Jabbar Harris and Zack Cimini discuss the Mike Vick/Kevin Kolb controversy at quarterback. Coaches on the hotseat. Start em/Sit’ em Fantasy players. Lock and upset underdog choices this weekend and much more.

By Vidur Malik

There have been plenty of significant moves around the league so far this week, which look to catapult some players to great performances in week three. Some teams have made quarterback changes to spark their offenses. These new starting quarterbacks have the potential to justify their promotions this week. Other players have the spotlight because their teammates have suffered injuries, or are not around for other reasons (Vincent Jackson). Here are some guys who should have big games in week three.

Quarterbacks

Brett Favre – It’s obviously been a tough start to the year for Favre. He has only has one touchdown pass this year and four interceptions, after throwing only seven all of last year. Favre has a chance to have his first solid performance of the year against the Detroit Lions. He’s missing wide receiver Sidney Rice, and wide receiver Percy Harvin has been injured and suffering migraines, and has a clearly weakened passing game. Sooner or later, he’ll have to work with what he has, and on a weekend when he’ll be going up against a team that gives up 305 passing yards a game, he has a chance to do that.

Bruce Gradkowski – The benching of quarterback Jason Campbell has been one of the major quarterback headlines this week, behind the Eagles’ decision to start Michael Vick. Campbell wasn’t able to energize the Raiders’ offense, and Oakland is hoping Gradkowski can get it done against the Arizona Cardinals. He’s got no shortage of weapons to give the ball to. Wide receiver Louis Murphy had 91 receiving yards and a touchdown against St. Louis in week two, and running back Darren McFadden also had a big day against the Rams. Gradkowski has shown in the past that he is a dependable backup who can play well if he is inserted into the starting role, and he should be able to do it again this week.

Alex Smith – After struggling against the Seattle Seahawks in week one, Smith had a great day against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. He threw one touchdown and two interceptions, which may not seem like a very good stat line, but many of the 49ers’ turnovers against the Saints weren’t his fault, and Smith was able to make accurate down-the-field throws and use his scrambling ability to pick up first downs. He led the 49ers down the field late in the game to a score and a two-point conversion, and almost led his team to a win against the defending champs. After the way he played against the Saints, Smith should have no problem playing well against the Chiefs in week three.

Running backs

Pierre Thomas – Though they’re still a dangerous offensive team, the New Orleans Saints haven’t put up great numbers so far. This is especially apparent in their rushing stats. They rank 31st in the NFL with only 64.5 rushing yards. This is the weekend where Pierre Thomas can change that. With running back Reggie Bush out with a broken leg, Thomas will play a bigger role in the running game against the Falcons. Thomas is a more powerful runner than Bush, but still has the speed to elude defenders. He is only averaging 3.2 yards per carry, but he can get you points through the passing game as well. He leads the Saints in receptions with 11. Running back Ladell Betts, who was signed by the Saints after Bush, may get some carries, but Thomas has been the main weapon in the Saints offense and should be an even bigger threat this weekend.

Donald Brown – There’s no doubt that the Colts’ offense starts and stops with Peyton Manning, but a good ground game is essential for a balanced and unpredictable attack. Running back Joseph Addai missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. His status for Sunday’s game against the Broncos is unknown, and Brown should build off his performance against the Giants in week two. After not receiving a single carry in the season-opener, Brown had 16 rushes for 69 yards and a touchdown against New York. Addai led the way with 20 rushes, but with him injured, Brown could be the feature back against Denver. The Broncos’ rush defense is 22nd in the league, and although Manning has been lighting up defenses this season, a big day from Brown could be in the books.

Ahmad Bradshaw – Bradshaw has been playing well while teammate Brandon Jacobs has struggled so far. Now that Jacobs has shown that he has trouble keeping his helmet in the field of play, Bradshaw should have a big day. He’s averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and has managed to be a big part of an offense that has been doing most of its damage through the air. The Titans have only given up 85 passing yards a game this year, and lead the league in that category. That means Bradshaw should lead New York’s offense this weekend.

Wide Receivers

Jacoby Jones – Matt Schaub showed last week how dangerous the Houston Texans’ offense can be in their win over the Washington Redskins. Schaub threw for 497 yards in that game, and after taking a backseat to wide receivers Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter after two games, Jones should receive more reps against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend. Jones has eight receptions so far, while Walter and Johnson have 13 and 15 respectively, but Schaub is the type of quarterback who can get the ball to all his weapons. Look for Jones to get a bigger chunk of the prolific numbers the Texans’ offense can put up after other Texans wide receivers have led the team so far.

