Week Three Top Performers At Each Position

Week 3 seemed last an eternity with all of the news before Sunday was even here.  Some very good games were played on Sunday, with great fantasy performances coming out of them.  We saw a couple of guys come back from suspensions or injuries like, DeSean Jackson and Wes Welker.  It also wouldn't be a week without a few injuries as well though to, Dennis Pitta, Josh McCown and others.  Now that all but the Monday night game has been played, it is time for a weekly look at the top performers from the games on Sunday, and on Thursday.  After going over my thoughts on the top performers at each position, I will also select a few other players who either performed above expectations, or maybe have you questioning whether you should continue starting him or not.

The goal of this article is to highlight those top guys, and if you can expect some similar performances in the future from them or if it was a flash-in-the-pan, and also whether you should be worried about top picks in drafts that put up less than stellar performances.  So without rambling on longer in this intro, let's take a look at those who performed well in week 3.

QB - Andrew Luck 370 Passing Yards, 15 Rushing Yards, 4 TD's, 31 Fantasy Points

This is what happens when a great QB goes against the abysmal Jacksonville Jaguars.  Luck was able to throw the ball wherever he wanted to in this game, and it shows in his statline.  Before the season the big question surrounding Andrew Luck was whether the gameplan would allow him to throw the ball enough while also trying to be a power run football team.  I think we have seen the answer so far this season, as Luck has been given free reigns to run a more pass heavy offense then in past seasons.  Start him with confidence each week, and he is a guy you don't need to roster a backup QB with until his bye week.

QB - Kirk Cousins 427 Passing Yards, 5 Rushing Yards, 3 TD's, 1 INT, 27 Fantasy Points

Well Kirk Cousins picked up right where he left off last week with another amazing performance in week three.  This offense seems tailor-made for Cousins, and is the same one that allowed Andy Dalton to be a fantasy stud at QB.  Look for Cousins to be a borderline starter most weeks, but with a few more good starts, look at starting him over a few of the struggling stars at the position.

QB - Nick Foles 325 Passing Yards, 12 Rushing Yards, 3 TD's, 26 Fantasy Points

These are the types of games that Foles owners were looking for, but how many more will there be?  I was not a fan of Foles in the preseason, and I'm still not a believer.  The Washington pass defense has looked bad so far this year, so for someone like Foles to play well against them doesn't mean as much as it should.  He got banged up a lot during the game, and his left shoulder appeared to be bothering him, so that is a situation worth monitoring as the weeks go by.  If you can sell high on Foles after this game, I would do so.

RB - Marshawn Lynch 26 Carries for 88 Yards and 1 TD, 3 Catches for 40 Yards and 1 TD, 24 Fantasy Points

Lynch was also on this list in week one, which goes to show why he was viewed as a first round pick by many.  The Seahawks had to play in some extreme heat last week, which greatly effected how they played, and also playing the Chargers who run a methodical slow-down game doesn't help either.  Lynch is a top 5 RB the rest of the way, and I was clearly wrong on him during the preseason.

RB - Rashad Jennings 34 Carries for 176 Yards and 1 TD, 0 Catches for 0 Yards, 23 Fantasy Points

Jennings has been limited for the first two weeks of the season to helping his fantasy owners out in garbage time of games with his receiving ability.  He finally was able to showcase what can happen when the Giants are able to not Implode on themselves and have the ability to run the football.  Jennings will not get 34 carries again this season, but if he can be around 20 carries a game the rest of the way, he will be a very useful RB2 who also helps you with his receiving abilities.

RB - Joe McKnight 1 Carry for 3 Yards, 6 Catches for 64 Yards and 2 TD's, 18 Fantasy Points

This was by far the most surprising outcome on Sunday.  Who would have guessed that Joe McKnight would not only be relevant this week, but catch two TD's in the process?  How many people even knew that McKnight was on the Chiefs in the first place?  Don't read into this at all, as Knile Davis is the guy you want to own for Charles owners, and had an amazing game himself with over 100 rushing yards and a TD.

WR - Julio Jones 11 Targets, 9 Receptions for 161 Yards and 2 TD's, 28 Fantasy Points

The Falcons vs. Bucs game was just painful to watch.  Luckily the Falcons were able to create enough excitement on their own, and that started with the connection from Ryan to Jones.  Julio Jones will probably find himself in this article a few more times before the season ends.  He was on pace for a phenomenal season last year, and appears to be on the same track yet again this year.

WR - Jeremy Maclin 10 Targets, 8 Receptions for 48 Yards and 1 TD, 21 Fantasy Points

I did not expect Maclin to be able to perform like this after missing all of last season due to a knee injury.  He has been a solid contributor each week so far this year, and is now entrenched himself in the WR2 class of WR's.

WR - Antonio Brown 10 Targets, 10 Receptions for 90 Yards and 2 TD's, 21 Fantasy Points

Third straight game to start out this season with at least five receptions and 90 yards.  He also has three TD's on the year, and continues to show people why having a great connection with Roethlisberger will result in great numbers.  Even being a smaller WR, Brown is Big Ben's favorite redzone target because of his crisp route running, and his incredible hands.  This will definitely continue the rest of the season, so owners of Brown can sit back each week and relax as they know he will put up great numbers.

TE - Greg Olsen 7 Targets, 5 Receptions for 69 Yards and 1 TD, 12 Fantasy Points

This was not a good week for TE's as Olsen was the only one to eclipse 60 yards while scoring a TD.  He and Kelvin Benjamin are the only two pass catchers the Panthers can trust, so expect these types of games from Olsen to be the norm.

Now a look at a couple of other performances that stood out to me from Sunday's games:

QB - Matthew Stafford 246 Passing Yards, 0 TD's and 2 INT's, 3 Fantasy Points

I am not at all worried about Matthew Stafford, as these games happen each year for him.  Expect him to have a nice bounce back next against the Jets, since it is tough to run against them.

RB - Isaiah Crowell 11 Carries for 55 Yards and 1 TD, 0 Catches for 0 Yards, 11 Fantasy Points

Crowell for the second straight week has looked like, and performed better than Terrance West.  This week Crowell was on the field more in the second half, which should be a good sign going forward, as he is the more intriguing Browns back.  If given a starters workload, Crowell could be the surprise waiver wire RB this season.  He has speed, power, and vision which works perfectly for their one-cut scheme.  If Isaiah Crowell is out there on your waiver-wire, I would immediately put in a claim.  Tate may be coming back soon, but his injury history shows that he is likely to get hurt again.

WR - Victor Cruz 6 Targets, 5 Receptions for 107 Yards and 1 TD, 16 Fantasy Points

Finally Cruz was able to put up a good performance for his fantasy owners.  After two terrible weeks, he goes out and puts up this performance leaving his owners to wonder whether to sell high, or to keep him and expect the old Cruz again.  This is not a guy you will want to "sell high" because I don't believe his perceived value changed at all after this game.  What this game did though is let owners know that he is still a borderline WR2, or the perfect guy to have in your FLEX spot each week.

Want thoughts on a specific player?  Leave a comment on who it is, and I will respond with my thoughts on that guy's performance and where he stands going forward.