FantasySavvyFootball: Week 3 Film Review and Recap (Part 1)

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta

• Not much to say about this game. Julio Jones is a beast. Ryan will be productive because of Julio and hopefully a healthy Roddy, but expect some games where he disappears from time to time. Like I said last week, I am not confident Roddy will be able to stay healthy. Think about dealing him.
• Levine Toilolo is a big stiff, if you picked him up, drop him.
• I am still steering clear of this Falcons running game.
• Bobby Rainey is a quality back, despite the two fumbles, he will remain in the mix when Doug Martin returns. He has outplayed Martin.
• Vincent Jackson will be out for a while, but he and Evans should both see a boost with Mike Glennon at the helm. Glennon is not on the radar at all.

Colts @ Jaguars

• Everybody got involved for the Colts in this game. Fleener scored, Dwayne Allen scored, Hakeem Nicks scored. Still, I think all three will remain inconsistent throughout the season. Wayne and Hilton remain the only two mainstays in the WR department.
• Ahmad Bradshaw got less carries but outplayed Richardson again. The guy just defines running back. Can he stay healthy? Finally? It’s doubtful. Richardson is looking better and is contributing, he’s a low-end flex play at this point. Keep him on your roster.
• Andrew Luck is going to have some huge games and some duds, that’s the way he is. Just hope in the Playoffs he has one of those monster games, it’s more likely at this point he will step up for your playoff team when it counts then come up short.
• In the 2nd Half the Jags turned to Blake Bortles and instantly this offense showed life. Bortles did throw two picks and fumbled (although it was negated because of a defensive holding) but he threw darts, avoided sacks and made throws on the run. He produced anywhere from 18-23 points depending on your fantasy league. His WR core isn’t great but it’s solid with Shorts, Robinson, Hurns and Marquise Lee.  He is in for a solid rookie season. I am targeting him in a few leagues, especially keeper.
• Allen Robinson had the most catches with 7 for 70+ yards and I think it may be between him and Marquise Lee to become Bortles’ favorite. Cecil Shorts is in the mix too. Hurns had a 63 yd TD, but just had one catch. Bottomline is, now that Bortles has been slotted to start and won’t look back, one or two of these Jags WR’s will instantly become fantasy relevant week to week. Right now I think Lee, Shorts and Robinson are about even, with Hurns the odd man out. I still think Lee is the best bet, he just needs to get healthy.
• Still staying away from this Jags running game, although Gerhart gets a slight boost with Bortles. He will be the GL back and this team will be in the redzone much more often as a result. Read Option plays might also help Gerhart, but Denard Robinson is going to remain in the mix likely making both irrelevant.

Baltimore @ Cleveland 

• Benard Pierce was ruled out so the Rook, Lorenzo Taliaferro got an opportunity to strut and did not disappoint. I don’t think Taliaferro is an overly talented back, but he is NFL ready with his big bruising running style. The Ravens run game just looks solid overall, no matter who is in there running the rock. Pierce, Forsett and Taliaferro have all produced and run well.  This could be a three-headed monster when Pierce returns. The Ravens are going to run a ton, and probably be successful most of the time. This is due more to Kubiak’s system than the overall talent of the RB core.
• Although Taliaferro had a big first half, he was quiet in the 2nd being held under 20 yards. It’s tough to say who will emerge, it may be Pierce one week, Forsett another and Taliaferro another. Either way Taliaferro is definitely worth picking up, but as long as all three backs are healthy it will be tough to really rely on any one back. John Harbaugh is likely to ride the hot hand, Who will emerge? Time will tell. I still think the Ravens like Pierce and aren’t just going to desert him for a 4th round pick in Taliaferro. Forsett will remain in the mix regardless because of his pass catching skills and he’s also the fastest back on the team.
• Another poor game for Torrey Smith, while Steve Smith goes over 100 yards again. He remains the #1 target on this squad and was the one Flacco looked to in crunch time. Smith may improve, but like I said last week, he’s in for a disappointing year overall.
• With Dennis Pitta out for the year, Owen Daniels becomes a fairly solid option, despite the fact he did nothing when Pitta went out. Daniels should be targeted a good amount and produce.
• Miles Austin scored yet again and maybe he just needed a change. He literally ran the same slant route in the end zone he did the last week for a TD. Still not buying him though.
• Andrew Hawkins did his usual 6-7 catch for 70, 80+ yard performance. He remains a fairly decent flex in PPR.
• Jordan Cameron has started slow, be patient for now.
• Isaiah Crowell outplayed Terrance West for the 2nd week in a row. They both are talented, but I think Crowell provides a little more punch. He’s like Marion Barber with a bit more burst and a little less size.  Things just going to get too crowded when Ben Tate returns. Going to devalue all these guys. I like Crowell though, I would find a way to stash him.

Washington @ Philly

• Jordan Matthews breakout game. Matthews saw a plenty of targets and had 8 catches for 59 yards. Both TD’s came on simple seam routes, similar to what the Saints have done with Marques Colston in the past. No doubt that Foles will continue to look Mathews way in the redone with his 6’3 frame. Mathews and Foles also connected on multiple out routes. Mathews could start becoming a very significant part of this offense after a quiet first two weeks. I would bank on him more than Riley Cooper or Zach Ertz.
• LeSean McCoy didn’t have anywhere to run against the Skins D, but it does appear that’s last years heavy workload has slowed him a bit. The Redskins D did stuff the holes however and better days for Shady are ahead, but a regression from last years numbers is going to happen. No need to panic just yet.
• DeSean Jackson should continue to create separation and Cousins is more than capable of delivering him the ball.
• Kirk Cousins played well, but on the last drive of the game he couldn’t complete the key passes he needed to push the Skins into the FG range. He still has plenty of weapons and will remain solid.
• Niles Pauls’ talent was on display again with some nice catches. Keep him going.

Part 2 will be released tomorrow. Stay Tuned. Radio Show Friday night, Start Em Sit Em, Daily League breakdown and Rankings all on deck as well. Follow us on Twitter @FantasySavvy.