By Zack Cimini

We had another week of above .500 selections going 9-7. There were a few games that went awry in the fourth quarter for us, or it could have been a fabulous week. With four bye week teams over the next few months, Sundays selection of games dwindles down from sixteen to fourteen. This weeks games feature a lot of tough spreads. Take a look at who were rolling with for winners.

Last Weeks Record: 9-7
Overall Record: 25-21-2

Tennessee -6.5- Broncos lost a tough one this past week. Tennessee hasn’t looked well at all and are winning games. They’ll shake off their rust and get things going with a big win.

Pittsburgh -1- With Ray Rice likely out or limited the Steelers will force the Ravens to beat them through the air. Flacco is going to make some big plays but will neutralize that with his mistakes.

Cleveland +3- Carson Palmer talks will finally begin after this one. How discussion hasn’t is beyond me.

Green Bay -14.5- Packers will blow out the Lions and get a dominant bounce back win.

New Orleans-13.5- The media has been on the Saints more than ever. They have not been clicking in their usual patented rhythm. Nothing like a Carolina matchup to settle that talk.

San Francisco +6.5- Were sensing a first half bad start by the Falcons. They’re coming off an emotional overtime win against the former Super Bowl champs. Facing an 0-3 team that has their backs against the wall. San Francisco jumps out early and possibly pulls out the win.

St. Louis -1- Not even a game to think about putting money on. We’ll take the home team.

NY Jets -5- Look for Shonn Greene to official start his season.

San Diego -8- The Cardinals have done a complete 360 in the wrong way as an organization. Last week should have been a demoralizing loss at home. The defense let the Raiders march up and down the field with ease. Philip Rivers is going to have a field day in this one.

Indianapolis -7- This is the type of road blowout win that gets the front office in a frenzy. They’ll look at making some decision making changes in their front office and on the field.

Oakland +3- The Raiders handed the Cardinals a win last week. Gradkowski starting was the right decision by Tom Cable. He is moving the offense with ease. They just need to capitalize and take advantage of red zone trips.

Washington +5.5- Just envision this game coming down to the fourth quarter and a last minute game winning field goal.

New York Giants -4- The Giants offensively have played about as bad as they possibly can. Without the turnovers we’d be talking about them in a totally different light. Things have to finally calm down for them on a turnover basis.

New England -1- Miami’s pass defense was exposed by Mark Sanchez. Brady is counting down the time before this game starts. He has two new options emerging at tight end and the same force at receiver. Big day for the Patriots offense.

Listen in on Notjustagame.com’s week four fantasy football pod cast show.

Tune in as Zack Cimini, Jabbar Harris, and Joe Lopat breakdown fantasy points from all different angles. Fantasy studs that’ll come down, fantasy disappointments thus far, guys you should trade, and much more.

Notjustagame23@gmail.com

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

For all the bad publicity the New York Jets have received this year there has been a very bright spot. Their signing of LT has quietly been the key to their early season success. He has by far outperformed Shonn Greene. Greene was expected to storm by LT, and make him look like a cast away veteran in the last stage of his career. Instead Greene looks like LT’s backup. Fantasy owners have to be boiling that drafted Greene as he has done little. Most likely you’ve been forced to start him based on the position you drafted him.

LT’s departure from San Diego wasn’t handled in the best way, but LT acted like a business man during the whole matter. He could have been bitter and voiced his opinion in a fashion that tore apart the organization. Everyone knows the Chargers have not been the best in handling situations with their players. As the writing was on the wall, LT looked for a place that he felt he could still thrive and win a title.

The way LT has been hitting the whole he looks like he may get the last laugh on the rest of the league that was ready to write him off. Brian Shottenheimer currently calls the first half run plays as even as possible. LT and Greene get to showcase for full time second half duties. Whoever is performing better gets the bulk of those second half carries. For the first three games those carries have shifted to LT. Currently he has over 200 yards rushing with a whopping 5.6 yards per carry average.

