Ravens 19 Jaguars 17
The Jaguars offense continues to struggle. One bright spot for fantasy owners is Allen Robinson finally broke out on Sunday. Robinson caught seven balls for 57 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets against the Ravens.
Extra Points: Robinson’s two touchdowns are encouraging but Blake Bortles has been off through three games in 2016. Bortles threw three more interceptions on Sunday and averaged just 5.1 yards per completion…Chris Ivory returned from his illness but managed only 14 yards on 12 carries…Joe Flacco threw for 214 yards and two interceptions. He did score the Ravens only touchdown of the afternoon on a 7-yard run…The Ravens offensive star was kicker Justin Tucker. He converted 4-of-4 field goals.
Packers 34 Lions 27
Aaron Rodgers bounced back from a rough outing against the Vikings to throw for 205 yards and four scores on Sunday. Jordy Nelson continues to be Rodgers’ favorite target. Nelson caught six passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Extra Points: While Nelson is off to a hot start this season, Randall Cobb continues to disappoint. He caught just one pass for 33 yards on three targets…Eddie Lacy put up his first 100-yard game of the season with 107 yards on 16 carries (6.1 YPC)…Marvin Jones has established himself as the Lions clear-cut No. 1 receiver. Jones exploded six receptions, 205 yards and two touchdowns…TE Eric Ebron tied Jones for second on the team with eight targets. Ebron caught five balls for 69 yards…With Ameer Abdullah on IR, the Lions only rushed for 50 yards on 23 carries (2.2 YPC) as a team.
Vikings 22 Panthers 10
Cam Newton probably won’t argue that the Vikings have the best defense in the NFL. Minnesota’s defense sacked Newton eight times and caused three interceptions. The Panthers ran for just 3.8 yards per carry in a game dominated by the Vikings defense.
Extra Points: Kelvin Benjamin got shut out by Minnesota. Benjamin was only targeted once in the entire game…Matt Asiata got the start at running back but Jerick McKinnon was the more effective running back. McKinnon out-touched Asiata 17-7 and will continue to be the better fantasy option moving forward…Kyle Rudolph scored for the second straight week. Rudolph saw 10 targets on the afternoon, finishing with seven catches for 70 yards. Rudolph is now a weekly TE1 option with Sam Bradford under center…Stefon Diggs was held to a 4/40 line Sunday but he did see seven targets.
Bills 33 Cardinals 15
The Bills changed offensive coordinators after a 0-2 start but it was Buffalo’s defense that dominated on Sunday. The Bills defense recorded five sacks, two fumble recoveries, four interceptions and scored a touchdown.
Extra Points: LeSean McCoy got it going against Arizona, rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries (6.5 YPC)…Tyrod Taylor only threw for 119 yards and averaged 4.8 yards per completion without Sammy Watkins in the lineup. Taylor did add 76 yards and a score on the ground…Carson Palmer had a nightmare day. Palmer threw four picks and was sacked five times…John Brown (6/70), Larry Fitzgerald (7/60) and Michael Floyd (4/65) all saw 11+ targets but none topped 100 yards or scored.
Redskins 29 Giants 27
Odell Beckham started slowly in his much anticipated matchup versus Josh Norman but came on in the second half to finish with seven catches for 121 yards (17.3 AVG) on 11 targets.
Extra Points: Kirk Cousins bounced back from two down games with 296 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday…Cousins’ touchdown passes went to DeSean Jackson (5/96/1) and Jamison Crowder (4/78/1)…Sterling Shepard had his third strong fantasy game in a row to start the season. Shepard caught five passes for 73 yards and a touchdown…With Rashad Jennings inactive, Shane Vereen handled a majority of touches in the Giants backfield. Vereen racked up 95 total yards and scored a touchdown. He should continue to be a big part of the Giants offense even when Jennings returns.
Dolphins 30 Browns 24 OT
The Browns lost a close game in overtime but Terrelle Pryor put up a huge fantasy performance. Pryor threw for 35 yards, rushed for 21 yards, caught 8 balls for 144 yards and scored. After two quiet games, the Browns utilized Pryor as their main offensive weapon against the Dolphins.
Extra Points: Ryan Tannehill threw for 319 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He didn’t play as well as his stat line though. Fantasy owners will take it but Tannehill has struggled in Miami’s first three games…Jarvis Landry had another strong fantasy outing. He caught seven balls for 120 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets…The Dolphins used a committee at running back with Arian Foster out. Kenyan Drake had nine carries for 37 yards, while Jay Ajayi ran the ball seven times for 28 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Expect the backfield to continue to be a fantasy headache moving forward…Cody Kessler was 21-of-33 for 244 yards in his first career start.
Broncos 29 Bengals 17
Trevor Siemen had been a game manager in Denver’s first two games. Against the Bengals Siemen erupted for 312 yards and four touchdowns. He now has five touchdowns and three interceptions through three games.
Extra Points: Emmanuel Sanders had been a fantasy disappointment in the first two games but he rewarded owners who stuck with him. Sanders caught nine balls for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 12 targets…Demaryius Thomas added six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in what was by far the best game for the Broncos passing offense this season…It was a day of bounce-backs as Jeremy Hill rushed for 97 yards and scored his first two touchdowns of the year…A.J. Green put up eight catches for 77 yards on 11 targets against the tough Broncos secondary.
Raiders 17 Titans 10
No one quite knows what “Exotic Smashmouth” is but apparently it means every time the Titans are involved in a football game, it’s not going to feature many players with big fantasy stats. The Titans have played three underwhelming fantasy games so far this season.
