Week three was perhaps one of the most unsettling weeks of
football we’ve seen in quite some time. Sure fire contests turned into
disasters seeing potential top flight candidates fall by the wayside, leaving
fantasy managers reeling to gain victories. While ADF missed on some of its
predictions last week, we also found great fortune in some lesser valued starts
which would’ve propelled your club to secure the win. As the NFL begins to
solidify top contenders, we will find those key matchups to keep the wheels
turning and your hopes of hoisting that championship trophy alive. Follow us
and we’ll get you to the promise land.
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START - GET THEM IN
YOUR LINEUP
Quarterbacks:
Drew Brees (NO)
While it’s quite obvious to start Drew Brees week-in-week-out,
this matchup is far too good to remain silent. The Saints continue to roll in
terms of offensive output, and it seems every time these teams meet, fireworks
follow. The Giants house a middle of the pack defense against fantasy
quarterbacks, but seeing how coach Payton has utilized his top talent, Drew is
surely in for another great contest. There is potential for this game to open
up and become a shootout providing more advantage for Brees to garner greater
numbers.
Matt Ryan (ATL)
Is it too early to suggest that Matt Ryan has finally figured out
Steve Sarkisian’s offensive system? After witnessing the Falcons week one
disaster on offense, Ryan has put up over 30 and 40 fantasy points in back to
back weeks respectively. This Matty-Ice is again playing at levels which won
him the NFL MVP honor back in 2016. While we understand it’s still early, Ryan
has a great matchup against the Bengals who allowed Cam Newton to generate over
30 points in his own right. With Calvin Ridley finally showing his worth, Ryan
has options all over the field that the opposition will struggle to
defend.
Philip Rivers (LAC)
Now that Jimmy Garoppolo is lost for the season, the 49ers offense
will see a massive drop-off allowing the opposition to see more drives, raising
the amount of plays plus production. The Chargers have begun the season in
murky waters once again not realizing their full potential to date.
Offensively, Rivers has this team moving in the right direction and should be
able to capitalize on a gassed 49er defense exploiting the opportunity. Rivers
and the Chargers will feast this week leaving most offensive weapons with a
very healthy output.
Eli Manning (NYG)
Let them all scoff at the notion that Eli Manning will provide
sound numbers this week as you plug in the long time veteran as your starter.
Manning and the Giants have gone through transition with new head coach Pat
Shurmur (to be expected), but after last week’s performance, things should
begin to improve. Eli has a fantastic supporting cast around him and will
continue to find their chemistry as we get further into the season. Going up
against the Saints tends to bring out the best in both Manning and Brees which
becomes a welcome site to the scoreboard. New Orleans holds the last position
at defending fantasy quarterbacks leaving Manning in a favorable position. If
you require an upgrade at quarterback this week promote Eli Manning.
Running Backs:
Carlos Hyde (CLE)
ADF preached the potential of Carlos Hyde before fantasy drafts,
suggesting he would become a mainstay for the Browns running attack this
season. To begin the season Hyde hasn’t disappointed getting better with each
passing week. While we recognize the Oakland Raiders aren’t terrible at
stopping the run, holding a top ten fantasy placement, the Baker-revolution
will only help Hyde’s outlook. Carlos Hyde still has plenty left in the tank
and offensive coordinator Todd Haley knows it. An endzone trip is definitely in
the cards again for Carlos this week.
James White (NE) (PPR)
First, while we see Michel dominating the backfield touches from a
week ago, the forceful nature to make Sony the lead back isn’t in Belichicks
DNA. Bill requires solid producers every week to justify - providing more work.
James White gets a massive uptick in our minds now that Rex Burkhead finds
himself on injured reserve. White has been the most reliable and consistent
playmaker for many years and will claw his way back to be the glimmer in
Belichicks eye. In PPR formats through three weeks, White hasn’t fallen under
12 points produced and will be leaned upon to cover the Rex injury. Sony will
still have his opportunities, but White will continue to flash.
