We had another scoring period in Week 3 where running backs got hurt -- and Fantasy owners got frustrated. It's never a good thing when reliable players go down, especially in the middle of games.
So after losing Fred Jackson (knee), Matt Forte (ankle) and Ahmad Bradshaw (neck) in the first two weeks of the season, we unfortunately saw C.J. Spiller (shoulder), Reggie Bush (knee) and Willis McGahee (ribs) go down in Week 3. It doesn't sound like Spiller, Bush or McGahee will be out long, but they likely will be out this week.
The two most-added free agents this week will likely be Buffalo's Tashard Choice and Daniel Thomas of the Dolphins, since each have the chance to start in Week 4. Denver's Ronnie Hillman also has increased value, and Ryan Williams in Arizona re-emerged as a quality option, with Beanie Wells (toe) also banged up.
But running back might not be the only priority additions this week. As we've seen, some of the elite Fantasy quarterbacks (Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Michael Vick and Tony Romo) have struggled, while Matthew Stafford (leg) was hurt in Week 3. Meanwhile, Andy Dalton, Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Christian Ponder are showing consistent play.
It's definitely time to drop struggling backup options like Josh Freeman, Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez. And you might even consider starting guys like Dalton, Palmer, Fitzpatrick and Ponder in place of your No. 1 quarterback, especially with a favorable matchup. Also, if Stafford is out this week then Shaun Hill will be a must add in all formats against Minnesota.
We also are starting the bye weeks with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis off this week, so any of these quarterbacks could be suitable replacements for Ben Roethlisberger or even Andrew Luck.
Editor's note: Must add is for players worth adding in all leagues. Maybe add is for players worth adding in 14-team leagues or larger. Desperation add is for players worth adding only if you're, well, desperate. The ownership percentage listed is how many leagues that player was owned in the previous week for CBSSports.com.
Quarterbacks
Must add: Andy Dalton, Bengals
(72 percent), Carson Palmer, Oakland (71
percent), Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills (64
percent), Christian Ponder, Vikings (21
percent)
Maybe add: Jake Locker,
Titans (44 percent), Shaun Hill, Lions
(2 percent)
Desperation add: Kevin Kolb,
Cardinals (7 percent)
The breakdown: Dalton had 328 passing
yards, three touchdowns and one interception at Washington and now has
646 passing yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions in his past two
games against the Redskins and Browns. He has another favorable matchup
at Jacksonville this week, and the Jaguars just gave up 27 Fantasy
points against Luck. After that he faces Miami and Cleveland before
getting the Steelers in Week 7. We could be looking at a nice stretch of
games for Dalton coming up. ... Palmer had his best game of the season
against the Steelers with 209 passing yards, three touchdowns and an
interception, and he is averaging 20.3 Fantasy points a week. Palmer has
879 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions through his first
three games as is off to his best start statistically since 2007 when he
began the season with eight touchdowns and two interceptions after two
games. If you don't trust Palmer as a No. 1 quarterback in Week 4 at
Denver then you should just sit on him as a backup option all year
because it's clear he's still capable of big games. ... Fitzpatrick had
his third game already this season with multiple scores as he passed for
208 yards and three touchdowns against the Browns. He now has eight
touchdowns and three interceptions on the season and is averaging 22
Fantasy points a week. He faces the Patriots in Week 4 and last year
against New England at home he had 369 passing yards, two touchdowns and
two interceptions. He should be the No. 1 quarterback to target. ...
Ponder has done a nice job the past two weeks with five touchdowns and
no interceptions against the Colts and 49ers. He is worth a speculative
addition that he can keep this up and he gets a boost in his receiving
corps with Jerome Simpson's suspension
ending this week. Ponder travels to Detroit in Week 4, and the Lions
just gave up 28 Fantasy points against Locker. ... Speaking of Locker,
he might be turning the corner with his performance against Detroit. We
need to see more consistency from him, and he has a tough matchup at
Houston in Week 4. ... Kolb played great against the Eagles with 21
Fantasy points, but his body of work doesn't make him anything more than
a bye-week replacement in two-quarterback leagues. He does have a
favorable matchup in Week 4 against Miami. ... Hill would have
tremendous value if Stafford is out, and he would be a must-start
Fantasy quarterback in Week 4 against the Vikings if that happens.
Running backs
Must add: Ryan Williams,
Cardinals (71 percent), Daniel Thomas,
Dolphins (31 percent), Tashard Choice,
Bills (2 percent)
Maybe add: Ronnie Hillman, Broncos (26 percent), Danny Woodhead, Patriots (14 percent), Lamar Miller, Dolphins (8 percent), Lance Ball,
Broncos (1 percent)
Desperation add: Jackie Battle, Chargers (35 percent), Bilal Powell, Jets (8 percent), Shaun Draughn,
Chiefs (6 percent)
The breakdown: Choice should be the No. 1
player added this week if Jackson and Spiller are out against the
Patriots. Choice did a nice job filling in for Spiller against the
Browns with 20 carries for 91 yards and two catches for 8 yards. He
would be this week's equivalent of Andre Brown,
but we wouldn't expect similar production after Brown torched the
Panthers for 24 Fantasy points. Still, double digits in Fantasy points
would be a safe projection if he's the starter. ... Thomas and Miller
have the chance to step in for Bush, with Thomas the priority addition
of the two. He had 19 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown against the
Jets and one catch for 11 yards. Miller also had nine carries for 48
yards, but Thomas should get the majority of touches at Arizona in Week
4. You can ignore Jorvorskie Lane (0
percent) even though he scored against the Jets. ... Williams had the
best game of his young career against the Eagles with 13 carries for 83
yards and one catch for 12 yards. We hope Williams can build off this
outing against the Dolphins, especially if Wells is out. ... If McGahee
is out, the Broncos could have a three-headed backfield with Knowshon Moreno, Ball and Hillman. The one with the most upside is
Hillman, and he should start to see increased playing time, especially
if McGahee is out for an extended period. For this week, Ball could do
well as the potential starter against the Raiders. ... Woodhead had 15
carries for 34 yards and a touchdown at Baltimore, and he continues to
share time with Stevan Ridley with Shane Vereen (foot) out. Bill Belichick is a Woodhead fan, and he
could see his touches increase going forward. You can ignore Brandon Bolden (0 percent) for now even though he scored against the
Ravens. ... Shonn Greene continues to
struggle for the Jets, so you might consider taking a flier on Powell.
