If you stayed up late to watch the debate and analysis afterward, you are going to need something to restore your faith in mankind…well, I am not sure I can accomplish all that with my weekly ‘Studs, Duds & Sleepers’ brilliance, but I will try!
Studs:
Quarterbacks:
Russell Wilson, Sea:
Wilson is the clear early front runner for MVP and is on pace for 75 touchdowns. Seventy. Five. Will he keep up that torrid pace up? Chances point to no, but he is likely to keep that pace up this week against a bad Dolphins defense.
Josh Allen, Dal:
Speaking of torrid paces, Josh Allen is on pace for 53 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns and few realize – myself included – that over the last 14 games, Allen has accounted for 33 touchdowns (25 passing, 8 rushing) to just 3 interceptions. The Raiders have a bottom five run defense and middle of the road passing defense which is unlikely to slow down Allen this week.
Others receiving votes:
Aaron Rodgers, GB:
Like the two quarterbacks above, Rodgers is on an incredible pace, 9 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and even the absence of his top target couldn’t slow him down last week. Now he gets a Falcons defense which is tied for last in passing touchdowns allowed (9) and 31st in passing yards per game (350.3).
Lamar Jackson, Bal:
Jackson is coming off one of the worst weeks of his career – from a stats standpoint – and is not off to a fast start, but he gets a Washington team this week which struggles against the run and is missing their top pass rusher.
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Running backs:
James Robinson, Jax:
Many still don’t know who James Robinson is, but through three games, he is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, 1 touchdown per game and ranks 11th in yards…and he gets a Bengals defense which is surrendering a staggering 181.7 yards per game.
Dalvin Cook, Min:
Cook’s season has flown a little under the radar because his team as a whole is struggling, but Cook ranks third in yards, and is tied for first in touchdowns (4) and fifth in ypc (6.1).
Others receiving votes:
Alvin Kamara, NO:
Kamara only ranks 28th in rushing yards with 153, but, he has 6 total touchdowns and 438 total yards, thanks to his 27 receptions.
Nick Chubb, Cle:
I haven’t been sold on Chubb because of my concern with Kareem Hunt stealing touches, but thus far, Cleveland had done a good job getting both of them the ball. Chubb is averaging almost 100 yards per game and more than a touchdown per game.
Pass Catchers:
DeAndre Hopkins, AZ:
He may only have one touchdown, but he leads the league in targets (37), receptions (32) and yards (356) and gets a bottom ten pass defense this week in the Panthers.
Calvin Ridley, Atl:
Ridley is on pace for 1,800+ yards and 21 touchdowns and very well may find himself in a shootout this week against Green Bay, which should bode well for Ridley owners.
Others receiving votes:
DK Metcalf, Sea:
Another surprise to me, and huge beneficiary to Russell Wilson’s white hot start, is Metcalf, who is averaging 4 receptions, 99 yards and 1 touchdown per game and gets a Dolphins defense which should provide him plenty of opportunities.
Cooper Kupp, LAR:
Kupp only has one touchdown and is ranked 19th in yards, but his greatest value comes in volume. He is averaging 7 targets and 6 receptions a game and that should keep up this week against a bad Giants defense.
Duds:
Tom Brady, TB:
Brady is not having a terrible start, but the big 2020 numbers predicted for Brady, thus far, have yet to come to fruition and I don’t like the matchup this week against the Chargers.
Carson Wentz, Phi:
Wentz is off to a terrible start this year – 6 interceptions to just 3 touchdowns – and to make matters worse, his offensive line and receiving corps is decimated with injuries.
Others receiving votes:
Dwayne Haskins, Wash:
I can’t imagine many owners are starting Haskins, but if you are – or are thinking about doing so – this would be a bad week for that. Haskins will likely have a very long day against the Ravens defense.
Daniel Jones, NYG:
Jones was a serviceable fantasy starter last year, but that is not the case this year. He has 4 interceptions to just 2 touchdowns and without Saquon Barkley, I have little reason to believe things will get better for him.
Running backs:
New York Giants Running Backs:
The Giants running backs were here last week, and they remain again. The Giants put up just 66 yards rushing against a 49ers team missing their top two defensive lineman…and 49 of those yards were from their quarterback! The non-quarterbacks rushed 10 times for 17 yards. This week can’t be worse, but I wouldn’t expect it to be much better.
Antonio Gibson, Wash:
Gibson hasn’t provided much value through the first three weeks, and I wouldn’t expect that to change this week against the Ravens.
Others receiving votes:
David Montgomery, Chi:
With Tarik Cohen out for the year, it makes sense to think Montgomery will have a big week, but the Colts have a very good defense and with a Nick Foles making his first start, I would expect the Colts to focus on shutting down the run game and forcing Foles to beat them.
Frank Gore, NYJ:
Yes, Gore is still in the NFL and thanks to the injury to LeVeon Bell, he is the Jets lead back at the moment. That being said, I wouldn’t be starting him unless you are in a dire running back situation.
Pass Catchers:
Allen Robinson, Chi:
Eventually, I expect Robinson’s value to go up with Foles at the helm, but not this week against the Colts and their number one ranked pass defense.
A.J. Green, Cin:
Until he shows me otherwise, Green cannot be trusted as a starter right now in fantasy. Yes, he is getting the targets (28), but he has only pulled in 13 of those for 116 yards (75th) and not a single touchdown.
Others receiving votes:
New York Giants pass catchers:
With Barkley out for the season, there are no playmakers on this Giants team. Not a single Giants pass catcher is worth a starting spot in your roster for the foreseeable future.
Terry McLaurin, Wash:
Like Haskins and Gibson above, McLaurin lands here mainly because of the opponents. I expect the football team from Washington to have a rough weekend all-around.
Sleepers:
Baker Mayfield, Cle:
Mayfield has played well the past two weeks and gets a bottom five pass defense this week with the Cowboys.
Jared Goff, LAR:
It’s not often Goff is on my start list, but after a good game against a very good Bills defense, I like Goff this week against a bad Giants defense.
Joe Burrow, Cin:
Burrow may be winless, but he is putting up numbers and with the Bengals inability to run the ball or stop their opponent from scoring, it should mean lots of dropbacks for Burrow.
Running backs:
Melvin Gordon III, Den:
The Broncos are down to their third string quarterback, so expect them to lean heavily on Gordon and the running game. Throw in the fact that they are playing the lowly Jets, and Gordon may have a big day.
James Conner, Pit:
Assuming this game is played, Conner should have a big day against a Titans defense which is surprisingly bad against the run (166 ypg – 29th).
Carlos Hyde, Sea:
With Chris Carson out of the lineup, that puts Hyde in line as the Seahawks lead back and against a bad Dolphins team, that should mean a solid day at the office.
Pass Catchers:
Justin Jefferson, Min:
I took Jefferson in the second last round of my draft, but had to drop him due to injuries, so watching his 7 reception, 175 yard, 1 touchdown performance last week hurt. If the Vikings passing game is back on track, that should mean decent numbers for Jefferson.
Brandon Aiyuk, SF:
The 49ers are down their top two running backs and their top two receiving threats, so someone has to catch passes. Last week, that was Aiyuk, to the tune of 5 receptions for 70 yards on 8 targets. Even if Deebo Samuel or George Kittle return, Aiyuk should still see a large number of targets.
Michael Gallup, Dal:
Gallup is the second or third option for Dak in the passing game, but it hasn’t hurt him thus far. Through three weeks, Gallup ranks 13th in yards (246) and is seeing 6 targets and nearly 4 receptions per week.
