Week 3: Stay Classy - 7 comments

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“You get nothing, you lose! Good day sir!”
-Willy Wonka, childhood obesity advocate
That quote, taken from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” was the first thing I thought of when the Chargers were unable to trade Vincent Jackson to the Vikings. How could it not happen? Minnesota needs a receiver thanks to Sidney Rice’s knee, Percy Harvin’s migraines, and Bernard Berrian’s berrian-ness. San Diego knows Jackson isn’t playing for them, and receiving a second-round draft choice and an additional conditional pick seems like a good deal considering the alternative. Alas, it appears Chargers GM A.J. Smith is not a big Willy Wonka fan. When is comes to movies, he prefers to quote Ron Burgundy.
 
Note: the Café will not allow me to print the applicable excerpt from Mr. Burgundy. What the Café will do is rank all the players we expect could see a significant amount of game action each week. We factor in a player’s overall ability, his weekly matchup, and the current status of his health. The result is one Start/Sit number, based on a scale of 100, and we’ll use each member’s ratings to find an average for each player. The higher a guy is on our list, the better you should feel starting him. Finally, below each table, I will give my personal Start/Sit recommendations for each position. Without further ado, let’s get to Start/Sit for Week 3.
 

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opp	Average
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at CHI	95.20
2	Peyton Manning	IND	at DEN	92.80
3	Drew Brees	NO	ATL	91.80
4	Tom Brady	NE	BUF	89.20
5	Matt Schaub	HOU	DAL	88.00
6	Tony Romo	DAL	at HOU	87.80
7	Philip Rivers	SD	at SEA	84.60
8	Michael Vick	PHI	at JAC	82.60
9	Donovan McNabb	WAS	at STL	79.80
10	Brett Favre	MIN	DET	77.63
11	Jay Cutler	CHI	GB	77.40
12	Joe Flacco	BAL	CLE	77.00
13	Eli Manning	NYG	TEN	74.60
14	Kyle Orton	DEN	IND	73.40
15	Matt Ryan	ATL	at NO	72.20
16	Carson Palmer	CIN	at CAR	71.60
17	Alex Smith	SF	at KC	64.60
18	David Garrard	JAC	PHI	64.40
19	Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	SD	62.80
20	Sam Bradford	STL	WAS	62.00
21	Matt Cassel	KC	SF	61.60
22	Bruce Gradowski	OAK	at ARI	61.00
23	Josh Freeman	TB	PIT	59.60
24	Derek Anderson	ARI	OAK	59.40
25	Chad Henne	MIA	NYJ	58.40
26	Mark Sanchez	NYJ	at MIA	58.20
27	Vince Young	TEN	at NYG	57.98
28	Charlie Batch	PIT	at TB	56.80
29	Shaun Hill	DET	at MIN	56.00
30	Jimmy Clausen	CAR	CIN	46.50
31	Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	at NE	41.40
32	Seneca Wallace	CLE	at BAL	39.90

 
Start: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles. People continue to wonder what the mood is around the Eagles locker room these days. Here are a few random quotes that could help provide some insight:
 
“We have to go with Mike. He gives us the best chance to win.” – Anonymous player
“That’s not really an option. He plays for Washington now, sir.” – Assistant coach
“I said you were the starter. Past tense. Try and keep up.” – Andy Reid
“No, I totally understand … Detroit’s always tough.” – Kevin Kolb
“Two weeks and LeSean McCoy still isn’t on the injury report. I told you he’d never be able to fill Westbrook’s walking boots.” – Assistant GM
 
Now, I admit not all of these statements make the case for starting Vick. Doesn’t matter. Vick is a must start in all formats against Jacksonville. He’s proven he can put up numbers against relatively weak opponents.
 
Sit: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons. Ryan went off last week, but that was against Arizona. This week he faces New Orleans, a team he struggled against last season. Last year, Ryan had one score versus three picks against the Saints and completed just 45% of his passes. Until further notice, Ryan remains a match-up play, and Week 3 isn’t all that favorable. Look elsewhere.
 