The burden he has lifted off of Mark Sanchez has been enormous. Could you imagine how the Jets would have started the season with just Greene as the main back? Teams would have had a feast and forced the Jets to throw every down like some teams are forced. As erratic as Sanchez has been who knows how he would of handled the pressure. Starting off the year poor with a young quarterback could have dug Sanchez a mental blow he would of never got out of. You just don’t know how a quarterback is going to handle himself under the scope of an increased role.

With Sanchez having the comfort ability of a veteran back he is slowly emerging into a quarterback. Before you could tell Sanchez’s play calls were scripted. One or two reads and deliver the football. The Jets were not going to take chances with him. Now he is lobbing paces up and trusting Dustin Keller. He’s also making some precision throws and prime spots.

Shonn Greene will break out of his bog soon. Once he does who knows how scary this team is going to be. Defensively they’ve been stout. If this offense picks up momentum, watch out. Sanchez is likely going to go into the playoffs with a phenomenal rushing attack. Santonio Holmes will be back from suspension soon. Adding another big play threat to replace Jerricho Cotchery who is at best a fourth receiver on most teams.

Praise the Jets for their signing of LT and for the way he has responded. He is having more of a fantasy impact than he has in a long time. The past two seasons he looked dog tired and physically not there. Whatever it was….rest, new regimen, or a new beginning, it is working for LT. He is not a fantasy starter but is one of the highest ranking third backs to have on a fantasy team. You never know what’s going to happen over the course of the year. He could be that familiar weapon that you need down the stretch when injuries begin to take place.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Remember the days when Carson Palmer looked like he could be and played like an elite fantasy quarterback? Questioning Palmer now boils around several areas. He is on a talented team with a nucleus that’s been building forward. Additions have been made that should bolster this team and propel them for not just divisional contention but a strong playoff push. Yet, the majority of questions circling this Bengals team point at Palmer.

Palmer has declined in a plethora of areas. Maybe he has never fully recovered from apparent elbow issues from a few years ago. Early season rust? Possibly. Some of the throws Palmer has been making though are just down right third string quarterback level. He is firing into areas of the field he has no business. Against the Panthers this past weekend he was lucky he was only intercepted twice. Numerous throws were errant and dropped by the Panthers defense. For quite a while the Panthers remained in the game against the Benglas. Even though they were starting Jimmy Clausen who was having a typical rookie quarterback nightmare debut.

With a current quarterback rating of 71, the front office has to be taken note. We see them looking to either bring in a quarterback via free agency or through the draft to give Palmer some pressure.

The Bengals were able to side step Palmer’s struggles last season by basically flipping their offense from prior years. Instead of gunning the football they became one of the top teams in the league at rushing the football. Cedric Benson had games were he carried the football 37, 34, 36, and 29 times. A very high amount compared to most starting backs in the league. Palmer’s career average of yards per game also was a paltry 193 yards.

Fantasy owners were disappointed last year in Palmer’s productions and are realizing that is not going to change. Can he turn it around once he develops a better feel for rookie Jordan Shipley and veteran Terrell Owens? We highly doubt it. Whatever is going on with Palmer it seems that he has hit that ugly Jake Delhomme wall. He has the ability to make an array of throws but consistency will never be a path he can take. He’ll deliver a dandy of a pass to Chad Johnson and two plays later throw a pick directly to a middle linebacker. Defensive schemes don’t change up enough for Palmer to not recognize the disguises and what’s going on out there. He has to regain confidence and get this team clicking offensively. If not there season could get real ugly.

At this point, Palmer should be considered as a fantasy backup quarterback with little upside. Until he proves he can limit his interceptions he should never start unless it’s a prime matchup. His yardage numbers are not there and you can’t anticipate him having a game of multiple touchdown passes. It’s a sad day when Palmer is rated on the same tier level of a Ryan Fitzpatrick or Bruce Gradkowski. That’s reality, as Palmer has done a 360 in the wrong fashion of where people thought he would be at this point in his career.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Things are beginning to shape up into proper form. After week three there are only three undefeated teams left. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and the Chicago Bears. This season is shaping up to be a typical roller coaster year. It’s only three games in so there is a lot of room for teams to climb and get themselves back into the fold.

