Week 3 Fantasy Football: Instant Sunday Recap

With all of the high-scoring games and excitement this NFL season, we should be pleased with the big numbers in fantasy. Yet we are like spoiled kids, saying, "Yeah, but so-and-so was a bum!"

There are plenty of fantasy numbers getting put on the board. They just aren't coming in the places we had expected them to.

It has been a rough start for the early first-round picks. Ask Jamaal Charles (ankle) owners, or those who picked LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte or Eddie Lacy.

We just aren't getting much out of these guys to date. Yeah, they will eventually get hot for us, but fantasy football is a fickle business, and it is getting late really early around here.

You might be falling into the 0-3 hole. It happens to all of us. And now we are headed into the sketchy lineup weeks of the bye season.

We will commiserate with you and present Bleacher Report's Instant Sunday Recap with the surprise studs, duds and injury roundup.

Fantasy Week 2 Surprise Studs

QB Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III might not get his job back if Cousins is going to throw for 427 yards and three touchdowns like he did Sunday in Philadelphia. You have to love him Thursday night at home against the New York Giants in Week 4. He might be a starter in all fantasy leagues for that one, particularly with Peyton Manning, Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson, Carson Palmer, Austin Davis and Brian Hoyer heading to their bye.

Not only was Cousins outstanding in a favorable matchup, but he also got a number of others involved with him. Pierre Garcon reeled in 11 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, while DeSean Jackson was good for five receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown, including an 81-yarder in his return to Philly. Even the tight end, Niles Paul (playing for the injured Jordan Reed), was a steady six catches for 68 yards.

This is how Jay Gruden drew it up for RG3. Little did we know it would take Cousins to make it work like this.

Even if you don't trust Cousins in fantasy starting lineups, you have to love the boost he gave his top two outside receivers—Jackson specifically on the big play.

"He's a lightning strike waiting to happen," Cousins told Liz Clarke of The Washington Post.

Only Andrew Luck's 370 yards and four touchdowns topped Cousins in fantasy production this week, per CBSSports.com's leaders.

RB Rashad Jennings, New York Giants

Take a good look at Jennings' 34 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown. Gaze longingly, because it is not going to happen back-to-back. The Redskins, Thursday's opponent as we said, were the No. 2 fantasy team against running backs through two weeks, per FFToday.com. The Redskins then went out and limited LeSean McCoy, the NFL's reigning rushing champion, to 22 yards on 20 carries.

That is not a misprint: 20 carries for a mere 22 yards!

That will leave a mark, a bad one, on McCoy's season rushing average.

Jennings' even heavier workload will make it tough for his 29-year-old body to bounce back in time for the Thursday night game on a short week. Even if the matchup was more favorable, you couldn't expect a running back to be relied upon Thursday night coming off a 30-plus carry performance on a short week.

It won't be a week to use rookie Andre Williams, but we might get an extended look at him in fantasy in Week 4.

RB Lorenzo Taliaferro, Baltimore Ravens

We figured Taliaferro would be an impact fantasy player eventually with Ray Rice released, but we didn't know a big fantasy week would come this soon.

With Bernard Pierce (thigh) inactive Sunday and Justin Forsett being more of a change-of-pace back, Taliaferro rushed 18 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. Those are fantasy starter numbers.

"I think the results speak for themselves with Lorenzo," head coach John Harbaugh told ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley after the game. "He was running downhill, physical and was hard to tackle. That is an element that is a big plus for an offense."

As impressive as this performance was, Taliaferro will still bide his time behind Pierce, who should return to the starting lineup in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers at home, Hensley speculated.

"We thought we'd get him into the game, but it didn't work out," Harbaugh told Hensley of Pierce on Sunday. "We should have a good chance of getting him back next week."

Regardless, Taliaferro should be a popular pickup off waivers in all fantasy leagues. Owned in just 7 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, Taliaferro is a more important player than Forsett in the near term and even Pierce over the long haul of the season, especially considering Pierce's injury woes and prior fumbling issue.

WR Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles

Fantasy owners were dropping off the Matthews bandwagon in droves earlier this week. The rookie hadn't made a significant impact through the first two games, so Matthews was the sixth-most dropped receiver in CBSSports.com leagues.

What happened?

Matthews went off for eight catches for 59 yards and, most importantly, two touchdowns. He even outperformed the third-most dropped wideout, Riley Cooper.

Matthews told ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan after the game: "(Foles) put the ball in a perfect place for me to make a play. I got a couple of good matchups against the middle linebackers, so he knew to put the ball high for me to get. I couldn't ask for better throws from him."

Matthews is the eighth Eagles rookie to catch two touchdown passes, and his eight catches were the most by an Eagles rookie since tight end Keith Jackson caught eight in 1988.

Now, plenty will be making a move to pick him back up. Frankly, Cooper should be owned through the bye season, too, even if the Week 4 matchup at San Francisco isn't a favorable one. Nick Foles and a quick-strike Eagles offense make Matthews an intriguing fantasy sleeper among rookie wideouts.

RB Joe McKnight, Kansas City Chiefs

In the this-helps-no-one category, McKnight served as the Jamaal Charles (ankle) replacement as the big playmaker out of the backfield for the Chiefs' Alex Smith. Knile Davis was a legit stud on the ground, with 32 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown, but it was McKnight who shocked fantasy out of the 0 percent ownership in CBSSports.com leagues.

McKnight caught six passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

Do not pick up McKnight in fantasy. You will be wasting your waiver claim. We should fully expect him to go to the bench, perhaps even behind De'Anthony Thomas (hamstring) in the pecking order after Charles and Davis.

