Finally something off which we can base decisions. For statistics to show us things we need more numbers. The more games that are played the more we can actually base decisions off fact instead of basing them off our gut. Three games is just short of a quarter of the season, so while next week’s games will give us any even clearer picture, we’re starting to get some data on which we can rely.
20. Adrian Peterson
He’s just fine kids. Don’t worry about it. Peterson it appears was just knocking off rust the first two weeks. He’s was back to his old self with a day of 20-126-2 TDs against the Chargers. However I’m not all aboard the Peterson train yet. San Diego is ranked 27th against the rush in the NFL giving up 135 YPG. So temper that enthusiasm for now.

19. Raiders Vs. TE
This one I have to give credit to my buddy Mike for spotting. If you need a tight end, just pick whoever is matched up against the Raiders.

Week 1: Tyler Eifert 9-104-2 TDs. Most of you grabbed him.

Week 2: Crocket Gillmore 5-88-1 TD. Most of you grabbed him.

Week 3: Gary Barnidge 6-105-1 TD. I honestly had no idea who this guy was.

The lesson is play whatever TE is facing the Raiders.

18. Amari Cooper, Derek Carr, Latavius Murray
Buy buy buy! I love the Raiders. Carr has got some talent around and this doesn’t look like it’s going to be such a dreadful team right now.

17. Darren Sproles
He is basically the key to the Eagles right now. If he goes down they are toast. Bradford can’t seem to throw the ball down field, the receivers can’t seem to catch it and if it wasn’t for him and Ryan Mathews they would have lost to the Jets.

I’ve completely turned the other way on this team. The line is horrible, Bradford is either still getting back in the groove or has completely lost it. They are ranked 31st in total offense. 31st!!! A Chip Kelly team!
I do like some Eagles as buy lows though. Ertz, Jordan Matthews, Murray, Mathews…heck even Bradford, are all buy low guys. A Chip Kelly offense is ranked 31st in the league. Either they are going to explode at some point or you got some pieces to use against bad match ups.

16. The Bears
Only Matt Forte is worth playing, well that and Bennett this week against the Raiders. Beyond that this team is a wasteland of misery. Stay away, stay very far away.

15. Alex Smith
If you are starting him in leagues, God Bless you. I had people try and justify to me that he was worth the money he got from Kansas City. No way! Now the guys around him are ownable, but I can’t even imagine this team with a good quarterback. To give him the benefit of the doubt that offensive line is terrible. They’ve given up a league high of sacks.

14. Arizona Defense
This would have seemed to come out of nowhere but then that means you weren’t paying attention. They are giving up 16 points a game and just a hair under 300 yards a game. Add in the 7 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 3 touchdowns. They’ve been good the last couple years and somehow it felt like they got overlooked as a fantasy defense. They are legit.

13. Tyrod Taylor
Oddly enough this to me looks entirely legitimate. Obviously they haven’t been great defenses that he’s gone against but a 116.1 QB rating with 714 Passing Yards and 96 on the ground is incredible value for a guy you either took a flyer on or got off the wire. I think this continues.

12. LeSean McCoy
So he’s out and they’ve been babying him since he hurt himself in camp. Guess what, somebody in your league has already picked up Karlos Williams. 24-168-3 TDs so far and he’s averaging 7.8 a carry. He’s about to get a steady work. I’ll be interested to see where this goes. If McCoy can’t stay healthy then Williams could end up being a gold mine considering how much Buffalo will run the ball.

11. Cowboys
Here I thought that this team was about to take a nose dive in terms of fantasy value and then they played Atlanta and Joseph Randle happened. I got this one square in the jaw on Sunday as in one league I got Randle and Devonta Freeman against me in the same game. 14-87-3 is ridiculous. Atlanta is ranked 10th worst in the league in terms of Total yards and 18th in rushing yards allowed so there is a possibility it was just a good match up for Randle. That IS a good offensive line. However while he may be the main guy, I can’t imagine a ton of days like that.

10. Julio Jones
In case you were wondering , he is the best wide receiver in the league. It’s not even close.

9. Carson Palmer
I honestly didn’t see this coming at all. The 6th ranked QB in standard leagues I’d be shocked if anybody but Palmer’s wife and kids thought he had this in him when the season started. Palmer has been great this season posting a 117.8 QB Rating, a 63.9% Completion percentage, 9 TDs and only 2 interceptions. He’s firmly planted himself in the Top 10 QB discussion for the rest of the season.