Listen in on this weeks podcast to prepare you for week fours games. The podcast will be uploaded Wednesday night at 10 PM, PST.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers- The Steelers are showing Big Ben that he better be 100 percent committed here forward. No one is indispensable.
2. Indianapolis Colts- Regular season play has never been the Colts down fall. They’re like a college basketball team that steam rolls through but plays beneath their abilities once tourney time comes.
3. Chicago Bears- Only 3-0 NFC team left. Can Cutler keep them rolling or will he hit a wall?
4. New Orleans Saints- Could easily be 1-2 or even 0-3. They’ve got some work to do or they could be in for a division title fight with Atlanta. If the Saints do not get home field edge in the playoffs, they’re a totally different team.
5. New York Jets- Offense has some rhythm to it. The signing of LT is being under played but he is outdoing Shonne Greene by a large margin currently.
6. Green Bay Packers- Tough Monday Night loss, but no one’s too worried on where their season is headed. If Aaron Rodgers is healthy there is no ceiling to what this team can do.
7. New England Patriots- Brady is lasering and zipping throws familiar to his style a few years ago. Resigning Moss may be a good idea if you’re in the Patriot front office.
8. Houston Texans- Had a tough opponent in a must win game. Their offense was limited which was a shock.
9. Baltimore Ravens- Defense is not dominating the way were use to. That means the offense will have more of a burden than in years past. The tools are in place to win offensively. Flacco will have to show his growth to keep the Ravens thriving in a tough conference.
10. Minnesota Vikings- An ugly ugly win. Favre will have his ace back soon in Sidney Rice. Hopefully they can be one game above .500 at that point.
11. Tennessee Titans- This team is very suspect. New York basically handed this past weeks win to the Titans. Chris Johnson’s getting a ton of carries early on this season. Too many and they’ll wear him down for the stretch run. We’ve seen over carries leak over to running backs performances the next season.
12. Dallas Cowboys- An 0-2 start and everyone panicked. Dallas will be fine and make they’re early rust dissipate.
13. Philadelphia Eagles- Is Vick playing at an MVP level? The offensive line is playing poorly and will have to get better for this team to be a serious contender.
14. Kansas City Chiefs- 3-0 but were still not buying the Chiefs.
15. Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan looked the best he has in probably a full seasons games worth.
16. Miami Dolphins- The defense has to tackle better and limit big plays over the middle, especially at home.
17. Cincinnati Bengals- Carson Palmer seems to have hit the Jake Delhomme wall. His vision and throws down the field look third string caliber.
18. San Diego Chargers- Front office is destroying a team that had promise.
19. Washington Redskins- The talent is just not around McNabb. Heading to Philly for a blowout type setup game has to have McNabb ticked.
20. Denver Broncos- Game management inside the red zone was atrocious by the Broncos. The coaching staff made too many blunders that ultimately cost them an opportunity for a win.

Best of the Rest
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Seattle Seahawks
24. NY Giants
25. Oakland Raiders
26. San Francisco 49ers
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
28. St. Louis Rams
29. Detroit Lions
30. Cleveland Browns
31. Buffalo Bills
32. Carolina Panthers

By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame23@gmail.com

Whose out there for you to grab and light a fire to your fantasy team? We’ve got a ton of options for you too look at. If you’re real desperate now is the time to unload a trade before it gets out of control.

Tune in Wednesday night as we will be uploading another pod cast with hot topics and informative fantasy news and spread choices heading into week four. It’ll be uploaded 10pm PT.

Quarterbacks

Ryan Fitzpatrick- Ryan made one costly mistake throwing a pick in the end zone against the Patriots. For most of the game though he was more than what Bills fans would expect. A definite upgrade over what Trent Edwards was providing. If the Bills can continue to get solid run support from CJ Spiller and Marshawn Lynch than Fitz could be a bye week starter for your fantasy team. In deep leagues he can serve as a backup.

