Wrap Up - Week 3

Start’em

Jason Campbell, Redskins. Campbell orchestrated a great win for the Redskins. He was 22-30 for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns. Also, he added 26 yards scrambling for important first downs. With Cooley, Moss, and Randle El, Campbell is a must start for Fantasy owners.

Matt Ryan, Falcons. Why was the Georgia Dome so empty? Were people just late arriving to the game because of church? It is a shame, because Ryan managed a great game. He finished with 192 yards passing and 15 yards rushing. He came through for me with the predicted long touchdown pass to Roddy White. Ryan’s accuracy makes him a player the Falcons can build a team around. Ryan might be a play when the Falcons are at home.

Michael Bush, Raiders. The Raiders almost pulled off a great upset, but Bush did not come through with a great game. Against a mean-spirited Bills’ defense, he earned a tough 60 combined rushing and receiving yards. I need more though and Bush’s performance goes down as a loss.

Chester Taylor, Vikings. As soon as I saw that Adrian Peterson was going to play, I knew that Taylor would be limited in his opportunities. He managed to gain 66 combined rushing and receiving yards. The Vikings’ defense was relentless. Another loss marked down for my picks.

T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Bengals. Housh had 146 combined receiving and rushing yards with a 17 yard touchdown pass. After 5 total fantasy points in the first two weeks of the season, this game is an explosion for Houshmanzadeh. He had better start playing well, because he is in a contract year! Bengals are a dangerous team if their offense starts playing better.

Sit’em

Matt Cassell, Patriots. The coronation of Cassell will have to wait. He has to find a way to stretch the field and find Randy Moss. Against Miami, he was 19-31 for 131 yards passing with a TD and an interception. With former Steeler Joey Porter in his face, he had a very hard time throwing the football downfield. Now, Moss is basically a non-factor for the Patriots.

Donovan McNabb, Eagles. #5 was 24 for 35 for 196 yards passing. He had a 20 yard touchdown pass to Correll Buckhalter. With a subtraction for an interception, McNabb finished with 8 Fantasy points. He was averaging 19 fppg in the first two weeks. I am calling this a tie.

Earnest Graham, Buccaneers. When the statistics ticker on the bottom of my TV screen flashed that Brian Griese threw the ball 67 times, I figured Graham was injured or something. He was nonexistent this week. The Bears dominated the Bucs' run blocking. Graham finished with 16 total yards rushing and receiving for 1 measly Fantasy point.

Braylon Edwards, Browns. To be fair, Edwards is dealing with an injury, but he was active this week. Even with all the dropped passes, Braylon is supposed to be a Pro Bowl quality wide receiver. He totaled 27 combined rushing and receiving yards. Ouch. Browns’ fans will be calling for Brady Quinn this week.

Santonio Holmes, Steelers. In most drafts, Holmes was a high wide receiver selection. Most owners figured this year to be a break out year for Santonio. Instead, he is struggling in the Steelers’ offense and Hines Ward has emerged as the main scoring threat. Holmes only could muster 32 combined rushing and receiving yards. Give a ton of credit to the Eagles’ defense which repeatedly sacked Big Ben.

Totals: 7 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie (Overall 18-8-2)

My Picks

Wins: Falcons, Raiders, Titans, Vikings, Dolphins, Bengals, Redskins, Niners, Jaguars, Ravens, Cowboys
Losses: Bears, Rams, Broncos, Steelers, Jets
Total: 11-5 (Overall 27-19-1)

Fantasy Games. This week was another 1-1 record for me in my two Fantasy leagues. But, I had a huge win in the Dallas League. I beat an undefeated team with a great line up. Luckily for me, Terrell Owens was a non-factor in the Sunday night game. In the Atlanta league, I fell to 2-1 with a divisional loss. My opponent had monster games from Drew Brees, Frank Gore, and Reggie Bush.

Eliminator Contest. I ended up picking the Bills to beat the Raiders. About 1/3 of the people in this contest picked the same winner. At 4 pm on Sunday, I was in a panic. Thank goodness for Trent Edwards and Ryan Lindell. Bills win and I survive elimination. My wife was not so lucky. Of course, she picked New England which seemed like a lock to beat the Dolphins. She blamed me, but she should be blaming Ronnie Brown and Joey Porter. We are down to a single entry in this contest.

Trade Proposal. An owner in my Dallas league offered me Desean Jackson and Selvin Young for Reggie Bush. Are you kidding me? Rejecting that trade was a no-brainer. I turned around and offered him Ryan Grant for Reggie Wayne. Grant was a higher draft pick and his value is increasing each week as he gets healthier. I thought that was a fair offer, but he immediately rejected the deal.