Ready For Week 3!
By: Andy Wheeler
Week 3 is here. It's the time of the Fantasy season where you are either cursing yourself for your draft or puffing your chest out with pride. However, things can turn on a dime with proper management. Keep an eye on those defenses and kickers on the wires because for some reason this is the time of year all the good ones are just sitting out there waiting to be grabbed.
The other thing to look at is match ups. There is still no clear way to figure out just who has the best match ups among your players. So far some defenses stand out as the good ones to face. The Saints and Titans are very good examples. The 49ers and Texans are ones to avoid. What about the rest of the defenses in the NFL? It's too hard to tell.
The only way you can truly know is if you have seen the teams play. You can't rely on the rankings that most fantasy sites provide alone, at least not yet. Right now the Cleveland Browns defense is ranked 4th in fantasy. The Browns! How is that possible since they gave up 34 points to the Bengals last week? Remember when they played the Eagles way back in week 1 and had 4 interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown?
It states my point loud and clear. No way is Cleveland the 4th ranked defense in fantasy by the time the season is done. Now the Cardinals on the other hand are ranked 9th. And by the time the season is done, they may be higher. You'll see what I mean tomorrow but instead of one massive week of points, the Cardinals have put up a consistent 10 and 8 in consecutive weeks of scoring, while only giving up 18 points to an offense like the Patriots. They haven't even had a special teams score yet. If they are out there, pick them up…and try to avoid them with your players.
3 Favorite Match Ups This Week:
Matt Cassel vs. Saints:
The Saints defense isn't very good. That much is clear. Not that the Chiefs offense is all that outstanding. However it won't matter if the Chiefs are playing from ahead or behind Cassel will be chucking it. I like Bowe and McCluster to have good games as well
Tony Romo vs. Tampa:
Speaking of bad defenses, the Bucs are bad! Really bad! They gave up 500 yards passing to Eli Manning last week. Romo had a tough start against the Seahawks but look for a big bounce back against this brutal secondary. Get those Cowboys receivers active too. Everybody could score in this one.
Michael Bush vs. St. Louis:
Bush proves why handcuffing a stud running to his clear cut back up is always important. In the case of LeSean McCoy, he has no clear back up. At least not yet he doesn't. However, if you were a Matt Forte owner and you didn't do whatever was necessary to grab Bush after watching how he was used in the preseason, shame on you. I think he has very solid week.
3 Least Favorite Match Ups:
Adrian Peterson vs. 49ers:
This should be clear to everyone right now, but if it's not let's review. The 49ers run defense is awesome. The 49ers defense itself is fantastic. Avoid the Niners like the plague! Peterson looked great in week 1 but came back to earth last week. Owners that took a gamble on picking Peterson probably won't, but should consider sitting him tomorrow.
Peyton Manning vs. Houston:
Speaking of good defenses, Houston is right up there with the 49ers in the "Who's got the best defense in the league?" discussion. Not only are they good but Manning looked like a guy that had 3 neck surgeries last week. Also Houston can run the ball so Manning may be watching a lot from the sidelines.
Michael Turner vs. Chargers:
This isn't so much about how the Chargers defense has played as it is lack of ability and off the field stuff. Turner has 74 yards rushing on 28 attempts this year. That's a whopping 2.6 yards a carry. Combine the fact that I think he's washed up with a DUI arrest on Monday night after the game AND a short week….stay away!
Good luck! Email questions to awheeler@cbs3.com or you can tweet me @TheAndyWheeler
