Week 3 of the RotoWire and FanDuel Fantasy Football Championship has come to a close, and now a challenging Week 4 comes upon us with the first week of bye weeks (New England and Tennessee) along with really the first weather week hitting us (Washington-Philadephia).
Week 3 Results
Congrats to FanDuel user Deucey69 who grabbed not only the $500 first prize for Week 3 with 210 points, outscoring kidrose (208 points) and straightcashhomiez (201 points), but also the Week 11 $20,000 Championship Freeroll. Deucy69 had a balanced lineup that led him to the Week 3 title with the help of the Carolina Panthers' duo of Cam Newton and Greg Olsen who combined for 59.3 points while also taking advantage of a big week from Darren Sproles (17.6, taking advantage of the absence of DeMarco Murray), the return of Steelers' back Le'Veon Bell (22.7) and the revitalization of Cards wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (29.9).
If you are joining the fun this week and want a Redskin or Eagle then you should keep an eye on the status of the game. You also might keep an eye on the weather for that game after all. One of the biggest misnomers is that the passing game suffers in all kinds of weather especially when it rains. This is not the case many times. Actually a raining track especially on a turf field might benefit the passing game because the receivers know the routes as opposed to the defensive backs. The better indication to stay away from a passing game is the wind and that can also come with a bright sunny day so check out the game-time wind speed before setting your lineup.
Expert Standings
It's still early and one big week can move you up the list just ask Adam Wolf who jumped from outside the Top Ten to the overall lead with a big week of 195.10 points for Week 3, a little more than 18 points better than Nathan Lutterman. You can view the full RotoWire Expert leaderboards here.
1. Adam Wolf (rotosomething1): 419.10
2. Josh Collacchi (JCollacchi): 406.02
3. Jake Letarski (rotojakeski): 394.52
4. Peter Merrill (black26): 392.66
5. Tate McIntyre (tamc10): 386.64
6. Jason Brown (modano9): 386.56
7. Tony Goldenstein (trookie83): 385.96
8. Mario Puig (rotowireyasiel): 374.54
9. Chris Benzine (Crispy272001): 374.26
10. Nathan Lutterman (luttermanf28): 373.34
Value Picks/Sleepers
TE Martellus Bennett: Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders
FanDuel Price: $5,500
Yes, it's a Bears offense that was futile last week, but that was against the Seahawks in Seattle. And yes Bennett has only caught 13 passes for 118 yards in the first three games. Before last week, nobody outside of Cleveland heard of tight end Gary Barnidge. Barnidge though went offf for six catches and 105 yards along with one touchdown. The Raiders defense cannot defend the tight end. There is a chance that Jay Cutler (hamstring) will return, but even if he doesn't Bennett is still a play even with Jimmy Clausen at quarterback.
QB Andy Dalton: Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs
FanDuel Price: $7,600
Dalton has prime pickings to have a big day. The Chiefs have given up the most passing touchdown so far in the early going (10, I understand that's partly due to Aaron Rodgers) and Kansas City is on a short week plus this is the second of a back-to-back road trip for the Chiefs. The Kansas City secondary is hurting with injuries and they rank fourth from the bottom in the NFL yardage allowed via the air (287 yards per game).
RB Melvin Gordon: San Diego Chargers Vs. Cleveland Browns
FanDuel Price: $6,800
This could be the breakout week for Gordon as the Chargers are slowly moving him into the offense. The Browns defense is primed for Gordon. Cleveland has allowed the most rushing yards per game with 158.3 so far in the first three weeks. Gordon has compiled at least 50 yards in the first three weeks of the season. While he ran for 88 yards against the Bengals in Week 2 and dipped to 51 against the Vikings in Week 3, San Diego is home and the Browns running defense is porous.
RB Joseph Randle: Dallas Cowboys @ New Orleans Saints
FanDuel Price: $7,400
Randle has been the most consistent back this season for the Dallas running game and New Orleans is a prime target to run the ball. Coming into 2015 Randle was considered to be the running back to replace DeMarco Murray, but there was a lot of skepticism. The Saints are seventh in the NFL in allowing running yards per game with an average of 126 yards. In addition there is no Tony Romo behind center and Brandon Weeden still has not been trusted in throwing the ball. In addition Saints' quarterback Drew Brees is questionable in returning to the field. Even if Drew Brees returns, he probably will not be 100 percent and make it a running game battle.
WR Larry Fitzgerald: Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams
FanDuel Price: $7,400
It's only appropriate for Fitzgerald to be rising like a phoenix after a down year. As long as Carson Palmer is behind center and Fitzgerald is healthy, he will be there for a big day. In addition the other top Cards' receiver John Brown is hurting, so Palmer will be throwing Fitzgerald's way for a good part of the game. The Rams defense has been stouter against the passing game as opposed to the running game in the first few weeks of the season, but the St. Louis defensive line is much better against the run than it has shown.
WR James Jones: Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers
FanDuel Price: $6,000
Defenses concentrate on Randall Cobb. Aaron Rodgers has great cohesion with Jones and always seems to get him the ball including the end zone. The 49ers have given up the fifth most receiving yards in the league (303.7) in the early going this year so Rodgers is assured of hitting Jones. The veteran receiver went off for seven catches for 139 receiving yards last week against the Chiefs.
High Risk/High Reward
QB Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers
FanDuel Price: $9,200
If there is one given in a weekend of uncertainty, it is Rodgers. With the game on the West Coast, the Packers defense might not be as up with the game allowing 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back Carlos Hyde to put up some points. The result will be that Rodgers will need to throw the ball more than expected.
WR A.J. Green: Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs
FanDuel Price: $8.400
This goes along with the Andy Dalton mention. No matter how much Kansas City will key on Green, he will find a way to get catches and get into the end zone. After a sluggish start to the 2015 season, he broke out for 10 catches and 227 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens last week.
Steer Clear
RB Marshawn Lynch: Seattle Seahawks Vs. Detroit Lions
FanDuel Price: $8,600
RB DeMarco Murray: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
FanDuel Price: $7,600
RB Arian Foster: Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons
FanDuel Price: $8,000
All three are questionable at the start of the weekend and you should look for other options to place your money. Lynch hurt many owners last week where he was on the field for a few carries and then was shut down in a prime matchup against the Bears. He gets an extra day to heal with the Seahawks on Monday night, but you can't chance it with hamstrings being tricky and spending a little less than 15 percent of your budget. In terms of Foster, if he is active, this will be his first action since the 2014 season and could be on a carry limit. In terms of Murray it's still up in the air whether he will fit into the Eagles offense. The early results show that not to be the case so it's better that you stay away from this week and not gamble on it even against a porous Washington defense.
Comments and criticisms can be sent to me on Twitter: @ChicagoEd