Extra Points: Marcus Mariota struggled against a defense that entered the game allowing the most fantasy points to quarterbacks. He was 17-of-33 for 214 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions…The one player who did have a big fantasy day was Demarco Murray. Murray piled up 155 total yards, caught five passes and scored a touchdown…Latavius Murray scored for the third straight game but the Raiders continue to divide carries between Murray (10), Jalen Richard (6) and DeAndre Washington (6)…Michael Crabtree was the leading receiver in the game, catching eight passes for 102 yards on 11 targets.
Rams 37 Buccaneers 32
In one of the wildest games of the season so far, the Rams exploded for 37 points. St. Louis entered Sunday averaging 4.5 points and yet to score a touchdown. Mike Smith’s defense allowed 190 yards and two touchdowns to Case Keenum. Players are a must-start against the Buccaneers defense for fantasy purposes.
Extra Points: Jameis Winston had a huge fantasy day in a losing effort Sunday. After throwing four interceptions last week, Winston threw for 405 yards, three touchdowns and one pick against the Rams. He attempted 58 passes…Mike Evans and Adam Humphries both went over 100 yards. Evans caught 10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. Humphries added nine receptions for 100 yards on 12 targets…Cameron Brate took over as the Bucs clear-cut No. 1 TE after Austin Seferian-Jenkins was cut. Brate caught 5-of-10 targets for 46 yards and two touchdowns. He was also targeted four times in the red zone…Todd Gurley finally paid off for frustrated fantasy owners after two poor games. Gurley ran for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries (3.1 YPC).
Seahawks 37 49ers 18
The 49ers defense had played pretty well in the first two games but the bottom fell out on Sunday. San Francisco allowed a 100-yard rusher (Christine Michael) and two 100-yard receivers (Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham).
Extra Points: Michael took over as the lead back with Thomas Rawls inactive and he may not give up the job any time soon. Michal ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries (5.3 YPC)…Baldwin broke out with a big game leading Seattle in receiving. He caught eight balls for 164 yards and a score, while Graham added six catches for 100 yards and a touchdown…The 49ers offense was shut down until garbage time. Blaine Gabbert had a miserable game throwing for just 119 yards, no touchdowns and an interception…The 49ers one fantasy star on Sunday was Carlos Hyde. Hyde rewarded those who started him with 103 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries (4.9 YPC).
Eagles 34 Steelers 3
The Eagles beat the Steelers by 31 in one of the most shocking results in recent memory. Carson Wentz continues to impress. The rookie quarterback threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns in just his third career start.
Extra Points: The Eagles defense suffocated the Steelers offense. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked four times, held without a touchdown and threw an interception. As a team, the Steelers rushed for just 29 yards on 10 carries…Antonio Brown rebounded from a rare down game to catch 12 passes for 140 yards on 18 targets…Ryan Mathews tweaked his ankle early in the game. Rookie Wendell Smallwood got 17 carries in his absence, rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown…One week after Giovani Bernard had success against the Steelers defense, Darren Sproles hurt them as a receiver out of the backfield, catching six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Chiefs 24 Jets 3
It wasn’t Ryan Fitzpatrick’s day on Sunday. He threw for just 188 yards, no touchdowns and a career-high six interceptions against the Chiefs defense. He also lost a fumble. The Jets turned the ball over eight times in the game. If you’re looking for a silver lining, Fitzpatrick wasn’t sacked on 44 pass attempts.
Extra Points: Brandon Marshall’s uncertain status had fantasy owners scrambling on Sunday. In the end it wasn’t Marshall’s health that doomed owners but Fitzpatrick’s performance. Marshall was held to three catches for 27 yards on 10 targets…The Chiefs defense/special teams outscored their offense on Sunday two touchdowns to one. Travis Kelce caught the score. He finished with 89 yards on six receptions…Spencer Ware was held to 75 yards on 20 carries (3.5 YPC) by the tough Jets rush defense.
Colts 26 Chargers 22
Andrew Luck (331) and Philip Rivers (330) each topped 300 yards on Sunday but the two combined for just one touchdown. It was a big one for the Colts though. Luck hit T.Y. Hilton late in the fourth quarter for the 63-yard game winner.
Extra Points: Hilton had a monster game with Donte Moncrief injured. He caught eight passes for 174 yards and the touchdown on 11 targets…It’s time to consider Jack Doyle the Colts top fantasy tight end option. Doyle once again out-produced Dwayne Allen. He caught all six of his targets for 65 yards…The Colts defense did a good job shutting down Melvin Gordon. He was held to 35 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries (2.2 YPC)…Tyrell Williams led the Chargers with nine targets. He finished with six catches for 69 yards. Williams should continue to be a big part of San Diego’s offense for the rest of the year…Rookie TE Hunter Henry got the start for the injured Antonio Gates. He caught all five of his targets for 76 yards but had a crucial late fumble when the Chargers were trying to mount a drive.
Cowboys 31 Bears 17
The Cowboys young guns were on display Sunday night. Dak Prescott threw for 248 yards, rushed for 36 yards and accounted for two touchdowns. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 140 yards on 30 carries. It’s the first time a Cowboys rookie tandem has thrown for 200 yards and rushed for 100 yards in the same game.
Extra Points: Dez Bryant (3/40) was quiet for most of the game until he scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Bryant was targeted six times Sunday night…Alshon Jeffery played through a knee injury and was held to five receptions for 70 yards…Zach Miller finally made an impact in Week 3. Miller caught 8-of-9 targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns…Jeremy Langford went to the locker room early. He was replaced by Jordan Howard. Howard finished with 92 total yards and four receptions. Langford has struggled early in the year, so expect Howard’s role to grow in the coming weeks.
