Week 3

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Week 3 of the NFL season is approaching and things are really starting to get interesting. There were a few familiar names across the individual leader boards last week, like Vikings phenom Adrian Peterson, and Cardinals man-child Anquan Boldin, but we had quite a few newcomers announce their presence in a big way as well. Raider rookie running back (like the alliteration?) Darren McFadden led Oakland to a victory with his 164-yard performance, Aaron Rodgers and Jason Campbell led their teams to victories with impressive games and old men Kurt Warner and Isaac Bruce showed they still have what it takes to score big. And how could I not mention Brandon Marshall’s dominating 18-catch, 166-yard showing? If only he could keep himself out of trouble… Moving on to Week 3, we will get to see some interesting match ups as the Cowboys and Packers meet in a battle of two of the NFC’s best, the Eagles and Steelers meet in the battle for Pennsylvania and the Chargers try to rebound from their disappointing start against the fightin’ Brett Favres. For insight into these matchups and more, I give you the Week 3 Start & Sit!

Our rating system is based on two sets of rankings. The first set is a value between 1-20, given based on a player’s Fantasy Value If Playing (FVIP). The second set is that player’s Playing Probability (PP). These two sets are thrown into a giant machine, twisted around a little, mixed up, sorted, resorted, then eventually darts are thrown at the results. If you require any further help, our start/sit forum is top notch. You will find quick replies to your questions there and many eager helpers!

Quarterbacks	Team	Opp.	FVIP	PP	Ranking
Tony Romo	DAL	at GB	20	100%	19.50
Jay Cutler	DEN	NO	20	100%	19.50
Drew Brees	NO	at DEN	17	100%	17.00
Eli Manning	NYG	CIN	17	100%	16.50
Aaron Rodgers	GB	DAL	16	100%	16.00
Peyton Manning	IND	JAX	15	100%	15.00
Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at PHI	15	100%	15.00
Donovan McNabb	PHI	PIT	15	100%	15.00
Kurt Warner	ARI	at WAS	15	100%	15.00
Philip Rivers	SD	at NYJ	14	100%	13.50
Brett Favre	NYJ	SD	13	100%	13.00
Jon Kitna	DET	at SF	13	100%	13.00
Jake Delhomme	CAR	at MIN	13	100%	12.50
Matt Cassel	NE	MIA	12	100%	12.00
Jason Campbell	WAS	ARI	12	100%	12.00
J.T. O’Sullivan	SF	DET	12	100%	12.00
Carson Palmer	CIN	at NYG	12	100%	11.50
Derek Anderson	CLE	at BAL	11	100%	11.00
Marc Bulger	STL	at SEA	11	100%	11.00
Trent Edwards	BUF	OAK	11	100%	10.50
Matt Schaub	HOU	at TEN	11	100%	10.50
David Garrard	JAX	at IND	10	100%	10.00
Matt Ryan	ATL	KC	10	100%	9.50
Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	STL	10	100%	9.50
Chad Pennington	MIA	at NE	9	100%	9.00
Joe Flacco	BAL	CLE	8	100%	8.00
Kyle Orton	CHI	TB	8	100%	7.50
JaMarcus Russell	OAK	at BUF	7	100%	6.50
Tarvaris Jackson	MIN	CAR	2	10%	0.15

Start: Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos – New Orleans’ injury woes on defense leave them very vulnerable to Denver’s suddenly high powered air attack. Cutler has put up huge numbers in the past two weeks and you can expect more of the same this Sunday.

Sit: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals – I don’t think anyone can feel comfortable starting any Bengals right now. They have looked dreadful, and even at home I don’t trust that offense against the G-Men. The Giants have looked like a team that can defend their title and the Bengals look like a team that wants to draft Beanie Wells or Knowshon Moreno first overall next year.