Jeremy Maclin – Whether it’s Kolb or Vick, the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles this season will have several players to distribute the ball to, and Maclin should be a major contributor this week. Maclin only has 64 receiving yards this season, but leads the team with two touchdowns. After the performances of some his teammates last week, Maclin should get opportunities to have a big day. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has shown the playmaking ability and speed that have made him the one of the most dangerous receivers in the game, and running back LaSean McCoy had a breakout game in week two.  Maclin should be able to step up this week and assert himself as a bigger weapon in the Eagles’ offense.

Malcolm Floyd – Even though the Vincent Jackson drama is still hovering over the San Diego Chargers, the wide receivers who are playing have filled in well for the All-Pro holdout. Malcolm Floyd has become the leader of the pack. He leads the Chargers with 143 receiving yards, and along with Legedu Naanee and Buster Davis, has provided a consistent target for quarterback Philip Rivers. Floyd is averaging 23.8 yards per catch, which is a promising statistic for fantasy owners.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Underdogs must be taken if you plan on making a profit on Sundays. Last week showcased that as some teams came back and saw favored teams lose in gut wrenching fashion. Detroit and San Francisco were the big disruptors in week two. In college football it’s called the backdoor cover, and that’s exactly what those two teams did.

Week three provides a fresh new plate of spreads to devour. Don’t rush or you could end up with that woozy feeling Monday morning.

Overall: 16-14-2

Last week: 7-8-1

Week Three Selections

NY Giants -3 – The Giants should be favored more in this if it weren’t for the Colts embarrassing them in a prime time game. Tennessee is headed for another poor start just like last season.

Buffalo +14- Buffalo was hanging around with the Packers for quite awhile last week. Expect the Bills to manage the clock and get just a tad bit better boost with Ryan Fitzpatrick. That boost should be enough to put up 10-17 points and cover a 27-17 loss.

Cleveland +10.5- The old rivalry usually brings a decent game. Ray Rice has struggled while the Browns defense has done a good job at keeping teams in check offensively.

Pittsburgh -2- Those rookie miscues and mistakes from a year ago will flare back up for Josh Freeman in this one.

Cincinnati -3- A let down here by Cincinnati could be that game that they flash back to in week seventeen.

New Orleans -4- Even in a blowout last week Matt Ryan doesn’t have that same look he did as a rookie. New Orleans will get that offense rolling after all talks being that they’re not looking as potent as last year.

San Francisco -2.5- At 0-2 and in a must win situation San Francisco has to travel to a very tough road environment. The mistakes of Monday Night get handled and San Francisco coasts to a win.

Minnesota -11- This will be the AP show sparked by a defensive touchdown as well.

Dallas +3- If the Cowboys lose this game, we’d like to see Jerry Jones firing press conference right after the game. Not on Monday.

Washington -3.5- A week away from facing his old team. You don’t think McNabb wants one more air it out tune up before that?

Philadelphia -3- Jacksonville has the worst attendance in the league. After so many neck and neck years with the Colts, they are a franchise heading to the bottom of their division.

Denver +5.5- There’s something brewing with this Broncos team. They don’t have really any big names but are playing so efficient. Hmmm, sounds like the Patriots nucleus of winning ways.

San Diego -5.5- This will be the sportscenter highlight reel that shows two Chargers touchdowns and the stats of a blowout.

Oakland +4.5- With Gradkowski the starter the Raiders will score some points. Darren McFadden is quietly being the front runner in the AFC in rushing. Derek Anderson has shown no ability to get the Cardinals from point a to point b on any series.

Miami -1.5- Jets/Dolphins is a classic game to always watch. Jason Taylor will be having the Jets defense fired up. We have a feeling though, Tony Sparano learned his lesson last year when the Jets shut down the wildcat and ground attack. They’ll be ready to throw the ball with Revis dinged up and will utilize that hefty contract and showcase Brandon Marshall.

Chicago +3- The Bears know that the Packers are the talk of their division, the NFC, and the Super Bowl. This is their chance to bring it on Monday Night football and make it known the Packers are not coasting to a division title.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Besides a couple of significant injuries fantasy teams have remained unscathed and healthy. Last year teams were scoring at record paces. That translated to huge fantasy points at quarterback. Going into 2010 fantasy drafts more owners started to realize the importance of securing a top notch fantasy quarterback. In years past the disparate difference between a tier one and tier two fantasy quarterback was not something that would demolish a fantasy team. Now the point difference can be substantial.

