Another week down and another step closer to the elusive fantasy football title for some. Then again, for some it is just another step closer to next year's draft. Week 3 saw guys like Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson justify their high draft rankings, while others watched as Matt Schaub and Brett Favre did little to help their owners secure a win this weekend. Not everyone can win every weekend, but second place is still just the first loser!
Winners
Michael Vick: Did I tell you or did I tell you? The thing I like about Vick this year is the fact that the Eagles coaching staff his him comfortable waiting in the pocket for that extra second to allow a receiver to get open and it is paying off. Vick finished Sunday's contest with 291 passing yards, 30 rushing yards and three TDs. He looks like the real deal and those smart enough to snag him are reaping the rewards.
Chad Henne: Henne is owned in just 44% of fantasy football leagues, and yet he went off for 363 yards, three TDs and one INT this weekend. The Dolphins have Brandon Marshall in the mix now, but what's more impressive is that he did this against the Jets stingy defense. Yes, they were without Darrelle Revis, but one man does not a defense make.
Chris Johnson: The only reason I put Johnson on this list was because he bounced back beautifully this week (32 carries for 125 yards and two TDs) after last week's forgettable 16 carries for 34 yards and no scores. Johnson is still the #1 fantasy football player in the NFL.
Peyton Hillis: No, not that Peyton. Terrell Suggs said that he didn't even know who Hillis was before the game… bet he does now! Hillis rumbled his way to 144 rushing yards on 22 carries and 36 receiving yards on seven receptions, and still found time to score a touchdown. Hillis was only started in roughly 14 percent of leagues, but I bet that number jumps after this weekend.
Austin Collie: With no Pierre Garcon this weekend, Peyton Manning found Collie again and again as he finished with a league-leading 12 receptions and 171 yards. Then, he scored twice just to make his owners smile a little wider for starting him.
Brandon Lloyd: The guy who is owned in just 33 percent of all fantasy leagues hauled in six receptions for 169 yards and a score this weekend. No, you should not go out and pick him up… and no, you should not trade for him. If you happened to be one of the people who owned him, and one of the even fewer that started him, trade him to the trigger-happy guy in your league today!
Dustin Keller: Keller was a sure-fire start to all my readers that e-mail me. Once the DUI put Braylon Edwards on the bench, Keller moved into the #1 WR role for the Jets. He finished with six catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns this weekend and that was tops for all fantasy TEs.
Seattle Seahawks defense: For all three of the Seahawks fans I know, revel in it this one time because it won't happen again. The Seahawks did allow 18 points to the Chargers, but it was their four sacks, two INTs, three fumbles recovered, 297 return yards and two returned TDs that propelled them to the #1 DEF spot in fantasy football in Week 3.
Losers
Matt Schaub: After being projected to finish in the top five for fantast QBs this weekend, Schaub went out and threw for just 241 yards, one score and two picks and actually finished right around the bottom 5-6 QBs in fantasy football in Week 3. He will bounce back, but this is a little annoying nevertheless.
Brett Favre: If you've followed my articles for any amount of time, you will know that I am one of those people who put Favre on my do-not-draft list. I do so because he has more games like he did this weekend (201 yards, one TD, two INTs and two sacks) than he does where he approaches QB1 status. Maybe he will get it together when Sidney Rice gets back, but how much help is that if you are already a virtual lock to not make your fantasy playoffs?
Jahvid Best: A Grade-2 case of Turf Toe limited Best to just seven carries and two receptions for 39 total yards this weekend. After four scores in the first two weeks, fantasy owners were ready to anoint him the fantasy MVP in Week 3. But as the old axiom goes, this is why we play the games.
Matt Forte:Forte was supposed to be the Marshall Faulk of the Bears new offense under OC Mike Martz. But in Week 3, Forte managed just 29 rushing yards and 14 receiving yards, making for a terrible fantasy line in the end. I personally don't own Forte in any of my leagues and this type of performance is why.
Miles Austin: Nothing makes me smile more than a Dallas Cowboy that does bad. And, Austin had me ear-to-ear as he finished with an empty two catches for 20 yards. Austin will do better than this most weekends, but this was the one I really did think he would rack up the stats for his owners.
Greg Jennings: Jennings' only bright spot came on a 7-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter that netted him a touchdown. Other than that, he caught just one other pass and finished with two receptions for 18 yards and a TD. The Bears secondary isn't one to be overly proud of, so this performance is a little disappointing from Jennings.
Visanthe Shiancoe: I had high hopes for Shiancoe this weekend and he certainly did not justify my praise to e-mailers. He finished with a single catch for a whopping seven yards in Week 3, but that can be expected when you have a rusty QB throwing the pigskin around. He is a mid- to low-end TE1 in most formats moving forward.
New England Patriots defense: They allowed 30 points to the Bills. No, that wasn't a typo… 30 points to the Bills! Sure, they did get two interceptions on the day, but with just one sack and 30 points allowed, most owners finished with a cool 5-6 point effort in Week 3.
