Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, Washington Redskins
Statistics: 30/48, 427 yards, three touchdowns and one interceptions (27.58 points)
Making his first start of the season, Cousins put up some huge numbers for a previously struggling Redskins offense. He completed 30-of-48 passes for over 420 yards and three scores in a hard-fought 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In the process, Cousins finished the day as the second-ranked fantasy quarterback. With RGIII slated to be out for some time, Cousins becomes an immediate QB1 option in standard leagues and a much-needed value play in daily leagues.
Nick Foles, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
Statistics: 27/41, 327 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions (26.20 points)
After struggling through his first two games of the season, Foles picked on a bad Redskins secondary to the tune of over 26 points. He connected on three touchdown passes, continually finding the likes of Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews throughout the day. Now with 978 passing yards and six touchdowns, Foles finds himself as among the best fantasy quarterback options moving forward. The level of talent he has on offense coupled with great coaching are two determining factors here.
Austin Davis, Quarterback, St. Louis Rams
Statistics: 30/42, 327 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions (20.98 points)
It wasn't clear that Davis was going to actually start minutes before St. Louis took on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. All he did was finish as the fourth-ranked fantasy quarterback on the day, tallying nearly 21 fantasy points. Starting off strong then having to rally the troops in the final stanza, this unheralded quarterback tallied 327 passing yards and three scores on the day. The only hiccup came in the form of two interceptions, but that's to be expected from an inexperienced signal caller. It must, however, be noted that Davis was going up against a bad Cowboys pass defense. Let's see how he performs over the next couple weeks before drawing any fantasy conclusions here.
Fred Jackson, Running Back, Buffalo Bills
Statistics: six rush attempts, 34 yards, eight receptions, 78 yards and a touchdown (25.20 points)
Don't look now, but Jackson is now the ninth-ranked fantasy running back on the season after a stellar 112-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. He racked up 78 yards on eight receptions, while adding almost 40 on the ground. That's unexpected PPR production if you have ever seen it. Still sharing carries with C.J. Spiller, Jackson is a questionable weekly fantasy play. Though, his boom-or-bust performance makes it hard to ignore what he can bring to the table. Sunday represented this to a T.
Rashad Jennings, Running Back, New York Giants
Statistics: 34 rush attempts, 176 yards and one touchdown (23.60 points)
Remember, we recommended Jennings as a mid-round RB2 option prior to the start of the season. Now that we want the veteran to come over here and pat us on the back, let's check in on his ridiculous performance against the Houston Texans on Sunday. Jennings put up 176 rushing yards on 34 attempts for the fourth-most fantasy points among running backs. Through three weeks (with only Monday Night Football to play), Jennings is now the sixth-ranked fantasy running back in the league. With this type of workload moving forward, he may very well finish as a RB1 option.
Knile Davis, Running Back, Kansas City Chiefs
Statistics: 32 rush attempts, 132 yards and one touchdown (17.20 points)
Leave it to Andy Reid to baffle and awe us at the same time. With Jamaal Charles sidelined due to an ankle injury, Davis touched the ball a ridiculous 32 times, which is more than Charles has in a single game since the start of the 2012 season. The backup resonded by finishing as the 10th-best fantasy running back on the day. Unfortunately, we have no idea whether he can be relied on moving forward with Charles seemingly close to return.
Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
Statistics: 10 receptions, 90 yards and two touchdowns (31.0 points)
Brown put up 10 receptions on 10 targets against the Carolina Panthers, further continuing his ascension among the best all-around receivers in the NFL. Couple that with two touchdowns and he finished as the top fantasy receiver on Sunday. Surprisingly, this came against a damn good Panthers defense. Now clicking with Ben Roethlisberger, there is no reason to believe Brown won't be a top-three fantasy receiver when all is said and done this year.
Jordan Matthews, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
Statistics: eight receptions, 59 yards and two touchdowns (25.90 points)
With the first breakout game of his young career, Matthews will now likely see a lot of reps as the Eagles No. 2 receiver ahead of Riley Cooper. The rookie from Vanderbilt tallied eight catches for 59 yards and two scores on nine targets. He was a consistent threat for Nick Foles on third down and could act as a valuable PPR player in deeper leagues. Though, I'd like to see some more consistency from him in the next couple weeks.