Week 3 of fantasy football is upon us and things are starting to heat up. Injuries are piling up, sleepers are showing potential, and stars are disappointing. By now we should have a pretty decent idea of what our teams look like after the first two weeks, so this is where the real game begins.

Today’s “Reality of Fantasy” will be a deep dive into a few different topics. First I’ll go over the studs and duds from Week 2 before going all in on Week 3. I’ll be looking at waiver/free agents to snag, the best/worst matchups, and look at breakout players to acquire.

So Week 2 wasn’t exactly the best one for fantasy football, and injuries did have a lot to do with that. Sloppy play also factored into a generally disappointing week for fantasy. Oh well, that’s the name of the game, and why I talked up the “optimal score” draft strategy before the season in my Fantasy 101 post. Disappointments aside there were a few guys that lit it up in Week 2, so lets take a look at my studs and duds.

Stud: Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings 

We witnessed a star-making performance from Diggs on Sunday night against Green Bay. Diggs was the best player on the field and put up an absolutely gaudy stat line (9 catches/10 targets, 182 yards, 1 TD). I love what I’m seeing out of this second-year wide receiver so far this season. With some of the “elite” wide receivers struggling out of the gate, Diggs is looking like the breakout star of 2016. Minnesota will need another performance like this against Carolina this week.

Dud: Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints

Ingram was the “forgotten man” on Sunday against the Giants (also this game disappointed in more ways that just Ingram). Nine carries for a guy capable of handling much more is not going to get it done. His paltry stat line (9 carries, 30 yards, 0 TDs, 4 catches/4 targets, 17 yards, 0 TDs) was only marginally saved by his 4 catches in PPR leagues. The Saints are a much better offensive team and Ingram is an integral part of the success they can have. He’ll have a chance to bounce back against Atlanta on Monday Night Football.

Stud: Melvin Gordon, RB, San Diego Chargers

Looks like last week wasn’t a fluke for the Chargers second-year running back. Gordon is on fire to start the season, posting his first career 100-yard game, and more importantly, is finding the endzone (he had 0 TDs in 2015, already has 3 this season). The backfield is depleted so Gordon will have ample opportunity to build on this start. Gordon is looking like a draft-day steal for fantasy this season. I love his Week 3 matchup against the Colts. He’ll have a chance to run wild on Sunday.

Dud: John Brown and Michael Floyd, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Outside of the short touchdown scored by Floyd on Sunday, both of these receivers were non-existent on Sunday. That’s a cause for concern since they were key cogs in this high-flying offense in 2015. Floyd only hauled in two of his six targets for eight yards and the touchdown while Brown is getting no love at all (1 catch/3 targets, 14 yards, 0 TDs). You would think that eventually one or both will find their 2015 form but it’s a scary situation. Both receivers are basically dart-throw plays until further notice.

Stud: Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Where has this Matt Ryan been? He posted his second consecutive 300-yard passing game and added 3 TDS. Even more impressive is that Ryan is doing this with Julio Jones playing with a calf injury (he’s still putting up good numbers by the way). Jacob Tamme, Mohamed Sanu, Tevin Coleman, and Justin Hardy have all seen a good amount of targets in part because of Jones’s injury. Ryan is rolling right now and has the best matchup of the week against New Orleans.

Dud: Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Russell Wilson, Eli Manning, and Drew Brees all get a pass this week thanks to a horrific performance from Winston. Sub-250 yards passing and five turnovers will land you on the “dud” list just about every time. Now I do think this is going to be a slight setback for a potentially big year for Winston. He just ran into an Arizona defense that had a lot to prove after getting Belichicked in Week 1, drawing numerous criticisms and call-outs by head coach Bruce Arians in the lead up to this game. Stay the course with Winston, there are much better days ahead.

Now that we can finally put Week 2 to bed, lets take a look at what Week 3 has in store. There are a few games that just scream fantasy success, and like always there are a couple games that should just be avoided at all costs. This week I’m going to be a little more specific with who really benefits in each game since last week I was a little vague and just threw games out there.

Best Matchup: Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans

This is the only game on the slate where I would tell people to load up. This has the makings to be a shootout on Monday Night Football and will likely decide a lot of fantasy games this week. Matt Ryan and company are the guys I will be focusing on to be the fantasy studs in this game. New Orleans gives up a ton of yards every week, and only gave up 16 points last week because the Giants couldn’t hold onto the football. Atlanta could easily put up 35 points on the board, which will be music to a fantasy owners ears. New Orleans will likely be in comeback mode all night long which will mean Drew Brees, Willie Snead, and Brandin Cooks could all have huge nights statistically.