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opp	Average
1	Adrian Peterson	MIN	DET	99.20
2	Chris Johnson	TEN	at NYG	93.20
3	Ray Rice	BAL	CLE	92.80
4	Frank Gore	SF	at KC	91.80
5	Maurice Jones-Drew	JAC	PHI	89.90
6	Rashard Mendenhall	PIT	at TB	88.80
7	Steven Jackson	STL	WAS	85.80
8	Darren McFadden	OAK	at ARI	83.60
9	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at JAC	82.80
10	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	CIN	82.60
11	Pierre Thomas	NO	ATL	82.30
12	Cedric Benson	CIN	at CAR	81.00
13	Arian Foster	HOU	DAL	79.20
14	Knowshon Moreno	DEN	IND	79.16
15	Michael Turner	ATL	at NO	77.87
16	Clinton Portis	WAS	at STL	77.80
17	Jahvid Best	DET	at MIN	76.60
18	Matt Forte	CHI	GB	75.30
19	Ahmad Bradshaw	NYG	TEN	75.20
20	LaDainian Tomlinson	NYJ	at MIA	73.90
21	Ronnie Brown	MIA	NYJ	72.10
22	Tim Hightower	ARI	OAK	72.00
23	Joseph Addai	IND	at DEN	71.84
24	Shonn Greene	NYJ	at MIA	71.70
25	Marion Barber	DAL	at HOU	71.10
26	Jamaal Charles	KC	SF	70.20
27	Felix Jones	DAL	at HOU	69.50
28	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	CIN	69.20
29	Fred Taylor	NE	BUF	68.60
30	Ricky Williams	MIA	NYJ	66.50
31	Brandon Jackson	GB	at CHI	66.40
32	Justin Forsett	SEA	SD	65.20
33	Fred Jackson	BUF	at NE	63.58
34	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	TEN	62.80
T-34	Cadillac Williams	TB	PIT	62.80
36	Thomas Jones	KC	SF	62.60
37	Peyton Hills	CLE	at BAL	62.40
38	Ryan Mathews	SD	at SEA	59.00
39	Willis McGahee	BAL	CLE	57.40
40	Jerome Harrison	CLE	at BAL	56.86
41	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at NE	56.50
42	Donald Brown	IND	at DEN	56.00
T-42	Leon Washington	SEA	SD	56.00
44	Bernard Scott	CIN	at CAR	55.20
45	Darren Sproles	SD	at SEA	54.30
46	Marshawn Lynch	BUF	at NE	53.80
47	Beanie Wells	ARI	OAK	53.64
48	Jason Snelling	ATL	at NO	52.50
49	Mike Tolbert	SD	at SEA	52.00
50	Chester Taylor	CHI	GB	50.30
51	John Kuhn	GB	at CHI	49.60
52	Javon Ringer	TEN	at NYG	49.00
53	Correll Buckhalter	DEN	IND	48.45
54	Steve Slaton	HOU	DAL	46.10
55	Keiland Williams	WAS	at STL	45.00
56	Kareem Huggins	TB	PIT	40.80
57	Toby Gerhart	MIN	DET	39.20
T-57	Mike Bell	PHI	at JAC	39.20
59	Earnest Graham	TB	PIT	36.60
60	Anthony Dixon	SF	at KC	35.80
61	Julius Jones	SEA	SD	35.20
62	Brian Westbrook	SF	at KC	35.06
63	Rashad Jennings	JAC	PHI	33.90
64	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	NE	BUF	33.40
65	Isaac Redman	PIT	at TB	29.20

 
Start: Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders. In 2008, Al Davis addressed a group of strangers he mistook for employees and informed them that he would select Darren McFadden with Oakland’s first-round pick. Two injury-riddled seasons later, McFadden appeared to be well on his way down the ill-fated path traveled by so many of Oakland’s first round selections. Then the stars began to align. Now McFadden is running hard and shedding tacklers while Michael Bush continues to recover from an injured thumb. Last week McFadden rushed 30 times for 145 yards. Some may consider him a “sell high” given his own injury history and Bush’s pending return. While I don’t totally disagree, I’d wait one more game because his value will likely be even higher after a Week 3 showdown with a porous Arizona run defense.
 
Sit: Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs. His speed has been compared to that of Chris Johnson and when you watch Jamaal Charles in action you know the comparison is not an overstatement. Charles can definitely play. Unfortunately, head coach Todd Haley is on a mission to make sure he doesn’t play very much at all. Thomas Jones received twice as many carries as Charles in Week 2, and that trend should continue, at least in the near future. Look for Charles to get no more than 10 to 12 touches against a rejuvenated 49ers defense.
 

