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Colby Cavaliere | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 3
9/18/14
QBs | RBs | WRs

Fantasy football writing, like predicting the weather, is a tough gig. Between my preseason player profiles, and my current stint here in the Shot Caller’s seat, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of trying to provide information and advice to better your lineups (and mine!). Well, as Joseph sure knows, all you can do is keep plugging away, so off we go to a hopefully healthier Week 3!

Note: Fantasy points based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.

Bye Weeks: N/A

Matt Ryan

One of Matt Ryan's best games of last season (273 yds, 3 TDs) came at home against Tampa Bay.


Grab a Helmet

Matt Ryan v. TB (Thurs): Ryan was a Week 1 darling and a Week 2 dud. On the road with a shuffled offensive line, against a fundamentally sound Bengals defense, Ryan was a big disappointment last weekend. But fear not, as Week 3 sees the return of rookie tackle Jake Mathews and a home tilt vs division rival Tampa Bay on Thursday night. Ryan is at his best in the home dome, especially against the Bucs. Last season, without Julio Jones and with a hobbled Roddy White, Ryan had perhaps his best game of 2013, when he put up 273 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31-23 win. Despite a hamstring injury, it looks like White will play, and with a stable of weapons, Ryan should be good for a 300-yard, two-touchdown game, and a solid QB1 start.

Ryan Tannehill v. KC: Expected to make a leap in a new up-tempo offense, Tannehill has ascended only to mediocrity so far in 2014. Still taking too many sacks, and unable to make consistent deep connection with Mike Wallace, Tannehill seems a poor bet to be a fantasy asset in Week 3. So I’m going to ignore the numbers and go on pure gut with this one. Coming home to face a Chiefs defense that seems to be losing All Pros by the week (Eric Berry is questionable with an ankle injury) this is the week that Tannehill hits a few big plays downfield. With Moreno out, look for a pass heavy game plan (the Chiefs rank near the bottom of the league in completion percentage, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete nearly 73% of their passes). Tannehill is my favorite QB2 to put up QB1 numbers this week, making him a sneaky pick in salary-cap or daily leagues.

Drew Brees v. MIN: By his lofty standards, Drew Brees is off to a slow start to the 2014 season. With 570 yards and a 3-2 touchdown to interception ratio, Brees stats are disturbingly close to Derek Carr (414-3-2) and Chad Henne (445-3-1) But let’s be honest, if you have Brees you start him no matter what. So what earns him special mention in the Shot Caller’s report? He’s going to be fantasy’s #1 QB in Week 3. The Superdome will be rocking in the team’s must win home opener, the Saints are down a bellcow running back in Mark Ingram, and in comes the Vikings who are embroiled in the AP controversy. Look for the Saints offense to come out firing from the opening kickoff and keep up a relentless offensive assault to help ease the pressure on their embattled defense. And besides, I need one lock in the Grab a Helmet category!

Grab a Headset

Kirk Cousins v. PHI: I really missed in this section last week, but instead of taking the easy way out and picking Derek Carr or Austin Davis, I’m going to throw some cold water on the Kirk Cousins for president campaign in D.C. Cousins does what most great back-ups do, play well in spot starts and mid-game substitutions. It’s a testament to his professionalism and preparation. But expecting long term success or prolonged fantasy value could be a mistake. In two division starts to end last season, Cousins was downright awful, throwing for under 200 yards in both games, and sporting a 1-3 touchdown to interception ratio. Guess what looms on the horizon; a road date with division foe the Eagles. Philly has the defensive chops (allowing only a 57.1 completion percentage and 200 yards per game in the air) to make the sledding tough for Cousins. I’m not totally down on the Michigan State product, but I would seriously consider my options before making Cousins my starting quarterback.

Andy Dalton v. TEN: The Red Rifle might be missing a big bullet this week. Putting up top 10 stats without several of his weapons, Dalton has been a mild surprise so far this year. His yardage has been solid, and he’s taken care of the ball, but he only has two touchdowns, and his team can’t seem to score seven points in the red zone. It’s doesn’t get any easier, as the Bengals, perhaps without A.J. Green, face off against the league’s best pass defense in the Tennessee Titans. Behind a strong secondary (only 326 yards allowed in two games) and relentless pass rush (2nd in the league with 8 sacks), the Titans can play man and send rushers at Dalton all day. Expect a heavy dose of screens to Gio Bernard, and short passes mixed with a heavy ground game. Look for this game to be a lower scoring slugfest, which makes Dalton a better sit than start.

EJ Manuel v. SD: After not being able to hit a cow on an Upstate New York dairy farm in the preseason, of course EJ Manuel would sport a 95 quarterback rating and a 2-0 record in the regular season. But think again before you consider trotting Manuel out as a starter. This offense still features heavy doses of the running game, and relies on a rookie receiver to carry the pass catching load. Look for the Chargers, who play dull, but fundamentally sound football to bottle up Watkins, and force Manuel to throw the ball elsewhere. He’s an improving game manager, but Manuel just doesn’t have the versatility (25 rushing yards) or passing volume (2nd fewest attempts among quarterbacks who have made 2 starts) to ascend past low end QB2 status.

Running Backs