Running Backs	Team	Opp.	FVIP	PP	Ranking
Adrian Peterson	MIN	CAR	19	100%	19.00
Brian Westbrook	PHI	PIT	18	100%	17.50
Marion Barber	DAL	at GB	17	100%	17.00
Clinton Portis	WAS	ARI	17	100%	16.50
Frank Gore	SF	DET	17	100%	16.50
Marshawn Lynch	BUF	OAK	16	100%	16.00
Brandon Jacobs	NYG	CIN	16	100%	15.50
LaDainian Tomlinson	SD	at NYJ	16	95%	15.20
Steven Jackson	STL	at SEA	15	100%	15.00
Willie Parker	PIT	at PHI	15	100%	14.50
Matt Forte	CHI	TB	14	100%	13.50
Chris Johnson	TEN	HOU	14	100%	13.50
Larry Johnson	KC	ATL	14	100%	13.50
Reggie Bush	NO	at DEN	14	100%	13.50
Joseph Addai	IND	JAX	13	100%	13.00
Earnest Graham	TB	at CHI	13	100%	13.00
Thomas Jones	NYJ	SD	13	100%	13.00
Julius Jones	SEA	STL	13	100%	13.00
Michael Turner	ATL	KC	14	95%	12.83
Kevin Smith	DET	at SF	13	100%	12.50
Sammy Morris	NE	MIA	13	100%	12.50
Maurice Jones-Drew	JAX	at IND	12	95%	11.40
Darren McFadden	OAK	at BUF	13	90%	11.25
Edgerrin James	ARI	at WAS	11	100%	11.00
Fred Taylor	JAX	at IND	11	100%	11.00
LenDale White	TEN	HOU	11	100%	11.00
Jamal Lewis	CLE	at BAL	11	100%	10.50
Jonathan Stewart	CAR	at MIN	11	100%	10.50
Chris Perry	CIN	at NYG	10	100%	10.00
Ray Rice	BAL	CLE	9	100%	9.00
Tim Hightower	ARI	at WAS	9	100%	9.00
Ronnie Brown	MIA	at NE	9	100%	9.00
Brandon Jackson	GB	DAL	9	100%	9.00
Selvin Young	DEN	NO	9	100%	9.00
Steve Slaton	HOU	at TEN	9	100%	8.50
Ryan Grant	GB	DAL	12	70%	8.40
Ricky Williams	MIA	at NE	8	100%	7.50
Jerious Norwood	ATL	KC	8	100%	7.50
Willis McGahee	BAL	CLE	12	60%	7.20
DeAngelo Williams	CAR	at MIN	7	100%	7.00
Felix Jones	DAL	at GB	7	100%	7.00
Chester Taylor	MIN	CAR	7	100%	6.50
Andre Hall	DEN	NO	6	100%	5.50
Leon Washington	NYJ	SD	5	100%	5.00
Laurence Maroney	NE	MIA	8	60%	4.80
Chris Taylor	HOU	at TEN	4	100%	4.00
Justin Fargas	OAK	at BUF	9	0%	0.00

Start: Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans – The speedy rookie from East Carolina has exploded onto the NFL scene with 248 Total Yards and a TD in his first two games, and with a match up this week against a Houston Texans Defense that surrendered 183 Rushing Yards and 3 Touchdowns in their only game, there’s a solid chance CJ4.24 will put on a show this week.

Sit: DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers – It looks as though the changing of the guard may have begun in Carolina last week, as Jonathan Stewart rumbled his way to 77 yards and two scores against Chicago while Williams managed only 31 yards on 11 carries and sat out the entire second half. Given that, and a highly unfavorable matchup against a stout Minnesota Run Defense, this is not a week to have Williams in your lineup.

Wide Receivers	Team	Opp.	FVIP	PP	Ranking
Brandon Marshall	DEN	NO	20	100%	20.00
Terrell Owens	DAL	at GB	20	100%	19.50
Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at WAS	19	100%	19.00
Plaxico Burress	NYG	CIN	18	100%	18.00
Randy Moss	NE	MIA	18	100%	18.00
Reggie Wayne	IND	JAX	18	100%	18.00
Steve Smith	CAR	at MIN	18	100%	17.50
Calvin Johnson	DET	at SF	18	100%	17.50
Andre Johnson	HOU	at TEN	16	100%	16.00
Greg Jennings	GB	DAL	16	100%	15.50
Anquan Boldin	ARI	at WAS	15	100%	15.00
Braylon Edwards	CLE	at BAL	14	100%	14.00
Jerricho Cotchery	NYJ	SD	14	100%	14.00
T.J. Houshmandzadeh	CIN	at NYG	14	100%	13.50
Hines Ward	PIT	at PHI	14	100%	13.50
Roy Williams	DET	at SF	14	100%	13.50
Chris Chambers	SD	at NYJ	14	100%	13.50
Santonio Holmes	PIT	at PHI	13	100%	13.00
Santana Moss	WAS	ARI	13	100%	13.00
Torry Holt	STL	at SEA	13	100%	12.50
Marvin Harrison	IND	JAX	12	100%	12.00
Isaac Bruce	SF	DET	12	100%	12.00
Donald Driver	GB	DAL	12	100%	11.50
Wes Welker	NE	MIA	12	100%	11.50
Laveranues Coles	NYJ	SD	12	100%	11.50
Bryant Johnson	SF	DET	12	100%	11.50
DeSean Jackson	PHI	PIT	12	100%	11.50
Roddy White	ATL	KC	12	100%	11.50
Lee Evans	BUF	OAK	12	100%	11.50
Chad Ocho Cinco	CIN	at NYG	11	100%	11.00
Anthony Gonzalez	IND	JAX	11	100%	11.00
Dwayne Bowe	KC	ATL	11	100%	11.00
Eddie Royal	DEN	NO	11	100%	10.50
David Patten	NO	at DEN	11	100%	10.50
Justin Gage	TEN	HOU	10	100%	10.00
Vincent Jackson	SD	at NYJ	10	100%	9.50
Matt Jones	JAX	at IND	9	100%	9.00
Derrick Mason	BAL	CLE	9	100%	9.00
Bernard Berrian	MIN	CAR	9	100%	8.50
Kevin Walter	HOU	at TEN	9	100%	8.50
Ronald Curry	OAK	at BUF	8	100%	8.00
Antonio Bryant	TB	at CHI	8	100%	8.00
Patrick Crayton	DAL	at GB	8	100%	8.00
Devery Henderson	NO	at DEN	8	100%	7.50
Reggie Williams	JAX	at IND	8	100%	7.50
Muhsin Muhammad	CAR	at MIN	8	100%	7.50
Sidney Rice	MIN	CAR	11	60%	6.30
Michael Jenkins	ATL	KC	6	100%	6.00
Brandon Stokley	DEN	NO	6	100%	6.00
Mark Clayton	BAL	CLE	6	100%	6.00
D.J. Hackett	CAR	at MIN	6	100%	6.00
Ted Ginn Jr.	MIA	at NE	6	100%	5.50
Jabar Gaffney	NE	MIA	6	100%	5.50
Josh Morgan	SF	DET	6	100%	5.50
Joey Galloway	TB	at CHI	9	60%	5.10
Javon Walker	OAK	at BUF	5	100%	5.00
Steve Smith	NYG	CIN	5	100%	4.50
Courtney Taylor	SEA	STL	5	50%	2.50
Devin Hester	CHI	TB	2	15%	0.30

