16
Sep
Sep
2008
Time to shake things up in our Week 3 rankings, especially at the top where the unthinkable happened - LaDainian Tomlinson lost his weekly home at No. 1 to Adrian Peterson. More struggling backs were bumped from the top five, as we try and let go of our preseason draft stocks and start seeing reality for what it is.
Reality is, Steven Jackson and Joseph Addai are no longer more desirable than Clinton Portis and Marion Barber. Ditto for Randy Moss, who was passed by Terrell Owens as our No. 1 wide receiver after seeing New England’s revamped offense with Matt Cassel at the helm.
More fantasy reality is that rookies are dominating the NFL at a rate we have not seen in years. Three first-year running backs rank among the league’s top eight rushers, as Chicago’s Matt Forte, Oakland’s Darren McFadden and Tennessee’s Chris Johnson are all averaging more than 100 yards per game in the early going.
Speaking of rookies, two second-round selections in the NFL Draft are taking the fantasy world by storm. Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson has begun his career with back-to-back 100-yard days, and Denver’s Eddie Royal is putting up big numbers playing with rising quarterback Jay Cutler.
The changing of the guard completes with the plummeting values of veterans like Larry Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, Braylon Edwards and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Through two weeks, the 2008 season has been a test of our preconceptions and abilities to make tough roster decisions. A number of prized draftees are fair game to being benched, which of course, threatens to burn fantasy owners everywhere.
And now, our Week 3 rankings. In the notes section, you’ll find a player’s previous rank in [brackets], just to get a gauge for which direction he is headed. Rankings are based on standard, 10-team leagues where passing touchdowns are worth six points.
| Rk | Player, Team | Pos | Notes [Previous Rank] |
| 1. | Adrian Peterson, MIN | RB | Switch to Frerotte at QB would help TD potential [2] |
| 2. | Brian Westbrook, PHI | RB | Best may still be to come for NFL scoring leader [3] |
| 3. | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | RB | Needs to produce, prove health to regain top spot [1] |
| 4. | Frank Gore, SF | RB | TDs in 2 straight; next faces soft NO, DET defenses [5] |
| 5. | Clinton Portis, WAS | RB | Reliable and consistent producer when healthy [7] |
| 6. | Marion Barber, DAL | RB | Ribs didn’t look sore in scoring 2 TDs vs. PHI [9] |
| 7. | Marshawn Lynch, BUF | RB | Held below 60 yards for first time of career at JAC [8] |
| 8. | Steven Jackson, STL | RB | Second straight dismal effort has owners panicking [4] |
| 9. | Joseph Addai, IND | RB | Goal-line TD salvaged 20-yard effort at MIN [6] |
| 10. | Terrell Owens, DAL | WR | Wide-open DAL offense has fired on all cylinders [11] |
| 11. | Randy Moss, NE | WR | Re-tooled Pats offense involves fewer deep balls [10] |
| 12. | Tony Romo, DAL | QB | Overcame miscues in 2nd straight 300-yard effort [13] |
| 13. | Reggie Wayne, IND | WR | Manning’s go-to guy a foot shy of 2nd TD at MIN [12] |
| 14. | Willie Parker, PIT | RB | Week 2 more indicative of season; 105 yards, 0 TDs [14] |
| 15. | Peyton Manning, IND | QB | Look for return to full health following Week 4 bye [16] |
| 16. | Michael Turner, ATL | RB | Won’t set records every week; 14 rush, 42 yards vs. TB [18] |
| 17. | Larry Fitzgerald, ARI | WR | On worse end of WR duo as Boldin scored 3 TDs [21] |
| 18. | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | RB | Has impressive 209 yards, but zero TDs in 2 weeks [20] |
| 19. | Plaxico Burress, NYG | WR | Rising up WR ranks; should go wild vs. CIN in Week 3 [25] |
