Fantasy Football Week 3 Predictions for Every Team

Week 3 of the NFL Schedule is upon us.

While the teams prepare for sixteen matchups, fantasy football players at home are preparing for their matchups against the "Whatchu Talkin' Bout Hillis?" and "Corn on the Schuab's" of the fantasy world.

Here is a guide to what to expect this weekend for every team, and how it may affect your lineup. 

Beanie Wells, Arizona, 80 Yards, 1 TD

Much like most NFL fans, I had thought the Seahawks' defense is a lot worse than it actually is. In fact, it currently ranks 15th in rush defense, which is astounding considering they have been playing from behind both games.

Frank Gore and Rashard Mendenhall, both picked in the first three rounds of most fantasy drafts, have only put up 59 and 66 yards, respectively, in Weeks 1 and 2 against Seattle.

I predict Beanie Wells to finish a bit better, but not much better in his matchup.

Michael Turner, Atlanta, 125 Yards, 2 TDs

Tampa Bay's rush defense ranks second to last in the league, giving up an average of 156 yards per game. Only St. Louis currently fares worse.

Michael Turner has averaged 107 yards per game through his first two games. I believe Turner will put up a performance much like Adrian Peterson's last week against the Bucs; 120 yards and two touchdowns are most certainly not out of the question.

Ray Rice, Baltimore, 140 Yards, 1 TD

Ray Rice is happy in this picture because he knows he faces the league's worst rush defense this weekend in St. Louis—and it's by a landslide.

St. Louis is currently giving up 177 yards per game on the ground after giving up over 200 to Philadelphia in the season opener and 119 to the Giants this past Monday night. 

Ray Rice should continue this trend, as Baltimore should easily handle the Rams, and will be running down the clock from the third quarter on.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, 300 Yards, 3 TDs

Call me a bandwagon fan, but I believe that the Bills are here to stay.

After a thrashing of the Chiefs in Week 1, the Bills came to iron out a victory against the Raiders—a game that I believe showed the team's true colors.

Next up is their matchup with New England to truly test just how much this Bills team has come. While I believe New England ultimately wins this game, Buffalo will test the Patriots' limits.

Enter Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The Harvard graduate has been nothing short of spectacular this season while leading the Bills to their 2-0 start. Facing the league's second-worst pass defense, Fitzpatrick should have no problem breaking the 300 yard barrier and throwing for two or three touchdowns.

Steve Smith, Carolina, 110 Yards, 1 TD

Steve Smith is currently leading the league in receiving yards. Fantasy players who drafted him in the tenth round or later simply remember the pure talent of Smith, go ahead and pat yourself on the back.

After shredding the Cardinals for over 170 yards in week one, and another 150 yards in week two against the Packers, I have a hard time envisioning Smith slowing down just yet. Not while this insane chemistry with Cam Newton continues.

Jacksonville has had a slightly better pass defense than the first two opponents, but 110 yards, one touchdown is very reasonable to expect—if not better numbers—from Steve Smith.

Jay Cutler, Chicago, 200 Yards, 1 TD, 3 INT

Jay Cutler has put up some decent numbers through two weeks, passing for 556 yards and three touchdowns while only throwing one interception. I personally believe he is one of the most overrated players in the league and it is only a matter of time before he is nothing more than a fantasy drop.

Granted, Green Bay's pass defense is currently dead last in the league. However, Cutler has been sacked an astounding 11 times so far this season.

Look for Green Bay's physical front seven to sack him more, and force some bad passes along the way.

Bernard Scott, Cincinnati, 50 Yards, 0 TD

Bernard Scott has been one of the hottest waiver-wire pickups this week since the announcement of Cedric Benson's suspension. Scott has some potential, but don't expect for it to show this week against the 49ers.

San Francisco currently ranks first in the league in rush defense after matchups with Seattle and Dallas.

Don't expect much to change against the pass-heavy Bengals offense.

Mohamed Massaquoi, Cleveland, 100 Yards, 1 TD

Instead of going with the easy Peyton Hillis prediction of 90 yards and a touchdown or two, I decided to provide a little bit of a sleeper.

