Fantasy Football Week 3: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday

What a long way we've come in the fantasy football realm, and it's only been three weeks.

Breakout performances, rookie debuts, unlikely improvement...Week 3 had a little of everything. But we don't have time to look at everything here, just the fantasy-relevant stuff you may not catch elsewhere.

Here are a few things to glean from Sunday's action as we close out the third week of the season and look ahead.

Eli Manning Is Back

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Though he walked through the valley of the shadow of career death, Eli Manning was delivered to safety by the football gods themselves. 

At least if the past couple of weeks are any indication.

One week was a fluke, but does two weeks mark the beginning of a trend? That may be the case for the younger Manning, who has turned back the clock in the past couple of performances.

Prior to that, things looked bleak for the 33-year-old New York Giants quarterback and his offense, which had seemingly bottomed out. 

There is cause for cautious optimism in New York, however, especially after a strong performance against a Houston Texans defense that had been stout through the first two weeks of the season.

Manning has completed 70.1 percent of his passes over the last couple of games, quite the turnaround after failing to reach 50 percent in the preseason and hitting just 54.5 percent in Week 1.

The difference is palpable in the fantasy realm, particularly for his wideouts, whose fantasy owners had been thirsty for points. Victor Cruz scored for the first time in nearly a full calendar year in Week 3, and Manning's overall play bodes well for the skill players in New York.

Bench Your Quarterback in Seattle

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You don't bench Peyton Manning. That is, unless he's facing the Seattle Seahawks on the road, it seems.

The Denver Broncos quarterback suffered the same fantasy fate as many other quarterbacks in recent seasons, putting up an ugly duck of a fantasy total. That is, of course, until he got the ball with 59 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Manning masterfully manipulated the Broncos offense for a game-saving touchdown that would wind up being for nought, salvaging his fantasy output in the process. But it takes a player like him to pull that off. That drive put him over 300 yards, and the two-point conversion got him into the top 10 in fantasy scoring.

Don't let Manning's last-minute heroics fool you, however—if you have a viable alternative, bench your quarterback in Seattle. The Seahawks are simply too good at home to risk it.

The Baltimore Ravens Hate Fantasy Football

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Running back Bernard Pierce was a late scratch for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, so that meant big things were in store for Justin Forsett, right?

Not so, as rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro stole the show, likely not helping any fantasy owners save those facing Forsett in opposing lineups. Well, perhaps a handful got a nice surprise in daily fantasy formats.

Baltimore's first touchdown went to little-used fullback Kyle Juszczyk, which also helped only the few who may have started quarterback Joe Flacco.

About the only player who is getting any sort of consistent fantasy scoring done is new receiver Steve Smith, who has become a bit of a favorite target for Flacco. It's a maddening situation for fantasy owners, one that doesn't figure to improve anytime soon.

At least not from a consistency standpoint.

The Hottest Waiver-Wire Pickup of the Week Will Be...

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The Baltimore Ravens do put fantasy owners in a bit of a waiver-wire pickle.

Rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro scintillated and sizzled his way to 91 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

The problem with making him a top waiver-wire priority is the likelihood he will repeat this performance. Bernard Pierce was unable to play, which is the main reason why Taliaferro got his shot. He might have won himself a bigger role going forward.

But how much do you trust the Baltimore offense, given the inconsistency with which anyone not named Steve Smith has scored fantasy points? Never mind the fact Pierce should return soon, crowding the backfield once more.

Tight end Travis Kelce has no such issue—well, it is rapidly disappearing the way he is playing, anyway—and he finally broke out against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Kelce was a huge reason why the Chiefs won big on the road, even though his stat line isn't massive. He caught three passes for 36 yards and a diving touchdown on four targets, once again outshining starter Anthony Fasano.

With bye weeks coming up and injuries to a few key contributors at the position around the league, Kelce should definitely be on fantasy radars everywhere.

Defense Optional in Jacksonville

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This isn't really news, but the Jacksonville Jaguars aren't very good.

They were annihilated by Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in a home divisional game, a 44-17 shellacking. Jacksonville showed zero competitiveness in what is turning out to be yet another lost season.

Even with the promise of rookie Blake Bortles buoying faith, right now that defense is going to be a tasty matchup for opposing players in fantasy football. Luck had the week's top fantasy output at quarterback, and there were more than half a dozen fantasy-relevant players on that Colts squad.

Through three weeks, the Jaguars are in the bottom five in fantasy points against the quarterback, running back and tight end positions. About the only thing you can't count on when facing them is a big performance out of your top receivers.

Yet.

They cannot possibly be this bad every week, but the Jaguars are a nice matchup for your fantasy players going forward.

Bortlesmania Has Arrived

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

It was only a matter of time before the Jacksonville Jaguars brought rookie Blake Bortles in this season.

Incumbent starter Chad Henne has been stupendously awful this season, and the Jaguars finally made the call to replace him at halftime on Sunday after racing out to a 30-0 deficit against the Indianapolis Colts.

Rookie Blake Bortles—whom the Jaguars were planning to sit and develop this season—jumped into the fray. He admittedly looked no better than Henne for much of the day, but what were we to expect from a rookie getting his first real action?

In the end, Bortles wound up with 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns—though a pair of picks as well—most of which was obtained during the lengthy garbage time period in Jacksonville. Regardless, he was able to move the ball well where Henne hasn't ever since that magical first half against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.

Hopefully this means big things for the skill players on that team, particularly running back Toby Gerhart. Having a competent passing game should hopefully give Gerhart some breathing room.