Davis was held without a catch Sunday, perhaps by design, because the Chiefs were going to pound him so much on the ground. They used McKnight in the passing-down role, something Charles, Davis and even Thomas (once healthy) should be able to do effectively.

The only way you consider picking up McKnight in any fantasy leagues is late in the week if Charles and Thomas both look like they will be on the wrong end of game-time decisions for next Monday night against the New England Patriots. The extra day of rest and the prime-time game certainly work in Charles' favor for a return.

Fantasy Week 2 Duds

RB LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles

As if watching Darren Sproles steal the pass-receiving numbers Monday night wasn't enough, McCoy laid another egg Sunday with his remarkable 20 carries for 22 yards. He even added a reception, but it was merely a tease that went for zero yards.

We should be giving the Washington Redskins run defense credit, but you need McCoy to star through any matchup to make good on his early first-round draft position. It won't get any easier in Week 4 either, because the stiff San Francisco 49ers run defense is next up on the schedule.

McCoy left with a head injury, but he was cleared to return and didn't look like himself, as Mark Eckel of NJ.com reported.

The good news is McCoy wasn't deemed to have a concussion. At least you can keep rolling him out there, heading into a heavy, six-team bye week, even if his offensive line looks horrible and the matchup is equally daunting.

QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

Even Geno Smith looked like a viable NFL starting quarterback against the Green Bay Packers last week. Stafford certainly was ticketed for some huge numbers against them in Detroit this Sunday, right?

Ouch.

Stafford was held to 246 yards passing, no touchdowns, two interceptions and a fumble for a whopping three fantasy points, per CBSSports.com. You had to figure, looking at those numbers, there would be no way the Lions would have been able to beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

"They've got a good defense. You've got to give them credit," Rodgers told Noah Trister of The Associated Press (via CBSSports.com). "As well as our defense played today, we scored seven and we gave up nine with our offense. They didn't even need to score."

Don't give up on Stafford. He faces that raw New York Jets secondary in Week 4.

QB Aaron Rodgers and RB Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers

We have to legitimately consider the Lions defense a force to be reckoned with in fantasy football now. Any team that can hold Rodgers to 162 yards passing and one touchdown is going to line up as one to avoid facing if you can.

And the Lions are one of the toughest teams in fantasy against running backs, too, coming into the week having allowed just 87 yards on the ground to backs through two games, per FFToday.com.

Lacy's struggles against tough run defenses continued. He was held to just 11 carries for 36 yards and one reception for nine yards.

Everything should be much better in Week 4 at the Chicago Bears. We promise that game will be the shootout so many thought Green Bay at Detroit would be.

RB Shane Vereen, New England Patriots

You had to know Vereen wasn't going to perform like a feature back. He just isn't that type of running back. You had to hope he would produce more than the mere 20 yards rushing and 17 yards receiving in a matchup against the Oakland Raiders run defense.

It wasn't that Stevan Ridley (19 carries for 54 yards and one catch for seven yards) set the world on fire either. The Pats just couldn't get anything going against the upstart Raiders defense.

Vereen has notoriously been a banged-up running back and had been dealing with a shoulder issue. You should start looking at Ridley as the better fantasy option over Vereen if you haven't already.

WR Keenan Allen and TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

It is too early to consider Allen a sophomore bust after that awesome rookie year he had, but the big numbers haven't been there yet. Week 3 was a new low, as Allen had just two catches for 17 yards at the Buffalo Bills.

Allen was questionable for the game with a groin injury, but he played through it. His fantasy owners had to suffer the indignity of watching Eddie Royal steal four catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Even Malcom Floyd caught two passes for 98 yards.

Allen will be fine. Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars' torched secondary (at the hands of Andrew Luck this week) is next on the slate. Expect Allen to be the double-digit fantasy producer you drafted.

Royal and Floyd will be sleepers off waivers, too.

Gates, meanwhile, was coming off that huge three-touchdown performance against the Seattle Seahawks. Watching him slump to one catch for eight yards seemingly doesn't make sense. Ladarius Green made an impact with four catches for 64 yards.

Consider this a one-week blip, even if Gates will succumb to injury and Green eventually this season.

Injury Roundup

WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (ankle)

He left with an ankle injury, and Hakeem Nicks, Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener picked up the slack. Any of those are solid waiver adds if Hilton isn't fine for Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans.

TE Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens (hip)

Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun reports Pitta might be done for the season with a dislocated hip, the same one he injured last year. It is a blow, but Owen Daniels (one catch for eight yards) becomes a must-add tight end in all leagues. Daniels would be a potential start against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4.

TE Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (groin)

NFL insider Albert Breer tweeted the tight end will get an MRI on the injured groin that knocked him out of the game. You likely will have to prepare some waiver options like Daniels to replace him in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons.

RB Danny Woodhead, San Diego Chargers (leg)

The Chargers' injury woes are adding up and making Donald Brown look more and more intriguing in all fantasy leagues. Woodhead is likely headed for season-ending surgery, according to Fox Sports' Alex Marvez. Rookie Branden Oliver is now the only healthy backup to Brown for the Chargers. 

RB Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (knee)

It didn't take long for Stewart to get hit with another injury. This one is reportedly a knee contusion, according to Sunday Night Football's Michele Tafoya. Stewart was going to be a questionable to play next week at Baltimore anyway, particularly if DeAngelo Williams (thigh) was to return.

QB Matt Cassel, Minnesota Vikings

Breer reports the journeyman has several foot fractures, which should keep him out a long time, if not for the rest of the season. It is Teddy Bridgewater time in Minnesota. He should be a nice play in deeper leagues at home against the weak Falcons secondary.

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.