The 3M Report: Week Three

Brian Bulmer Posted On September 28, 2015

3ms

Welcome to this week’s edition of the “3M Report” – a weekly look back at the mayhem, magic and mishaps from around the NFL, focusing on situations and players who caught my eye or made me scratch my head in either awe or disbelief. Let’s take a look at week three of the NFL season.

How many teams are starting second string quarterbacks at this point? The Saints, Bears and Cowboys all lose with their second stringers in the lineups. It could be argued many others have a second string quarterback starting. Looks like fantasy owners will be making room for Ben Roethlisberger’s backup Michael Vick this week. Reports from Adam Schefter and other notable sports writers suggest MRI has shown an isolated MCL sprain and Big Ben will be out for 4-6 weeks.

With Roethlisberger out, it looks like the Bengals are in great position to take over the AFC North division. Andy “Mr. September” Dalton is looking great early on this season. His arm strength and accuracy look much improved this season compared to seasons past. AJ Green looked like AJ Green on Sunday, but his stats were helped by pitiful tackling by the Ravens. I know they lost their defensive leader in Terrell Suggs, but someone has to tackle the opposing team.

Larry Fitzgerald is showing why he is still one of the best at the wide receiver position in the league. He finishes with back-to-back multi-touchdown games as well as over 100 yards receiving. I love the way Fitzgerald looks effortless and rarely drops passes. Speaking of fine wine, Steve Smith Sr. is aging and still dominating.

The timing could not have been better for the Seahawks drawing the Bears in week three without Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery. I understand the excitement of a shutout win over the Bears, but a Gatorade bath for the defensive coordinator? How about the old adage “act like you have been there before?”

There used to be a time in fantasy football when I stayed FAR away from all Raiders in my drafts. I want to personally thank Derek Carr for making the skill position players in Oakland worthy of drafting and also helping their trade value. Amari Cooper looks smooth and is averaging over ten targets per matchup. Latavius Murray had a great game against the woeful Cleveland Browns rushing defense. Looking ahead, the Raiders have the Bears defense in week four. I think we all know what that means.

After the Tony Romo injury, I expected the Cowboys to trade for a quarterback. Matt Cassell was pretty far down my list of predicted options to be honest.

Brandon Weeden is a very accurate quarterback and seems to be a solid game manager. The Cowboys leaned heavy on the running backs in week three. Joseph Randle scored three rushing touchdowns; Darren McFadden scored one rushing touchdown (without pulling a hamstring) and Lance Dunbar posted ten catches for 100 yards. Terrance Williams did not have a catch on the day. Ugh

Devonta Freeman appears to be forcing a timeshare when Tevin Coleman returns. A timeshare may best case scenario if Freeman has another strong outing in week four against the Texans. Time will tell.

[inlinead]I want to take this moment to plug one of DLF’s own on a call he made last season. Ken Kelly was a fan of Antonio Andrews, saying the 23 year old back out of Western Kentucky had some “Arian Foster to his game.” He took 13 carries to Sankey’s seven on Sunday and averaged four yards per carry. At this point he appears to be the lead back in Tennessee. Could he be “the guy” moving forward?

Chuck Pagano in tears following the Colts comeback win over the Titans on Sunday. An emotional Pagano stating “that’s as big of a win that I have ever been a part of in my life.” Makes perfect sense considering Pagano may have lost his job Monday morning if the Colts would have lost in Nashville. The Colts did not win on Sunday – the Titans lost that game.

Was the Brandon Marshall lateral one of the “worst plays in all of football?” Interesting how these things seem to happen to Jets players.

It was great to see Todd Gurley back on the football field today. He didn’t wow us with any specific play, but it is tough to get it going as a running back with limited touches. I expect his role to expand over the next few weeks and feature him potentially be the lead back following the week six bye week.

DeVante Parker was another rookie who saw an expanded role this week. I was really hoping to see Parker push for the WR2 spot in Miami, but Rishard Matthews continues to produce and may limit Parker’s upside early in the season.

The Buffalo Bills looked great on both sides of the ball. Some fantasy owners may not want to admit it, but it appears there is a timeshare in Buffalo. Karlos Williams is producing in limited touches and appears more explosive than LeSean McCoy as the numbers speak for themselves. I know the game script may be allowing for Williams to see more touches, but it will be tough for Rex Ryan to keep him off the field even in tight games.

LeGarrette Blount scored three rushing touchdowns. Dion Lewis scores one. Bill Belichick doing Belichickian type shenanigans to fantasy footballers.

Le’Veon Bell looked great in his return to the Steelers backfield. He had 26 touches and showed why he is one of football’s best all-around talents. His rushing average was rather pedestrian, but he did add seven catches for 70 yards. Bell should be a great check down option if Michael Vick has issues throwing down the field.

Tyler Lockett was taken in the third round to be a game-changer on special teams and he is just that. In week one, it was a punt return for a touchdown and this week it was a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. If the Seahawks get him involved in the offense, he could be the biggest steal of the 2015 draft. Seattle has seen this narrative before with another former third round pick. I don’t think there was a team that took a punter before Lockett, though.

Peyton Manning in the shotgun due to a suspect line is something the Colts might want to look into. Manning looked more comfortable and had much more strength in his passes when he got his legs under him.

I know it is early, but I really like what I see from the Cardinals, Patriots, Bengals and Falcons. I love the Cardinals to win the NFC at this point. The Patriots are an easy pick in the AFC assuming the Bengals continue their postseason slump. We are only three weeks in and there is a lot of football left, though.

Week three continued with quarterbacks getting injured, production coming from the best players of 2012 and John Fox punting on every single possession when it seemed he should have been going for it at least once or twice. Let’s hope for more magic, mishaps and mayhem in week four. Hope your week was filled with maximum production and minimal losses. Good luck in the coming week!

[ad5]