench.

Jimmy Graham, TE, Seattle

Graham was missing in action last week in Green Bay. One catch on two targets and one leak that he is pissed. This week the lowly Chicago Bears come to town to face an 0-2 Seahawks squad that will be looking to make a statement to the league. Chicago is weak on both offense and defense. The walking wounded roster of the Bears is likely to be missing Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery. The defense for the Bears is not in much better shape. This is the reset season. Ctrl+alt+delete on the whole team. The defense is a 4-3 squad being made to play in a 3-4 scheme. This preseason I saw Jared Allen dropping into coverage. Not something I would want to see from my team. This leads me to want to play Graham this week. I expect Seattle to score at will. And if they get in close, expect them to try to feed Graham, pissed or not.

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland

Murray faces a Browns team this week that was dead last in run defense last season. Even with additions this year, they still aren’t a good unit. In their first game of the season the Browns allowed Chris Ivory to run for 91 yards and two scores. Last week they allowed Dexter McCluster to run for 98 yards. Murray had 65 yards on the ground last week and a score. I expect to see him run a lot this week. I have him inserted in my starting lineups where I have him, and so should you.

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis

Gore has some of the Fantasy world concerned. Not this guy. I had no desire to have any shares of Gore this season, yet ended up with him on multiple squads. At some point a value is too good to pass up. At this point I have absolutely no idea what to think of Gore. The first two weeks of the season were against some very good defensive units. The Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets were 11^th and fifth against the run last season. The schedule gets a bit better for the next two weeks, and if you have Gore and are ever going to play him, this is the week. Don’t let his good matchups go to waste and fire him up this week.

CJ Anderson, RB, Denver

Anderson was a very early draft pick, and he has not met expectations. A toe injury and some very bad offensive line play have hampered the efforts of Anderson so far this season. Normally I wouldn’t be telling you that a matchup with the Lions is just what the doctor ordered. The Lions were the top ranked run defense last season. But this year is different. Suh is gone. Levy is out. And the Lions are letting you run. I am a staunch supporter of Anderson, in fact completing a trade for him in a league today, and writing an article in support of trading for him you can read here. With 10 days off, Anderson has had time to heal and has been a full participant in practice so far this week. Get him in your lineup this week.

Sit

Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

Miller has been pretty much a disappointment so far this season. Miller left last week with an ankle injury. What he did before that wasn’t very impressive. Only rushing for a total of 67 yards in the first two weeks, and catching six passes for 50 yards is not a good start. Miller has returned to practice on Thursday, but his matchup leaves a lot to be desired. The Buffalo Bills travel to take on the Dolphins this week. The Bills had a stout run defense last year and shut down the Colts in Week One. Week Two the Patriots solved the riddle to an extent, but Dion Lewis only had 40 yards rushing. I can’t see a banged up Miller doing a lot on the ground for the Dolphins, and if you have another option get him on your bench.

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago

Forte might be the only healthy guy on the Bears offense. Don’t think that this fact will escape the 0-2 Seahawks. The box will likely be stacked against Forte until likely starter Jimmy Clausen makes them back off. Forte is going to have a long day, with Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery highly likely to be out this week. I would sit Forte if you have a capable replacement on your bench.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Philadelphia

Murray has been bad. It’s not all his fault. The offensive line play has been atrocious. The quarterback play has been worse. And the offense is a giant pile of smoldering garbage. Expect it to erupt into flames on Sunday this week. In addition to the issues the Eagles have been having, Murray left practice on Wednesday with a hamstring injury. This sit recommendation might be moot by Sunday if Murray cannot go. And we haven’t even considered the matchup. Say hello to the Jets. Yeah, the ones who shut down the Colts high powered offense last week. If Murray plays, I would be expecting the status quo of the season. Sit your Murray shares this week.

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans

Brees and the Saints offense have not played well so far. And now Brees has a shoulder injury that might affect his throwing and distance. Weakness in the shoulder is a side effect of a rotator cuff contusion. This does not make me feel confident in an offense that has struggled in scoring so far this season. And the Saints draw the Carolina Panthers and their stout defensive line and secondary. With a loss of identity apparent, a tough matchup in front of him, and an injury to his throwing shoulder, I have to suggest benching Brees this week.

Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay

Martin has had some favorable matchups in the first two weeks of the season. Sadly he hasn’t done a lot with them. On 32 carries so far this season, Martin has had only 130 yards. Three catches for 22 yards are not much of a boost. And these numbers came against the Titans and the Saints. This week the Bucs face the 10^th ranked run defense from last season in the Houston Texans. The front seven for the Texans is a very strong unit. I fail to see how a bad matchup against a good defense is going to be the breakout that Martin owners are looking for. Sit Martin this week.