Sam Bradford- Bradford is excelling at a much better pace than most rookie quarterbacks. This bodes well for keeper league owners. Bradford is leading drives efficiently with a sub par running game and mediocre receivers. The running game should come around and you know the Rams will get Bradford more weapons to throw too.

Running Backs

Ryan Torain- We were wondering who the Redskins would look to after letting go Larry Johnson. Clinton Portis is giving it his all out there, but the Redskins need to split carries in their backfield. Portis isn’t giving them any big plays and is having a tough time getting out of the backfield. Torain got even carries with Portis, Sunday at seven each. Will see if the Redskins increase the load a bit.

Benjarvus Green-Ellis- It’s Ellis this week and could be Sammy Morris next. The Patriots look like they’re going to play the hot hand at running back. Fred Taylor is not nicked up at all which makes it puzzling why he is not getting the carries. Maybe the Patriots want to preserve Taylor as much as possible for the playoff stretch.

Peyton Hillis- Somehow Hillis has stayed on a good percentage of waiver wires. Jerome Harrison could face injury problems throughout the year, and if so Hillis’s value is exponential. He torched the Ravens defense Sunday, and provided great balance for the Browns offense. Even if Harrison comes back into the fold, Hillis is the Browns for sure short yardage and goal line back.

Justin Forsett- The Seahawks might not be over .500 at any other point this year. Forsett’s one of the few backs in the league that has a major chunk of his teams carries. He hasn’t done anything with those thus far, but showed a glimmer of hope against the Chargers. He neared 100 all purpose yards rushing and receiving, and is giving it his all. Leon Washington is their electric spark on special teams but hasn’t been mixed in the rushing game. That’ll likely change. If  you’re desperate ink Forsett to a waiver wire three week tryout.

Kenneth Darby- It remains to be seen if or how long Steven Jackson will be out with his groin injury. That type of injury is similar to a hamstring. Timetable for a recovery could linger on a week to week basis. Darby did a suitable job filling in for Jackson in the second half and even got in the end zone.

Wide Receivers

Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Lloyd-
Denver’s non existent running game has made a once non friendly fantasy receiver crew, into a hot commodity. The ball is being spread around nicely in Denver and on a week to week basis distributed to where all are fantasy worthy. Kyle Orton is doing a commendable job. Next thing for these receivers is getting it done in the red zone for Orton. They struggled against the Colts numerous times inside the red zone.

Roscoe Parrish- Often times when a quarterback change is made, you’ll see a receiver emerge within the depth chart. Reason why is the chemistry made during training camp and practice amongst the backups. Fitzpatrick’s been in the Bills system for a few years and has that chemistry with Parrish. The quick out pass worked against the Patriots. Opposing defenses will see film of that and shut it down going forward. They’ll need to run more routes down the field to build upon this week.

Joshua Cribbs- We profiled him right before the season as our deep sleeper of the year. The past two weeks he has crept up with decent games. He is still not a starting fantasy threat but by midseason he could be there. Especially if the Browns settle on a quarterback and get some consistency going.

Lance Moore- Moore is like the old Az Hakim of the St. Louis Rams. He’ll pop up a few times during the season and be non existent the rest. He seems to be healthy unlike last season. The Saints will continue to spread the field out with three and four receiver sets, especially with Reggie Bush out.

Davone Bess- When the Dolphins have tough matchups look at utilizing Bess. Miami doesn’t like to open up the offense unless the running game is shut down. Sounds like a formula most teams wouldn’t mind doing. Bess can be a deep league filler on those occasions.

Tight Ends
Tony Scheffler- Detroit has absolutely no one to go to behind Calvin Johnson at receiver. They’ve looked to throws out of the backfield with Jahvid Best, and are splitting their two tight ends out more. Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew are rising as combo tight ends that are fantasy friendly. Scheffler has had minor value before in Denver. If you’re stuck in a rut with your current tight end situation email us on whose available.