Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Boom, Bust, Stream or Fade

Week 2 recap

Boom:

Derek Carr – Carr didn’t disappoint in week 2, as he put up 21.2 points en route to a QB5 finish.

Jameis Winston – Winston wasn’t bad in his first game of the year (QB19), but the Bucs didn’t have much reason to throw the ball going up against an abysmal Bears offense.

Marshawn Lynch – Lynch was another victim of game flow as the Raiders put away the lowly Jets early. Beast Mode was the RB16 in standard and RB21 in PPR.

Jacquizz Rodgers – Rodgers didn’t have a huge game, but he did enough to finish as the RB13 in standard and RB19 in PPR.

Davante Adams – Adams continued the pattern of following up bad games with huge performances. He was the WR5 in standard and WR3 in PPR.

Keenan Allen – Allen lived up to expectations in week 2, posting a WR15 in standard and WR10 in PPR.

Jimmy Graham – This was a big miss. Graham had 1 catch for 1 yard…and that doesn’t fall under the definition of “boom” (I know, you’re shocked).

Bust:

Kirk Cousins – The Redskins offense continued to struggle in week 2 and Cousins (QB20) was part of the problem.

Dak Prescott – Prescott didn’t have a big game, but he was able to muster up a QB11 finish.

Frank Gore – Gore’s day was saved by a touchdown, but even with the score he was the RB17 in standard and RB25 in PPR.

Isaiah Crowell – Crowell predictably busted in week 2, finishing as the RB43 in standard and RB48 in PPR.

T.Y. Hilton – Hilton managed to put up just 49 yards, which was good enough for a WR39 finish in both formats.

Sammy Watkins – With just 30 yards and no scores, Watkins was indeed a bust in week 2.

Jack Doyle – Those who started Doyle in PPR (TE6) were probably satisfied, the same can’t be said for those who started him in standard leagues (TE14).

Stream:

Philip Rivers – Those who streamed Rivers were probably satisfied with his QB9 finish.

Carson Palmer – Palmer rebounded in week 2, producing a QB11 finish.

Bilal Powell – It’s my fault for believing in someone who plays for the Jets. Never again.

Thomas Rawls – Is 0.8 yards per carry good?

J.J. Nelson – I originally had John Brown listed here but changed it to Nelson when Brown was downgraded to out. Nelson was the WR4 in both formats.

Cooper Kupp – Kupp managed just 33 yards on 3 receptions… though it was just 3 yards less than OBJ.

Martellus Bennett – Bennett was a top 20 TE in both formats, but he would have ranked much higher had he not dropped multiple passes.

Ben Watson – Watson was the TE10 in standard and TE4 in PPR. The moral of the story is, start any tight end against the Browns.

Fade:

Matthew Stafford – Stafford played well enough for the Lions to win, but his fantasy performance (QB16) was nothing to write home about.

Marcus Mariota – Mariota was a good fade in week 2, but things could’ve been worse if not for a late, garbage-time touchdown pass.

C.J. Anderson – This was a bad call. Anderson was the RB1 in both formats.

All Bengals running backs – The highest finish of any Bengals back was Mixon at RB40. Fantasy owners can hope that the change at offensive coordinator will help sort that backfield out, but I’m not holding my breath.

Alshon Jeffrey – Another bad call here, as Jeffrey was a top-10 WR in both formats.

Dez Bryant – Bryant was a surprisingly good play against the vaunted Broncos defense and is officially a high-end WR1 the rest of the way.

Jesse James – After dropping two touchdowns on the Browns in week 1, James failed to finish in the top-20 in week 2.

 

Boom, Bust, Stream, Fade

Quarterbacks

Boom: Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (@ WAS) – Carr is probably a good sell-high option after this week, as he still has to face Denver, Kansas City and the Chargers twice, as well as the Giants in week 13. The Redskins allowed five quarterbacks to score 18 or more at home last year.

Boom: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (vs. NO) – Newton is always a risky start, even against New Orleans, but it’s difficult to bench a player with his ceiling against such a bad defense. Newton has scored 25 touchdowns in 12 career games against the Saints.

Bust: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. NYG) – Wentz has gotten off to a good start this season, but this isn’t a good week to stream him. No team is tougher on quarterbacks than the Giants, and Wentz didn’t fare well in either start against them last year.

Bust: Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ MIN) – Since last year, only Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers have scored above 14 against the Vikings at home. Winston has a low ceiling and a floor of around 12.

Stream: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (vs. ATL) – Stafford has scored 15 or more in 14 of his last 15 home starts. He faces an Atlanta team that’s prone to allowing big games to opposing quarterbacks.

Stream: Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (vs. OAK) – Cousins has had 3 consecutive bad games only once since the beginning of the 2015 season. He should be able to break his slump against a below-average Raiders pass defense.

Fade: Ben Roethlisberger (@ CHI) – Starting Big Ben on the road is rarely a smart strategy. The Bears don’t have a great defense, but they didn’t allow big games to Matt Ryan or Jameis Winston. The Steelers should be able to control this one without needing much from Ben.

Fade: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (vs. SEA) – Despite the fact that he’s playing Seattle, I’m not turned off by Mariota completely since the game is in Tennessee. I’m fading him in DFS and considering alternative options in season-long leagues.