Defenses to stream

New England Patriots

The Pats play the Jaguars this week. Last season a streaming strategy was to get who the Jags were playing. I have not seen a reason to change this yet.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons face a Cowboys squad that is reeling after losing their top wide receiver and their quarterback in the first two weeks of the season. Despite a stout line their running game has not been impressive. I want to play the defense that plays the Cowboys until either Romo returns or they prove me wrong.

Quarterbacks to Stream

Marcus Mariota, QB, Tennessee

Mariota had a great debut in Week One. And then he came back down to earth last week. But Mariota is accurate, and accuracy is not something everyone has. This week facing the Colts, I could see Mariota having a good game. Consider him as a streaming option this week.

Ryan Fitzpartick, QB, New York Jets

Fitzy has been solid so far this season. He isn’t a huge fantasy scorer, but he won’t kill you either. Averaging 15.75 points per game is a good fill in for your quarterback. This week against the Eagles I would love to be playing Fitzpatrick in as many leagues as I can. Hopefully Eric Decker can get back on the field this week to give Fitzpatrick some extra help. I love Fitzy this season as a good option to stream.

So this ends the start sit article for Week Three. I hope that it has been helpful in making your decisions a little more educated. Make sure to check out my injury report articles using thislink. You can follow me on twitter, and sign up to receive notices when I post a new article at the top of this page. Thank you for your time and reading what I have to say. Good luck in your leagues this week.

Trade Targets: CJ Anderson

Well we are about two weeks into the NFL season. As I sit writing this, we all are awaiting kickoff between the Giants and Redskins for week three. Some narratives have come true, some look false. The time has come to wade through these and find the diamonds in the rough that have just gotten off to a rough start.

Last season I wrote an article about Eddie Lacy after the first three weeks of the season. He faced off against three top five defenses to start his season, and was seen to be underperforming. But the reality was, those defenses he faced were good. It was a brutal start to the year. And if you found an owner willing to trade you Lacy, you got a great performance from him the rest of the way. The deal I made was trading Alshon Jeffery for Eddie Lacy straight up. Jeffery was my WR4, and I could afford the deal.

Image source: denverpost.com

So after two weeks of the season, who is a guy that we can take a look at buying low on? 

Who has a favorable schedule moving forward? When should we pounce? Let’s take a look at all these factors together now.

CJ Anderson, RB, Denver has been a major disappointment. I was in love with the narrative for the Denver offense this season. Aging quarterback, stud tight end gone, and new coach who wants to run the ball a lot, what’s not to love. Add to that a defense that can hold their opponents down and make the strategy work. It all sounds so great.

Then, reality sets in.

 Anderson hurts his toe in game one. Peyton looks terrible in the Kubiak offense. He can’t run and looks every bit of his age. The offensive line looks like they can’t block at all. Through two weeks of the season Anderson has 56 yards on 24 carries and five catches for 21 yards. Not good numbers. Is there any good news? Well in Week 1 they played Baltimore in a defensive brawl. Baltimore has been a tough defense against the run.  Kansas City in week two proved a tough match up for the Broncos all around. But in a tale of two halves the Broncos were able to move the ball later in the game, and CJ was the back on the field.

So what does the upcoming schedule hold for CJ and the Broncos? Well before the season I would have told you that the Broncos face a fairly tough start, but also have a Top 5 run schedule this year. Kansas City was an outlier based on their stats from last year, but the next opponent for the Broncos is the Lions, and without Deandre Levy and Ndamukong Suh plugging up the middle, the Lions have not been that strong against the run in their first two games.

After that game the schedule really opens up for the Broncos on the ground. The next seven games are against teams that were in the bottom half of yards allowed on the ground last season. The Patriots are the eighth game out after the Lions, and one of only two more Top 10 run defenses from last season. The Fantasy playoff run consists of games against the Raiders, Steelers, and Bengals for weeks 14-16.

I am recommending taking a shot at trading for CJ Anderson in your leagues. 

If you have a surplus of wide receivers on your bench, you might be able to give your fourth or fifth best wide receiver to a team that is likely in need of an infusion of points. If you are running back heavy, you might be able to move one of them for Anderson.

Basically I see the tide turning for Anderson. If the offensive line can gel, and Kubiak and Manning can find a common ground to run an offense that can succeed, Anderson can truly be a diamond in the rough for your fantasy team. Take a run at his owner and see what you can make happen. Bargain shopping in week 2 can make you a champion.