| 20. | Brandon Marshall, DEN | WR | Missed a week and still leads NFL with 18 catches [34] |
| 21. | Jamal Lewis, CLE | RB | Rough early schedule continues at BAL next week [19] |
| 22. | Reggie Bush, NO | RB | Little improvement; still excellent in PPR leagues [22] |
| 23. | Larry Johnson, KC | RB | Disappointing and disgruntled; bad combo in fantasy [15] |
| 24. | Ryan Grant, GB | RB | Didn’t capitalize on matchup with 20 yards at DET [17] |
| 25. | Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | RB | Is JAC’s goal-line back, but has 12 carries in 2 weeks [24] |
| 26. | Drew Brees, NO | QB | Missed Colston in loss at WAS; 216 yds, TD, 2 INT [26] |
| 27. | Andre Johnson, HOU | WR | Unexpected bye week; now plays 15 straight games [27] |
| 28. | Steve Smith, CAR | WR | Should be hungry as ever in return from suspension [31] |
| 29. | Thomas Jones, NYJ | RB | Consider 70 rush yards success vs. Pats’ front seven [32] |
| 30. | Jason Witten, DAL | TE | Hands-down leading TEs with 103 yards/game [33] |
| 31. | Braylon Edwards, CLE | WR | Time to panic if drops, poor play continue in Week 3 [23] |
| 32. | Jay Cutler, DEN | QB | Lots of buzz after 4 TDs, 2nd straight 300-yard game [45] |
| 33. | Earnest Graham, TB | RB | Made most of 15 carries with 116 yards, TD vs. ATL [35] |
| 34. | Donovan McNabb, PHI | QB | Health concerns a thing of the past after 2 big efforts [44] |
| 35. | Greg Jennings, GB | WR | YAC monster had two 60+ yard catches vs. DET [36] |
| 36. | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | QB | Few pass attempts a result of sore throwing shoulder [28] |
| 37. | Matt Forte, CHI | RB | Leads rookies, ranks 4th in NFL with 215 rush yards [38] |
| 38. | Willis McGahee, BAL | RB | Got additional week to recover from July knee surgery [29] |
| 39. | T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN | WR | Don’t panic yet, but needs better effort from Palmer [30] |
| 40. | Calvin Johnson, DET | WR | Looks like draft bargain; 2nd in NFL with 236 yards [52] |
| 41. | Wes Welker, NE | WR | Few deep looks by QB Cassel good thing for Welker [42] |
| 42. | Darren McFadden, OAK | RB | On upswing after breakout effort, injury to Fargas [49] |
| 43. | Kellen Winslow, CLE | TE | Rainy, windy conditions made for tough week vs. PIT [37] |
| 44. | Antonio Gates, SD | TE | Comes off 2nd straight 4-catch, 61-yard effort at DEN [47] |
| 45. | Anquan Boldin, ARI | WR | Was his day in rout of MIA, going for 140 yds, 3 TDs [50] |
| 46. | Torry Holt, STL | WR | Similar to ‘07, is most desirable Ram in fantasy [46] |
| 47. | Santonio Holmes, PIT | WR | Managed quality game, despite run-heavy attack [51] |
| 48. | Jonathan Stewart, CAR | RB | Hard runner does it all, will get goal-line carries [67] |
| 49. | Kevin Smith, DET | RB | Involved in passing game, has 8 catches in 2 games [58] |
| 50. | Chad Ocho Cinco, CIN | WR | Good time to buy low from frustrated owners [43] |
| 51. | Carson Palmer, CIN | QB | Isn’t automatic start until CIN offense shows more life [41] |
| 52. | Chris Johnson, TEN | RB | Can make most of timeshare with big play potential [71] |
| 53. | Hines Ward, PIT | WR | Not done yet; tied for NFL lead with 3 receiving TDs [57] |
| 54. | Dwayne Bowe, KC | WR | Freakish athlete gets numbers regardless of QB [59] |
| 55. | Julius Jones, SEA | RB | ‘Hawks have no choice but to put ball in his hands [74] |
| 56. | Edgerrin James, ARI | RB | Has little explosion left, no chance at goal-line TDs [48] |
| 57. | Tony Gonzalez, KC | TE | Proven he can be valuable for disastrous offense [56] |
| 58. | Philip Rivers, SD | QB | Had huge day, but lost QB matchup with Cutler [78] |
| 59. | Donald Driver, GB | WR | New QB Rodgers may prove to benefit fantasy value [62] |
