Fantasy Football Picks - Week 3

It’s time to set your lineups for week 3 of the NFL fantasy football season. Some trends are beginning to take shape now, while other teams (cough, Dallas Cowboys, cough) make you wonder what team will show up from week to week. What trends do you trust and not trust? There is no definite answer.

It’s now time to give your our fantasy picks for week 3. We’ll each give you a guy to start at each position, a guy to sit, a sleeper play, and somebody to look for on the waiver wire. We also encourage your start ‘em / sit ‘em questions each week, so please send in your questions!

Quarterback:

	Start ‘em	Sit ‘em	Sleeper Pick	Waiver Wire
James Dotson:	Ben Roethlisberger (at OAK) – The lack of a run game plus facing an Oakland team that gave up 35 points to Tannehill last week equals a Big Ben start.	Mike Vick (at ARI) – The Cards held Tom Brady scoreless for the first 58 minutes, and Vick has the injury / turnover concern. There are better options.	Jay Cutler (vs. STL) – He will want a bounce-back game to win back fans after the shouting and shoving match…and he has a great matchup to do it!	Sam Bradford (at CHI) – Facing the 21st ranked pass defense, and he’s shown his success already against DET and WAS. He belongs on your roster as a backup.
Alex Dellaverson:	Robert Griffin III (vs. CIN) – RGIII is a beast. Period. Those who drafted him late got some great value didn’t they.	Mike Vick (at ARI) – The turnovers are just too much for me to play him this week.	Andrew Luck (vs. JAC) – Another favorable matchup at home, and he’s looking amazing right now.	Jay Cutler (vs. STL) – Available in 35% of leagues. Pick him up and start him. The Rams allowed over 200 yards passing to RGIII.
Greg Beshero:	Robert Griffin III (vs. CIN) – RGIII has been a scoring machine so far this year. The Bengals allowed over 300 yards to another rookie by the name of Weeden last week…RGIII could be the top fantasy QB yet again this week.	Peyton Manning (vs. HOU) - …just for now. Let’s see how he adjusts and rebounds from a tough game against Atlanta last week. And it’s against Houston, too, so that’s a bit scary.	Cam Newton (vs. NYG) – It’s tough to think of him as a sleeper, but he’s being overlooked! Brandon Lafell is on fire and Steve Smith is his usual self. And the Giants secondary looks bad.	Alex Smith (at MIN) – You must have him. With all of those targets…
TheLostCause:	Cam Newton (vs. NYG) – This is going to be a big, high scoring game, especially against a poor Giant secondary.	Josh Freeman (at DAL) – Don’t expect a repeat performance from last week. The Dallas secondary is 10x better than New York’s.	Matt Cassel (at NO) – Be ready for a big time rebound game in terms of fantasy stats, especially against the poor New Orleans defense.	Carson Palmer (vs. PIT) – Palmer is in the top 3 in passing yards and pass attempts. They will continue to air out the ball all year. Oh, and PIT has always struggled stopping the Oakland pass game.

Running Back:

