Fantasy football season goes by quickly and after the upcoming Week 4 Monday night game, it will have completed its first quarter. In Week 3, we began to see the fast and young emerge. We witnessed the continued emergence of players such as Giovanni Bernard (3 TDs in last two games), Joique Bell (132 combined yards and a TD), Josh Gordon (electrifying player and could soon be traded to a team with a Stud QB), and Jordan Cameron (3 TDs). Identifying the younger, explosive players who will improve as the season progresses can make your fantasy football season.
While Tampa is clearly headed in the wrong direction and Coach Greg Schiano could be knocking on his friend's door in Foxborough for a job next season, Mike Williams looked good form my view in the stands at the Razor on Sunday. Williams was the go-to, and with Vincent Jackson banged up, he's a very strong WR3. He quietly finished in the top 15 of most fantasy leagues in 2012 and we expect him to score TDs in 2013. Tampa's offense is not as bad as it has looked and while Josh Freeman is proving to be an NFL bust, he can still throw the ball around 30-plus times a game. Williams has sleeper potential the rest of the way.
The Giants, Steelers, Vikings, Buccaneers, Redskins and Jaguars are all 0-3 and look terrible at different levels. We believe that of these offenses, the Bucs, Redskins and Giants could offer some upside. The Giants RB situation is truly a mess. David Wilson was supposed to have so much explosiveness and promise and he yet may, but we do not know how long fantasy owners can wait and hang on to him. However, Victor Cruz, despite the Giants woes, will still be a solid play all year. This would be the moment to try to trade for Cruz and get him at a bargain value. If he remains healthy, he will put up strong numbers most weeks.
!It is apparent that Michael Vick will not be able to stay on the field and possibly is out this week. Many FFCHamps.com customers have sent in 1-on-1 advice questions asking how we see the Eagles key players without Vick? Shady McCoy continues to look like he is headed towards the top scoring RB in fantasy football, and DeSean Jackson also seems to have regained his superstar form. Try to use the Vick injury as a selling point to go get McCoy and Jackson in a favorable trade. Nick Foles will do just fine under new coach Chip Kelly's system, which is tailor-made for Shady.
You heard it here first! Ronnie Hillman will be the Broncos No. 1 RB when the dust settles. He cannot afford to fumble but he got the rock this week and looked awesome running and catching the ball. He has the potential to be a PPR machine and will break some long TDs. Hillman is on waivers in many leagues and with the Broncos offense emerging as the most powerful in the NFL, he is a must-own. Go get him. I drafted him in 2 of 3 leagues and Weeks 1 and 2 were painful to keep him around but this will start to pay off. Knowshown Moreno always seems to end up inactive at some point and so far, we have not seen enough from Monte Ball.
!Another offense that is looking real strong is the Cowboys. Tony Romo's flaws are always apparent but he quietly is a top fantasy football QB every year. He is the QB that is rewarding those owners who were patient and waited to draft him after most of their competitors had taken a QB. The second my close friends and fantasy football opponents, Combo Cohen and Neymo Neyman aka the Wolverines, grabbed Romo as the last QB taken in our draft, I knew they were going to be competitive all year. By waiting, they were stockpiling key positional players and still ended up with a top QB.
We still see TY Hilton as being a boom or bust WR this year, which means he is a WR 3, and it may be worth trying to trade Antonio Brown after his monster performance Sunday night. The Steelers are better than 0-3 but are going to struggle and Brown will also be a hit or miss WR all season.
I am a broken record repeating FFChamps.com's commandment: Thou must handcuff the best running backs. If you have Reggie Bush you should have Joique Bell, if you have Arian Foster you must have Ben Tate, if you have Bernard Scott you need BenJarvus Green-Ellis and vice versa, and if you drafted Matt Forte, you should have handcuffed him with Michael Bush. The Bears have come out and said that Bush will be their goal line back and that they are going to treat him as a second starter.
Willis McGahee and Jonathan Franklin will be this week's hot waiver wire pickups but we would rather see you go get Hillman. Repeating what we said last week, Donnie Avery and Nate Washington are also really great pickups but that ship may have sailed.
As we do each week, we focus on the FFChamps.com SOS or Strength of Schedule. The SOS tool is incredibly powerful for deciding who to start or sit, trade, or how your player's match-up will be in playoff Weeks 14-16. Once an FFChamps member, you can see the SOS here at http://www.ffchamps.com/p/resources.sos/. In Week 4, we like Baltimore's passing game vs. the Bills, with Joe Flacco and Torrey Smith likely to perform; Dallas should throw the ball on San Diego, with a big game likely from Dez Bryant; Indianapolis should be able to throw at will vs. the Jaguars; and until proven otherwise, the Giants cannot stop anyone so we are looking for a good game from the Chiefs and WRs Donnie Avery and Dwayne Bowe.
The Patriots rookie WRs finally made an impact in Week 3 against a Darrelle Revis-led Tampa secondary. Patriots fans need to be patient. For the first time in years, the Pats are trotting out three young, fast down field threats. Under Tom Brady and Josh McDaniel's eye, at least one of the high draft picks will emerge and the result will be better than an old Deion Branch or a flop-and-frolic-all-over-the-field Brandon Lloyd. While Thompkins scored 2 TDs last week, Dobson really looked like he may emerge as the quickest. Youth will be served. One final Patriots thought on Stevan Ridley: It is only Week 3 and while Ridley has been quiet and in a committee of four since his opening day fumbles, he is too good to be held back and will be the RB on whom the Patriots will rely, especially inside the 5 yard line, which will bode well for his owners.
That's a wrap for this week. If you're still not an FFChamps.com member, start now. We'll show you how to win with the best customer service in the biz. Come try us out this season, it's 50 percent off for Patriots fans, only $29.95 for the entire season with 24-7 coverage at https://www.ffchamps.com/subscribe/. Remember to tweet us your questions @FFChamps or visit www.ffchamps.com for around the clock rankings, strategy, and 1-on-1 advice, all the way through your Fantasy Football Championship. FFChamps.com: Extraordinary Results for Fantasy Football Dominance.