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opp	Average
1	Andre Johnson	HOU	DAL	93.60
2	Miles Austin	DAL	at HOU	92.60
3	Randy Moss	NE	BUF	92.00
4	Roddy White	ATL	at NO	90.00
5	Calvin Johnson	DET	at MIN	88.10
6	Reggie Wayne	IND	at DEN	87.20
7	Greg Jennings	GB	at CHI	87.00
8	DeSean Jackson	PHI	at JAC	86.60
9	Wes Welker	NE	BUF	86.00
10	Anquan Boldin	BAL	CLE	85.90
11	Marques Colston	NO	ATL	84.00
12	Brandon Marshall	MIA	NYJ	81.00
13	Santana Moss	WAS	at STL	80.90
14	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	OAK	79.84
15	Chad Ochocinco	CIN	at CAR	78.70
16	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at JAC	78.60
17	Hines Ward	PIT	at TB	78.40
18	Hakeem Nicks	NYG	TEN	77.96
19	Steve Smith	CAR	CIN	77.74
20	Donald Driver	GB	at CHI	77.00
21	Steve Smith	NYG	TEN	76.30
22	Mike Sims-Walker	JAC	PHI	75.40
23	Michael Crabtree	SF	at KC	74.20
24	Malcom Floyd	SD	at SEA	74.00
25	Dwayne Bowe	KC	SF	73.80
26	Percy Harvin	MIN	DET	73.78
27	Mike Wallace	PIT	at TB	72.80
28	Terrell Owens	CIN	at CAR	72.70
29	Mike Williams	TB	PIT	71.20
30	Johnny Knox	CHI	GB	70.40
T-30	Legedu Naanee	SD	at SEA	70.40
32	Derrick Mason	BAL	CLE	69.90
33	Jacoby Jones	HOU	DAL	68.60
T-33	Austin Collie	IND	at DEN	68.60
35	Eddie Royal	DEN	IND	68.00
36	Nate Washington	TEN	at NYG	67.40
37	Kevin Walter	HOU	DAL	67.00
38	Jabar Gaffney	DEN	IND	66.40
39	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	BAL	CLE	66.30
40	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	IND	65.80
41	Pierre Garcon	IND	at DEN	65.58
42	Bernard Berrian	MIN	DET	65.56
43	Dez Bryant	DAL	at HOU	64.44
44	Mike Thomas	JAC	PHI	64.00
45	Mike Williams	SEA	SD	63.90
46	Lee Evans	BUF	at NE	63.70
47	Louis Murphy	OAK	at ARI	63.20
48	Steve Breaston	ARI	OAK	63.04
49	Robert Meachem	NO	ATL	62.60
50	Devin Hester	CHI	GB	61.80
51	Devery Henderson	NO	ATL	61.40
52	Braylon Edwards	NYJ	at MIA	60.36
53	Jerricho Cotchery	NYJ	at MIA	59.20
54	Devin Aromashodu	CHI	GB	58.80
55	Mario Manningham	NYG	TEN	58.70
56	Brandon Lloyd	DEN	IND	58.40
T-56	Josh Morgan	SF	at KC	58.40
58	Roy Williams	DAL	at HOU	57.80
59	Darrius Heyward-Bey	OAK	at ARI	57.60
60	Mohamed Massaquoi	CLE	at BAL	57.30
61	Jordan Shipley	CIN	at CAR	57.10
62	Jason Avant	PHI	at JAC	57.00
63	James Jones	GB	at CHI	56.80
T-63	Chris Chambers	KC	SF	56.80
65	Justin Gage	TEN	at NYG	55.80
66	Mark Clayton	STL	WAS	55.00
67	Danny Amendola	STL	WAS	54.70
68	Joey Galloway	WAS	at STL	53.70
69	Laurent Robinson	STL	WAS	53.01
70	Greg Camarillo	MIN	DET	52.00
71	Dexter McCluster	KC	SF	51.60
72	Sammie Stroughter	TB	PIT	50.80
73	Deion Branch	SEA	SD	50.70
74	Deon Butler	SEA	SD	49.50
75	Davone Bess	MIA	NYJ	48.20
76	Joshua Cribbs	CLE	at BAL	47.90
77	Roscoe Parrish	BUF	at NE	44.90
78	Kenny Britt	TEN	at NYG	44.20
79	Brian Robiskie	CLE	at BAL	44.14
80	Jordy Nelson	GB	at CHI	43.40
T-80	Lance Moore	NO	ATL	43.40

 
Start: Terrell Owens, Cincinnati Bengals. Owens had only three catches last week against the Ravens but was targeted 11 times. In fact, through two weeks, only three receivers were targeted more than Owens. Those receivers are Roddy White, Miles Austin and Larry Fitzgerald. Moreover, I not sure I even buy Fitzgerald’s target total because it assumes it’s possible to know where Derek Anderson was aiming. For all we know, Early Doucet has been targeted 45 times this season. Anyway, it appears the Bengals are making a concerted effort to get the ball to Owens, and that task should be a lot easier this week against the Panthers.
 