	Start ‘em	Sit ‘em	Sleeper Pick	Waiver Wire
James Dotson:	Trent Richardson (vs. BUF) – We knew he’d get his touches. Now with Weeden performing, he’s not facing 8- or 9-man fronts. Every day starter now.	Chris Johnson (vs. DET) – Cassel. Locker. Tebow. Weeden. Manningham. LaFell. All have more rushing yards than CJ2K. SIT HIM DOWN!	Willis McGahee (vs. HOU) – Don’t let the Texans’ D scare you, they haven’t played anybody yet. McGahee is the new Joseph Addai in the Manning system.	Andre Brown (at CAR) – Ahmad Bradshaw is out and David Wilson is in the doghouse with 10 yards in two games and a fumble. It’s Brown’s backfield in a game vs. Carolina’s 28th ranked rush D.
Alex Dellaverson:	Marshawn Lynch (vs. GB) – On MNF, Lynch facing a bad rush defense of GB, especially when they just pound the rock to him.	Michael Turner (at SD) – Atlanta’s running game is terrible, and now facing the top ranked rush defense.	Isaac Redman (at OAK) – He’s showing what he can do, and the yards will increase. But he’s guaranteed a TD.	Mikel LeShoure (at TEN) – He’s supposed to get the start right off of suspension. Get him now.
Greg Beshero:	Maurice Jones-Drew (at IND) – This is a good matchup for MJD. He’s one of many RBs (Richardson, Spiller, Lynch, Mathews) who have a great matchup this week. All are great starts.	Michael Turner (at SD) – Arrested for DUI but will start anyway. It doesn’t matter, as he’s been nothing but disappointing so far this year.	Michael Bush (vs. STL) – Filling in for the injured Forte, it will be interesting to see how many touches he actually gets. We’ll see what happens, but it’s a nice pick that you should surely consider.	Jacquizz Rodgers (at SD) – He should grab the starting job from Turner soon, especially post-DUI.
TheLostCause:	Maurice Jones-Drew (at IND) – He always rips up Indy. But man, RBs are a crapshoot to me this week.	PIT/OAK RBs – Darren McFadden won’t perform against the Steelers, while Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer will only steal each other’s carries.	Mikel LeShoure (at TEN) – Suspended the first two games make this pick a bit of a risk, but Detroit has made it clear that this is LeShoure’s backfield.	Darryl Richardson (vs. CHI) – He finished the game last week with 15 carries and 85 yards. Jackson’s groin injury is one that lingers.

Wide Receiver:

	Start ‘em	Sit ‘em	Sleeper Pick	Waiver Wire
James Dotson:	Dwayne Bowe (at NO) – He’s a TD machine, even without a potent offense. Now he’s facing a struggling NO defense (26th in pass defense).	Pierre Garcon (vs. CIN) – Even if he returns this week, Garcon doesn’t belong in your lineup. He had one big catch (88 yd TD) in week one. You can’t guarantee that type of performance occurring.	Reggie Wayne (vs. JAC) – 100+ yards in week one, 70 yards and a TD in week two. Those who drafted Wayne are reaping the rewards. This trend continues against the hapless Jaguars.	Danny Amendola (at CHI) – He leads the league in targets, 2nd in receptions, 3rd in yards (only behind Giants’ receivers Cruz and Nicks) yet he’s available in over 50% of leagues? PICK HIM UP AND START HIM NOW!
Alex Dellaverson:	Victor Cruz (at CAR) – Who else will Eli throw the ball to? Nicks out, Hixon out, Bradshaw out, and a shootout is coming!	Wes Welker (at BAL) – What’s happened to him? Is this Randy Moss all over again? You have to feel badly for veterans in the Patriot organization.	Danny Amendola (at CHI) – The numbers speak for themselves. The Rams are relevant, thanks to scoring 30 points per game, and it starts with Amendola.	Donnie Avery (vs. JAC) – Still need to worry about a rookie QB, but with 12 Rec, 148 yds, and a TD, he’s a good add especially in PPR.
Greg Beshero:	Mike Wallace (at OAK) – He will have a big day out in Oakland in what could end up as a shootout. Don’t forget Brandon Marshall either, with Cutler yelling or not.	Kevin Ogletree (vs. TB), Anquan Boldin (vs. NE), Santonio Holmes (at MIA) – All three showed the possibility of life early, but have truly been mediocre and underwhelming.	Nate Washington (vs. DET) – He’s getting lots of targets, and is truly Locker’s favorite. It’s just a matter of time with the right matchup (Detroit is as good as any) before he explodes.	Jeremy Kerley (at MIA) – He’s showing promise! He will continue to improve week-to-week and can explode at any moment.
TheLostCause:	Michael Crabtree (at MIN) – Alex Smith looks amazing. He’s averaging 70 receiving yards per game. Now he just needs to find the endzone. Expect it this week.	Eric Decker (vs. HOU) – After a rough outing, it’s time to play Houston. He hasn’t done that great yet anyway. The safe play is to bench Decker until we see how Denver rebounds.	Brandon Gibson (at CHI) – Averaging 50 yards and a TD per game so far. And I’ll bet you haven’t even heard his name this year!	Brandon LaFell (vs. NYG) – Only owned in 35% of leagues. And he’s on the field more than any other Panther receiver.

Tight End waiver wire pickups: Martellus Bennett, Dante Rosario, Dennis Pitta.