NFL Week 3 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em

Cam Newton looks to keep his streak of 400 yard passing games going this weekend.

Fantasy football has taken over NFL fans’ lives, so it wouldn’t be right if we neglected to do a Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em. So here is BSL’s first Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em segment.

Quarterbacks

Start ‘Em

1. Cam Newton, Carolina – Newton is a must start this week against a suspect Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense. The Jags have given up at least two passing touchdowns in each of their first two games, plus count on Newton to run one also.

2. Tom Brady, New England – Brady and the New England Patriots’ pass first offense has been on fire as of late. The Buffalo Bills’ secondary is struggling this season and Brady did throw for six touchdowns against the Bills last season.

Sit ‘Em

1. Eli Manning, New York Giants – Manning had trouble moving the ball against the St. Louis Rams’ defense let alone the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. With a very good secondary, it’s going to be very difficult for anyone to move the ball against the Eagles through the air.

2. Jay Cutler, Chicago– Cutler has always been hard to trust in fantasy and this week should be no different. Although Green Bay’s pass defense has been the worst in the league thus far, they also played two of the hottest quarterbacks in the league in Drew Brees and Cam Newton. Cutler is only averaging 14 fantasy points per game (FPG) against the Packers.

Running Backs

Start ‘Em

1. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh– Mendenhall has experienced a tough season so far, but showed signs of brilliance in week two. He should be great against a porous Indianapolis Colts’ run defense who’s giving up the 5th-most FPG to RB’s.

2. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants – Bradshaw has a very favorable matchup this week against the Eagles. With their great secondary, Philly dares teams to run the ball against them and with the Giants looking to establish their running game, look for Bradshaw to get a lot of touches. Especially in point per reception (PPR) leagues because a lot of check downs will go Bradshaw’s way.

3. Ryan Matthews, San Diego – Matthews is running with a purpose this season after being injured for most of the 2010 stanza. He is threatening to take more and more carries away from Tolbert, especially after Tolbert fumbled late in the game against the New England Patriots. Kansas City is also giving up 5.1 yards per carry this season.

Sit ‘Em

1. Steven Jackson, St. Louis – Jackson is nursing a quad injury and will likely be a game time decision. If he is cleared to play, fantasy owners would be smart to sit him against an aggressive Baltimore Ravens’ defense. Wait for week four when he is 100% and running against the Redskins.

2. Shonn Greene, New York Jets – Greene has been brutal thus far this season. He has totaled only 15 fantasy points in two weeks and is going against an Oakland Raiders’ defense that is decent against the run. Do not look for him to do much this week, especially in a Jets’ offense that has trouble scoring at times.

3. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati – Benson is going up against the best run stopping team in the NFL in 2011. He is a shaky start, but if he is your only choice, at least you know he’ll get the ball.

Wide Receivers

Start ‘Em

1. Steve Smith, Carolina – Smith is off to the best statistical start of his career and seems to be on the same page with rookie quarterback Newton. Look for the Panthers to throw the ball a lot this week against a banged up Jaguars’ secondary.  

2. Andre Johnson, Houston – Johnson is healthy this season after offseason surgery and is racking up the stats already. Going up against the New Orleans Saints screams shootout, so expect Johnson to be thrown to a lot. Plus the Saints are giving up the 7th-most FPG to WR’s.

3. Nate Washington, Tennessee – With most of the focus being on how to stop Kenny Britt, most teams aren’t focusing on Washington. Look for him to make a big impact this week against the Denver Broncos.

4. David Nelson, Buffalo – The Bills are going to be throwing the ball a lot this week against the Patriots, mostly because they will be behind. Nelson is a great play with Stevie Johnson banged up and the Pats allow the most fantasy points to WR’s this season.

Sit ‘Em

1. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants – Nicks has a tough matchup this week against the Eagles with their newly rebuilt secondary. Expect Nicks to struggle mightily because Eli doesn’t play well against good defenses and the Giants will be looking to run the ball.

2. Denarius Moore, Oakland – Moore had an unbelievable game last weekend, but don’t expect the same from him this week. He is going up against one of the best pass defenses in the league.

3. Eric Decker, Denver – Don’t expect Decker to do much this week against the Titans’ defense, who is giving up the least amount of FPG to WR’s.

4. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis – Wayne is the go-to guy in Indy, but with Kerry Collins at the helm, don’t expect much out of this offense. The Steelers’ defense that is giving up the second fewest FPG to WR’s this season.

Sleepers

1. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati – If you need a quarterback in a pinch, Dalton is the way to go this week. He is available in 89% of leagues and is going up against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are giving up a healthy 26 FPG to QB’s thus far and he should have to throw to move the ball.

2. Rob Gronkowski, New England – Gronk had been one of Brady’s favorite targets this season. He runs like a wide-out, but is tough like a tight end. He will be aided by the injury to Aaron Hernandez and will be the main target against the Bills this week.

3. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England – The “Law Firm” has been great so far, finding the end zone in each of the last two weeks. He also averaged 5.8 YPC against the Bills last year on 35 carries and should be getting a lot of carries late as they use him as the closer.

4. Nate Burleson, Detroit– With most of the focus on Calvin Johnson, Burleson has risen as one of the Lions’ stars this season. Expect him to continue that production this week against the Vikings and the rest of the season unless Matthew Stafford doesn’t get injured.