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Top Draftstreet Football Values for Week 3

ton-romo It was somewhat hit and miss in the Week 2 version of this article. We did have success recommending the likes of Michael Vick, Ryan Tannehill and Julian Edelman as the top Draftstreet values of Week 2. That being said, our final two recommendations in Denarius Moore and Joseph Fauria failed to tally a single fantasy point each. For that, I really want to know that the Detroit Lions are thinking by continuing to throw the disaster that is Brandon Pettigrew on the field instead of Fauria.

But I digress.

Today's article is going to utilize advanced statistics and a wide array of different barometers to suggest our top-eight Draftstreet fantasy football values for the third week of the NFL season.

 

Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys ($14,033)

Romo has been a legit QB1 option for some time now. Owners have just had a hard time relying on him in that role over the course of an entire season. The perfect resolution to that are weekly leagues, where we can pick and choose our matchups.

Dallas goes up against a St. Louis Rams defense that we have given a negative grade pass defense grade to over the first two weeks. The big thing here is that Romo’s favorite pass-catching target Dez Bryant will be lining up against our second lowest-ranked cover corner Cortland Finnegan. That’s a match made in heaven for both the quarterback and receiver. Over the course of his last six home games, Romo has thrown 15 touchdowns compared to three interceptions. Draftstreet currently values Romo as the 18th-best quarterback for Week 3. There is little doubt that he’s going to top that ranking against St. Louis.

 

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins ($12,171)

It’s hard to imagine a quarterback that has improved more from Week 1 of last season to now than Tannehill, who possesses a 94.2 quarterback rating through two weeks. The second-year starter is also ranked higher than the likes of Cam Newton and Tom Brady in fantasy points this season.

joique-bellTannehill now goes up against an Atlanta Falcons pass defense that we have graded out 29th in the NFL in coverage over the first two games of the season. Draftstreet has Tannehill valued as the 23rd-best fantasy quarterback this upcoming week. If you can nab him, that would represent a coup…His upside is as a QB1 this week.

 

Joique Bell, RB, Detroit Lions ($9,958)

Bell has put up the most points per snap among running backs thus far this season. Considering that Reggie Bush is slowed down with a knee injury and at the very least will be limited against a disastrous Washington Redskins defense, Bell could represent RB1 upside, especially in PPR leagues. Bell is averaging four yards per rush and has 10 receptions through two weeks this season. Washington’s -32.4 grade in rush defense ranks it dead last in the NFL, as its yielding over 200 rushing yards per game. Draftstreet currently has Bell valued as the 18th most expensive running back this week.

 

Giovani Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals ($7,429)

Bernard’s overall fantasy production might not meet the level of his talent due to BenJarvus Green-Ellis taking short-yardage carries from him, but his performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football was more of a coming out party than anything else. He scored two touchdowns on just nine touches and is averaging 7.3 yards per touch this season. Expect Cincinnati to continue increasing his workload in the coming weeks, including this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. What you are going to see here is 15-plus touches and a solid PPR option in Week 3. That has the makings of 100-plus yards and a score. Not too bad for a player that Draftstreet has as nothing more than a mid-tier FLEX option.

 

Anquan Boldin, WR, San Francisco 49ers ($11,519)

Richard Sherman might have completely shut Boldin down last week, but who didn’t see that coming? As one of the best cover guys in the NFL, if not the best, Sherman shines against the more physical receivers. Boldin’s Week 2 performance is going to be more of an exception to the rule moving forward. He’s Colin Kaepernick’s favorite target in a dynamic offense and will receive the necessary targets to act the part of a WR2 throughout the duration of the season.

This is only magnified by the fact that San Francisco will be going up against a weak Indianapolis Colts pass defense. As you will see below, Mike Wallace strutted his stuff to the tune of a 82 percent catch rate against the Colts secondary last week. That came on the heels of Denarius Moore and Rod Streater of the Oakland Raiders catching 10 of the 15 passes thrown to them against Indianapolis in Week 1. Boldin is valued as a mid-tier WR2 this week and possesses top-five upside.

 

Mike Wallace, WR, Miami Dolphins ($9,728)

Wallace got off to a slow start in his Miami career in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, catching one pass. The enigmatic receiver let everyone know he wasn’t happy with that performance after the game and showed us on the field the following week that it might have been a mirage. Wallace tallied nine receptions for over 100 yards and a score against a lackluster Indianapolis Colts defense last week. Those nine receptions cam on only 11 targets for a ridiculous catch rate.

He now goes up against an injury-ravaged and equally pedestrian defense in the Atlanta Falcons this week. As I mentioned before, we grade Atlanta’s pass defense out near the bottom of the NFL through two games. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown for nearly 700 yards with five touchdowns thus far this season. He’s the 28th most expensive wide receiver in Draftstreet cap leagues.

 

Kendall Wright, WR, Tennessee Titans ($7,678)

At this point it makes sense to to consider starting every wide receiver against the San Diego Chargers for the remainder of the season. Starting receivers have tallied 28 receptions for 428 yards and three scores against the Chargers secondary in two weeks. For those of you who didn’t major in math, that’s seven receptions and over 100 yards per receiver. Starting receivers have caught 74 percent of the passes thrown in their direction against the Chargers this season.

For his part, Wright caught only nine of the 15 passes thrown to him in the first two games. He was, however, going up against much better defenses in the form of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans. Wright is the 44th most expensive receiver in Draftstreet leagues and represents solid WR2 upside here.

 

Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins ($4.433)

Interestingly enough, this rookie for Florida has taken over as the Redskins primary pass-catching tight end in the first two games of his initial season. He’s eight of the 10 passes thrown in his direction for 56 yards and a score. It’s that type of safety valve that Robert Griffin III needs in order to fix some issues he’s having in the pocket. We can fully expect Reed’s targets to increase with playing time as RGIII gains more confidence in his ability to come down with the ball.

While the Detroit Lions might not be the best matchup for fantasy tight ends due to the presence of inside linebacker Stephen Tulloch, you can easily expect Reed to put up the necessary PPR numbers to be a bottom-tier TE1 or FLEX option in Draftstreet leagues. If you are running out of cap room and attempting to fill out your lineup, Reed is the 26th most expensive tight end this week. That’s simply insane.

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