Running Backs

Boom: Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns (@ IND) – Crowell’s start to 2017 has been one to forget, but he can start to turn it around against the Colts. The game flow should favor a run-first approach by the Browns.

Boom: Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions (vs. ATL) – Atlanta has allowed the third most points to running backs through the first two games, as well as the most receptions. Abdullah is a great option in all formats and Riddick is worth a look in PPR leagues.

Bust: Mike Gillislee, New England Patriots (vs. HOU) – Gillislee is a TD-dependent RB2, and I don’t like him against a stout Houston run defense.

Bust: All Bengals running backs (@ GB) – No one has emerged from the Cincinnati backfield, and the Packers are tough against the run in Lambeau.

Stream: Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers (vs. NO) – McCaffrey could be more involved in the passing-game now that Olsen is out. The Saints have allowed the fourth most points to running backs and the most receptions (tied with Atlanta).

Stream: Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears (vs. PIT) – There’s a good chance Jordan Howard will miss this game. If he does, Cohen would be a solid RB2. Either way, the pace of this game should favor Cohen’s pass-catching skills.

Fade: Jacquizz Rodgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ MIN) – Rodgers will get his touches and has a pretty safe floor, but don’t expect much from him as the Vikings have allowed the sixth least points to the running back position.

Fade: All Saints running backs (@ CAR) – The Saints are splitting touches between three different running backs and they are facing off against a Panthers team that has allowed just 70 yards and no scores to running backs.

Wide Receivers

Boom: Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (vs. CIN) – Adams wasn’t great at stringing together back-to-back big performances last year, but that will need to change this week. The Packers could very well be without Jordy and Cobb against the Bengals, so Adams will need to step up.

Boom: Devante Parker, Miami Dolphins (@ NYJ) – Despite the fact that he was going up against Casey Hayward, Parker posted 4 receptions for 85 yards in his first game of the season. Now he faces a Jets team that has allowed the third most points to receivers. He should feast.

Bust: Alshon Jeffrey, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. NYG) – This pick is largely dependent on whether or not Janoris Jenkins plays. If he’s active, Jeffrey is downgraded to a WR3. If he’s inactive, Jeffrey is in the high-end WR2 conversation.

Bust: Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ MIN) – You’re not sitting Evans if you have him in season-long leagues, but you need to tamper expectations. Evans will be shadowed by Xavier Rhodes, who played a big role in holding Antonio Brown to 62 yards and no scores in week 2.

Stream: J.J. Nelson, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Dallas) – Nelson has scored in each of the first two games of the season, and there’s a good chance he’ll make it three in a row on Monday night. The speedster should continue to get a substantial amount of targets in the absence of John Brown.

Stream: Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers (vs. NO) – If Benjamin can’t produce against the league’s worst secondary with the added targets from Olsen’s injury, than he’s probably safe to keep on the bench.

Fade: Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders (@ WAS) – Cooper will have to line up (at least for some of his snaps) against Josh Norman. I’m starting Cooper in season-long leagues but fading him in DFS.

Fade: Pierre Garcon, San Francisco 49ers (vs. LAR) – Only three teams have allowed less points to receivers than the Rams this year. Offensive production tends to be down in Thursday night games, and this has the makings of a low-scoring affair. I’m flexing Garcon in PPR, and fading him in all other formats.

Tight Ends

Boom: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. NYG) – The Giants have struggled against tight ends to begin the season (two top-7 finishes), and Ertz seems to have great chemistry with Wentz. Start him with confidence this week.

Bust: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (@ ARI) – Witten has gotten off to a great start in 2017, but he’ll struggle to continue his success against the league’s best tight end defense. I’m keeping Witten on my bench this week.

Stream: Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts (vs. CLE) – At this point, any tight end playing the Browns is a good streaming option.

Fade: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (vs. SEA) – Walker tends to follow up his big performances with underwhelming ones; and that’s likely to happen this week against the Legion of Boom.

 

Note: due to this being my first year doing fantasy rankings, I am not yet part of Fantasypros’ accuracy competition. If I was, this is how I would’ve ranked in week 2:

·       57th overall

·       4th in quarterbacks

·       117th in running backs (ouch!)

·       15th in wide receivers

·       89th in tight ends

·       11th in D/ST

Without further ado, here are my week 3 rankings: (The final update will be on Sunday at 9 AM ET)

 

 
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Comments (3)

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GBPDAN1's picture

September 20, 2017 at 06:15 pm

I'm glad I don't participate in FF. To much to keep track of and I'm already emotionally spent from the games. Plus, I'd be at a disadvantage because I would never draft players from teams I hate or dislike, which is a lot of teams. I could never root for players on enemy teams!

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JerseyAl's picture

September 21, 2017 at 07:56 am

I follow the tenet of not taking players I dislike or any from NFC North teams. Haven't found it to be a disadvantage at all. I used to be very anti-fantasy, but it's fine for a little light-hearted fun.

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Finwiz's picture

September 21, 2017 at 08:31 am

Amen GBPDAN....Amen!
Way too much work to keep track of who's doing what on other teams.
I got so much going on in my life, I never have time.
I'm studying for my pilots license and researching purchase of a $425K Cirrus SR20 so plenty to keep me busy.

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