Worst Matchup: Minnesota Vikings (vs. Carolina Panthers)

This was a tough choice for my worst matchup of the week. However, without Adrian Peterson I just don’t have a lot of faith for the Vikings offensively against Carolina. Sam Bradford will be under fire all game long behind this offensive line, which struggled against Green Bay. Carolina’s front-seven is much better than Green Bay’s front-seven, which is very bad news. Stefon Diggs may break one big play, but aside from that, I don’t see much fantasy success for Minnesota.

Good Matchup: San Diego Chargers (vs. Indianapolis Colts)

This is another game that could be a high-scoring affair. I’m looking at the Chargers specifically here though because the Colts are struggling on defense, and that’s being a bit generous. I expect Philip Rivers to have success throwing to Travis Benjamin and Antonio Gates against a banged up Colts secondary. Melvin Gordon is also on a hot streak and has a great opportunity to keep his run going on Sunday.

Bad Matchup: Seattle Seahawks (vs. San Francisco 49ers)

This one isn’t really about the matchup as much as it’s about the inability of Seattle’s offensive line to block anyone. Russell Wilson is already playing hurt and doesn’t have the same level of elusiveness that he’s shown in the past. Add the injuries to Thomas Rawls and Doug Baldwin into the mix and you start to see the picture here. The Seahawks have some serious issues right now, despite the fact that this has historically been a second half of the season-type team.

Other good matchups: Miami (vs. Cleveland), Dallas (vs. Chicago)

Other bad matchups: Bills (vs. Arizona), Cincinnati (vs. Denver)

Finally, before I wrap things up for today here are the top-3 free agent targets for this week and a pair of guys you need to try to trade for before the bye weeks get started.

Free Agents for Week 3

(1) Jacob Tamme, TE, Atlanta Falcons

Tamme is part of the red-hot Atlanta offense in fantasy, and is currently the second-most targeted tight end in fantasy. You would be riding the hot-hand a bit here and I don’t see sustained success in the long-term. Tamme is a great plug-and-play option for anyone that’s dealing with the Gronkowski injury, or has a struggling tight end.

(2) Quincy Enunwa, WR, New York Jets

Brandon Marshall is dealing with a knee injury, leaving his status uncertain for now. That means Enunwa will see more targets on top of the healthy amount of looks he’s already getting from Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets like running 3-WR sets on offense and don’t throw to the tight ends. Enunwa is a great option to have in your flex if he stays healthy, and even when Marshall returns. He has a tough matchup against Kansas City this week, but this is the type of guy to have on your roster when bye weeks come into play next week.

(3) Cameron Artis-Payne, RB, Carolina Panthers

Among the numerous running back injuries from the past week, Cameron Artis-Payne is the replacement you should grab here. The Carolina running game has loads of potential because of Cam Newton’s ability to run. Plus with the success of the passing game, there will be room to run here. Now, he won’t be a plug-and-play guy playing a tough Minnesota defense, but I do see potential here after this week. Artis-Payne will have the first crack at replacing Jonathan Stewart, not Fozzy Whittaker, who head coach Ron Rivera called a “nice change-of-pace back.”

Trade Targets for Week 3

 (1) Travis Benjamin, WR, San Diego Chargers

Benjamin slid into the Keenan Allen role in this offense and thrived last week. He was a stud in Cleveland last season and has the opportunity to be a top-15 receiver in San Diego. The clock is ticking to trade for him, because he will only get more expensive as the year goes on. His stock is on the rise, and it will cost you something valuable right now. You won’t have to give up a top guy for him yet though which makes him a great trade target.

(2) Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Here’s a great situation you can find at this stage of the season. Robinson only has nine catches in two games and has yet to score a touchdown. He has a great schedule coming up to get back on track, and now is the time to try and wrestle him away from a frustrated owner. Be prepared to overpay a little bit because Robinson has shown that he can be an elite option in fantasy. I’m not selling the farm to do it, but I would sacrifice a pair of guys to get him. This is a buy-low scenario.

 

Hopefully that will get you started on your Week 3 prep. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at Thursday Night Football and an update on the World Cup of Hockey. Send me your fantasy questions in the comments section or on social media. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook