Roller coaster rides are tons of fun at the amusement park. They are not as enjoyable in fantasy football but come with the territory. After a Week 2 in which some of the biggest fantasy stars suffered major injuries, many owners feel like they never got to go up on the coaster before going down. But do not despair as plenty of positive things also happened. We welcome you back to a new instalment of Sizzle/Fizzle. For those new to the column, we hope you enjoy this recap of the good and the bad. Most importantly, we hope these pieces of knowledge will point you in the direction of victory for your Week 3 NFL fantasy team!
Sizzle
San Francisco offense: Sure, Cincinnati is not the most formidable of opponents. Nevertheless, the 49ers delivered an absolute annihilation in the Queen City last Sunday. Raheem Mostert totalled 151 yards and a touchdown. Matt Breida rushed for 121 yards. Jeff Wilson waltzed into the end zone for a pair of touchdowns. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 297 and three touchdowns. Deebo Samuel caught five passes for 87 yards and a score. Oddly, George Kittle was relatively quiet. Over the long haul, he remains the most trustworthy 49er. But the entire cast proves Kyle Shanahan delivers great offense, even if he also drives fantasy owners crazy.
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons: The interceptions are a problem. Ryan has thrown five during the first two weeks of the season. However, when you throw for 320 yards and three touchdowns against a Philadelphia team that has been Atlanta’s nemesis, you make this list. With the quarterback position going through so much upheaval, Ryan’s steady presence looks quite good right now.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants: The Eli Manning era finally ends. The Giants are sitting their legend to give Jones a shot. The first-round pick from Duke looked sharp in the preseason. Possessing positive mobility, Jones will struggle at times, but New York was going nowhere with Manning. Over the next four weeks, two of New York’s opponents include Minnesota and New England. It may take a while for Jones to enter the streaming conversation. Golden Tate is still suspended and Sterling Shepard has been dealing with a concussion, but if everything shows signs of clicking by Week 7, a home date with Arizona would be appealing.
Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers: The talk of Jamaal Williams remaining actively involved generates concern. Still, when Jones overcomes a difficult matchup against Minnesota, he deserves a showcase. Jones made his way through the Vikings for 150 total yards and a touchdown. Because Jones still needs to shake Williams, he can be found in the RB2 crowd. But the ceiling for more stays in place during their Week 3 NFL Fantasy matchup.
Frank Gore, RB, Buffalo Bills: For all the rightful hype about Devin Singletary, Gore leads the Buffalo backfield. With Singletary iffy at best for Sunday, the script sets up Gore for success. As mentioned above, the San Francisco running game brutalized the Bengals. T.J. Yeldon will mix in, but Gore has the potential to match or better last week’s numbers. He rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown in a win over the New York Giants.
Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks: Seemingly relegated to handcuff status, Penny broke free in Pittsburgh. Penny rushed for 62 yards and produced a nifty 37-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, ball security issues are a problem for Chris Carson. Carson has lost two fumbles in the first two weeks of the season. Seattle’s backfield continues to be big enough for both, but Penny’s piece of the pie could keep growing.
Ty Johnson, RB, Detroit Lions: A rookie out of Maryland, Johnson is now the handcuff to Kerryon Johnson in Detroit’s Johnson and Johnson backfield. Detroit waived C.J. Anderson after Ty averaged six yards per carry in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers. With Kerryon’s workload falling short of workhorse status, Ty might make an interesting flex at some point.
Odell Beckham, WR, Cleveland Browns: Beckham’s homecoming to New Jersey turned into a real treat. First, he produced another amazing one-handed catch. OBJ then jolted the Jets with an 89-yard touchdown reception. As Beckham and Baker Mayfield get more comfortable with each other, more fireworks are on the horizon.
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos: Many feared Sanders would slide into irrelevance for a variety of reasons. Instead, Sanders has 16 receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns. There will be bumps in the road, potentially as soon as this Sunday in Green Bay, but Sanders should maintain solid value throughout the season.
Demarcus Robinson, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: With Tyreek Hill out, Robinson did plenty to pick up the slack in Oakland. The fourth-year player out of Florida caught six passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. It was Robinson and Mecole Hardman’s turns to have big days as Patrick Mahomes dominated once again. Sammy Watkins shined for Kansas City in Week 1. As long as Hill stays sidelined, any of the three can produce big days especially for your Week 3 NFL Fantasy team.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens: Through two games, Andrews has racked up 16 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest beneficiary of Lamar Jackson’s progression as a passer, Andrews looks likely to keep massively outpacing his draft position.
Will Dissly, TE, Seattle Seahawks: Dissly thrilled Seahawks fans by scoring a pair of touchdowns in their 28-26 victory over Pittsburgh. Dissly scored two touchdowns early last year before an injury knocked him out for the season. Hard to see Dissly being a consistent weapon in Seattle’s offense, but given his touchdown prowess, there are worse streaming selections out there.
Eddy Pineiro, K, Chicago Bears: I realize some of you are in leagues where kickers are non-existent. And then, some of you are in leagues where kickers get bonus points for long field goals. Pineiro drilled two field goals from beyond 50 yards in Denver, including the game-winner. Yes, the Mile High altitude helped. Regardless, Pineiro seems to have solved Chicago’s long-running kicking problems. And if he can duplicate his Denver showing, he can fix issues with your kicking situation.
