Week 3 Fantasy Football Duds
Week 3 filled many owners with joy, but some owners experienced something quite different. The unpleasant sensation came from owning and starting players who pooped in their big boy pants. These were players you knew and trusted, and they let you down in a big way. If you want to revel in the misfortune of others, or perhaps if you are just searching for answers, the Fantasy Footballers will delve into the duds on the podcast.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr @ WAS
118 passing yards, TD, 2 INTs
I was actually surprised to see a stat line this good for Carr. It looked much, much worse.
Philip Rivers vs KC
237 passing yards, 3 INTs
Rivers, Rivers, Rivers. This should’ve been 4 INTs. No wonder nobody wants to go watch these games live in L.A.
Trevor Siemian @ BUF
259 passing yards, 2 INTs, 12 rushing yards
Trevor’s performance was particularly crushing. It came on the heels of two solid performances just as owners were starting to trust him enough to slot him into their lineups.
Cam Newton vs NO
167 passing yards, 3 INTs, 16 rushing yards, TD
You have to do better against the Saints. You just have to. There is something to be said about games against divisional opponents. Sometimes the familiarity benefits the defense as they know what to expect and can scheme against you.
Joe Flacco @ JAX (London)
28 passing yards, 2 INTs
Joe Flacco was actually benched in this game for Ryan Mallett. I don’t know if Flacco is 100% healthy, but I don’t know how else to explain this atrocity.
Running Backs
Jay Ajayi @ NYJ
11 carries, 16 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 9 receiving yards
Again, another stud player who pooped his pants in a prime matchup. Luckily, Ajayi gets the Saints next week. We will see what he does with his second positive matchup.
Marshawn Lynch @ WAS
6 carries, 18 rushing yards, 1 reception, 8 receiving yards
Judging by his demeanor at the end of this game, I can’t help but feel like Marshawn was just there so he wouldn’t get fined.
C.J. Anderson @ BUF
8 carries, 36 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 7 receiving yards
While the Bills have been playing tough on defense, Anderson wasn’t necessarily inefficient, the workload just wasn’t there.
Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Isaiah Crowell @ IND
12 carries, 44 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 10 receiving yards
Somehow, Hue Jackson repeatedly forgets to run the football. He keeps saying he regrets not running it more and that he wants to give Crowell the ball, and then doesn’t. I don’t know what to make of this.
Lamar Miller @ NE
14 carries, 56 rushing yards, 1 reception, 7 receiving yards
D’Onta Foreman is becoming quite the thorn in the side of Miller owners. The rookie RB stole away 10 carries in this contest, including a couple long receptions.
Jacquizz Rodgers @ MIN
5 carries, 15 rushing yards
Just one more week until Doug Martin is eligible to return.
Mike Gillislee vs HOU
12 carries, 31 rushing yards
GIllislee is not being used in the receiving game and has been largely TD dependant. So when Brady has 5 TDs passes, the scoring opportunities are not there for Gilly.
James White vs HOU
5 carries, 17 rushing yards, 1 reception, 11 receiving yards
White only received one target in this game. Perhaps he was impacted by the return of Amendola.
Theo Riddick vs ATL
4 receptions, 38 receiving yards, 9 targets
With Zenner and Abdullah handling the rushing duties, Riddick was relegated to pass-catching duties. This isn’t unusual for a back like Riddick, but his efficiency with his targets was very poor indeed.
Wide Receivers
Terrelle Pryor Sr. vs OAK
2 receptions, 19 receiving yards, 4 targets
I’m sure TPS was hoping for a better game against his former team, but it was not meant to be on Sunday Night.
Michael Crabtree @ WAS
1 reception, 7 receiving yards, 3 targets
Amari Cooper @ WAS
1 reception, 6 receiving yards, 5 targets
Michael Crabtree left this game with an injury and still outperformed Amari Cooper. If there are any Amari truthers out there, I would love to hear your excuses.
Martavis Bryant @ CHI
2 receptions, 30 receiving yards, 8 targets
The Bears defense put forth an effort that would make Jay Griz proud, but unfortunately, I think this is to be expected from a downfield threat like Bryant. He will have big games and he will have his duds.
Jeremy Maclin @ JAX (London)
1 reception, 8 receiving yards, 5 targets
When you saw Joe Flacco in the QB section, you knew this was coming, because… math. The rest of the Ravens WR corps was worse.
Tyrell Williams vs KC
2 receptions, 15 receiving yards, 7 targets
Playing primarily on the outside meant that Williams saw a lot of CB Marcus Peters, not conducive to fantasy production.
Donte Moncrief vs CLE
2 receptions, 44 receiving yards, 3 targets
You need to put Moncrief on the bench until Luck returns, it’s that simple.
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce @ LAC
1 reception, 1 receiving yard, 1 target
When you only get one target, I don’t know what more you can really expect.
Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jack Doyle vs CLE
2 receptions, 16 receiving yards, 5 targets
Doyle was starting to look like the only Colt that you could trust until Luck returns, but with Hilton reasserting himself there just wasn’t enough Brissett to go around.
Kyle Rudolph vs TB
1 reception, 4 receiving yards, 2 targets
If you told me Rudolph pooped his big boy pants, I would’ve understood because Keenum probably sucked. But when Keenum throws for 369 yards, I have no answers.
Martellus Bennett vs CIN
3 receptions, 12 receiving yards, 4 targets
Bennett is a tantalizing start in Green Bay’s offense, so it hurts, even more, when Lance Kendricks is the TE to score the long TD.
Eric Ebron vs ATL
2 receptions, 9 receiving yards, 7 targets
Following a solid Week 2 performance, Ebron let owners and Stafford down big time. He had a few costly drops in this contest as well.
Coby Fleener @ CAR
1 reception, 21 receiving yards, 1 target
Why can’t we just have nice things?
Hunter Henry vs KC
NOTHING
Dishonorable Mentions
Terrance West @ JAX (London)
6 carries, 26 rushing yards
Javorius Allen @ JAX (London)
8 carries, 15 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 13 receiving yards
Jonathan Stewart vs NO
12 carries, 57 rushing yards, 1 reception, 4 receiving yards
Adrian Peterson @ CAR
9 carries, 33 rushing yards, 2 receptions, 4 receiving yards
Jeremy Hill @ GB
7 carries, 23 rushing yards, 1 reception, 6 receiving yards
Marvin Jones Jr. vs ATL
3 receptions, 24 receiving yards, 6 targets
Kenny Golladay vs ATL
2 receptions, 25 receiving yards, 5 targets
Jermaine Kearse vs MIA
3 receptions, 42 receiving yards, 3 targets
Austin Hooper @ DET
1 reception, 9 receiving yards, 2 targets
Zach Miller vs PIT
1 reception, 17 receiving yards, 3 targets