Week 3 Thought Bubbles

As the weeks go by the patterns begin to emerge and the predictions get easier to make. However, this is the NFL and it also increases the likelihood that your confidence is misplaced. With that in mind, here are my thought bubbles for week 3. This is going to be a bit shorter this week due to something of a hectic life schedule but if you want any deeper thoughts; message me on twitter using @FFThinker or find me in the NFL Fantasy Football Discussion Group.

Saints @ Falcons
This could be a shootout. The Saints defence hasn’t lived up to the hype they created last season while the Falcons are still getting to grips with losing Neal and Jones for the season. Kamara should have another great week and the Brees/Thomas connection should still be on fire. Ted Ginn is a decent deeper option. Matt Ryan has options in front of him but as usual expect Julio to star, even with an injury concern. Sanu seems to have dropped off and Ridley is taking over as the WR2 and he will have flex appeal going forwards. The Saints defence has been reasonable against the run to Tevin Coleman isn’t a guaranteed big scorer with Freeman out but if you’re in a deep league and in need of an option then Ito Smith in the old Coleman role could be worth a go.

49ers @ Chiefs
This is another game with 2 strong offences and weak defences. The 49ers are in rebuild but a number of their building blocks are nursing injury concerns. Goodwin should play and if he does it’s a juicy matchup if he doesn’t then Garcon, Pettis and Kittle get a bump. The defence is also nursing some injuries with Witherspoon and Tartt among many requiring late calls so Mahomes should continue his hot start. That also means Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Travis Kelce should have nice days and I’d expect Kareem Hunt to have his day in the sun.

Raiders @ Dolphins
Two teams I’ve argued have a lack of quality and while the Dolphins have started 2-0 I can’t say I’m convinced. The Raiders still have a number of troubles but the game against Denver proved not all hope is lost. Amari Cooper looks to have improved this offseason and Derek Carr isn’t doing badly. Nelson and Bryant are TD upside only plays and I wouldn’t want a ticket in that lottery, I’d rather roll with Jared Cook. The Dolphins might have Devante Parker back which could open up the field for Stills and the rest of the receiving corps. Tannehill is a decent streaming option at QB and maybe this will be the game where Kenyan Drake lives up to his ADP.

Bills @ Vikings
The Bills dumpster fire continues to burn and the flames show no sign of dying down against the Vikings. Cousins, Thielin, Diggs and Rudolph can all be fired up confidently. Dalvin Cook won’t play so Latavious Murray becomes a solid starter. Shady McCoy still has a few issues and can’t do things on his own, Allen is still finding his feet and being knocked off them frequently. Leave Benjamin and Jones well alone against this defence and if you have the Vikings DST you should be able to sit back and enjoy.

Colts @ Eagles
This game could be difficult to call. Wentz returning is a big boost for the Eagles but how ready is he? He may be a little rusty and with Jeffrey, Ajayi and Sproles all ruled out it’s seemingly up to Agholor and Ertz to do the work with Corey Clement doing a lot of the running. The Colts have a better defence than they are used to and Andrew Luck may get a fair few chances to show he’s truly back. TY Hilton looks set to play and Ryan Grant has proved a decent WR2 on the team. Jack Doyle missing makes Eric Ebron a big play but the running backs are probably a miss as the merry-go-round between Wilkins, Hines and Mack shows no signs of settling, even if Mack misses again.

Packers @ Redskins
Aaron Rodgers is trending towards playing which means you play him. If he can beat teams on one leg, having two will be frightening. The Skins had a great opening day win but last week was much less exciting and the Packers should be able to handle it. Adams, Cobb and Allison all have value and maybe Jimmy Graham can find a few catches. He remains a TD dependant play though. The Packers running backs get further clouded with the return of Aaron Jones so until things settle down I wouldn’t advise taking a chance. The Redskins need their pass attack to get going as Alex Smith only seems to be clicking with Jordan Reed right now. Crowder, Doctson and Richardson have all disappointed their owners so far but this may give all 3 a chance to make up for lost time.

Bengals @ Panthers
This is another game I think will be close to call. With Joe Mixon missing for the Bengals, Gio Bernard will get the workload and Mark Walton will see some action. AJ Green, Tyler Boyd and John Ross will likely see the bulk of the work so Andy Dalton is a decent QB stream, I mean even Tyler Eifert at TE could be handy. The Panthers should still be slight favourites and it’s usually dependant on Cam Newton playing well so he’s the key. Funchess and Moore now have a chance to show their abilities and McCaffrey will be likely to see plenty of the ball.

