Fantasy Football Week 3 Recap

Just when you think you have this thing called the NFL figured out, something like Week Three happens. Heading into Week Three, the Jacksonville Jaguars running game looked dead in the water as more than half of their offensive line was bit by the injury bug, then comes their match-up with the Indianapolis Colts and both Fred Taylor (121 rush yards) and Maurice Jones-Drew (107) crack the century mark. Despite a new head coach and the Big Tuna being in town, the Miami Dolphins of 2008 looked very similar to the 2007 team that loss 15 games in the first two weeks of the season, but then in week 3, they go for 38 points and put an end to the New England Patriots regular season winning streak. The Cincinnati Bengals' passing game looked like it was on its death bed in weeks 1 and 2, but against a tough New York Giants pass defenses, Carson Palmer was able to throw for 286 yards and a TD, while TJ Houshmandzadeh caught 12 balls for 146 yards and a score. Yes, any given Sunday anything can happen. Recapping some other stories from the NFL in Week Three are the Week Three Weekly Words below.

Running (and Throwing) Ronnie Brown

The Miami Dolphinsensured that we won’t be hearing any undefeated talk out of New England this football season, as they marched into Foxboro and handedly took care of business against the Pats. The Dolphins’ 38 to 13 win, which ended the Patriots streak of 21 straight regular season wins, was sweet revenge for a Dolphins team that was outscored 77 to 35 by New England last season.

The motor behind the Dolphins’ win was Ronnie Brown. Looking like the back he did prior to his knee injury in 2007, Brown totaled 113 rush yards on 17 carries, finding pay dirt 4 times on the ground, a first for a Dolphins’ running back. However, Brown didn’t stop there. He also threw a 19-yard touchdown to tight end Anthony Fasano. The Dolphins got creative in their use of Brown, lining him up at quarterback in a shotgun formation that featured Chad Pennington as a wide receiver. The unique formation resulted in 4 of Brown’s 5 total scores, constantly leaving the Patriots defense confused.

While Ricky Williams also had a solid day rushing 16 times for 98 yards, the story was clearly Brown, and it will be from here on out as Brown, who got his first start of the year, is the number one in this committee.  Look for the Dolphins to continue to feature him in their game plans going forward.

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Another Rookie Runner Makes his Mark

With the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game cancelled last week due to Hurricane Ike, rookie running back, Steve Slaton, got a chance to watch many of his fellow freshmen runners go off. Apparently, their success motivated the Texans’ rookie runner as he joined the party in week 3 with 116 yards and a score against a solid Tennessee Titans’ defense. The road gets a bit easier for Slaton after facing the Steelers and the Titans in his first two NFL games as the Colts, Dolphins, Lions, and Bengals are on tap.  As such, expect solid numbers for Slaton in the next 4 weeks.  Yet, another fantasy impact runner from this year’s rookie class.

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Fantasy Football Week 3 Recap