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Wednesday 23 September 2015 17:10, UK
To put no finer point on it, Week 2 was a struggle for a lot of people, what with huge injuries to Dallas Cowboys’ QB Tony Romo, a poor performance from Marshawn Lynch, and a huge list of NFL upsets.
Here are our NFL Fantasy blogger Alex Ferguson's tips for Week 3.
NFL Sunday was not a great day for me. It was a horrible one. Drew Brees, facing a defense that gave up 42 points the week before, struggled.
Marshawn Lynch couldn't seem to burst through Green Bay's running defense - which had been horrible the week before.
My 'big-time' wide receiver Keenan Allen was awful, and my decision to go with Jason Witten ahead of my tight end tip Tyler Eifert saw the veteran outscored as Dallas lost Tony Romo in the process.
Oh, and that dominating Miami Dolphins defense? Losing to Jacksonville and not managing to sack Blake Bortles gives you zero points. Which it did.
So, onto Week 3.
QB: Tom Brady (New England Patriots)
A friend of mine and I were talking about Brady at lunch today, and he said: "It's like Brady's on a mission at the moment".
With Brady putting up 754 yards and seven TDs in two games - and both against legitimate defenses - his receiving weapons should boast some pretty tidy numbers. He's available for $4m, and no, the buy doesn't come with a free pair of Ugg Boots!
If you really want an alternative, Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh) and Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) average 24 and 21.5 points respectively, playing the easier defensive schedule.
RB: Matt Forte (Chicago Bears)
With Jay Cutler hurt, we expect Forte to get a lot of the ball - either through the air or as your 'normal' running back - against the Seattle Seahawks. This year, Seattle have been mediocre against the run, too. Then again, Seattle haven't played at home yet!
If you want to go for a bargain, how about Latavius Murray of the Oakland Raiders? He has had over 100 yards of rushing and receiving against Baltimore, and is up against a Cleveland team that have given up a NFL-worst 320 yards against the run in two weeks. He averages 10.5 points per game, and he's only $2m.
RB: Dion Lewis (New England Patriots)
Lewis is available for $1m, which makes him cheap considering that he's playing a not-too-great defense. He might not have been wonderful as a pure running back this season (only 109 yards and 1 TD so far on 22 attempts), but he's a dangerous receiver, too (149 yards on 10 receptions). He averages 14 points per game, which shouldn't be bad for a back-up RB.
WR: Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals)
Larry Fitzgerald has a hat-trick of touchdowns against the Chicago Bears on Saturday, and so it shouldn't be such a surprise if Carson Palmer's favourite target snags another TD or two. He's also available for a bizarrely-cheap $2m. Fitzgerald - who's averaging 18.5 points per game - plays against a San Francisco 'D' that gave up 43 points last Sunday, including 369 yards and three TDs.
WR: Julian Edelman (New England Patriots)
Tom Brady loves his go-to wide receivers, and Edelman - who's a bargain at $2m - gives him just that. He's had 22 receptions, nearly 200 yards receiving and two TDs so far this season, and he's playing a weak Jacksonville secondary. Expect him to increase his average of 15.5 points per game.
TE: Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots)
Told you we were going big on the Patriots, so why not go for Tom Brady's favourite target? 'Gronk' ate both Pittsburgh and Buffalo for breakfast in his two previous games, scoring a total of 207 yards receiving and four TDs. We're hoping for the same against the Jags. So far, he's been worth the money at $4m at 22 points per game.
DEFENCE: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have one of the best defenses in the NFL this year, and they are playing a New Orleans side that probably won't start Drew Brees in Week 3 due to the fact that he has a shoulder injury.
Brees' back-ups - Luke McCown and rookie Garrett Grayson - hardly inspire confidence.
If Brees starts, then I'd encourage you to look at the Arizona Cardinals. They have been excellent against the run - and play at home against the 49ers and a hurting Carlos Hyde. Both are available for $1m.
KICKER: Brandon McManus (Denver Broncos)
With Peyton Manning and the offense having a so-so start to the season, it's been McManus who has come through for the Broncos repeatedly, scoring 20 points this season (five field goals, five extra points).
He's playing in Detroit - which I believe could be quite the shoot-out, giving him ample opportunity to swing his foot in a kicker-friendly dome experience. He's $1m, by the way.
