Breakdowns
9/20/21
5 min read
Week 3 Fantasy Football Notable Players
Welcome to Week 3 Fantasy Football notable performances. With the season underway, I reminisce a bit back to when I first started playing this beloved sport my freshman year of college. I’ll be straight up with you, I had no idea what I was doing. I took Miami Dolphin tight end Eric Green with my first-round pick after seeing fellow tight end Ben Coates of the New England Patriots taken one spot prior. Coates warranted a first-round pick, Green wouldn’t have gone anywhere before the fourth round. For my second pick, I took a shot on some QB named Brett Favre, if you’ve ever heard of him, who went on to win his first MVP award. Down the line, I traded Favre for multiple RBs, WRs and received a decent QB to replace him. With this new and improved squad, I rallied my way into the playoffs and ended up placing second in the league. I lost to Favre in the finals. The moral of this story is to build your team around depth and strength in numbers. Having stars is great but you win leagues by fielding a strong team with solid contributors at each spot. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some players who you should pick up, trade for, or trade away from your teams.Â
- Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys: Frankly, Zeke hasn’t passed the eye test. He looked awful against a terrific Tampa Bay defense and although he scored nearly 20 Fantasy Points against the Chargers, he didn’t look like he has in years past. Backup RB Tony Pollard, who will be mentioned in more depth later, is continuing to earn more and more snaps on this offense and is utilized effectively in those opportunities. His snap count increased from 24% in Week 1 to 34% in Week 2 and even cashed in on his goal-line carry this past week. Elliot will continue to get the majority of the work but his upside is certainly capped due to his poor play and Pollard’s emergence. This is the perfect time to trade him and buy low on a few players who have disappointed so far such as a possible package of Antonio Gibson and DK Metcalf. (Trade Away)
- Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys: As mentioned above, Pollard has earned significant playing time in each of the first two weeks and amassed over 100 yards in Week 2. He’s available in 47% of Yahoo leagues and should be picked up if you need a running back, or running back depth. He is a MUST OWN player if Elliot is on your roster and has top 3 upside should something happen to Zeke. (Pickup)
- Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers: The famous contract year. Mike Williams was a very highly touted WR coming out of Clemson and has shown flashes in the NFL so far. His lengthy injury history and inconsistent QB play have held him back from fantasy glory. However, he appears to be fully healthy and Joe Lombardi and the Chargers coaching staff have used him perfectly through 2 weeks. He’s the clear-cut WR2 in this high-powered offense lead by one of the best young QBs in football. Williams is turning out to be a draft-day steal and in the final year of his contract appears to be a full-on breakout. (Trade for)
- Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts: Pascal is available in 84% of Yahoo leagues and has produced some really solid numbers with Carson Wentz at the helm of this offense. He’s scored TDs in both weeks so far and although Michael Pittman has shown himself to be the best WR on this roster, there is room for more. Watch out for the Wentz injury as that could change everything but Pascal is a great addition this week. (Pickup)
- Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers: The former second-round pick is currently leading the league in receiving yards after the first two weeks of the season. He is a yards after the catch (YAC) monster and is lethal in space. However, his furious play style often lands him on the injured list as he missed over half the season with a plethora of injuries in 2020. His incredible production has come at the expense of both George Kittle and Brandon Ayuik who will be featured more in this offense as the season progresses. Samuel should have a nice season but if you can land an RB1 or an RB2 with a WR2 I would be looking to part ways with him this week. (Trade away)
Ari Nissim has been involved with the NFL for the last 17 years. Working in the New York Jets front office from 2006-2013, as the Director of Football Administration handling the salary cap and player contract negotiations. Most recently an NFLPA certified contract advisor, who has represented three top ten picks and re-set the running back market with Todd Gurley’s record-breaking extension. He recently started his own sports agency Lionheart Sports Corp. Â
Follow on Twitter @Arinissim and Instagram @ari_nissim
