Week 3 Fantasy Football Value Plays

Posted by Ryan Hallam on 09/21/2012 | 2 Comments

Tags: Marshawn Lynch, Greg Little, Jonathan Dwyer, Daryl Richardson, Donald Brown, Alex Smith, Dennis PItta, Matt Cassel, Andrew Hawkins

We are getting close to the next slate of games to start and I just have one question for all of you fantasy players.  Is there someone on your team that is disappointing you?  And I don’t mean Darren McFadden, Chris Johnson, or Wes Welker.  I’m talking about a guy you drafted in the 10^th, 11^th, or 12^th round.  Are you looking for a quick little replacement?  Or is there a guy on your bench that you don’t know if you should plug in for a week?  Below are nine guys that I think are going to have good games on Sunday and if you have them or if they are available, you should consider putting them into your lineups, again not to replace a stud, but mid level player that’s not performing like you hoped. 

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Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers. Okay, this one might be kind of a gimmie but let’s start off easy. The Packers haven’t been very good against the run in either game this season, as both Frank Gore and Matt Forte (pre-injury) and Michael Bush have all been able to move the ball against the Pack on the ground.  Lynch has averaged over 100 yards a game in the small sample this year, and I have to believe that he will do well again on Sunday.  The only thing that could stop him would be if Green Bay got off to a huge lead and the Seahawks had to abandon the passing game.  Even if that happened, he still could catch some passes out of the backfield. 

Greg Little, WR, Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills. After not even finding the stat sheet in Week 1, Little bounced back with 57 yards and a touchdown last Sunday against the Bengals.  Little had a pretty decent rookie season, and at 6’2” he is a pretty decent target for Brandon Weeden.  The Browns play the Bills who were dissected by Mark Sanchez the first week, and then picked apart late by Matt Cassel on Sunday.  Brandon Weeden isn’t going to be the best fantasy rookie quarterback, but he is at least respectable, and Little is the best target he has.  I think that he can find the end zone again this week against the Bills.

Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders.  The Steelers have had dog poop for a running game through two weeks, partially due to a subpar offensive line, and partially due to the lack of a real running back on the roster without Rashard Mendenhall.  However, things get a whole hell of a lot rosier when the Raiders come to town as they have averaged allowing over 130 yards per game here in September.  Dwyer will likely split carries with Isaac Redman, but I am still a heck of a lot more comfortable with Dwyer running the ball than Redman.  You could be looking at 85 yards and a score. 

Daryl Richardson, RB, St. Louis Rams vs. Chicago Bears.  I have to say that I liked what I saw out of Richardson last Sunday against the Washington Redskins.  He ran with conviction, and he ran hard to beat up on the ‘Skins.  Steven Jackson is still hopeful to play this week, but with Richardson’s success last season I expect him to sit one more time.  The Bears gave up solid rushing totals to both Cedric Benson and Donald Brown this season, and I believe that Richardson will find the end zone and be worth playing this week for the Rams.

Donald Brown, RB, Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville has been absolutely abused by running backs so far this season as both Adrian Peterson and the combination of Arian Foster and Ben Tate have just rolled on the ground to huge rushing games.  Of course those are two of the best in the game, but still they have been gashed on the ground.  Brown had a decent first game and a subpar second, but I see the Colts’ offense being able to do what they please against Jacksonville this week, and I believe that Brown will top 100 total yards and a score this week against the Jags. 

Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings.  I promise you this is not a homer pick even though I am a 49ers fan.  Smith has been more than a game manager this season as he has looked in control against two of the NFC’s finest in Green Bay and Detroit.  Smith has thrown two touchdowns in each of his first two games of the season, while the Vikings have given up two passing touchdowns to both the Colts and Jaguars, neither of which are great offenses.  The 49ers have come out of the block firing on offense this season, and it has been a while since they have had this much talent on offense. If you are looking for a cute play on Sunday, he might be your guy. 

Andrew Hawkins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Redskins.  The Redskins have given up six passing touchdowns in just the first two weeks of the regular season, and have a hard time stopping anyone through the air.  Hawkins didn’t have a great day through the air last week, but he still had a score and built on his impressive first game.  Brandon Tate is also hoping to have a breakout season, and with AJ Green is already there, I only see one other Cincy receiver having a good season.  Tate is a former first round pick with some pedigree, but I’m liking Hawkins and think he is the guy going forward.  I like Hawkins, and against Washington’s defense he will do quite well. 

Dennis Pitta, TE, Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots.   This one is kind of a combination of the player and the matchup, as Pitta has been a solid part of the Ravens’ game plan this season, and while the Patriots haven’t been blitzed by a tight end, they certainly have been giving up some yards.  They have allowed over 60 yards to both Jared Cook and Todd Heap in their two games, and while PItta has led his team in receiving yards in both games this season and has scored once.  This seems like a great start here in Week 3. 

Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans Saints.  The Saints have allowed two pretty big games through the air so far, and Cassel has looked very good this year. Granted it was a lot of garbage time last week, but Cassel has had two pretty good seasons to start the year, and I like the talent that he has.  Dwayne Bowe, Jonathan Baldwin, and Dexter McCluster have all been solid and while I think the Chiefs will have a rough year, all of that garbage time will lead to some good numbers for Cassel.  I expect the Saints to right the ship on Sunday and that will lead to a lot of throwing for Kansas City and good numbers for Cassel.

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