Sit: Mario Manningham, New York Giants. The Giants host the Titans at the creatively named New Meadowlands Stadium. New York is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Colts, while Tennessee will try and bounce back from a hard fought defeat at the hands of the Steelers. The Titans allowed a mere 21 yards through the air last week and are typically tough against the pass. This makes it difficult to recommend any Giants receivers, even though they’ll be playing in their home stadium/wall-mounted air conditioning unit. (Seriously, have you seen this building? It’s not pretty.) I’m singling out Manningham because, while he’s outperformed his ADP over a small sample size, he’s still the third option for Eli Manning, and Tennessee is a tough team to spread the ball around against.
 

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opp	Average
1	Vernon Davis	SF	at KC	93.40
2	Antonio Gates	SD	at SEA	91.60
3	Dallas Clark	IND	at DEN	91.00
4	Jermichael Finley	GB	at CHI	89.60
5	Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	DET	87.40
6	Chris Cooley	WAS	at STL	86.50
7	Brent Celek	PHI	at JAC	85.00
8	Jason Witten	DAL	at HOU	84.08
9	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	at NO	81.60
10	Zach Miller	OAK	at ARI	81.40
11	Kellen Winslow	TB	PIT	79.40
12	Heath Miller	PIT	at TB	78.80
13	Dustin Keller	NYJ	at MIA	75.80
14	John Carlson	SEA	SD	74.70
15	Jermaine Gresham	CIN	at CAR	73.80
16	Aaron Hernandez	NE	BUF	72.90
17	Marcedes Lewis	JAC	PHI	72.20
18	Todd Heap	BAL	CLE	71.57
19	Jeremy Shockey	NO	ATL	69.20
20	Greg Olsen	CHI	GB	67.20
21	Owen Daniels	HOU	DAL	67.08
22	Brandon Pettigrew	DET	at MIN	64.50
23	Bo Scaife	TEN	at NYG	62.60
24	Ben Watson	CLE	at BAL	59.90
25	Anthony Fasano	MIA	NYJ	59.00
26	Daniel Graham	DEN	IND	58.60
27	Rob Gronkowski	NE	BUF	56.10
28	Tony Moeaki	KC	SF	51.40
29	Ben Patrick	ARI	OAK	51.10
30	Jonathan Stupar	BUF	at NE	50.70

 
Start: Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings. Pop quiz: If Brett Favre used to play with an unmatched level of enthusiasm, why do we now constantly see him looking like he’s anxiously awaiting medical results?
 
A) He doesn’t have any receivers to throw the ball to
B) He’s anxiously awaiting medical results
C) Wrangler jeans aren’t really that comfortable
 
Answer: A (I think). But there is a silver lining, and his name is Visanthe Shiancoe. Shiancoe has proven to be the only person Favre trusts in Minnesota’s offense and is second in total yards amongst tight ends this year. Oh, and he gets to play the Lions this week.
 
Sit: Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears. Olsen had 39 yards and a score last week. More often than not, you’d take that from your tight end. Unfortunately, all 39 yards came on a single reception. In fact, Olsen was only targeted once during the game. It appears that the Bears offense is focused on protecting Jay Cutler, and Olsen is going to be used primarily as a blocker.
 