Waiver Wire For Week 3:

The first two weeks of the NFL season have been brutal to the ranks of Fantasy Football. Dez Bryant, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Eddie Lacy, Eric Decker, the list goes on. So many of your Fantasy relevant players have gotten hurt. So what are you to do? Hit the wire. Fill those rosters with players that might help you win. Let's find some of those guys together.



It's all about the Benjamins

Travis Benjamin, WR, Cleveland has had a pretty good start to the season scoring 4 times in the first two weeks. Two long receiving touchdowns on Sunday and a punt return  74 yards for a score. Benjamin is a stash and wait kind of player for me. I find him much more desirable in leagues that give points for return yardage. His value may be tied to the ability of Johnny Manziel keeping the starting job. I am not ready to start him, but I could see him on my roster if I need a big upside player.

Starks me up

James Starks, RB, Green Bay has the chance this week to take over the running load in the Green Bay offense. With Eddie Lacy banged up with an ankle injury in week two, Starks came on strong to help the Packers take down the Seahawks. If Lacy remains out his week, Starks steps right into the job with a high ability to succeed.

Jonesin'

Matt Jones, RB, Washington has proven his ability in the Washington run game. Jones had 19 carries for 123 yards and two scores, plus three catches for 23 yards. Jones has wedged his way into the run game for Washington, and I am not expecting that to change anytime soon. Washington will be perfectly happy to have an effective tandem at running back and try to win with defense and clock control. Grab some Matt Jones.

What you Snead

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans had a lot of buzz during the preseason. Snead hit last week for the Saints, Willie caught four passes for 44 yards and a score in week two. In week one Snead only had one catch for 63 yards, so he may be inconsistent. But the New Orleans offense must try something new. At 0-2 and now possibly without Drew Brees this week, something has to change in the Saints offense. Snead just might be the benefactor of this.

Mr. Rodgers neighborhood

Richard Rodgers, TE, Green Bay was my secret weapon in some of my leagues this season. Once Jordy Nelson went down with a torn ACL, the Packers were going to need some help in the red zone. The reason he was my secret weapon? Well I crunched the numbers from last year and found that Green Bay had the third best schedule for points allowed to tight ends. The only issue was they don't usually use a tight end. Well, Nelson out helped him with that. Last week Rodgers caught both a touchdown pass, and a two point conversion en route to a 3-23-1 night. Not a huge evening, but he was also targeted again for a deep pass and another time in the end zone. So now my secret is out, and you can benefit.

Neon Dion

Dion Lewis, RB, New England has been a monster the first two games of the season. Through the first two weeks of the season Lewis has 22 rushes for 109 yards and a score, and has 10 catches for 149 yards. The bad news is that he has a fumbling issue. The good news, he has still gotten in the game. As hard as it is to trust a Patriots running back, he hasn't come off the field after the fumbles, and Brady has talked him up. If he is still available in your leagues, add him to your roster.

Quarterbacks to stream Week 3

Ryan Fitzpatrick plays at home against the defensively hapless Eagles.
Marcus Mariota plays at home against the Colts. Indy is down corners on defense, and if they don't get them back it could be a great day for Mariota.
Nick Foles plays at home against the Steelers. Not sure who he is throwing to, but the Steelers won't stop it.

Defenses to stream Week 3

Cincinnati Bengals head into Baltimore. The Baltimore offense is no great shakes this year, and I wouldn't expect a ton from them.
Cleveland Browns host the Oakland Raiders. Cleveland has decent corner play and a front line that should start to gel soon. The Raiders just aren't good, yet. They seem to be heading in the right direction, but have a ways to go.

Week Two Start Sit

Well it has been a slow few weeks as real life has caught up with me. Lots of busy things happening. Drafts were amazing. Had a great time, and have some great teams. I hope the same has befallen you as well. So now we have a full week in the bank. It’s time to look at the best plays and worst plays we find this week. So let’s take a look at this week’s start/sit.

Start

John Brown, WR, Arizona is facing his second good match up in a row. After performing fairly well in Week One, with four catches on seven targets for 46 yards and a touchdown, Brown is once again a guy I am sliding into my flex positions this week.  Facing the Chicago Bears in Week Two, Brown finds a favorable situation ahead. The Bears gave up three touchdowns through the air last week. In the 2014 season the Bears were 30^th in passing yards allowed for the season. I expect the issues with the Bears passing defense to continue this week. Get Brown in your lineup.

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona is leading the attack again this week for the Cardinals. Palmer had a superb opening game to the season, throwing for 307 yards and 3 scores. Palmer is a good enough quarterback to take advantage of a defense that is weak in the passing game. Expect him to do more of the same this week. If you are lucky and planned the start of your season, you can stack Palmer and Brown this week and double your pleasure. Palmer is a great start for you this week.