However one should temper all the enthusiasm when it comes to Palmer considering he’s played 2 of the worst passing defenses in the league in San Francisco and New Orleans. He also got to face the garbage pit that is Chicago. I like him but it’s hard for me to call this completely legitimate yet.

8. Larry Fitzgerald
This is for real. Larry Fitz has always been at the mercy of his quarterback. Last year he missed 2 games and didn’t have Palmer for most of the season. He wasn’t very good. The year before, he managed 10 TDs and almost 1000 Yards receiving. As long as Palmer is healthy there’s no reason for me to believe that another double digit TD season is possible for the future Hall of Famer. I do think his current position as the 2nd WR in standard leagues will be a little hard to maintain but if you took a shot on him in the draft, your gamble is paying off.

7. Keenan Allen
Big game, Dud, Big Game… so it is with owning Allen this year. He had 15 catches in week 1 and 12 catches in week 3. Week 2 however he managed to put up 2 catches for 16 yards and negative fantasy points in standard leagues. I love Allen in ppr and truthfully he’s the main target for Phillip Rivers even when Gates returns. However I expect more up and down from him as the season wears on. I don’t think he can be counted on for consistent week to week production.

6. Todd Gurley
That was a disappointing start wasn’t it? 6 carries for 9 yards and 1 catch for 5. The biggest issue here isn’t his ability but what appears to be a horrendous St. Louis run game. They rank 29th in rushing yards through 3 games. Now it could be that injuries to Mason are to blame for this but to me it points to a problem along what was supposed to be a better offensive line. Pull back the reins on Gurley for the time being. This week St. Louis faces the Cardinals who are 11th against the run this season. I like his upside moving forward but this looks like it’s going to take a few weeks.

5. Dolphins
This team is incredibly disappointing. Defensively they are a mess. Through 3 games they are 31st against the run and 17th against the pass. Offensively it’s been just as bad. While there is a glimmer of hope with them 10th in passing, they are 27th in rushing. Lamar Miller has been terrible, the receivers are completely unreliable and what looked to be a very ownable Dolphins D is droppable across the board.

4. Lions
Man their offensive line is horrible. They can’t seem to figure out how to keep Stafford upright and for some reason they are giving the ball to what looks like a very old and slow Joique Bell. Ameer Abdullah should be getting the majority of the carries but so far has only seen 21. While Eric Ebron has been a very usable fantasy TE, Golden Tate hasn’t come close to his production last season and even Megatron is off to a slow start. If Mike Caldwell keeps this up he won’t be around for too much longer.

3. Pats RBs
I’ve seen debate as to who to play Blount or Lewis. I say why not both? The Patriots look like they are going to bulldoze every team they play this season. While Lewis has been a revelation for most ranking 6th in standard leagues among running backs, Blount showed last week just what kind of production he can have. After being suspended in week 1 and being used lightly in Week 2, last week he went off. 18 carries 3 TD’s and even one catch for 14 yards. Both guys should be considered viable starters.

2. Andrew Luck
He’s been incredibly frustrating to own and many of us that went QB early on (I did in one league with crazy scoring for QBs) in our drafts. However I’m cautiously optimistic. He’s gone against the 4th and 5th passing defenses in Tennessee and the Jets. He also faced Buffalo and they would be a lot higher ranked in terms of pass defense if it wasn’t for Tom Brady lighting them up in Week 2. His 4th quarter output against the Titans was encouraging. He said “it just clicked”. 11 for 13, 144 Yards and 2 TDs would seem to demonstrate that. This week he faces Jacksonville who’s ranked 25th against the pass. Buy low on the Colts while you still can.

1. Packers WR
Well so much for Davante Adams. The “steal of the draft” as some called him has the dreaded high-ankle sprain and will miss some time. So he’s not really somebody to hold on to anymore. It looks like Randall Cobb and James Jones are the main guys there. Ty Montgomery could end up being a guy to own as things move forward but honestly it seems like Cobb and Jones will be the main beneficiaries of Aaron Rodgers production.