Kerryon Johnson (DET)
Over these last several years, the Detroit Lions have been begging
for someone to finally step in and literally run away with the starting role at
running back. The coming out party for rookie Kerryon Johnson was witnessed
last week and we find it difficult to believe that the Lions will take their
foot off the pedal in this match against the Cowboys. With a solid run game on
this offense, its clear Matthew Stafford enjoyed greater protection and
exploited the play action pass with great regularity. Dallas doesn’t appear to
have their house in order to this point, and with news that Sean Lee will miss
this contest; Johnson should have every chance to make an impact.
Phillip Lindsay (DEN)
While throwing punches isn’t in the Broncos game plan on a weekly
basis, Phillip Lindsay hopefully learned his lesson from last week’s ejection
that ultimately hurt his club. Going up against the Kansas City Chiefs on
Monday Night Football, Lindsey will have every opportunity to right his wrongs
against a defense that gives up the second most to fantasy runners. Denver will
continue to use both Freeman and Lindsay in a complementary role which will
bode well for his owners. The Chiefs will undoubtedly keep producing high end
numbers leaving Denver to match the output. Easy endorsement to play Lindsay this
week.
Wide Receivers:
Emmanuel Sanders (DEN) (PPR)
This will be the third week in a row that we preach Emmanuel
Sanders as a sure fire starter, to which he hasn’t let us down yet. Case Keenum
has found glorious chemistry with Sanders early on and facing off against the
Chiefs who house one of the worst defensive groupings in the league, Denver
should be throwing quite a bit to keep pace with Mahomes and company. With
Thomas occupying the other side of the field drawing greater coverage in the
process, Sanders will continue to be Keenum’s prime go-to target.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (PIT)
The biggest benefactor in this Steelers offense has been second
year pro JuJu Smith-Schuster. Looking to be a must start on a weekly basis more
and more, JuJu should again find his way to fantastic production against
division rival the Baltimore Ravens. JuJu enjoys a similar evaluation to that
of Emmanuel Sanders, as Pittsburgh top receiver (Antonio Brown) relieves all
coverage from his side allowing the points to generate in bunches. I wouldn’t
have envisioned Smith-Shuster to be beating out Brown in terms of fantasy
production after the first three weeks, but indeed that is what has transpired.
JuJu is an obvious must start with high-end earning potential this week.
Jarvis Landry (CLE)
We all understand the talent that Jarvis Landry brings to the
table, but when Baker Mayfield entered the game last Thursday Night, every
offensive weapon on the Browns received an instant uptick. Going up against the
Oakland Raiders who haven’t been able to stop the pass game whatsoever, this
opens the door for Landry to possibly garner season high statistics. While our
excitement for Baker is on obvious overdrive at the moment, his play justified
they perception that he in fact could be the real deal. Offensive coordinator
Todd Haley will have this offense moving in this one with Landry being the
primary target.
Sterling Shepard (NYG)
Yet another wide receiver that ADF has taken heat on for
supporting early on is the Giants Sterling Shepard. Entering his third season
in the NFL, expectations are at an all-time high for the supportive piece to
excel and produce large numbers. Going up against the Saints who have had their
issues thus far defending the pass, they will have their hands full with Odell
Beckham Jr leaving Shepard a viable option to start this week. The Saints are
the worst in the NFL in terms of fantasy points giving up to wide receivers,
and it’s very easy for us to envision Sterling finding pay-dirt yet again in
this one.
Tight-Ends:
Eric Ebron (IND)
It’s becoming clear that head coach Frank Reich prefers Eric Ebron
as his primary tight-end pass catcher over Jack Doyle early on this season. On
top of that, Doyle is looking to miss his second straight contest this week
with a hip injury, leaving Ebron prime to make a heavy impact in a divisional
contest against the Texans. Eric saw a very healthy 11 targets last week from
Andrew Luck and with Houston struggling to guard the tight-end position; this
matchup has us licking our chops. It’s not out of the question to see Eric find
the endzone at least once on Sunday.
Trey Burton (CHI)
After witnessing what the Steelers Vance McDonald did to the
Buccaneers defense last week, Trey Burton has great appeal to replicate that
performance. Tampa is one of the worst at defending the tight-end position and
should be consumed with covering Allen Robinson. One concern that would we
caution in starting Trey is the unorganized approach coach Matt Nagy has taken
early this season. It appears he isn’t quite comfortable with his schemes just
yet and is looking to perfect the process. With that said, Mitchell Trubisky
deserves some if not most of the credit for the lack of execution for this
offense. We do believe they will continue to improve, and Trey will be a major
part of that.
SIT - LEAVE THEM
ON THE BENCH
Dak Prescott (DAL)
We at ADF held out hope that Dak Prescott would eventually find
his way in this offense, but we can no longer support how the Cowboys operate. Prescott
isn’t a player that can carry a team without great assistance. Until Coach
Garrett changes the system to again feature Zeke Elliott as the primary weapon
to have Dak follow, he is a must sit.
Blake Bortles (JAX)
The conundrum of Blake Bortles continues to show just how
confusing it can be to try and support his play. One week after showing up
against the Patriots putting up nearly 40 fantasy points, Bortles couldn’t find
his way to generate 10 fantasy points. Going up against the Jets who have
surprised, playing better defense than expected, the Jaguars should lean on
Leonard Fournette rather than the pass. It’s possible Blake comes back to form,
but we aren’t willing to take that risk this week.
Derek Carr (OAK)
At this point there is no reason to play Derek Carr going up
against the Cleveland Brown who are filled with potential and momentum
following Baker Mayfield’s triumphant victory last week. The Raiders offense
does possess ability, but it’s the lack of consistency that is forcing us to leave
Carr on the bench. ADF is still holding out hope for Carr, just not this
week.
Sam Darnold (NYJ)
Coming out of the NFL draft process, the largest knock on Sam
Darnold was his inability to protect the ball with a high rate of interceptions
and fumbles. Through three weeks of the season, Sam has five interceptions and
one fumble to his name. Going up against the Jaguars top notch defense this
week should have you passing over Sam to find a far better option.
Running Backs:
Isaiah Crowell (NYJ)
The New York Jets have found a way to rejuvenate Isaiah Crowell
seemingly giving him more speed and elusiveness to which wasn’t witnessed in
his time in Cleveland. Through the first three weeks Isaiah has seen a great
showing, followed by a poor showing, to only get back on track with another
good performance. The trend will continue as the Jags will stifle the Jets run
attack.
Derrick Henry (TEN)
Perhaps one of the most overhyped, underperforming players in
recent memory for fantasy football, Derrick Henry has become a massive problem
for his owners. Holding out hope that he could find his way to become something
noticeable, don’t expect much of anything yet again this week against the
Eagles top defensive front.
Payton Barber (TB)
The Buccaneers have completely disappointed in terms of any
production from the backfield making us question why rookie Ronald Jones hasn’t
gotten his chance just yet. We possess zero optimism that Tampa Bay will find a
way to run through the Bears unbelievable front seven this week. Keep Barber on
the bench.
LeSean McCoy (BUF)
With the Buffalo Bills taking down the Minnesota Vikings last week
without Shady McCoy, one would think there was an opportunity to play LeSean against
a Packers team that hovers around the middle of the league against runners.
While Shady could provide some level of production, his rib injury has feared
us to sit him at least one more week.
Wide Receivers:
Marquise Goodwin (SF)
When the 49ers starting pivot (Jimmy Garoppolo) was lost for the
season, most if not all potential for the supportive pieces went down in
flames. Goodwin has great ability but it shouldn’t amount to very much with
subpar quarterback play on the horizon. To be safe, sit all 49er offensive
weapons this week against the Chargers starting with Marquise.
Larry Fitzgerald (ARZ)
Some argue that father time has caught up to Larry this season,
but our rebuttal is simply to show the tape on Sam Bradford through the first
three weeks. More awful quarterback play we haven’t seen, but definitely
predicted it in the offseason, Arizona has chosen to swing for the fences and
start their rookie Josh Rosen. With nothing creatable to endorse from Rosen
just yet, sit the future hall of famer until further notice.
Quincy Enunwa (NYJ)
So far this season Quincy has been a decent earner to warrant a
flex play in PPR formats. The mantra to sit Jets players against the Jaguars
top-flight defensive unit will extend to Enunwa, as he won’t be trusted to
produce anything more than half a dozen receptions for 45 yards at most.
Finding better options is extremely possible and we encourage you to exercise
that option.
Randall Cobb (GB)
We may regret this choice to sit after the Bills and the Packers
complete their contest on Sunday. Randall Cobb has seen a whopping 27 targets
through the first three weeks of the season and that might continue as Buffalo
keys in on shutting down Adams and Graham. The missed opportunities for
production is forcing us to place Cobb here, but we wouldn’t be surprised to
witness him have a game.
Tight-Ends:
Jared Cook (OAK)
Even though Jared Cook has found some
decent level of chemistry with Derek Carr, we can’t envision him mustering much
more than 5-8 PPR points against a Browns team that has done a fabulous job at
covering the tight-end. This one we hummed and hawed over as the potential
remains, but essentially we could secure better options elsewhere.
George Kittle (SF)
We at ADF scratched and clawed to try
and find any justification to keep George Kittle in your lineup this week
against the Chargers, and we simply couldn’t find one. The only opportunity
Kittle will get to form sound numbers could be found in garbage time, and we
can’t promote that risk. Yet another 49er value dropper.
POTENTIAL BIG DAY – ALL ABOUT THE RISK/REWARD
Quarterbacks:
Baker Mayfield (CLE)
Everything is coming up Baker this week, and if you have the
‘Cahoonas’ to place him as your starting quarterback, the potential is there to
be compensated. High risk play with high
reward potential.
Ryan Tannehill (MIA)
We at ADF have found great infatuation with Ryan Tannehill in this
offense with the plethora of playmakers they now employ. We have preached the
potential all offseason, and a primal divisional matchup against the Patriots
will tell us a greater story about him. If you require a bye week quarterback,
Ryan could produce very solid numbers mirroring last week’s production.
Matthew Stafford (DET)
Even travel to Big-D won’t remove our thought process to see
Matthew Stafford have a great day on Sunday against the Cowboys. The fantastic
trio of wide receivers will provide migraines to Dallas’ defense to what should
be a very good performance.
Running Backs:
Austin Ekeler (LAC) (PPR)
While the Chargers Melvin Gordon will again see the bulk of the workload,
Austin should find his way to see quite a few targets in the pass game to warrant
that flex start. The potential to find the endzone definitely exists making
Ekeler a solid candidate to start with high reward.
Javorius Allen (BAL) (PPR)
No matter what the masses suggest, the Ravens Allen has a clear
role on this offense and he continues to turn out points. Playing in a
divisional matchup against the Steelers seems to always bring the best out of
these two clubs, and we can easily envision a heavy amount of productivity
here.
Wide Receivers:
Antonio Callaway (CLE)
With Baker Mayfield starting, the excitement for all the Browns
offensive weapons has a clear uptick especially Antonio Callaway. He could
become a boom or bust play weekly until we understand his role in this offense
with Mayfield. The potential is great to garner 6-8 targets this week, but its
about what he’ll do with those targets places him here.
Danny Amendola (MIA)
When Danny signed with the Dolphins this offseason, we had this game
marked on our calendar simply for the revenge aspect. Danny would love to all
but stick it to his former club by having a superb contest to rub it in their
face. We place high caution on this start as Amendola hasn’t played up to par
so far this season. With that said, there is potential here to make plays.
Tight-Ends:
Tyler Eifert (CIN)
The Bengals Tyler Eifert has been better than we thought to start the year given his history of back problems. This week we could see Andy Dalton targeting his tight-end especially in the redzone. The Falcons will have a lot of attention directed to AJ Green leaving a good possibility to see Eifert put in solid work.
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