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Joseph Hutchins | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Quarterbacks
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 3
9/24/15
QBs | RBs | WRs


Nobody needs to be told starting Aaron Rodgers, Jamaal Charles, or Calvin Johnson is a good idea. Duh, right? You can’t have studs at every position unless you’re in the shallowest of leagues. This is where the Shot Caller comes in. Need help deciding which bargain basement QB to use and which to ignore on Luck’s bye week? Let’s talk. Looking for solutions at running back because AD is a game-time decision? Look no further. Need to know which of your unproven targets to start and which to sit since you ignored Brown and went RB-QB-Gronk in your first three rounds? You get the idea. Past results may not guarantee future success, but ignoring them entirely can ruin your Sundays in a hurry (maybe even your Mondays and Thursdays). Read on for a little history and, hopefully, a little sage advice.


Note: Fantasy points based on FF Today’s standard scoring system.

Bye Weeks: N/A

Peyton Manning

Kubiak let Peyton Manning operate from the shotgun midway through Week 2. Success followed.


Grab a Helmet

Eli Manning v. WAS (Thursday) or Peyton Manning @ DET: Eli is 0-2 and Peyton is 2-0 but those records could easily be reversed were it not for a handful of critical plays late in all four games. Unless you’re a Giants or Broncos fan, however, what matters most is that the brothers are virtually indistinguishable from a fantasy perspective, and not in a good way. They’re ranked a very un-Manning-like 25th and 26th overall at the position, in reverse birth order, heading into Week 3. Should we be concerned? This part of we isn’t, knowing the cream tends to rise to the top as the sample size grows. The brothers were dreadful in Week 1 (10.5 and 8.7 points, respectively), but rebounded nicely in Week 2 (24.9 and 24.8) and should benefit from plus matchups on Thursday and Sunday. Don’t overreact, folks. The Mannings are still a quality brand.

Blake Bortles @ NE: Bortles is far from a quality brand at this point in his career and may never be so long as he continues to play for the Jaguars, a perennial AFC doormat. He does, however, have one more victory to his credit this season than Eli Manning, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Luck, Joe Flacco, Sam Bradford, and Drew Brees. If you didn’t think that possible, you’ve likely been eliminated from your survivor pool (me too if it makes you feel any better). Bortles is obviously a spot play at best, but this Sunday might be precisely the right spot for him. The Pats have the look of a team on a mission and that mission is quite simple: score a bazillion points and make opponents play catch-up. Expect lots of passing attempts, some meaningless TDs, and unexpectedly snazzy garbage time digits for the young Jacksonville signal-caller.

Carson Palmer v. SF: Tom Brady is far and away the number one signal-caller through two weeks of play. That’s not terribly surprising. The fact Carson Palmer is number two, however, might be, especially when you consider he’s thrown 35 fewer passes than the future Hall of Famer. 35? In two weeks? There are two conclusions we can draw from that fact. First, Brady is on pace to annihilate the single-season record for passes attempted (727 by Matt Stafford in 2012). Second, Palmer has been insanely efficient so far. If you were wondering why the Cardinals nose-dived in 2014 after his injury, wonder no longer. He completes a large majority of his passes, hits a lot of home runs (a career-best 8.8 yards/attempt), and has seemingly stopped making killer mistakes in this, the twilight of his NFL career. Mistake-free home-run hitter vs. San Francisco secondary (league-worst 10.2 yards/attempt)? Yes, please.

Grab a Clipboard

Jimmy Clausen @ SEA: Jay Cutler threw nine passes last weekend that basically encapsulate his entire NFL career. The first eight were all completions, amounting to 120 yards and a TD as the Bears matched Arizona score for score. The ninth was a poorly thrown pick-six that left the Cardinals in command and Cutler lying wounded on the Soldier Field turf, victim of a strained hammy as he attempted to nab the pilferer. Faster than you can say “Smokin’ Jay,” Chicago’s franchise guy went from hero to zero to out of commission. Typical. John Fox is being coy, but all signs point to Clausen taking the helm this coming Sunday while Cutler convalesces. I can’t think of a worse setup for a marginally talented, sparsely used backup than heading to Seattle to face a really angry, really winless Seahawks squad. There are 31 better options in Week 3. Pick one.

Andy Dalton @ BAL: Dalton’s a much better option if we can trust the early returns. He’s averaging over 240 yards per contest, has already tallied five TD strikes, and hasn’t turned the ball over once, something he specialized in last year. So, he’s back to being the fantasy darling he was in 2013, right? (Awkward silence.) I’ll be pumping the brakes until I see the Red Rifle perform well against the Ravens, a desperate divisional foe he’s historically struggled against and especially when playing in the Charm City. Dalton’s involving more targets than in years past and that’s a good thing. He’s benefitting from a strong rushing attack and that’s also a good thing. He isn’t throwing a ton of passes, however, and hasn’t done a thing with his legs. Those might be bad things if the multi-TD games dry up, as history suggests they might. Be very careful.

Sam Bradford @ NYJ: It’s time to address the 800-pound gorilla in the room, right? Here goes: I have no earthly idea what’s plaguing Chip Kelly’s Eagles through two weeks, though I suspect it has plenty to do with a rebuilt offensive line that hasn’t performed to expectations. You can’t run the ball if your backs are being gang-tackled in the backfield. You can’t throw the ball if you’re not a threat to run the ball. It all adds up to a mess in Philly and Chipper better get things figured out quick or he’s gonna get run out of town on a rail. I hope I’m wrong about Bradford and I WILL be ignoring my own advice this week because I basically have to. You maybe don’t, so find another option for now and be ready to jump on the Birds’ bandwagon when things get sorted out. They will.

Running Backs