Teddy Time in the Twin Cities

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Much like in Jacksonville, Teddy Bridgewater's time was inevitable in Minnesota. The issue wasn't as pressing for the Vikings, but an injury to quarterback Matt Cassel forced their hand.

Bridgewater stepped in and did a nice job all things considered. He couldn't generate much offense against the New Orleans Saints on the road, but the rookie quarterback out of Louisville did a decent job after being thrown into the fire.

He completed 60 percent of his passes for 150 yards while adding 27 rushing yards in the eventual loss for the Vikings. It will be interesting to see what he can do at home after he has a week to prepare with the starters. 

Word broke after the game that Cassel has a broken foot, per NBC Sports' Darin Gantt, meaning Bridgewater is going to be the starter for the time being. He may have taken the mantle permanently, since there seems to be little incentive in bringing Cassel back to start barring disastrous play from the rookie.

What does this mean for your fantasy team? That is a good question—we don't really know. Bridgewater didn't do much for anyone on that offense—at least nothing obviously different than Cassel—so there is no clear beneficiary.

Perhaps the answer to that question is "everyone," given Bridgewater is a more talented player.

Lamar Miller Will Fill in Nicely

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The rest of the Miami Dolphins performance may have been putrid, but there was a silver lining for fantasy owners—running back Lamar Miller.

Given his first real shot to shine in a lead back role, Miller delivered a great performance. He totaled 132 yards on offense while averaging an eye-popping 7.2 yards per carry running the ball. He had a nice fantasy day despite not getting into the end zone.

If you are a Miller owner, you can hang on to him and start him with confidence while Knowshon Moreno nurses his elbow injury. The latter might be out a few more weeks after getting knocked out of Week 2 action, meaning Miller should get the majority of the touches in that backfield.

Moreno will be back though, so mind Miller's value. If you have an opportunity to sell high in the coming weeks, take it.

Tom Terrible

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Father Time is undefeated. Perhaps he has Tom Brady in his sights after all.

Some months after the New England Patriots quarterback completed his worst season in a decade—minus the one he missed with a knee injury in 2008—Brady has continued a pattern of decline.

Seemingly unable to rekindle the magic of his heyday, the 37-year-old has looked his age. Granted, he has been battered thanks to poor offensive line play and his wide receiver corps leaves something to be desired, but Brady misses plenty of passes of his own accord.

Is it time to punt on the future Hall of Famer in the fantasy realm?

Brady had a seemingly favorable matchup against the visiting Oakland Raiders in Week 3, only to put up 234 yards and a touchdown in a narrow victory. It was his third lackluster performance of the season, once again largely in part to shoddy pass protection.

In fairness, tight end Rob Gronkowski dropped a would-be touchdown in the end zone, but Brady's three-week total has him outside the top 15 fantasy scorers at his position.

He is completing just 58.8 percent of his passes for an abysmal 5.5 yards per attempt and thrown just three touchdowns in three games this season despite favorable matchups and relative health around him. He isn't even among the top 25 in fantasy scorers at his position through three weeks. 

It might be time to shop Brady if at all possible. Perhaps his name will be enough to get a decent return.

No Longer a Sieve?

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The first couple of weeks were an abomination for Oakland Raiders fans, particularly on the defensive side.

Oakland gave up 49 points through the first two games in big losses. For fantasy owners of running backs facing that squad, however, things couldn't have gone smoother. 

The Raiders were giving up the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs heading into Week 3 action against the New England Patriots. Starting running back Stevan Ridley couldn't capitalize on the tantalizing matchup, however, and the Patriots were only able to score 16 points total.

Is this a sign that the Raiders are buttoning up that facet of the defense, or was this a one-week fluke against the unpredictable backfield practices of head coach Bill Belichick?

That is not to say the Raiders have quietly been one of the worst matchups in the league for opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers when it comes to fantasy football.

Ok, Now Is Really the Time to Buy on Eddie Lacy

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The call to buy on Eddie Lacy was a bit premature last week, but chances are his fantasy owner wasn't ready to give up on the Green Bay Packers running back.

Who would have known that the entire Green Bay Packers offense would lay an egg in Detroit?

It began with Lacy, who lost an awful fumble that wound up being the biggest difference in the game after Lions safety Don Carey scooped it up and ran it back for a defensive touchdown. 

That fumble augured a horrendous day all around for the Green Bay offense, and Lacy barely made it back to positive fantasy territory before his day was done. 

The Lions were another tough matchup for Lacy, something yours truly took too lightly last week. Cash in after that disastrous performance on the road against the Detroit Lions—his schedule lightens up considerably.

The Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins are up next, all of which are in the middle of the pack when it comes to giving up fantasy points to running backs.

Kirk Cousins Is the Real Deal

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Unlike his counterpart in New England, Washington signal-caller Kirk Cousins is trending upward.  

Last week we saw that Cousins was capable of coming into a game and delivering. But could he do it for your fantasy team?

After last week, the answer to that question is a resounding "yes."

Washington's backup quarterback shredded the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, nearly winning the game in spite of his porous defense. He went off for 427 passing yards and three touchdowns, a top-flight fantasy performance for Week 3.

Of course, we should take that with a bit of salt—this was the Eagles defense, after all. The secondary might have bottled Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck a bit on the road, but it has had trouble with opposing passing games this season.

Still, Cousins is worthwhile starting if you have mediocre options otherwise. And it seems his receivers won't be missing a beat either.

All fantasy statistics and rankings courtesy of FFToday.com.

Follow @AlexMiglio