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Week 3 is in the books. I went 3-0 this week and 8-1 overall throughout the leagues in which I participate.
How did my players perform? Well, not so great. While Wallace did what Wallace does...throwing 4 TDs with 1 INT and 316 yards, only the Oregon defense did me right.
Abdullah had a 110 yard 1 TD performance on the way to a 55-19 win over Fresno State. That wasn't terribly surprising, in retrospect. Nebraska has struggled to do much more than run Abdullah so far this year. But, they found their stride early and Abdullah was out of the game earlier than expected.
Kelvin Taylor has taken a back seat for the Gators. Taylor struggled against Kentucky, seeing his carries given away. This is a major cause for concern.
Treadwell has continued to find himself in tight coverage, leading to the explosion of Cody Core, an unknown at the start of the season. It's tough to even consider, but Treadwell finds himself on the cut list going into his bye week. I can't bring myself to do it quite yet. But, if my new crop of receivers do well this week, he may be sitting for awhile.
I picked up De'Runnya Wilson late last week, as he had found the endzone 3 times in 2 games. And yet, he didn't play snap gainst South Alabama, leading to the most confusing play of my weekend.
Engram didn't play against UL-Laf. No reason has been given, which is frustrating. He hasn't blown up like I thought he would, but he remains on my roster simply because of the double up advantage I get when playing Wallace. He has 17 points in the first 2 games, which is a respectable number. He has been held scoreless, which is a big surprise and a trend that won't continue when we get into SEC play. But, he hits the pine on his bye week.
Dixon was another late pickup and a big gamble. I picked him up because someone dropped him on his bye week. I guess they missed the part where he had only played one game this season. I was forced to play him against Stanford, who smothered the Army offense. But, this play wasn't for this week. He will be a major cog in my future.
Week 3 Starters
QB: It's time for me to finally start my first round draft pick in Carden. In case you missed it, East Carolina nearly beat South Carolina last week and went on to beat Virginia Tech. This week he gets UNC, who has a good defense, but no better than South Carolina or Virginia Tech. The only thing I worry about is a potential let down game. But, if they didn't have a let down game this week after the loss to the Gamecocks, I don't have much fear of it happening.
RB1: Abdullah had a quiet game, as we spoke about earlier. He is a stud and is playing Miami this week. Miami won't get the kind treatment that Fresno received. Everyone hates the 'Canes. Expect him to carry the rock a lot.
RB2: Storm Woods is coming off a bye week following a weak performance against Hawaii. He notched only 7 points and was held scoreless. But, the Beaver offensive staff obviously wants to get him the ball, as he had 35 yards on 10 rushes and 41 receiving yards. The Beavers are up against San Jose State. Expect him to see the ball 25 times.
WR1: Malcome Kennedy did some major damage against South Carolina in the opener. Since then, he has had pedestrian numbers against inferior competition. That isn't too surprising, as there is little need to hone in on a favorite receiver against cup cakes. SMU isn't exactly a powerhouse, but they are an in-state rival. We are getting into the part of the season where breakout players in weeks 1-3 are either covered up, or go on to shine. Kennedy has looked like a legitimate threat in all formats, even on a team that likes to spread the ball around. He is targeted multiple times a game but was held out of the endzone against Rice. That isn't a trend likely to continue. Even if he continues his season long average of 8 points a game, that is worth starting.
WR2: As we stated, this week is Carden's first week as my starter. That isn't to say that he hasn't earned it, because he has. It was too risky to start him against South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Next up is UNC who doesn't have the defense of either of the aforementioned teams. While Hardy was clearly the preseason lock as Carden's top receiver and looked to be one of the top connections in the country, Cam Worthy exploded last week as Va Tech looked to shut down Hardy. He has 11 receptions on the year for over 300 yards and 1 TD to Hardy's 23 receptions and 270 yards and 2 TDs. Hardy is undoubtedly a more NFL caliber receiver, which will work out in my favor as teams will roll coverage to his side. Remember, even pedestrian yardage is ok with the double up rule. Most importantly, any TD connection between Carden and Worthy is a game breaker.
Flex: Another start for Dixon. Stanford played Army about like I would expect, holding him to low points. Dixon is a 3 down work horse back. Against Wake Forest, I expect him to post big numbers.
TE: With Engram on the bye week, I had to go searching for a stand in. What I found was Pharaoh Brown, the TE from Oregon. All I can really say about him is that he is targeted multiple times a game, and usually they are down field throws. I'm not looking for a game breaker out of this guy, but hitting his average of 6.5 points per game would be nice.
DST: All the good defenses are owned right now. For a 2nd straight week, I am forced to play the matchup game. But, that's ok. As of now, I still don't have anything better than my current D in Oregon. This league doesn't score on yards per game, but on points and takeovers. They play a Washington State team that loves to throw the ball. Yards will pile up and I expect a few scores mixed in. But, sacks and INTs should be plentiful, as Halliday was one of the most sacked QBs on 2013.
K: I have so much faith in Storm Woods and the Oregon State offense that I am dropping Schewettman from Western Kentucky for the Beavers Owens. Of course, I only do that because the Hilltoppers are on a bye week. He scored me 17 points last week, which is 17 more than 5 of my other players.
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