Bishop Sankey, RB, Tennessee is a surprise addition to this list. I never thought I'd say that after the 2014 season, and the tumultuous offseason at the running back position in Tennessee. Sankey had a fantastic performance in the new and seemingly improved offense of the Titans. Rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota was fantastic in his NFL debut last week, and Sankey was also impressive. This week Sankey and the Titans will face off against the hapless Cleveland Browns. Last season the Browns gave up the most yards per game on the ground. The Browns picked up right where they left off allowing 154 yards in their first game of the season. If you see Sankey hanging out on your waiver wire and are in need of a running back this week, snatch him up and get him in your lineup.

Steve Smith Sr, WR, Baltimore squares off against the not improved defense of the Oakland raiders. The Ravens faced the Broncos in a clash of good defensive units last week. This week, the Ravens offense will have a much better time of it. The Raiders gave up 270 yards and 2 passing touchdowns last week to the Cincinnati Bengals. This bodes well for the likes of Smith Sr. Look for him to atone for dropping a touchdown last week. Get Smith Sr. in your lineups.

Eric Decker, WR, New York Jets is a great second receiver for an NFL team. The good news about that is he will likely not get the top corner coverage a lot this year now that the Jets have a number one guy. This week the Jets face the sub-par defense of the Indianapolis Colts. The colts didn’t give up a huge amount of passing yards in the first week of the season, but they did give up a long score to Percy Harvin. Expect that the top corner, Vontae Davis, will be on Brandon Marshall. This leads me to believe that Decker is primed to have himself a solid game. Start him if you got him.

Sit

LeGarrette Blount, RB, New England Patriots was suspended for the first week of the season so we haven’t seen him on the field yet in regular season action. His first game back is against the stout defense of the Buffalo Bills. The narrative being bounced around twitter and the podcast circuit is that the Patriots will attack the Bills defense with short passing. This seems to make sense with some of the personnel the Pats feature. If this is in fact what Bill Belichick does with his game plan, this doesn’t play well for Blount. Blount is not the best pass catching back the pats have. Along with the possible bad game plan for Blount, Buffalo is very good against the run. The Bills allowed just over 100 yards on the ground per game last season, and in their first game of this season they held the Colts to 64 rushing yards. I’m sitting Blount this week.

Andre Johnson, WR, Indianapolis Colts looked like an old, washed up man last week against the Bills. This week assuming he gets the top corner his opponent has if TY Hilton is out, we will welcome Johnson to Revis Island. I can’t imagine any situation where Revis has two functioning legs and can’t shut down Johnson. The best hope for him is if Donte Moncrief torches the Jets on a few plays and they shift the coverage to Moncrief instead. But this assumes that Johnson is ready for the challenge and steps up to it. I am not looking to take that chance myself and would sit Andre Johnson this week.

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders had a decent game for one where his team was never even close to competitive. The good news is he got seven catches in the game last week. This week Murray and the Raiders face the stiff Baltimore Ravens defense. Baltimore only gave up 69 yards rushing last week against the Broncos. This might seem like it is due to the mess that has been the Broncos offensive line, but they were stout last year as well. In the 2014 campaign the Ravens only allowed 88 yards rushing per game and eight touchdowns on the season. This makes me want to put Murray on my bench this week.

TJ Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars had 51 rushing yards in his first NFL start. The positives about this are that he got four yards per carry, and that he also caught three passes. This was a game against Carolina, a usually strong defense, but they were missing Star Lotulelei in the middle of that defensive line. This week doesn’t get any easier than last week, squaring off against the Miami Dolphins and their scary defense. The Dolphins did give up a lot of yards in game one of the season, but that was against an actually decent run blocking line of Washington. The Jags line is not that good. I don’t see good things for Yeldon this week and am sitting him in the leagues I own him in.

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts squares off against the New York Jets this week. Another team with a strong defensive line, the Jets only allowed 104 yards last week to the Browns, but 58 of those yards were given up to the quarterbacks of the browns. That means that the running backs only gained 46 yards. Gore looked old, and actually left the game with cramps. Gore had 8 carries for 31 yards and 2 catches last week. I am not feeling too good about his chances this week and would bench him for a better option.

It feels good to be back. The first week of the season was amazing. Happy to bring you some advice and insights into who to start and sit in your leagues. Check back for more articles in the near future and read some of my other work at socalledfantasyexperts.com and fakepigskin.com. Thanks for reading and good luck in week two!