Just because there’s one more game left on the Week 3 schedule, it doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to hand our Week 3 fantasy hardware. After some of the performances - the unbelievable and unbelievably lousy alilke - we couldn’t wait to get to our awards column.

Any football fan took note of Miami’s unfathomable 38-13 win over New England, and it was impossible not to attribute the victory to running back Ronnie Brown, who found the end zone five times (four rush, one pass). The huge performance prevented Falcons’ running back Michael Turner from twice being named our Most Valuable Player, as the first-year starter accumulated a measly three scores.

On the flip side were Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker, who got pummeled to the tune of eight sacks in a 15-6 drubbing to the Eagles. For the second week in a row, Randy Moss earned Most Disappointment recognition for his four catches and 25 yards versus Miami.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins
Brown had only 48 total rushing yards and one TD in ‘08 as he and the Phins played host to the Brady-less Pats on Sunday. He went off for 113 yards rushing and four touchdowns and even threw for a 19-yard touchdown. Brown was so unstoppable Sunday he probably could have come out and nailed a 40-yard Doug Flutie-style dropkick, had head coach Tony Sparano asked. If you were patient enough to stick with him as a starting back and didn’t have him riding pine you made out like a bandit with this Week 3 MVP showing.

Runners-Up

Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons
LT’s former understudy turned in another 100-yard performance and added three rushing touchdowns in the Falcons win over the struggling Chiefs. Turner is leading the league with a 6.2 ypc average, and he has five touchdowns through the first three weeks. His first campaign as a starter is proving to pay off for those who had the nerve to take a slight risk on him on draft day.

Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver Broncos
Twenty-four down and 116 to go. Marshall said before the start of the season that he’d catch 140 balls this year and after sitting out Week 1 with a suspension, the Broncos wideout is back on track. In Week 3, he hauled in six passes for 155 yards and his second score of the year. He’s averaging 160 yards and a touchdown in two starts this season.

Reggie Bush, RB, New Orleans
The former Trojan showed his versatility on Sunday by going for 70-plus yards in rushing and receiving and adding a score both ways as well. Bush has proven very productive for his fantasy owners through three weeks, and a tough matchup against the Broncos in Week 3 was no exception.

MOST SURPRISING PERFORMANCE BY A PLAYER NOT NAMED RONNIE BROWN

Brian Griese, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Griese led the NFL in passing this weekend as he went for more than 400 yards for the first time in his career. He tossed two touchdowns as well. Griese started in less than seven percent of leagues on ESPN, and that handful of owners can bask in his one week of legitimate fantasy contributions.

Runners-Up

Steve Slaton, RB, Houston Texans
This rookie out of West Virginia saw the first legitimate action of his NFL career. After splitting carries in Week 1 and having Hurricane Ike spoil his fun for Week 2, this past Sunday’s matchup against a tough Tennessee Titans defense served as Slaton’s coming out party. He ran for 116 yards and a touchdown.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
After two weeks of nearly no fantasy production, Housh decided to show up for Sunday’s matchup against the G-men. He went for 146 yards and a score after more than 30 percent of his owners in ESPN.com leagues had benched him.

Brandon Lloyd, WR, Chicago Bears
Lloyd caught six passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in Chicago’s loss to Tampa Bay. The Bears wideout is owned in only eight percent of leagues on ESPN and was started in just 5.3 percent them. It was the first time Lloyd went for 100+ yards since November 2005.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Big Ben played all of Week 3 from his back. After not sacking Romo once last Monday night the Eagles defense came out with something to prove. Fantastic blitz packages, pressure from the defensive line, and good coverage downfield led to a Steelers offensive meltdown that left Roethlisberger sacked eight times before being replaced by backup Byron Leftwich. Add a pick and a fumble lost and you get one embarrassing outing from Roethlisberger.

Runners-Up

Willie Parker, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Parker was the third-best fantasy running back heading into Philly for his Week 3 matchup against the Eagles. Thirteen carries and 20 yards later, suffice it to say that Parker was a bust. His offensive line struggled throughout the contest, which greatly contributed to the Steelers’ inability to move the football.

Randy Moss, WR, New England Patriots
With Brady down for the year, Moss became a huge question mark. Could Cassel get him the ball?  Will he stop blocking downfield, running crisp routes, or finishing plays?  In Week 3, Moss hauled in four catches for 25 yards and the Pats dropped their first game of the year 38-13. The Pats looked awful in all aspects of the game, and for fantasy owners, let’s hope that the team’s Week 3 inadequacy is what led to Moss’ lack of production.

Eddie Royal, WR, Denver Broncos
After the first two weeks of Royal’s inaugural campaign went so well, many fantasy owners turned this sleeper into a Week 3 starter. Cutler connected with Royal four times for a total of 11 yards versus the Saints - not the type of performance most were looking for when they had Royal as their No. 2 wide receiver or flex guy.

WAIVER WIRE SPECIAL

Le’Ron McClain, RB, Baltimore Orioles
McClain is shaping up to be this season’s top sleeper at the running back position. This Raven looked more like a vulture in Week 3 as he capped off two Baltimore scoring drives with one-yard touchdown runs. He turned in an 86 yard day in Week 1 vs. Cleveland, then followed it up with 66 more in Week 3. He looks like a sound bet to get plenty of red-zone action in weeks to come.

CUTTABLE PLAYER

Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions
Smith has done little over the first three weeks to indicate that he will continue to get carries down the road. Recent acquisition Rudi Johnson carried the Lions’ load at running back in Week 3, which was an ominous sign for Smith. You’re better off picking up a touchdown vulture like McClain or Pierre Thomas (New Orleans) than to play an unreliable Smith.

DREAM LINEUP

QB - Drew Brees, NO
RB - Ronnie Brown, MIA
RB - Michael Turner, ATL
WR - Brandon Marshall, DEN
WR - T.J. Houshmandzadeh
TE - Anthony Fasano, MIA
K - John Carney, NYG
D/ST - Philadelphia Eagles

NIGHTMARE SQUAD

QB - Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
RB - Brian Westbrook, PHI
RB - Willie Parker, PIT
WR - Randy Moss, NE
WR - Braylon Edwards, CLE
TE - Kellen Winslow, CLE
K - Adam Vinatieri, IND
D/ST - New England Patriots

HIGHLIGHT REEL (Best play)

The play(s) of the week goes to the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins ran six direct snaps during their game and four went for touchdowns. The best of the four was engineered by Ronnie Brown who, in the fourth quarter against the Brady-less Pats, broke a 62-yard touchdown run. Brown had also already thrown for a touchdown, bringing his total to five.

Runners-Up

Cortland Finnegan of the Tennessee Titans grabbed his fourth interception of this young season and returned it 99 yards to paydirt. Finnegan also recorded five unassisted tackles during the Titans victory over Houston.

Green Bay’s free safety Nick Collins intercepted Dallas quarterback Tony Romo in the end zone and returned it 61 yards into Cowboy territory. The pick led to a Mason Crosby field goal.

Josh Scobee’s 51-yard field goal with four ticks left on the clock against the Colts gave Jacksonville a much needed Week 3 victory. The kick allowed the Jags to narrowly avoid the black hole that is 0-3 in the NFL.