Start: Isaac Bruce, San Francisco 49ers – Bruce finished last Sunday’s game with 4 receptions for 153 yards. The old man made the most of the few looks he got and I expect to see those looks to go up against the lowly Lions. Journeyman JT O’Sullivan looked quite comfortable running the Niners’ offense against Seattle and with the pass happy Martz calling the plays I see a big day for Bruce.

Sit: Chad Ocho Cinco, Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals offense hasn’t gotten much of anything going in the first two weeks. This week they face a tough Giants defense and I don’t see Carson and company turning it around against them.

Tight Ends	Team	Opp.	FVIP	PP	Ranking
Jason Witten	DAL	at GB	20	100%	20.00
Tony Scheffler	DEN	NO	18	100%	18.00
Antonio Gates	SD	at NYJ	18	100%	17.50
Kellen Winslow	CLE	at BAL	17	100%	16.50
Tony Gonzalez	KC	ATL	15	100%	15.00
Jeremy Shockey	NO	at DEN	15	100%	14.50
Chris Cooley	WAS	ARI	13	100%	12.50
Owen Daniels	HOU	at TEN	13	100%	12.50
John Carlson	SEA	STL	12	100%	12.00
L.J. Smith	PHI	PIT	11	100%	11.00
Heath Miller	PIT	at PHI	11	100%	10.50
Vernon Davis	SF	DET	11	100%	10.50
Todd Heap	BAL	CLE	11	100%	10.50
Greg Olsen	CHI	TB	10	100%	10.00
Anthony Fasano	MIA	at NE	9	100%	9.00
Zach Miller	OAK	at BUF	9	100%	9.00
Dante Rosario	CAR	at MIN	9	100%	9.00
Randy McMichael	STL	at SEA	9	100%	8.50
Donald Lee	GB	DAL	9	100%	8.50
Alge Crumpler	TEN	HOU	8	100%	8.00
Dallas Clark	IND	JAX	13	55%	7.15
Kevin Boss	NYG	CIN	7	100%	6.50
Bo Scaife	TEN	HOU	7	100%	6.50
Ben Watson	NE	MIA	9	75%	6.38
Marcedes Lewis	JAX	at IND	6	100%	6.00
Dustin Keller	NYJ	SD	6	100%	6.00
Desmond Clark	CHI	TB	5	100%	5.00
Robert Royal	BUF	OAK	5	100%	4.50
Alex Smith	TB	at CHI	4	100%	4.00
Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	CAR	4	100%	3.50

Start: Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints – This game has all the makings of a shootout. Denver and New Orleans have high powered offenses and weaker defenses so far this year. With Colston still out, Shockey should see a lot of looks.

Sit: Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers – He has all the talent in the world. He has a coach that claims to want to get the ball in his hands. Last week Davis put up a fantasy goose egg. At this point, he should be on the bench until he proves something…even against Detroit.

Start: Matt Prater, Denver Broncos – The Broncos offense has been scoring at will. This game against New Orleans should be a shootout. I would bet on a ton of extra points and a few field goals sprinkled on top.

Sit: Josh Brown, Saint Louis Rams – At the beginning of the year Josh Brown was actually being drafted. Unfortunately, we now realize that the Rams have trouble getting anywhere near the red zone. It’s tough for a kicker to score when your offense is stuck in neutral.

Start: Carolina Panthers – The Vikings couldn’t get in the end zone against the Colts last week, Adrian Peterson has a bad hammy and Gus Frerotte is one TD pass away from giving himself a concussion, again.

Sit: Green Bay Packers – The Packers have been a good fantasy defense the last couple weeks, however they run into a buzzsaw in the Dallas Cowboys in week 3. The Cowboys have no trouble scoring on anyone and their offense can beat you in many ways when led by Romo’s precise passes. I don’t see the Packers defense getting many fantasy points against the ‘Boys this week.

 
Many thanks to the people who helped put this together: treat24, Dan Lambskin, WaCougMBS, and Bobbing_headz who helped with the rankings and treat24, Kilroy, and Metroid who helped writing the article.