Matthew Stafford, Quarterback, Detroit Lions
It didn’t take long for Stafford to fall back into his stale and careless habit of throwing costly interceptions, disappointing his fantasy owners. Last season Stafford ranked fifth-highest for interceptions with 19, and he’s apparently striving to meet that number again by coughing up two picks in his Week 3 matchup against the Packers.
Throw in a fumble and zero passing touchdowns and fantasy owners walk away with 2.64 fantasy points out of Stafford for the day. Despite Stafford’s terrible performance, the Lions still beat Green Bay. However, fantasy owners of Stafford likely didn’t beat their opponents due to his awful numbers.
A hint of positive news awaits however, as Stafford faces the Jets in Week 4 who let Aaron Rodgers rob them of 346 yards and three touchdowns back in Week 2.
Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Green Bay Packers
Speaking of Rodgers, what a major letdown for his fantasy owners in Week 3, especially coming off of such a suburb performance his last week. In what should have been a shootout against Detroit, Rodgers struggled all day long versus Detroit’s secondary, completing just 16 of his 27 attempted passes and scoring one touchdown.
While Rodgers’ game was clean with no interceptions, his lack of yardage with only 162 through the air and zero rushing yards put a dent into his fantasy potential for Week 3. Those who started Rodgers certainly were disappointed with the total of 8.48 fantasy points he rewarded in Week 3. Let’s wish for a better performance next week against the Bears.
Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver, Houston Texans
Johnson, if anyone dares even start him these days had another tough Sunday in Week 3 in a big loss to the New York Giants. Even though Johnson was targeted 11 times, he only caught four balls for a lowly 24 yards. A couple of near miss touchdowns, left Johnson scoreless and fantasy owners with only 6.40 fantasy points for the week.
For those who feel compelled to start Johnson next week against Buffalo, should he score, it will be his first touchdown in 10 games.
Larry Fitzgerald, Wide Receiver, Arizona Cardinals
For those who own Fitzgerald, and continue to start him hoping for a breakout performance, you’ll have to wait until Week 5 to see if a bye week will transform him back into the WR2 you thought you originally drafted. Another scoreless and disappointing Week 3 fantasy performance leaves those who started Fitz with only 4.40 fantasy points. Fumbling inside the 49ers’ five-yard line certainly didn’t help Fitzgerald’s stat line this week either.
It is worth noting that Fitzgerald has a total of only 18.70 points over three weeks and hasn’t scored in six weeks. In Week 5 Fitzgerald and the Cardinals face Denver, where hopefully the veteran can rack up some more yardage and deliver a score.
Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers
Allen has been off to an incredibly slow and disappointing start this season. Week 3 against Buffalo held Allen to an almost non-existent status with only 17 yards on two catches and zero touchdowns, amounting in 3.70 fantasy points.
For those who drafted Allen high, expecting a borderline WR1, you’ve been cheated thus far. Look for Allen to optimistically rebound against Jacksonville next week, as Philip Rivers should pass for a good 300-400 yards against the Jaguars’ weak defense. Should Allen be left hanging after a friendly game with Jacksonville, it might be time to start shifting that roster.
LeSean McCoy, Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles
McCoy was the victim of a surprisingly tough Washington defense, who currently ranks second-best at containing the running back position. Not even the elite Shady McCoy was able to rattle Washington, as he only managed 22 rush yards on 20 attempts with no score.
McCoy was surely started in nearly every fantasy league, and he rewarded with an incredibly disappointing performance and an embarrassing 3.20 fantasy points. Even more unfortunate for McCoy is that he was also held without a catch in Sunday’s win against Washington. Next up for McCoy in Week 4 is a meeting with the San Francisco 49ers who’ve allowed only one rushing touchdown so far in three weeks.
Eddie Lacy, Running Back, Green Bay Packers
So much for fantasy owners who spent their first-round pick in the second year running back, Lacy. It has been a bumpy, uphill ride so far for Lacy, who continues to disappoint his fantasy owners week after week. For a running back who should be averaging at least 15 fantasy points per game, Lacy’s awful Week 3 performance reduces his average over his first three weeks to just 6.40 points per game.
Lacy is proving to be a costly draft pick thus far, and the 3.50 fantasy points and a fumble he offered up against a loss to Detroit in Week 3 just isn’t cutting it. Week 4 takes Lacy to a matchup against the Chicago Bears who could present more opportunity for him to break into some longer runs. Fingers crossed.
Frank Gore, Running Back, San Francisco 49ers
Gore has either been hot or cold so far in 2014, and Week 3 unfortunately left fantasy owners with the cold version of Gore. Nearly invisible against the Arizona Cardinals, Gore ran for a measly 10 rushing yards in six carries, resulting in one lousy fantasy point. For those who lose their fantasy matchups this week by only one point, blame Gore.
Next up for Gore is a meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles who have allowed 275 yards to running backs over three weeks. With that said, Gore should be able to bust out for some more expansive runs that he was unable to execute in Arizona.
Antonio Gates, Tight End, San Diego Chargers
For those who started Gates coming off of a major performance last week with three receiving touchdowns got royally burned in Week 3 as he had just one catch for eight yards the entire game. Did Gates with his crummy 1.80 fantasy points ruin your league in Week 3? That answer is probably a yes.
Prepare for a rebound from Gates in Week 4, however as the Chargers face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who really couldn’t stop a turtle in action. The Jaguars currently rank the second-worst against tight ends, allowing them to get away with four touchdowns and 290 yards in three games. Gates should be able to make it up to his fantasy owners next week.
Jordan Cameron, Tight End, Cleveland Browns
Cameron, returning from a shoulder injury was a risky play to start in Week 3. Having one major play with a 23-yard catch had fantasy owners excited for more, however that was all Cameron had to offer during the whole game against Baltimore.
Quarterback Brian Hoyer was looking at everyone, including Johnny Manziel, in Sunday's game, while leaving Cameron out in the cold. For a tight end fantasy owners likely reached for in the fourth or fifth draft round, Cameron has been a disappointment so far this season. The Browns have a bye week, then will face the Tennessee Titans in Week 5, where with any luck, Cameron will see a boost in targets and catches moving forward.