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Well, we enter week 3 and I am 4-0 for my main account in the two leagues I am participating in. I have a 3rd team, called Ghostman, which is comprised solely on free agents, al la "The Replacements", which would be a better team name, all things considered.
Week 3 is probably the week that we see the biggest moves in the game. Those draft picks that didn't perform well in week 1 got a pass. If they don't work in week 2, well, it's time to hit the ole dusty trail.
So, who did well for me last week? Well, in my FBS league, I put up 133 points, which was middle of the pack. Had my opponent done a little better, we would be talking about a different story.
Here is the post from last week, so you can see who played.
Wallace underperformed, scoring a paltry 22 points. He had only 1 TD toss, made no runs, but did put up 320 passing yards, which is really the only redeeming quality he has shown so far.
Abdullah had a different game than we are used to seeing. He had under 100 rush yards for the first time that I can remember, but found the endzone once while running. Most importantly, he took a short pass 50 yards for a TD that won the game for the Huskers. But, that put him at 26 points. I will take it.
Storm Woods continues to be unimpressive and he finds himself on a bye week....and close to being cut loose by yours truly. He managed a anemic 7 points, which you cannot have in a RB2. He is looking more like a flex player at best, since he does catch a lot of balls from the backfield.
Taylor, the WR from Western Kentucky was a late addition for me, due to his 33 point explosion against Bowling Green in Week 1. It was a gamble and I knew it. He turned in a 1 point week in a losing effort against Illinois. He had 3 catches as opposed to his 12 catches in the previous week. He also finds himself on the bubble.
Treadwell did manage a TD grab against Boise State in week 1, and I thought he would live up to the fantasy billing. But it appears that Core is becoming the go-to guy for Wallace, probably because of the extra attention Treadwell garners. In week 2, he had 3 receptions for 31 yards. You can't cut a guy who has the ability to dominate a game. More on him later.
Engram has lived up to every bit of the hype concerning the #1 TE in the game, justifying why I drafted him in the 4th round, which raised some eyebrows. But, it was a strategy that was nearly fool-proof after I drafted Wallace in Round 2. If you KNOW he is guaranteed targets (which few TEs can boast) and you already have his QB, its silly not to take him. He put up 13 points from his 112 yards against Vandy.
Kelvin Taylor was a player that many people had circled as a potential breakout star. He was the lone bright spot at Florida in 2013, but my question regarded his use with a new offensive coordinator on a team with a ton of talent. While he had a great 2013 campaign, it was great because of the lack of anything else in Gainesville. It wasn't like he was a 1,000 back. Quite the opposite. But, I drafted him. Week 1 was a wash...literally....as the game was canceld. I hesitated to start him, or even keep him, with other players who had done something in week 1. But, I kept him and he responded with 68 rush yards and 2 TDs before getting sat.
Aguayo is the best kicker in the country. He had 13 points. What else is there to say?
Again, many people raised eyebrows when I drafted Auburn's DST, proclaiming it a Homer pick. Well, it was a homer pick because I know something many people don't: They special teams are nearly unrivaled. Case in point, the punt Quan Bray took to the house. And, he isn't the real dangerous weapon. That would be Grant and Louis.
So, who is starting this week?
Week 3 Starters
QB: I'm still riding the Wallace train, though I will most certainly be trading him leading into the SEC-West schedule. Ole Miss plays UL-LAf this week. The scary thing is, will he play the whole game? After his slow start as a Heisman candidate, he needs to show that he can put up gaudy numbers. I expect him to play at least a half. Two things could happen: He could have an extremely efficient first half, say 3 TDs and 200 yards passing with 1 rushing TD and get sat. Or, he could struggle in the first half and have to play the second half. While that might mean a lack of passing TDs, that would mean a plethora of yards. This league rewards big passing numbers, so that's ok with me.
RB1: You have to start Abdullah. He is not a player that you can afford to sit on the bench. He plays against Fresno State on a team where Kenny Bell, the only deep threat, is questionable. This looks to be a monster game for him.
RB2: Driskel continues to look uncomfortable under center, even against inferior competition. Kentucky is up, and while they aren't a great team, they are a much improved team. Their offense looks better than it has since Cobb was on the field. Their defense is....ok. Driskel hasn't proven adept yet, especially against ANY SEC competition. I DO expect him to have a great game, but I also expect Taylor to get a lot of touches.
WR1: Treadwell has to be getting fed up with the lack of balls getting tossed his way. Freeze is the kind of coach who wants to showcase his weapons. There is no one on UL-LAF that can matchup to a prototypical player like him. He will be in the crosshairs, for sure....but the targets will go up. Remember, because of the double up I get with Wallace, even if he only gets 8-10 points, that is perfectly acceptable. Any TDs on the Wallace/Treadwell hookup are gamebreakers. I mean, it's a minimum of 12 points per TD.
WR2: Taywan Taylor had a massive week 1 against BGSU. I mean, 12 catches for 185 and a TD. However, he was all but shut out in week 2. Up next is MTSU. These games always feature a lot of points, which is always good for fantasy. If he can't do it against MTSU, it will be time to cut him loose. In the meantime, he is on the bench for a FA pick up in De'Runya Wilson from Miss State. Coming out of high school, he was a huge pickup for the Dogs. He had a decent freshman campaign while playing opposite some very good receivers. So far he has only 6 catches, but has found the endzone on 3 of them. That's a stat you cannot ignore. While it may be an outlier, it's a very good gamble.
FLEX: Speaking of gamble, how about playing an Army RB against Stanford, who is coming off a loss. Yikes! Larry Dixon, the RB from Army has only played 1 week. He was a high draft pick in our league, but I found him available this morning. Why? Well, most likely because he had a bye in week 1 and someone didn't pay attention that he was ranked way down the list because he had only played 1 game. Maybe they are 0-2 and desperate. Who knows? But, there he was...fresh off a 29 point week. And, Stanford hasn't been the best against the rush, giving up 150 yards to the USC back in a loss. Sure, it's a gamble. But even when outmatched, Army runs the ball a lot.
K: Aguayo is on a bye week. And I did something crazy....I dropped him. SHHHHH. Don't tell anyone. Fact is, there is always a good offensive matchup to exploit. So, I don't feel bad about dropping him. In his place I picked up Schwettman from Western Kentucky, who plays MTSU, as we said earlier. Expect a lot of scoring.
DST: Auburn is on a bye week. As I said with the kicker, there is always a matchup, so I picked up Oregon. With the speed they always have in the return game, plus the came against a Wyoming team that LOVES to throw, the potential is there to have a lot of turnovers. Wyoming has found success in the last few years, but not against top competition. The Ducks defense continues to improve and they have the penchant for both holding teams to low scores and getting those TOs. Additionally, with the throwing attack that the Cowboys have, the ability to rack up on sacks during dropbacks is a big plus. Just be aware that you may not score any points based on limiting scores. This play is solely based on turnovers, sacks and special teams play.
On the Bench
Terrance Broadway-Ole Miss has a pretty good front 4. While I do believe he is a sneaky play later in the season, week 3 against Ole Miss isn't the time.
Shane Carden-My first round pick and I haven't played him yet. He struggled against South Carolina and he has a Va Tech game this week coming off a HUGE win. Could be good. Could be bad. Not going to chance it.
Storm Woods-Bye
Pharoh Cooper-After a decent game against TAMU, he hasn't done much of anything and will most likely get dropped soon. UGA certainly isn't a play for anyone.
Malcome Keenedy- He is averaging 13 points a game. But, because there are so many weapons on the TAMU squad, I can't find myself ready to pull the trigger. If he continues to put up good numbers, he will be a Flex at best.
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