Quarterback
MVP: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)
The ever-reliable Rodgers gave his owners a beautiful parting gift for Week 3 last night. Rodgers had another special performance at Lambeau Field as he carved up the Chiefs defense for 333 yards and 5 TD's. Rodgers hot start should continue as the Packers travel to the Bay Area to face the struggling 49ers in Week 4.
Honorable Mentions: Andy Dalton (Bengals), Tyrod Taylor (Bills), Cam Newton (Panthers)
LVP: Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings)
The offseason mancrushes fantasy analysts (myself included) had for Bridgewater has proved to be completely unwarranted so far in 2015. Bridgewater put up the weakest performance of his underwhelming year to-date, throwing for a career-low 121 yards, 0 TD's and an INT on Sunday afternoon against the Chargers. The most alarming part of his horrid performance was the fact that offensive coordinator Norv Turner only chose to pass 24 times with both of the Chargers top corners out of the lineup with injuries yet the Vikings still won the game handily. Unless the Vikings change their conservative, run-first offensive philosophy, Bridgewater will have little-to-no-fantasy value moving forward.
Dishonorable Mentions: Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Colin Kaepernick (49ers), Matthew Stafford (Lions)
Running Back
MVP: Devonta Freeman (Falcons)
Chalk this one up as the surprise of the week. Freeman- a popular late-round flier in this year's fantasy drafts- picked up his first start of the year in place of the injured Tevin Coleman on Sunday afternoon against the Cowboys and put up absolutely ridiculous numbers in the process. Freeman shredded a Cowboys run defense that was ranked 1st in the league coming into Week 3, putting up an absurd 193 total yards (141 rushing, 52 receiving) and 3 TD's on 35 touches. This inhuman performance should allow him to hold onto the starting job for the interim, but the famously streaky Freeman has to prove he can perform on a consistent basis before his owners can feel comfortable locking him in as a weekly fixture in their starting lineups.
Honorable Mentions: Joesph Randle (Cowboys), LeGarrette Blount (Patriots), Chris Johnson (Cardinals)
LVP: C.J. Anderson (Broncos)
Another week, another disappointment from Anderson. Anderson failed to get anything going against the Lions soft run defense as he gained a measly 27 total yards (18 rushing, 9 receiving) on 9 touches. Anderson is further solidifying his status as a major fantasy flop with each passing week and until him or his inexperienced offensive line can show some signs of life, he'll be nothing more than a low-end RB2 or FLEX option.
Dishonorable Mentions: Justin Forsett (Ravens), Jeremy Hill (Bengals), Jonathan Stewart (Panthers)
Wide Receiver
MVP: A.J. Green (Bengals)
After letting Tyler Eifert and Marvin Jones lead the way in the first 2 weeks of the season, Green reestablished himself as the Bengals number 1 option in a big way in Week 3. Green torched the Ravens top corner Jimmy Smith all game long on his way to a career-high 227 yards and 2 TD's on 10 receptions. Green has a solid chance to go off again in Week 4 when the Bengals take on a Chiefs secondary that has gotten slaughtered by the Packers and Broncos wideouts over the past 2 weeks.
Honorable Mentions: Steve Smith Sr. (Ravens), Julio Jones (Falcons), Randall Cobb (Packers)
LVP: Andre Johnson (Colts)
There is no one in the NFL that I sympathize with more than Johnson. Despite playing with a legitimate franchise quarterback for the first time in his career, the 34-year old future Hall-of-Famer and longtime underrated receiving dynamo has been nearly invisible in his first 3 games as an Indianapolis Colt. Johnson was held out without a catch on a single target in the Colts victory over the Titans on Sunday. Johnson has looked sluggish all year long and is losing more and more targets to fast-rising second-year receiver Donte Moncrief and rookie speed demon Phillip Dorsett. Unless Johnson finds a definitive role in this offense or suddenly regains his ability to consistently separate from receivers and wreak havoc from sideline-to-sideline, he'll be the 4th-or-5th option in the Colts passing game and be nothing more than a desperation play for fantasy purposes.
Dishonorable Mentions: Torrey Smith (49ers), Anquan Boldin (49ers), Markus Wheaton (Steelers)
Tight End
MVP: Greg Olsen (Panthers)
Week 3 saw Olsen finally living up to the immense hype that surrounded him heading into 2015. Olsen roasted the Saints horrendous defense the entire afternoon, putting up 134 yards and 2 TD's on 8 receptions. Olsen is the clear go-to-guy for quarterback Cam Newton and as long as he's operating at full speed, his absurd amount of targets (25 over the past 2 weeks, which is comparable to what star wideouts Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. and Demaryius Thomas have seen over the same frame) will make him a threat to go off every week.
Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Graham (Seahawks), Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
LVP: Tyler Eifert (Bengals)
Eifert finally hit a wall in Week 3 after his commanding start to the 2015 season. The 3rd-year tight end got suffocated by the Ravens talented linebackers and wasn't able to catch a single pass (he did have a TD reversed in the 2nd quarter) in Sunday's game. Eifert is starting to establish himself as the number 2 target behind A.J. Green in the passing game and all signs point to his hot start not being some kind of freak occurrence of vast overachieving. Look for him to rebound against a middling Chiefs defense in Week 4.
Dishonorable Mentions: Heath Miller (Steelers), Martellus Bennett (Bears), Kyle Rudolph (Vikings)
Defense
MVP: Arizona Cardinals
You rarely see the levels of dominance the Cardinals defense showed on Sunday against the 49ers. They started the game off by picking off Colin Kapernick twice and returning both of those INT's for TD's. That level of production didn't let up all game long, as they finished the night with an additional 2 INT's, 2 sacks and a safety. The Cardinals red-hot defense faces another highly favorable matchup in Week 4 against a struggling Rams offense.
Honorable Mentions: Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos
LVP: Miami Dolphins
What the hell is wrong with the Miami Dolphins defense? The addition of prized free agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to an already talented-loaded defense made this unit one of the most feared in the league going 2015. Through 3 games, that abundance of talent has failed to deliver on-the-field. The Dolphins got torched by the Bills in their home opener this week, allowing 35 points and failing to register a single sack or takeaway. The Dolphins have just 1 sack and 2 takeaways through 3 games, which is simply astonishing given the fact that they have players like Suh, defensive end Cameron Wake and cornerback Brent Grimes in their ranks. They have too much talent to give up on this early in the year, but what they've shown so far is extremely discouraging for their longterm prospects in 2015. They'll look to get back on track in Week 4 against a Jets team that turned the ball over 4 times in Week 3.
Dishonorable Mentions: New York Jets, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs
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