Fantasy Football Week 3: 5 Things You Need To Know

The second week of the NFL season is in the books, which means it's already time for fantasy football owners to start looking ahead to Week 3.

It's only Wednesday, but there is already much to digest in terms of news and injuries for this coming week.

In the following slides, we'll let update you on what you need to know heading into the third week of the NFL season.   

Miles Austin and Felix Jones Hurting for Dallas, What About Tony Romo?

Temper your excitement over Miles Austin's three-touchdown performance against the 49ers on Sunday, as he'll sit this weekend after re-aggravating his left hamstring.

Austin might be joined on the sidelines by running back Felix Jones, who separated his shoulder. Early reports indicate he may be able to play, however.

It could be double blow to the Cowboys offense, but it affects fantasy owners too. I'd make sure Austin is on the bench, and be weary of Jones with a bad shoulder. 

Quarterback Tony Romo also suffered a fractured rib which partially punctured his lung. His status is still up in the air, but he'll get an extra day of rest with the Cowboys play on Monday night. 

Ravens RB Ray Rice Has a Great Matchup

Ray Rice is a top-three fantasy back any way you slice it, but he should be the top back after Week 3. 

Rice takes on the St. Louis Rams and their 32nd-ranked rushing defense on Sunday, and he should be able to take full advantage. The Rams have given up over 130 yards to running backs in each of their first two games. 

Add in the fact that Rice can hurt St. Louis out of the backfield, and you have a big-time fantasy points scorer for your team on Sunday. 

Waiver-Wire Pickups Abound

Here's a good list of waiver-wire pickups for this week:

Denarius Moore, Raiders

He's available in almost every league, but Moore is establishing himself as the Raiders' top receiving threat.

Eric Decker, Broncos

Decker took full advantage of Brandon Lloyd's absence on Sunday, hauling in two scores and over 100 yards. He'll continue to see targets from Kyle Orton.

Fred Davis, Redskins

Need some tight end help? Look no further than Davis, who has nearly 200 yards receiving and a touchdown through two games.

DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice, Cowboys

With Felix Jones out, someone has to pick up the slack in the Dallas backfield. Both Murray and Choice will get that chance.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills

After two games of elite fantasy play, it's time to start taking the Harvard grad seriously. He could do damage against the Pats secondary. 

It's a Passing World, Get Used to It

Some hypothesized that the passing barrage in Week 1 was due to the lingering affects of the lockouts, and others said that defenses were just a little behind offenses to start the season.

Both may be true, but we know one thing for sure: This is a passing league, and that's not changing.

Tom Brady has nearly 1,000 yards through two games. He's on pace for almost 7,500. Cam Newton has almost 900 yards, and people thought he couldn't pick up an NFL offense. Guys like Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Drew Brees throw for 300 yards and a pair of scores in their sleep. 

Quarterbacks drive the NFL, and they drive fantasy football. Call me "Captain Obvious," but that's the way it is now. 

Other Tidbits

Michael Vick (concussion) will likely play Sunday after checking out well on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers haven't scored more than 21 points against the Bears since 2008.

Matt Forte, the leading receiver among running backs, faces a Packers team that has given up the most receiving yards to backs in the NFL.

The two best red-zone weapons in the NFL right now (at least statistically)—Scott Chandler and Rob Gronkowski—go head to head in Buffalo.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Rashard Mendenhall score at least two times against the Colts.

This is the week for Chris Johnson to break out. He faces the Denver Broncos run defense, which is ranked in the bottom five in the NFL.