It is no secret how atrocious Miami's pass defense has been the first two games, giving up a jaw-dropping 500 yards to Tom Brady in the first week and allowing Matt Schaub to pass to the tune of a 118.5 rating.

Colt McCoy is no Matt Schaub or Tom Brady—that much is a given. He also does not have the weapons they do.

Having said that, I do expect McCoy to have a decent game, and Massaquoi will be his number one target.

Tony Romo, Dallas, 175 Yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

Tony Romo has several cracked ribs AND a punctured lung, and yet he is still going to play Monday night against the Redskins? 

Romo has looked great in his first two games, averaging over 340 yards per game while passing for four touchdowns. However, Romo will be lucky to stay healthy and play the entire game to even throw for over 175 yards.

Washington's pass defense currently ranks 17th in the league, and they will be gunning for Romo—just ask DeAngelo Hall.

Absolutely no good can come of this situation—avoid starting Romo if at all possible.

Eric Decker, Denver, 65 Yards, 1 TD

Denver is a fantasy mess right now. Brandon Lloyd is expected to miss a couple more weeks, and Eddie Royal just went down with an injury himself.

Meanwhile, the backfield remains in flux with an injury to Knowshon Moreno. Willis McGahee stepped in admirably last week, rushing for over 100 yards and a touchdown. However, indications are Moreno will start this weekend after practicing most of the week. Even so, Moreno was a great disappointment in Week 1 against the Raiders.

My advice is to avoid all Denver players this week, but if I had to pick one, I would go with Eric Decker. He entered the season as a deep fantasy sleeper, and took advantage of his opportunity last week to step in for injured receivers.

Matthew Stafford, Detroit, 300 Yards, 3 TD

Matthew Stafford has looked every part of a former number one overall pick while leading the Lions to a 2-0 start. He has passed for 599 yards and seven touchdowns while torching the Chiefs and Buccaneers through the air.

Look for that trend to continue against a Minnesota pass defense that ranks in the bottom ten in the league. I believe after this week, Stafford will entrench himself as a top seven quarterback in the league, meriting a start from most fantasy teams.

Greg Jennings, WR, 110 Yards, 2 TD

Look for this week to be the week Greg Jennings busts out and earns his status as a second round fantasy pick in most leagues.

Granted, Jennings already has two touchdowns on the young season, but his yardage has far from made him an elite fantasy receiver this season, especially when looking at the number of high-producing receivers this season.

Drew Brees absolutely tore apart the Bears' pass defense en route to an easy 270 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers could have been even greater had the Saints been passing in the fourth quarter.

Jennings' chemistry with Rodgers will show itself this week, as Jennings goes off for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Andre Johnson, Houston, 85 Yards, 2 TD

Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the league today—period. I have a hard time seeing him slow down this week against an average New Orleans defense.

While the Texans are potent at running back, the questions surrounding Arian Foster's lingering hamstring injury would cause me to advise against starting either him or Ben Tate.

Andre Johnson, as always, is the safe pick this weekend. Two touchdowns is easily achievable, but the Saints have been good at preventing the deep plays, so expect for his yardage to remain rather modest.

Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis, 55 Yards, 0 Td

The fact is the only player on Indianapolis that fantasy players should even be thinking about starting this week is Reggie Wayne. 

However, that doesn't change the fact that Indianapolis is terrible without Peyton Manning. There is a distinct chance they will be shut out by the Steelers this weekend. 

Avoid all Indianapolis players this weekend, even the usually-reliable Reggie Wayne.

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville, 100 Yards, 2 TD

The Jaguars will rely heavily this weekend on Maurice Jones-Drew as Blaine Gabbert makes his first career start.

MJD should have no problem racking up 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns against a rather pedestrian Panthers defense.

Dexter McCluster, Kansas City, 65 Yards, 1 TD

Suddenly, Kansas City has gone from bad to historically bad with the injury to Jamaal Charles. In fact, Kansas City is down right awful, and they would be lucky to win two or three games this season.