Defenses have had their ways early on this season. Part of that has to do with teams still getting into gear and not at optimal levels of consistency. That should begin to sway more in the direction of offenses getting a handle on things. What gets us worried is not the fact that defenses are doing a solid job on quarterbacks. It’s the rise in pass attempts that has us alarmed.

Quarterbacks are already getting drilled at a high clip. Extra hits are not needed to their daily Sunday routine. Yet there are some elite quarterbacks that are having to throw the football forty to fifty times a game. Fantasy owners are ecstatic about that now, but better have a backup plan in case of injury. We’ve profiled some quarterbacks that are going beyond the pass attempts we would like to see. Each extra drop back could be that one that puts a hole to your fantasy team.

Donovan McNabb-

McNabb may have one of the toughest situations of any quarterback. He has a nonexistent running game. Washington has no one behind Clinton Portis to try and provide a spark, and just cut Larry Johnson. At receiver, McNabb has athletes that primarily stretch the field. Joey Galloway and Santana Moss have been career deep ball threats. McNabb has to buy extra time in the pocket to wait for one of them to break open. Currently, McNabb has averaged thirty five pass attempts a game and it may rise. His age and history of injuries does not bode well. Most McNabb owners probably have a suitable fantasy backup. If not get your plan ready.

Brett Favre-

With Favre everyone has seen the rust. His theories of no training camp and preparation with high schoolers worked like a charm for years. Not in 2010. Favre has had that old man look after getting hit. He seems to be bracing himself for the ground, and is taking extra time to get himself up. It’s good to be cautious but the hits are going to keep coming. Last years numbers by Favre were off the scatter chart of his career patterns. Owners struck gold last season. This year it truly looks like he will have a tough time finishing the season. Even if he does finish, from a fantasy stand point the does not pose as a week to week starter.

Eli Manning-

A great running game is what broke Eli Manning from a questionable young quarterback to one that found a groove and growth rose with it. Manning is finding the hard way how life goes when one essential part of an offense is not there. Brandon Jacobs is capable of being a blocking fullback and short yardage guy these days, while Ahmad Bradshaw is a Darren Sproles type a few years ago. He can be relied on in certain games to carry the football but not every week. Manning has the receivers to overcome this but his health is going to be in extreme jeopardy on a week to week basis.

Matt Schaub-

The yardage amounts Schaub has thrown thus far is insane. Being alarmed with his pass attempts has to be a topic discusser amongst the Texans staff. Unlike the quarterbacks mentioned so far, Schaub has a running game he can depend on. Arian Foster broke out week one and two years ago Steve Slaton had a fabulous rookie season. The Texans can ill afford to lose Schaub for a short stint of games at any point this year if they want to challenge for a playoff spot. A differential of pass attempts from week two (52) and week one (17) might be a record. Expect the Texans to soften up the play call selection for the passing game and go back to week ones formula.

Tom Brady

The Patriots have never been a big running team. They had a year where Corey Dillon did some damage but for the most part they’ve lived and died with the pass. Where they usually make up for a poor running game is with the quick strike line of scrimmage dart pass, or the quick five yard route by Wes Welker. It’s worked for years. Trading away Laurence Maroney and seeing Kevin Faulk go down to a season ending injury only means an increase of pass attempts for Brady. He threw 35 pass attempts week one and 36 week two. What will his average creep up to over the next four weeks?

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com
Ring the alarm. Loud annoying ringing is taking place for a lot of 0-2 teams. The 2-0 teams usually get over hyped after their performances and settle back down to preseason expectations. Will those patterns continue in 2010? Things better happen for Mr. Phillips in Dallas or he’ll be the first coach canned. By the looks of it he is losing the locker room by the day.

Here’s a gander at our week two team rankings.

