After two weeks of the NFL, fans like myself believe we have all the answers. The Jets are Super Bowl contenders, the Patriots are drastically over rated, and Drew Brees will shatter every passing record. Well in reality, the pro and season are still to be determined. In this week 3 of the NFL upsets and surprises should be bountiful, and some fantasy sleepers are there for the taking.
NFL Game Picks
Keep in mind that these games are against the odds and are not in fact the team I project to end the game with a win.
Detroit Lions Over the Washington Redskins (+6)
After playing the best offense and defense in the NFC in weeks 1 and 2, a winnable game at home should get the Lions out of the gutter.
Green Bay Packers Over the St. Louis Rams (-6.5)
The Rams have a week defense and offense, and with Green Bay losing to a poor Bengals team, they should rebound well.
Minnesota Vikings Over the San Francisco 49ers (-6.5)
Peterson has struggled against the 49ers in the past, but at home on the turf, look for a big day for the Vikings offense as a whole.
New England Patriots Over the Atlanta Falcons (-4)
The Patriots barely beat the Bills and didn’t score a TD against the Jets. This offense is better than that and should take it out at home vs. Atlanta.
New York Jets Over the Tennessee Titans (-2.5)
The Jets have been near unstoppable on defense this year. The Jets allowed no points to the Texans offense, Tennessee gave up 34. Edge to the Jets.
Philadelphia Eagles Over the Kansas City Chiefs (-6)
Kevin Kolb played pretty well from a scouting standpoint a week ago, and with Vick back in the lineup, 51 passes won’t happen again.
New York Giants Over the Tampa Bay Bucs (-6.5)
With one of the most complete offenses and the best pass rush on defense I’ve ever seen, Leftwich’s solid season start should coming to a hault.
Cleveland Browns Over the Baltimore Ravens (+13)
The Browns have a chance to pull off an upset if Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald can contain Flacco. Quinn can’t make stupid mistakes either.
Houston Texans Over the Jacksonville Jaguars (-3.5)
After tearing up one of the best secondaries in the AFC a week ago, the Texans are back in high powered offense mode, and the Jaguars are next on the list.
New Orleans Saints Over the Buffalo Bills (-6)
The Eagles have one of the best defenses in the NFC, and Brees still went off on them. Although it’s in Buffalo, I’d be shocked for anything less than 3 TDs for Brees.
Seattle Seahawks Over the Chicago Bears (+1.5)
The Bears exceeded expectations against the Steelers last week, but playing at Seattle with another stout defense, the Bears won’t repeat that performance.
San Diego Chargers Over the Miami Dolphins (-6)
The Chargers have be disappointed with a late loss to the Ravens, and they need to stay in the top of the AFC. The Chargers could have a great rebound here.
Pittsburgh Steelers Over the Cincinnati Bengals (-4)
Even though they are at home, the Bengals defense likely can’t stop Big Ben, and the Benson should struggle to gain yards vs. Steelers front 7.
Oakland Raiders Over the Denver Broncos (+1.5)
Last week to me is a fluke, and the Broncos passing game will be drastically shut down against a solid Raiders secondary.
Indianapolis Colts Over the Arizona Cardinals (+2.5)
Arizona has yet to impress this season, and the Colts offense is finally getting used to no Marvin Harrison and will only get more comfortable as the season goes on.
Carolina Panthers Over the Dallas Cowboys (+8.5)
I don’t know if they will necessarily win, but the Panthers are in need of a rebound and the Cowboys secondary has struggled mightily this year.
Fantasy Pickups for the Week
Jake Delhomme- Although he may be on the down slope of his career, he still has solid weapons around him. The Cowboys have a very lackluster secondary, so this is his best shot to gain some respect back.
Fred Jackson– Rumors are that even when Marshawn Lynch returns, Jackson could still get the majority of the carries. If he’s available in any leagues, picking him up would be very wise.
Mewelde Moore– The Steelers are very unhappy with Willie Parker’s unwillingness to block or go up the middle and Mendenhall has been a disappointment thus far. Moore seems to be a consistent player.
Laurent Robinson– For a team that has only a handful of legit NFL receivers, Laurent Robinson looks to be the best of the bunch, especially in the red zone.
Julian Edelman- With Wes Welker gone last week, Edelman exploded for 8 catches with just under 100 yards. Although Welker is back, the Patriots will definitely keep giving Edelman some chances.
Legadu Naane- Vincent Jackson has been living up to the hype this year, but Chambers hasn’t Naane is a young player who has a great work ethic and is a better red zone target than Chambers.
Kellen Davis- A great athlete in college, Davis has assumed the 2nd tight end role in Chicago. Though he shouldn’t be an every day starter, against a team with a good secondary facing the Bears, he can help.
Detroit Defense- The Redskins scored a whopping 9 points against the Rams, and the Detroit defense is hungry for a win and has a better defense than St. Louis.
Fantasy Benches for the Week
Jay Cutler- Facing the Seahawks in Seattle against an above average back 7, Cutler should have a Packers game type fall-back this week.
LenDale White – White has been very lackluster thus far in the season and with the Chris Johnson explosion along with the Jets their opponent in week 3, I’d stay away from LenDale.
Thomas Jones – The Jets offense has been up and down this season, especially in the run game. The Titans defense held Steve Slaton to under 50 yards, so I’d stay away this week at least.
Chris Chambers – Has been a huge fantasy disappointment this year so far and with great safeties in Miami, the deep ball (Chambers’ forte) he likely won’t improve this week.
Reggie Brown – Although DeSean Jackson is possibly out this week, Maclin and Curtis and Celek as well as McCoy and Westbrook out of the backfield mean Brown will be lucky to get 3-5 catches.
Terrell Owens – Has had a case of the drops so far this season, and with the Bills facing a Saints defense that has 6 interceptions in two games, Owens won’t be the top priority for Trent Edwards.
Kellen Winslow – The Giants have impact linebackers and defensive ends that really stir up trouble to start the play for tight ends. And while Leftwich has been very solid this year, he will struggle vs. NYG.
Dallas Defense – The Cowboys secondary has been a sieve so far, and with Delhomme and the Panthers looking to rebound after a rough start, the Cowboys could feel their vengeance.
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