Dexter McCluster was another hot waiver wire pickup after last week. However, he will be sharing carries with Thomas Jones, at least in the immediate future. 

San Diego's rush defense is ranked in the bottom ten of the league. Kansas City may accumulate an easy 120 yards on the ground, but so long as McCluster is sharing carries, he will not be finishing with the majority of those yards.

Daniel Thomas, Miami, 120 Yards, 1 TD

Daniel Thomas looked awfully good in his NFL debut against the Texans last week, rushing for over 100 yards. Look for that trend to continue against a weak Cleveland rush defense that is susceptible to big plays.

Thomas had entered last week's game into a system instituted by Tony Sparano where Reggie Bush would get 70 percent of carries. Thomas blew away Sparano and any expectations as Bush barely saw the field in the second half.

When this season is over, I believe only A.J. Green will compete with Daniel Thomas for the title of top fantasy rookie.

Adrian Peterson, Minnesota, 120 Yards, 2 TD

Avoid Minnesota's passing game like the plague.

Even the traditionally fantasy-reliably Percy Harvin only has 83 yards on the young season.

Enter Adrian Peterson.

If the Vikings have any hope for any respectability this season, they will ride Peterson's legs until they give out. Look for a repeat performance from Peterson like last week against Tampa Bay against an average Detroit rush defense.

Tom Brady, New England 250 Yards, 2 TD

Tom Brady has been lights out this season, on pace to shatter Dan Marino's single-season yardage record. While he may still have a chance to do so, I believe Brady will have a rather mundane game against a very competitive Bills defense.

While I wouldn't classify this as a "struggle," I believe this will also be the result of New England finally relying a bit more on the ground game. Look for BenJarvus Green-Ellis to push 100 yards and get a touchdown or two himself.

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans, 90 Yards, 1 TD

The easy choice for New Orleans is Drew Brees, who should have no problem clearing 300 yards and passing for three touchdowns against a Houston pass defense that has not faced an imposing quarterback yet.

Having said that, I believe Jimmy Graham will be Brees' number one target. Devery Henderson may statistically be Brees' favorite target, but that is because he has hauled in a couple of impressive deep plays. Without them, Henderson has put up some very pedestrian numbers in the early going.

Jimmy Graham should have a great game in the passing attack and should entrench himself as a definitive top ten seven end in fantasy this season.

Eli Manning, New York Giants, 225 Yards, 1 TD, 3 INT

Philadelphia's pass defense has done a superb job the first two weeks of the season living up to the billing, entering the season behind Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Asante Samuel.

Look for Eli Manning to struggle against the Eagles' secondary, especially after putting up some less-than-impressive numbers in weeks one and two.

Dustin Keller, New York Jets, 80 Yards, 1 TD

The Jets may be 2-0, but from a fantasy perspective, the team has been very disappointing.

Shonn Greene, whom many predicted would finally break out, is averaging a subpar 2.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Santonio Holmes has only put up 112 yards through two games, and Plaxico Burress has been virtually nonexistent.

Enter Dustin Keller, the closest thing the Jets have had to resembling a fantasy star. Through two games, he has put up 162 yards and two touchdowns. I believe he will put up some decent numbers against a pass defense in Oakland that ranks in the bottom half.

Darren McFadden, Oakland, 75 Yards, 1 TD

Darren McFadden is off to a superb start for the surprisingly competitive Oakland Raiders, averaging 111 yards per game so far.

However, he has not faced a rush defense as tough as the Jets'. Look for McFadden to finally be slowed down, but still expect some decent stats from a star running back.

Philadelphia DEF, 4 Sacks, 3 INT, 1 FR, 13 PA

Philadelphia's offense is a juggernaut, but I decided to talk about who I believe will be the top fantasy defense this weekend.

The Giants are mistake-prone, led by Eli Manning who has made his share of early-season mistakes. In Week 1 against the Redskins, Manning threw a pick six deep in his own territory that ultimately became the winning score, along with being sacked four times. 