1. New Orleans Saints- Winning a tad bit uglier than Super Bowl champions do.
2. Indianapolis Colts- Manning just doesn’t slow down
3. Green Bay Packers- Breathing down the Saints neck as the elite of the NFC.
4. Houston Texans- Come back win down seventeen was that win that may finally get them over the .500 hump
5. Pittsburgh Steelers- Incredible team performances from the Steelers.
6. New York Jets- One solid start for Sanchez doesn’t change non believers into believers. Even Rob Johnson had a few good starts in his days.
7.  Chicago Bears- Can Cutler sustain the ability of game management series to series?
8.  New England Patriots- Bumpy roads ahead in New England. Should host a home wild card game
9. Baltimore Ravens- They brought the weapons in for Flacco and he delivered the some Jake Plummer type numbers.
10.  Miami Dolphins- The Dolphins have that look that opposing teams don’t want to face in early January.
11. Minnesota Vikings- The NFC’s weak enough for the Vikings to finish 10-6 or 9-7 and make the playoffs. We’ve seen enough teams with that type of record enter the wild card and catch heat in the playoffs.
12. San Diego Chargers- Rivers is firing away but another below par season from his team and we envision a blow up in San Diego. Maybe on the Cutler type level.

Best of the Rest

13. Tennessee Titans
14. Washington Redskins
15. Cincinnati Bengals
16. Philadelphia Eagles
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Kansas City Chiefs
20. Denver Broncos
21. NY Giants
22. San Francisco 49ers
23. Atlanta Falcons
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
25. Arizona Cardinals
26. Seattle Seahawks
27. Oakland Raiders
28. Detroit Lions
29. Cleveland Browns
30. Buffalo Bills
31. Carolina Panthers
32. St. Louis Rams

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There’s nothing like seeing someone explode on Sunday and the dash to rush to your computer to anticipate picking that athlete up. After grabbing him that week of excitement turns out to be that players season high for all around performance. It’s not just waiver wire athletes we look at. Will look at regular fantasy contributors as well that exceeded week two expectations. Owners that are in the hole can be duped by opposing owners selling an athlete higher than they should, and bolstering their squads for dominate runs.

Quarterbacks

Donovan McNabb-McNabb deserves a ton of praise for his performance to start the season. More people want to see him fail than succeed but he keeps proving doubters wrong. At that though he is on a team with a poor running game with two old backs as options. Picking a part the Texans will be McNabb’s best performance by far. Unless the Redskins get involved in exchanging Albert Haynesworth for Vincent Jackson or another receiver. If that happens, McNabb could continue to be a fantasy factor. Now with Joey Galloway as second receiver it’s just not a possibility.

Mark Sanchez-  For those believing Sanchez has even a sliver of fantasy value better jump off the band wagon. He delivered some key throws for the Jets but the same has been the case in the past for Jake Delhomme. It was one good half by Sanchez, that’s it. He’ll have more downs than ups this year and will continue to be shackled by the Jets play calling to limit his mistakes.

Shaun Hill- Detroit’s wishing he could have delivered as well as he did Sunday a week before against the Bears. There’s no side tracking Detroit’s offensive talent. Jahvid Best looks like he is the front runner for rookie of the year. Hill though has been a Jay Fiedler like performer in the past. He did most of his damage when the Eagles let up defensively with a comfortable 35-17 lead.

Running Backs

LeSean McCoy-  Yardage wise McCoy could be a top ten back this year. Factor in his rushes with yardage pass catching. Touchdowns though is a different story. Expect a large lapse of production from his first two weeks. In the first two weeks he has totaled what he did as a rookie with four touchdowns. McCoy’s touchdowns have come from fairly long distances. Another area backs can’t keep up. If we see him score more inside the five yard line, than we will become a believer.

Tim Hightower- Hightower has that big play potential and provided the lone Cardinals big play Sunday. Busting on the right edge and bursting down the sideline for a long touchdown. Hightower’s going to be a steady fantasy backup running back, but will lose a considerable amount of value once Beanie Wells is healthy.

Mike Tolbert- Tolbert’s the Ron McLain type which can be an occasional starter when injuries present themselves. McLain did that a few times for the Ravens but like Tolbert he is a situational short yardage and goal line back.

Wide Receivers

Mike Sims-Walker- He was a waiver wire gem last year. This year he can be a third wide receiver in deep leagues but besides that more of a suitable bye week filler. It’s not Walker’s talents hindering him, it’s the offense. David Garrard might be the most struggling quarterback in the league still holding his job.

Joey Galloway- At 38 Galloway is giving it his all out there but just like last year he’ll fade out.  Were sure he has a zero percent ownership but there’s someone out there that noticed his deep ball patterns with McNabb. One was caught and one Galloway lost a half step on a perfect throw. The yardage numbers (88) Galloway had he might not equal in the next six games.

Kevin Walter- Time and time again he has monster games. Schaub had a career day that few will ever come close to, including himself. Walter is an aging receiver that is being pushed by Jacoby Jones. As the season goes on we expect Jones to be a higher impact receiver than Walter.