| 60. | Ronnie Brown, MIA | RB | Getting edge on Williams for majority of carries [53] |
| 61. | Eli Manning, NYG | QB | So far, is best fantasy player in Manning family [75] |
| 62. | Brett Favre, NYJ | QB | Playing it close to vest as he learns NYJ offense [63] |
| 63. | Santana Moss, WAS | WR | Saints couldn’t handle speed in 164-yard day [77] |
| 64. | Aaron Rodgers, GB | QB | The real deal; has come up big in 2 career starts [82] |
| 65. | Derek Anderson, CLE | QB | Struggling to meet expectations of franchise QB [54] |
| 66. | Roy Williams, DET | WR | Looking more and more like No. 3 fantasy WR [55] |
| 67. | LenDale White, TEN | RB | Fisher promised and delivered 50/50 timeshare [66] |
| 68. | Lee Evans, BUF | WR | Catching deep ball, just hasn’t found end zone [61] |
| 69. | Laurence Maroney, NE | RB | Too many RBs vulture carries, especially in red zone [39] |
| 70. | Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ | WR | Optimism took hit as he caught 1 pass in Week 2 [68] |
| 71. | Anthony Gonzalez, IND | WR | Surpassed Harrison as Colts’ new No. 2 option [85] |
| 72. | Kurt Warner, ARI | QB | Had 361 yards, perfect 158.3 rating in rout of MIA [91] |
| 73. | Chris Cooley, WAS | TE | Closer to expectations with 72-yard day vs. NO [73] |
| 74. | Felix Jones, DAL | RB | Big play ability being limited to return game [77] |
| 75. | Marques Colston, NO | WR | Will miss next 3-to-5 weeks with thumb injury [40] |
| 76. | Matt Hasselbeck, SEA | QB | Keep faith until key weapons return in Week 5 [60] |
| 77. | Chris Chambers, SD | WR | Making catches count; 3 of 5 have gone for TDs [87] |
| 78. | Fred Taylor, JAC | RB | Struggles likely to continue behind depleted O-line [65] |
| 79. | Matt Schaub, HOU | QB | Tough matchups continue at TEN, JAC next 2 weeks [83] |
| 80. | DeSean Jackson, PHI | WR | 2nd 100-yard day overshadowed by goal-line gaff [93] |
| 81. | Eddie Royal, DEN | WR | Made catches on winning TD, 2-point conversion [92] |
| 82. | Chris Perry, CIN | RB | Only Bengal with value vs. TEN with 64 yards, TD [97] |
| 83. | Roddy White, ATL | WR | Having hard time replicating ‘07 success [69] |
| 84. | Dallas Clark, IND | TE | Questionable again (knee) for key game vs. JAC [79] |
| 85. | DeAngelo Williams, CAR | RB | Being passed by rookie Stewart on depth chart [64] |
| 86. | Jon Kitna, DET | QB | Like previous seasons, getting numbers in DET losses [94] |
| 87. | Marvin Harrison, IND | WR | Giving way to A.Gonzalez as Colts No. 2 WR [70] |
| 88. | David Garrard, JAC | QB | Victimized by mix of injuries, tough matchups [80] |
| 89. | Joey Galloway, TB | WR | Has sore foot, dealing with strange QB situation [88] |
| 90. | Laveranues Coles, NYJ | WR | Week 2 a positive, but still playing with thigh injury [90] |
| 91. | Bernard Berrian, MIN | WR | Gains value if/when QB Frerotte takes over offense [95] |
| 92. | Titans D/ST | D/ST | Emerging secondary enhances dominant D-line [NR] |
| 93. | Justin Fargas, OAK | RB | Groin injury, McFadden’s big day bad developments [72] |
| 94. | Selvin Young, DEN | RB | No immediate resolution to cluttered backfield [81] |
| 95. | Jake Delhomme, CAR | QB | Bears D a tough draw, look for rebound in Week 3 [89] |
| 96. | Marc Bulger, STL | QB | Hard to keep faith when Rams struggle so badly [86] |
| 97. | Ricky Williams, MIA | RB | Ineffective as starter, will give more carries to Brown [96] |
| 98. | Jeremy Shockey, NO | TE | Had down week, still No. 1 option with Colston out [NR] |
| 99. | Sammy Morris, NE | RB | Leads Pats’ RB committee, gets goal-line touches [NR] |
| 100. | Matt Cassel, NE | QB | Numbers not gaudy, but was effective vs. NYJ [NR] |
| 101. | Jason Campbell, WAS | QB | Still has chance to turn corner leading potent offense [NR] |