... As we said last week, if you want to handcuff Ryan Mathews then put Battle on your roster. ... With Peyton Hillis (ankle) banged up we could see Draughn get an increased
role. But as long as Jamaal Charles runs
like he did against the Saints there won't be a need for another running
back in Kansas City for many touches.
Wide receivers
Must add: Denarius Moore,
Oakland (76 percent), Andrew Hawkins,
Bengals (48 percent), Jerome Simpson,
Vikings (27 percent), Nate Burleson,
Lions (25 percent), Leonard Hankerson,
Redskins (14 percent)
Maybe add: Jon Baldwin, Chiefs (22 percent), Golden Tate, Seahawks (6 percent), Julian Edelman, Patriots (4 percent), Cecil Shorts, Jaguars (4 percent), Jeremy Kerley, Jets (4 percent), Ramses Barden,
Giants (3 percent), Damaris Johnson,
Eagles (0 percent)
Desperation add: Michael Floyd, Cardinals (16 percent), T.Y. Hilton, Colts (3 percent), Armon Binns,
Bengals (1 percent), T.J. Graham, Bills
(1 percent), Travis Benjamin, Browns (0
percent)
The breakdown: I felt Moore was the best Raiders
receiver in the offseason, but his hamstring injury put him behind Darrius Heyward-Bey. Now that Moore is healthy and Heyward-Bey was
knocked out against the Steelers in Week 3, we should see Moore emerge
as Palmer's favorite target. Moore had 10 targets against Pittsburgh and
finished with five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. He has the
potential to be a Top 25 Fantasy receiver this season. ... What more
does Hawkins have to do for you to add him? He has a touchdown in each
of the past two games with 32 Fantasy points over three games. He is
finding ways to produce as at least a No. 3 Fantasy receiver. ...
Simpson is eligible to return this week from his three-game suspension.
With the way Ponder is playing, he could turn into a quality playmaker
starting in Week 4 against the Lions. ... Burleson (12) had the same
amount of targets as Calvin Johnson in
Week 3 and finished with 10 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. He's
not going away yet with Titus Young
still not producing at a consistent level. … Hankerson will remain a
significant contributor even when Pierre Garcon
(foot) returns. He has six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in his
past two games on 10 targets, and he could become a No. 3 Fantasy
receiver. … Baldwin could see increased value with Dexter McCluster (shoulder) out. … Edelman scored against the Ravens
and could see increased targets with Aaron Hernandez (ankle) out. ... Barden was amazing against the
Panthers with nine catches for 138 yards on 10 targets, but his role
will be limited with Hakeem Nicks
(foot) back. … Shorts now has two touchdowns in three games and could
see more targets with Laurent Robinson
(concussion) hurt. ... Johnson did well with Jeremy Maclin (hip) out with five catches for 84 yards on 11 targets.
If Maclin remains out, owners in deeper leagues should consider adding
Johnson. ... Kerley has two touchdowns in three games and could help
Sanchez with Stephen Hill (hamstring)
hurt. ... Did Tate do something this week? I might have missed it
(#sarcasm). Despite the controversial play against the Packers, he might
turn into the best receiver for the Seahawks.
Tight ends
Must add: Greg Olsen, Panthers
(70 percent), Kyle Rudolph, Vikings (63
percent), Heath Miller, Steelers (39
percent)
Maybe add: Jared Cook,
Titans (60 percent)
Desperation add: Joel Dreessen, Broncos (5 percent), Jordan Cameron, Browns (1 percent)
The breakdown: I was
ready to give up on Olsen after his performance to start the season with
seven catches for 69 yards through two games, but he impressed me
against the Giants with seven catches for 98 yards on 14 targets.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, and he's worth adding or
holding onto depending on his status in your league. ... What more does
Rudolph have to do to make you add him? He had two touchdowns against
the 49ers and now has three in two games. He's off to a better start
this season than Antonio Gates, Jermichael Finley and Jason Witten, and
he's worth owning over Fred Davis, Jacob Tamme and Owen Daniels. ...
Miller is off in Week 4, but he had two touchdowns against the Raiders
and now has four scores in three games. That kind of production is hard
to ignore, and he should be added and stashed for the rest of the
season. ... Cook would be a must add if he didn't get hurt in Week 3. He
left the game against the Lions with a shoulder injury after he had four
catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. If he's OK then pick him up
heading into Week 4 at Houston. ... Dreessen scored against the Texans,
but he and Tamme will continue to split production. ... Cameron has
potential and played well against the Bills with five catches for 45
yards, but he has a long way to go before Fantasy owners can trust him.
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