Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Fantasy Football Week 3 Winners and Losers

Quarterback
MVP: Andrew Luck (Colts)
Andrew Luck's early season fantasy dominance continued in Week 3 with his decimation of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Luck played his best game of the year so far putting up 370 yards and 4 TD's through the air and adding another 15 yards on the ground to put a cherry on top of his stellar performance. As long as the Colts to struggle to run the ball, the offense will run through Luck and he'll be a weekly top-tier QB1.
Honorable Mentions: Kirk Cousins (Redskins), Nick Foles (Eagles), Matt Ryan (Falcons)

LVP: Matthew Stafford (Lions)
After a stellar week 1, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has failed to deliver. Stafford wasn't able to take advantage of a pretty favorable matchup against the Packers this week, as he failed to get the ball into the endzone and turned the ball over three times (2 INT's and a fumble). Stafford is easily one of the most frustrating QB1 starts in the league because of his inconsistent play and tendency to turn the ball over. Despite his struggles the past couple of weeks, Stafford is a must-start in Week 4 against the Jets weak secondary.
Dishonorable Mentions: Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Tom Brady (Patriots), Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins)

Running Back
MVP: Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks)
All hail Beast Mode. Marshawn Lynch continues to prove the "experts" who claimed prior to the start of the season that he had lost a step and was going to lose a substantial amount of carries to Robert Turbin and Christine Michael wrong with his absolutely ridiculous play to start off the year . Lynch found the endzone twice on Sunday against the Broncos and finished the day with 128 yards from scrimmage (88 rushing, 40 receiving) Barring any bizarre off-the-field incidents and/or injury, Lynch is a lock to be a top five fantasy running back in 2014.
Honorable Mentions: Rashad Jennings (Giants), Giovani Bernard (Bengals), Knile Davis (Chiefs)

LVP: LeSean McCoy (Eagles)
Like all LeSean McCoy fantasy owners on Sunday, I was baffled by just how bad his statline was against the Redskins on Sunday. The combination of the Redskins suddenly stout front seven and the Eagles injury-plagued offensive line led McCoy to rush for a paltry 22 yards on 20 carries on the afternoon. McCoy is too vital to the flow of Chip Kelly's uptempo offense for this performance to set off any major alarms, but it's still a huge disappointment to see a guy who was almost an undisputed top overall fantasy pick this year perform so poorly.
Dishonorable Mentions: Eddie Lacy (Packers), Bobby Rainey (Buccaneers), Matt Forte (Bears)

Wide Receiver
MVP: Julio Jones (Falcons)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found out all too well last Thursday the effect a healthy Julio Jones has on a football game. Jones torched the Buccaneers all game long in route to a 161-yard, two TD performance. Jones continues to be Matt Ryan's favorite target and with the freakish numbers he puts up everytime he's on the field, I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Honorable Mentions: Jeremy Maclin (Eagles), Antonio Brown (Steelers), Pierre Garcon (Redskins)

LVP: Brandon Marshall (Bears)
After lighting up the 49ers last Sunday night, Brandon Marshall was practically invisible in the Bears' primetime battle with the Jets on Monday night. The Jets dedicated a vast majority of their attention to shutting down Marshall, and their tactics worked as Marshall ended up with just a single catch for 6 yards on the night. Marshall re-tweaking his injured ankle on a block late in the second quarter certainly didn't help matters as he was clearly in serious pain when he returned to the field in the second half. Marshall's ankle is certainly something to watch moving forward and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see him sit out a game in the next week or two to rest it.
Dishonorable Mentions:  Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals) Sammy Watkins (Bills), Randall Cobb (Packers)

Tight End
MVP: Martellus Bennett (Bears)
With the Jets taking Brandon Marshall all but completely out of the game, Martellus Bennett stepped up as the Bears primary redzone target. Bennett hauled in a pair of TD's from Jay Cutler and finished Monday night's contest with 52 receiving yards on five receptions. Bennett has emerged as one of the few consistent TE1 options in 2014 and can now be trusted as a weekly starter in a vast majority of fantasy leagues.
Honorable Mentions: Greg Olsen (Panthers) Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Dwayne Allen (Colts)

LVP: Zach Ertz (Eagles)
It seems like Zach Ertz was the only receiver on the Eagles that didn't benefit from the team's pass-heavy attack in Sunday's game against the Redskins. Ertz was held to just 14 yards on two receptions while the rest of the Eagles receivers torched the Redskins secondary all game long. Ertz remains a bit of a risk because of his tendency to live and die by the deep ball, but his sky-high ceiling keeps him firmly in the TE1 conversation.
Dishonorable Mentions: Charles Clay (Dolphins), Antonio Gates (Chargers), Jordan Cameron (Browns)

Defense
MVP: Indianapolis Colts
The Jacksonville Jaguars have provided glorious afternoons for opposing defenses this season and this week was no exception. The Colts were the latest defense to pray on the Jaguars horrible offense picking up 4 sacks, 2 INT's, a fumble recovery and a touchdown in Sunday afternoon's blowout victory. Even with promising rookie quarterback Blake Bortles taking over the starting job this week, the Jaguars remain the safest bet to get manhandled by defenses week in and week out.
Honorable Mentions: Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals

LVP: Carolina Panthers
I'm still in shock of how bad the Carolina Panthers defense looked this week. This normally dominant unit was anything but as they allowed 31 points and got zero takeaways against the Steelers on Sunday night. Even the best defenses have meltdowns on occasion and I fully expect the Panthers to bounce back against the Ravens in Week 4.
Dishonorable Mentions: Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals  

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