Fantasy Football Week 3 Start/Sit
Last Week:
Golden Tate vs. Eddie Lacy — Loss
Jeremy Maclin vs. Demaryius Thomas — Loss
Willie Snead vs. LeGarrette Blount — Loss
Week Two Record: 0–3
Season Record: 1–5
Oof. That was a tough week. Brutal NFL injuries aside, I did not make a single start/sit decision correctly. Looking back on last week, I kept thinking about why I was wrong on all fronts. Then I saw this shout on the Fantasy Life App.
Golden Tate — the No. 1 wideout in a strong offense — in a PPR league against a struggling Eddie Lacy? A solid, consistent top performer on a good team in Jeremy Maclin or an injured Demaryius Thomas against what is currently a top 10 fantasy defense against wide receivers? Willie Snead — in the rematch of a game from last year that ended 52–49, where he went 6–70–2 — or a running back who averaged 3.2 yards per carry in week one in LeGarrette Blount?
Tate had what will likely be his worst performance of the season; Thomas greatly overcame his injury but Maclin still had a good game and racked up more receptions than his opposition; Snead was the leading Saints receiver as predicted, but Blount earned more fantasy points because a third-string quarterback entered the game, and the running back scored an unpredictable touchdown. The point is that when playing fantasy, one must make the right choices, and the right choices don’t always score the most points.
And I promise I don’t suck at fantasy football.
@thejollyone asked: “12 team PPR. Pick 3. Allen Robinson. Doug Baldwin. Travis Benjamin. Jarvis Landry.”
The Picks: Jarvis Landry, Allen Robinson and Travis Benjamin
Full PPR and Landry is playing the Browns; one down, two to go. Benjamin proved last week that he can be a force as the Chargers No. 1 receiver in Keenan Allen’s absence. Against a weak Colts secondary, he again has the chance to feast. Even the potential return of Vontae Davis doesn’t really bother me, as the cornerback will likely be hobbled and/or limited. (Note: Benjamin isn’t actually my second choice out of this bunch, but I want to specifically compare the next two players.) During the offseason, I wrote extensively about why I didn’t like Robinson or Baldwin this year (don’t worry, ARob truthers, it was a value-based piece!). Both receivers have underperformed up to this point. However, the 0–2 Jaguars will be desperate to get the offense flowing, and if last year is any indication, they will throw the ball. The Seahawks offense, on the other hand, is struggling, and they can’t sort themselves out by chucking the ball down the field every play. Look for Robinson’s first breakout performance of the year.
@tmanrocks21 asked: “12 team full PPR pick 3: Golden Tate, Devante Parker, Tyler Boyd, Cole Beasley, Devin Funchess.”
The Picks: Golden Tate, Cole Beasley and Devante Parker
So, Tate, we meet again. After a week 2–13 outing last week against Tennessee, Tate will bounce back and demonstrate his worth — and value, over the rest of this mediocre group — against Green Bay. The rest of this list is, well, a crapshoot. In all likelihood, one of the remaining four options will score a touchdown and vault himself into a should-have-been starting lineup on those six points alone. So we’ll have to rely on educated guesses, and my fantasy-filled brain is telling me to certainly start Beasley. Beasley has averaged 6.5 receptions per game through the first two contests and has quickly become a somewhat reliable target for Cowboys rookie Dak Prescott. He should continue to get targets, which is more than I can say for Funchess and Boyd, who combined have caught fewer passes than Beasley. That leaves offseason hype machine Parker, who in his first 2016 action torched the Patriots for a 8–106 stat line. Admittedly, I wasn’t very high on Parker during the off-season, but he’s as good a gamble as anyone else on this list, and I’ll take the optimal first performance, upside and good match up against the Browns.
@jagster asked: “Standard pick 2: Tevin Coleman, Ryan Mathews, Frank Gore.”
The Picks: Ryan Mathews and Frank Gore
The smart plays here are obviously Mathews and Gore. Mathews losing touches last week is slightly concerning, but then again, he’s the clear cut number one back in Philadelphia. What can Tevin Coleman say about being the second mouth to feed in Atlanta? Coleman deserves some consideration in deeper PPR leagues, but it’s unlikely that he’ll get enough carries to justify starting him over two starters. Also consider the Falcons’ matchup this week, a Monday night game — and likely high-scoring affair — in New Orleans. If he’s lucky, his receptions will go up; if he’s not, his rushes will plummet. Finally, there’s Gore, who has been good this year in limited opportunities. However, those chances have only been scarce because of game flow, as there is virtually no competition for touches in the Indianapolis backfield. I expect the Colts to get their first win this week against the Chargers, which likely means an influx in carries for Gore, rather than more time warming the bench due to garbage time. Start the starters.
@mjd2395 asked: “Ware or Cobb this week, .5 PPR?”
The Pick: Randall Cobb
Cobb was a preseason favorite of mine to exceed value based on ADP. Admittedly, his showings this season have not lived up to my expectations. However, I attribute Cobb’s early failures more to the Packers offense than his own troubles. Him not yet scoring a touchdown will hopefully lead to positive regression, and the Packers offense — though I do think there’s something wrong with it — should get closer to righting the ship with every passing week Jordy Nelson’s knee further improves. The Lions have already allowed six touchdowns through the air this season, making me choose Cobb over a Spencer Ware that will now have to compete with another force in the backfield in Jamaal Charles, according to Adam Schefter. Blinded by his week one touchdown and astute receiving game, most fantasy owners don’t realize that Charcandrick West has had only thirteen fewer stats than the veteran out of LSU; add in another touch-stealer in Charles against a strong Jets front (who is currently seventh in the league against opposing running backs), and it’s very possible that no one in the Kansas City backfield has a start-worthy fantasy showing this week.
@isaacbell5360 asked: “Brees or Rivers?”
The Pick: Drew Brees
Brees at home is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time; there’s something about that Superdome that gets him going. Even better for fantasy owners this week, though, is the superb matchup that he has. (The Falcons currently rank 30th in the league against quarterbacks this season.) Despite a good secondary, the Atlanta defense doesn’t function very well as a whole, and Brees is sure to have a nice comeback against a team that he demolished for 635 yards last season. On the flipside, Philip Rivers doesn’t have a high floor or ceiling. (I wrote extensively about why Philip Rivers will struggle this season HERE.) While he does have a good matchup this week, I foresee the losses of Allen and Danny Woodhead being too much for Rivers to handle. The team rallied behind Allen’s injury last week and played their hearts out, but they won’t be able to keep up the dominance that they possessed against the Jaguars. Look for Rivers to fall short of his week two numbers and watch out for my bold(ish) prediction for week three: Brees will be the highest scoring player.
Until next time, ask your start/sit questions to @cb on the Fantasy Life App and @CBRetweet on Twitter.
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