Titans @ Jaguars
Marcus Mariota remains questionable and with Blaine Gabbert at QB I’m not sure if I give the likes of Corey Davis, Rishard Matthews and Jonnu Smith any hope at all. Derrick Henry has been struggling so far this season and with an injury concern over his head, Dion Lewis is maybe the one piece worth playing. Meanwhile, the Jags finally showed they can work without Fournette as Bortles and Cole put it together. With Fournette likely to be back he will be an option and the defence will still have to keep an eye on Cole. Moncrief, Westbrook and ASJ aren’t such enticing plays with Fournette on the field but the Jags seem to have an answer for most setbacks right now.

Broncos @ Ravens
After talking about some offensive matchups early on this is the opposite with two strong defences and quite lethargic offences. Phillip Lindsey has had a monster start to his career and outshone Royce Freeman. Sanders has dominated Thomas in the receiving role and Courtland Sutton is still working his way into the equation. If you go by matchups they aren’t a great set of options against the Ravens but if CJ Mosely misses the game things do improve. The Ravens need Alex Collins to be given a chance and Crabtree to find a better connection with Flacco. They really need a new offence (coaches included) in my view but that’s a discussion for another time. Both DSTs should be great plays.

Giants @ Texans
If the Giants had a decent offensive line they’d be a dangerous team, but against the defensive line of the Texans I fear for Eli’s safety as well as his production. His receivers may struggle to get see targets if he’s on his back but OBJ always seems to find a way to be relevant. Saquon Barkely may see a lot of the play but again, he may not get much help. The Texans do look better when Will Fuller is on the field with Hopkins and this should boost them both and Deshaun Watson. The Texans DST looks a decent play this week and maybe now Watson can begin paying back the people who drafted him so highly.

Chargers @ Rams
The battle of Los Angeles could be an interesting game to watch. The Chargers defence isn’t living up to the hype although losing Joey Bosa may be a big part of that. With that in mind, Melvin Gordon has had to take a lot on and so far has delivered while Ekeler has been a very capable and relevant backup. Rivers and Allen haven’t hit the heights yet but Allen is a weekly must play regardless. The remaining receiving options probably require fading. The Rams have a bunch of options in the receiving game and I seem to struggle to pick the right one each week although each has upside. This week Gurley may be an even stronger play than usual.

Bears @ Cardinals
The Bears have had the beastly defence so far but what do you expect when you add Khalil Mack. Trubisky is still a bit sheepish and the passing game is yet to click but Robinson is showing signs of life and this may be a good matchup for Trey Burton. That being said the Arizona offence is having a lot of problems. DJ isn’t able to carry the whole team and Sam Bradford just isn’t performing. Josh Rosen will be in before too long but it already looks like a season of damage and limitation for the Cardinals. Larry Fitz should play this week but he may not be 100%, but a 50% fit Fitz is probably better than all their other options at 100%. It’s sad to see and I can’t see their defence digging them out of any holes either.

Cowboys @ Seahawks
Two offences struggling to get things going. The Cowboys have Zeke but he’s been limited with the losses they’ve taken on the offensive line. Dak has been terrible so far but really he hasn’t got a lot to work with. The Seahawks similarly are struggling with a depleted offensive line although that’s been a problem for years. Without Doug Baldwin, Russel Wilson hasn’t got his usual outshot and so Lockett and Marshall are having to pick up what they can and Lockett seems playable on a weekly basis right now although the Cowboys defence does limit his effectiveness. The running backs are still struggling for relevancy but that O-Line will do that.

Patriots @ Lions
The Lions have had a very indifferent start to the season and the Matt Patricia era since leaving New England hasn’t been smooth. They do however have the weapons and a strong passing game so Stafford, Tate and Marvin Jones (if fit) are all good plays. Kenny Golladay has started the season as a surprise star and should have value all season long, this game included. The defence meanwhile is a little shaky still and so the Patriots offensive options are going to be worth playing. Brady, Hogan, Gronk and White should all be strong. If Burkhead could get a clean bill of health he’d be great for this matchup but I still can’t be confident enough in him to play him.

I’ll cover the Monday game on Monday but don’t overthink it. This should be a shootout and all the offensive options should be worth having in your flex.

Hopefully, this should give you some guidance but if you want more specific advice, find me on twitter.