Rank	Team Defense	Team	Opp	Average
1	Ravens	BAL	CLE	90.40
2	Vikings	MIN	DET	88.60
T-2	Jets	NYJ	at MIA	88.60
4	Eagles	PHI	at JAC	86.10
5	Steelers	PIT	at TB	86.00
6	Packers	GB	at CHI	84.50
7	49ers	SF	at KC	83.10
8	Patriots	NE	BUF	81.40
9	Bengals	CIN	at CAR	80.30
10	Saints	NO	ATL	77.80
11	Redskins	WAS	at STL	75.00
12	Chargers	SD	at SEA	74.80
13	Cardinals	ARI	OAK	74.20
14	Cowboys	DAL	at HOU	72.50
15	Titans	TEN	at NYG	72.00
16	Giants	NYG	TEN	71.00
17	Dolphins	MIA	NYJ	70.00
18	Panthers	CAR	CIN	68.90
19	Texans	HOU	DAL	67.50
20	Chiefs	KC	SF	67.30
21	Raiders	OAK	at ARI	67.20
22	Colts	IND	at DEN	66.60
23	Buccaneers	TB	PIT	66.30
24	Broncos	DEN	IND	66.10
25	Bears	CHI	GB	65.40
26	Jaguars	JAC	PHI	65.20
27	Falcons	ATL	at NO	63.80
28	Browns	CLE	at BAL	63.60
29	Lions	DET	at MIN	59.70
30	Seahawks	SEA	SD	59.60
31	Bills	BUF	at NE	55.40
32	Rams	STL	WAS	51.00

 
Start: Baltimore Ravens. Last week the Ravens defense played brilliantly for the second straight game, but it wasn’t enough as Baltimore lost a heartbreaker to the Bengals, thanks to a couple of questionable calls. When asked to comment on the officiating Ray Lewis said, “No big deal. The referees try their best and that’s good enough for me. Hey, have you guys tried the new ‘Swagger’ from Old Spice?” … Okay, that’s not what he said; he was pissed. I’m thinking an angry defense that hasn’t allowed a touchdown all season plus an opponent (Cleveland) that isn’t known for lighting up the scoreboard equals a strong play for Week 3.
 
Sit: Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys defense has played reasonably well over the first two weeks in spite of the team’s 0–2 record. That’s not the issue. What is the issue? If you’re a regular reader of this award winning (awards pending) column, you know that fantasy defense is all about match-ups. In Week 3, the Cowboys face Matt Schaub and the Texans. Schaub has elevated his game to become one of the top signal callers in the league, and the Texans are unlikely to make enough mistakes to warrant starting the Dallas defense. (Honorable mention: whoever is playing against Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers.)
 

Rank	Placekickers	Team	Opp	Average
1	Ryan Longwell	MIN	DET	89.80
2	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	BUF	88.60
3	David Akers	PHI	at JAC	88.40
4	Nate Kaeding	SD	at SEA	85.00
5	Mason Crosby	GB	at CHI	83.60
T-5	Garrett Hartley	NO	ATL	83.60
7	Matt Prater	DEN	IND	82.20
8	Rob Bironas	TEN	at NYG	81.80
9	Neil Rackers	HOU	DAL	80.90
10	Jay Feely	ARI	OAK	78.60
11	Robbie Gould	CHI	GB	77.10
12	Lawrence Tynes	NYG	TEN	76.80
13	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	at ARI	76.50
14	Jeff Reed	PIT	at TB	74.40
T-14	Graham Gano	WAS	at STL	74.40
16	Billy Cundiff	BAL	CLE	74.20
17	Mike Nugent	CIN	at CAR	74.00
18	Nick Folk	NYJ	at MIA	72.00
T-18	Joe Nedney	SF	at KC	72.00
20	Adam Vinatieri	IND	at DEN	71.20
21	Dan Carpenter	MIA	NYJ	71.00
22	David Buehler	DAL	at HOU	70.20
23	Matt Bryant	ATL	at NO	68.80
24	Ryan Succop	KC	SF	67.00
25	Josh Scobee	JAC	PHI	66.70
26	Josh Brown	STL	WAS	66.60
27	Jason Hanson	DET	at MIN	66.40
28	John Kasay	CAR	CIN	65.20
29	Rian Lindell	BUF	at NE	63.70
30	Olindo Mare	SEA	SD	63.30
31	Connor Barth	TB	PIT	62.40
32	Phil Dawson	CLE	at BAL	61.20

 
Start: Billy Cundiff, Baltimore Ravens. Cundiff has only converted one field goal in each of his first two games. Still, both of those contests were on the road against strong defenses. The Ravens offense will take a step down in class this week as they play their home opener against Cleveland. I’m betting Baltimore will move the ball enough to give Cundiff a few more attempts.
 
Sit: Ryan Succop, Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have an outstanding offense … in a world of pure imagination.
 

 
Drew is a lifelong Jets fan. Playing and writing about fantasy football has proven helpful in easing the pain.
 

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