Any team defense playing Miami – Dallas gets the dismal Dolphins this week. The Los Angeles Chargers travel to South Florida in Week 4. Unfortunately, the Dolphins are off in Week 5. In Week 6, they host Washington then travel to Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
Fizzle
New Orleans offense: First off, if you have the capacity to keep Drew Brees on your roster, hang onto him. If his recovery timetable remains accurate, Brees would be back for the fantasy stretch run and playoffs. No sense in potentially arming one of your opponents with a lethal weapon. However, while Brees heals, the fringe elements of the New Orleans offense take a huge hit. Players such as Latavius Murray, Ted Ginn (plus his family), Jared Cook, and Tre’Quan Smith are tough to play. And 2QB league owners buying into Teddy Bridgewater may see Teddy take a backseat to Taysom Hill. Hill would be an interesting option if he starts games given his running ability.
Pittsburgh offense: Mason Rudolph did not look overmatched when he took over for Ben Roethlisberger. Nonetheless, the Steelers, already struggling with Roethlisberger, should have more growing pains as Rudolph gets acclimated. On the plus side, JuJu Smith-Schuster will continue to get plenty of targets. James Washington could breakout as he played with Rudolph at Oklahoma State. There will be times where the Steelers are going to be just fine. But this has gone from being a great offense to a questionable one in a short period of time.
Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: Newton racked up 333 yards in last Thursday’s loss to Tampa Bay but failed to produce a touchdown. Now, Newton looks unlikely to play on Sunday in Arizona due to his troublesome foot. Newton has seemed off all season, but a matchup with the Cardinals would be exploitable. Now, if Kyle Allen starts, every Carolina pass-catcher needs to be downgraded. Christian McCaffrey’s ceiling drops a little as well.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings: Cousins possesses real-world limitations that are now starting to carry over in the fantasy universe. He was 14-for-32 in a Week 2 loss to Green Bay and was responsible for three turnovers. With Dalvin Cook proving to be dynamite, Cousins lacks volume. Remember he threw just 10 passes in Week 1. Even with a great pair of receivers, Cousins has gotten to the point where streaming him looks dicey.
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: Playing like he wants to channel 2018 Ronald Jones, Mixon has 44 total yards in two games. He currently averages 1.6 yards per carry. At some point, you have to think he turns it around. Until that happens, Week 3 NFL Fantasy owners will be fuming. A tough matchup in Buffalo means things could be rough again for another week.
Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Speaking of Ronald Jones, his Week 1 production and workload turned into a mirage. Jones received four carries in Week 2 and rushed for nine yards. Meanwhile, Peyton Barber rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Safe to say Jones cannot be trusted at the moment after all.
Duke Johnson, RB, Houston Texans: Carlos Hyde has dragged down Duke’s value way more than expected. With Lamar Miller out for the season, Johnson’s ceiling appeared to be that of an RB2. Instead, with Hyde playing well, Johnson looks like the flex he used to be in Cleveland.
Damien Williams/LeSean McCoy, RBs, Kansas City Chiefs: Both backs are battling injuries and their statuses need to be monitored as we approach the weekend. Should either be limited or unable to play, Darwin Thompson’s value zooms upward. Just recently, Thompson ended up being released by many owners due to McCoy joining the Chiefs. If you released Darwin, you may need to scramble to bring him back.
Miles Sanders/Jordan Howard/Darren Sproles, RBs, Philadelphia Eagles: Through two games, the hyped Sanders has produced just 66 total yards. Howard has 82 total yards. Sproles went from being part of the game plan in Week 1 to almost total silence in Week 2. In defense of Sanders, he had a touchdown called back during opening week. However, owners are expecting more. And the Eagles really need someone to get hot in their backfield, because as you will see next, they have trouble elsewhere. Steer clear of this backfield for Week 3 NFL Fantasy team.
Alshon Jeffery/DeSean Jackson, WRs, Philadelphia Eagles: Both Jeffery and Jackson left early in Atlanta before either of them could post any points. And they may not return until Week 5. Zach Ertz will have no shortage of targets coming his way. It will be up to Ertz, Nelson Agholor, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and Mack Hollins to keep Carson Wentz’s fantasy value from entering freefall mode.
Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys: A high degree of disappointment descended upon Gallup’s fantasy owners on Monday. Gallup will be sidelined two to four weeks due to surgery on his meniscus. Randall Cobb’s involvement in the offense rises and Devin Smith’s big play ability will help. Nevertheless, Gallup’s presence in lineups will be missed. With a relatively short recovery timetable, no one needs to be dropping Michael.
O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Disappointing in Week 1, Howard turned in an absolute catastrophe in Tampa’s second game of the season. Howard failed to catch a pass as Jameis Winston zeroed in on Chris Godwin. New Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians possesses a reputation as being unfriendly to tight ends. However, fellow tight end Cameron Brate had two touchdowns called back on opening day due to penalties. Arians wants Howard to play better. Fantasy owners hope Bruce’s message sinks in.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns: A broken wrist will sideline Njoku for several weeks. Not an elite fantasy tight end, Njoku occasionally headlines the best of the rest. With tight end being hit or miss, Njoku needs to stay on your squad if you have a roster spot to spare.
Hope you enjoyed this Week 3 NFL Fantasy Sizzle/Fizzle.
Stay tuned as Sizzle/Fizzle returns again next week!
