First Posted: 9/23/2013
Another week of football gone by – how did you fare? Hopefully, things went well and, if not, you’ve got a fresh start coming up tomorrow night. Toss ‘em, keep ‘em, make some tough decisions – hopefully this week’s guide will put you on the path to big wins in Week 4.
Adds:
Josh Gordon: Many managers shied away from Gordon during their draft because of the two-game suspension looming from his off-the-field issues. He has WR1 talent on a team that has been desperately trying to stretch the field for the first few weeks of the season. Brian Hoyer targeted Gordon NINETEEN times in Week 3, and you can expect that number to hold steady as the season continues. It is also worth mentioning that the Cleveland fire sale might lead to Gordon being shipped off to a contender in need of WR help (New England and San Francisco come to mind).
Bilal Powell: Powell was slated as the number two, back behind Chris Ivory during the preseason, but Ivory’s ineffectiveness and injuries have vaulted Powell into the role of every down back for the Jets. He might not be as elusive as Ivory, but his 29 touches in Week 3 prove that the Jets’ are eager to run the ball and take the pressure of rookie QB Geno Smith. His talent is limited, but that can easily be offset by the lack of able-bodied running backs on the Jets’ depth chart. Any amount of modest success can land him the feature back duties, even once Ivory returns from his hamstring injury.
Brandon Bolden: Steven Ridley has fallen out of favor in the New England backfield and Shane Vereen will be on the injured reserve list until at least Week 11. Bolden didn’t see as many carries as Ridley or even LeGarrette Blount, but he did play on 26 of 72 snaps (more than Blount and equal to Ridley). Bolden is emerging as a pass catching threat out of the backfield and will likely be playing most passing downs. The Patriots’ offense is hurting for pass catchers right now and Bolden will have no problem being a check-down option for Tom Brady. His value will clearly be elevated in any PPR leagues.
Pass:
Santonio Holmes: Many fantasy team owners rushed to the waiver wire to place a claim on the Jets’ WR after his big game this past week against Buffalo. Holmes reeled in five catches for 154 yards and one touchdown. Does this mean Santonio is back? Absolutely not. People aren’t realizing that the Buffalo secondary has been absolutely decimated by injuries. Many of the defensive backs playing against New York this past week have no business trying to cover NFL receivers, even if said receiver is a former star who is fading quicker with each passing day.
Isaiah Pead: With the injury to Daryl Richardson, Pead had an opportunity to showcase his talent and attempt to earn at least a timeshare in the Rams’ backfield. With that opportunity Pead trudged to the line of scrimmage on numerous carries and rarely made defenders miss. It is possible that he could find value in the Rams’ hot-and-cold passing attack though. St. Louis has been playing catch up a lot so far this season, so Pead might be able to snag a few passes from Sam Bradford, but don’t expect to see drastically better numbers than what Daryl Richardson (who shouldn’t miss more than another week) has put up so far this season.
Ted Ginn: Ginn had himself a field day against a Giants’ defense that has been struggling to find its identity early in the season. There has never been any question about Ginn’s speed. He’s been torching defensive backs since his years at Ohio State. Ginn’s problems begin with his hands and end with his inability to run routes effectively. It’s awe-inspiring to see someone so fast have the inability to create separation from defensive backs on the professional level. Ginn might be able to real in a 40 to 50 yard bomb from Cam Newton here or there, but keep in mind those plays are few and far between in Carolina’s run-heavy offense.
Hot start of the week: Robert Griffin III. RG3 has struggled mightily through the first three weeks. He has looked better as each game progressed (but I guess that’s not too difficult, considering he was barely even on the scoreboard at halftime of each game). He’s clearly not 100 percent healthy, but he will pull himself out of the slump this week against Oakland. Feel free to start him without hesitation this week – I know I will.
Sit this week: Dwayne Bowe. Bowe just simply isn’t a fit for an offense lead by Alex Smith. Bowe has elite receiver talent, but he’s merely a decoy in an offense whose number one priority is run the ball followed by: check down to tight end, run the ball, check down to slot receiver, run the ball, punt. Alex Smith has done a great job leading this Kansas City team through three weeks, it’s just difficult to see Smith and Bowe finding any sort of mutual success with one another.
– Ted is a Miami fan through and through, and has been fumbling and stumbling his way through fantasy leagues for 9 years now. Shoot him a message with questions or suggestions at tedblack1@gmail.com.
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