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Hopefully by now you are planning your week three lineups with help from our Assistant G.M. tools and my week three fantasy football rankings. But as good of a job as we do with our rankings there are always questions as to why so and so is so high and others so low down. That is why I will try my best to answer your questions even before they are asked, here in Wednesday’s Rankings Review.
Moving On Up
Knile Davis (#6 in PPR; #11 in Non-PPR)
This is what I talk about all of the time when it comes to handcuffing RB’s. Jamaal Charles goes down with a high ankle sprain which sucks because you have now lost a top five fantasy RB. But if you already had him handcuffed with Knile Davis, all that happens is a slight downgrade to a top 10 fantasy RB instead of top five. Davis picks up more yardage after contact then Charles and is probably a better fit while the Chiefs offensive line is getting its barring’s.
Pierre Thomas (#16 in PPR; #18 in Non-PPR)/Khiry Robinson (#29 in PPR; #32 in Non-PPR)
Mark Ingram is out a month with a broken hand and that leaves a lot of extra production for both Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson to split up. The good news for Thomas is that he no longer will be relegated to a passing down only role and will likely pick up goal line touches as well.
Khiry Robinson is intriguing simply because we all know that Sean Payton hates Pierre Thomas despite his constant production. Robinson will get a lot of work between the 20’s and will also figure in to passing situations and possibly even red zone touches as he did in week one.
Stevan Ridley (#20 in PPR; #14 in Non-PPR)
Ridley proved that he still matters in the New England offense last week against the Vikings. This week the Patriots draw the Raiders in Foxboro which means there will be a similar script as last week. When the Patriots have a lead they are going to use Ridley to run out the clock. Shane Vereen becomes nearly non-existent in this scenario. Ridly is a must start this week against Oakland.
Vincent Jackson (#11 in PPR; #9 in Non-PPR)
The Falcons secondary is a mess and it is time for Vincent Jackson’s patented breakout game. Every year he has this slow period before erupting against an inferior opponent. Although I don’t like Josh McCown very much I do think he’ll be good enough this week to get V-Jax the damn ball.
Doubling Down
Tom Brady (#3 this week)/Rob Gronkowski (#2 in PPR & Non-PPR)
I know he has been a disappointment so far this year but this week my friends is the week to start Tom Brady. Brady has made a habit out of running up the score and his numbers in certain matchups throughout his career and this week has a similar setting. I can easily see him tossing four TD’s in a slashing of the Oakland Raiders this Sunday.
Two of those TD’s will go to Gronkowski who has just missed on big plays each of the last two weeks. As I say with Brady, this is a game that the Patriots get right and everybody wins.
Eddie Lacy (#4 in PPR & Non-PPR)
Lacy has struggled out of the gate due to injury and game sequence, neither of which I expect to be a problem this week. The Lions are strong against the run normally but will have to cheat their back seven to try and stop Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson and company. It won’t be a huge yardage game for Lacy but he’ll get in the endzone at least once against the Lions this week.
Andre Johnson (#5 in PPR; #4 in Non-PPR)
All of my chips are pushed in on Andre Johnson this week against the Giants. I am very happy with the involvement of Johnson in the Texans offense and feel like it is just a matter of time before everybody realizes he is still an elite level fantasy WR. That realization will likely come after he destroys the Giants on Sunday afternoon.
Not A Fan
Jay Cutler (#11 QB this week)
Cutler’s second half against the 49ers has won him quite a bit of fantasy attention lately. But I don’t like this matchup against the Jets on Monday Night. Rex Ryan is a great defensive strategist and with the Bears offensive line and both Brandon Marshall & Alshon Jeffery banged up, I would keep Cutler on the bench. The Jets won’t allow Geno Smith to make the mistakes that breathe life back into the Bears offense the way that the 49ers did last week. That could mean a 178 yards, 1 TD game out of Jay Cutler.
Philip Rivers (#16 QB this week)
Some folks will rush out to start Rivers this week after he tore apart the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks last week. But the Chargers and specifically Rivers do not historically travel well to the east coast (58% completion rate, 192 yards passing 1.7 TD’s per game average over last four years). He is nothing more than a QB2 this week against the Bills.
Le’Veon Bell (#21 in PPR; #22 in Non-PPR)
Bell has been stellar so far this season but I am not liking the matchup against this Carolina defense this week. The issue at hand is that the Panthers tackle real well which means little second efforts out of Bell and even LeGarrette Blount. While I do see this game being decided in the trenches, I just don’t like the Steelers side of the matchup.
Wes Welker (#27 in PPR; #30 in Non-PPR)
Emmanuel Sanders (#37 in PPR; #42 in Non-PPR)
Andre Caldwell (Not in top 60 this week)
Where do we start with the Broncos WR corps? It looks as though Wes Welker will practice and probably play this week against the Seahawks. This leaves the entire rotation very disorganized and random for fantasy purposes.
Add to that the fact that the Seahawks at home get away with harassing opposing WR’s and never get penalized and that is a big negative for this group also. Oh, and who can forget the dismantling the Seahawks defense put on the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII just a few months ago?
This entire situation is bad for the Broncos. I am not going to shy away from Peyton Manning, Monte Ball, Julius Thomas or even DeMaryius Thomas but they are each a bit lower in the rankings this week also.
Ah, HELL No!!
Carlos Hyde (45th in PPR; 43rd in Non-PPR)
Last week I was all over Carlos Hyde going up against the Chicago Bears terrible run defense. But 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman decided not to utilize the run game on Sunday Night. At this point you just can’t trust the 49ers coaches or this offense to identify what they do best and execute it.
Torrey Smith (45th in PPR; 46th in Non-PPR)
Smith has taken a severe back seat to Steve Smith in the Ravens passing game but that is not the only reason I am staying away this week. Joe Haden, Justin Gilbert and Buster Skrine can hold almost any receiving corps down and the Ravens will be no different. I do think that Torrey Smith will rebond this season but it certainly won’t be this week.