Last week, Manning threw an interception while being sacked three times.

Look for the Eagles defense to perhaps even have a defensive touchdown, not to mention the possibility of DeSean Jackson returning a punt for a touchdown on any given punt—just ask the Giants after their Week 17 debacle last season.

Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh, 150 Yards, 1 TD

Mike Wallace has performed the part of a number one fantasy receiver so far on the young season, and I expect for that to continue against the struggling Colts.

Indianapolis statistically has a top ten pass defense this season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that trend end on Sunday night. Wallace is too speedy and has too much talent to be contained by an average group of cornerbacks. 

Wallace should haul in around eight catches, with at least one deep play of over forty yards.

Antonio Gates, San Diego, 80 Yards, 2 TD

Antonio Gates has looked rather pedestrian in his first two games, in fact, invisible in Week 2 against the Patriots. That most certainly does not justify his position as the number one fantasy tight end entering the season.

Enter the Kansas City Chiefs, whose season has quickly become a train wreck.

Gates should have no problem getting on track against the Chiefs who rank in the bottom in total defense. In fact, most Chargers should have no problem getting on track this week.

Frank Gore, San Francisco, 60 Yards, 0 TD

Frank Gore has been nothing short of a disappointment, but this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise after a lengthy holdout that cost him almost all of training camp.

Gore put up only 59 yards against a hapless Seattle team, and only rushed for 47 yards last week against the Cowboys.

While Cincinnati may not boast the league's top rush defense, they did hold Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis to only 57 yards in week one. Gore's struggles should continue this weekend.

Steven Hauschka, Seattle, 2-3 FG, 1 XP

Seattle is absolutely terrible, and no fantasy player in their right mind should consider starting anybody this weekend or any weekend.

The fact I used Steven Hauschka as the fantasy advice for Seattle simply serves to show how terrible this team is. They rank dead last in total and rushing offense.

Sam Bradford, 250 Yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

After a history-making performance in their opener against the Steelers, the Ravens' defense looked rather average against Tennessee last week. However, I believe the Ravens' opening game is more indicative of the defense they are instead of their last game.

Having said that, I would advance with caution in starting any player on the Rams, especially since there are still questions surrounding Steven Jackson. 

The one thing Sam Bradford has been good at is avoiding mistakes. His numbers may not be flashy thus far, but he has yet to throw an interception. That is a feat unlikely to continue through his game with the Ravens.

I would advise against starting Bradford this week, but he should still put up halfway decent numbers this weekend. The Rams will most likely be playing from behind most of the game: 250 yards and a touchdown or two are not out of the question.

LaGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay, 85 Yards

Tampa Bay has looked less than impressive in their first two games of the season, and no single player has stood out at all from a fantasy perspective. Even LaGarrette Blount, after an excellent rookie year, has disappointed greatly.

Blount has averaged 43 yards per game thus far, but has two touchdowns to go along with those minuscule rushing numbers.

Atlanta's rush defense has not exactly been stellar, and I believe Blount will start getting back on track this game. He should have a decent 80-85 yards against Atlanta.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee, 115 Yards, 2 TD

The fantasy question every week with Tennessee will be, "What is Chris Johnson going to do this weekend?"

After an extremely disappointing first two games, I believe Johnson will get back on track in a big way this weekend against a Broncos rush defense that currently ranks fifth worst in the league.

Personally, I am not surprised Johnson struggled so mightily in his first two games. After a lengthy holdout, Johnson struggled to adjust to a new offensive coordinator's scheme. 

Johnson should have no troubles getting on track this weekend. The speedy back should be able to break off a big run or two against a relatively weak Bronco team.

Tim Hightower, Washington, 55 Yards

Tim Hightower has looked awfully good in his first two games, averaging 84 yards per game, but started giving way to Roy Helu in the second half of last game.

Whether or not this is a trend is yet to be seen.

Hightower may slowly be slipping into a platoon with Helu. This would mean fewer carries and yards for Hightower.