Week Three in Review Sep 23, 2008 | More

Ballers of the Week

Ronnie Brown , RB Miami Dolphins: Brown exploded back into the fantasy picture in week three, accounting for five touchdowns! He ran in four and even threw for a score as his Dolphins dismantled the Patriots 38-13. Brown finished the day with 17 carries for 113 yards and one nine-yard reception, along with a 19-yard TD pass. This has to be enough proof for fantasy owners that Brown is fully recovered from his ACL injury, especially since he did this against New England’s solid defense. Though Ricky Williams will still be involved in the offense, it’s safe to start Brown with confidence because he will be the starting back in Miami the rest of the season.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh , WR Cincinnati Bengals: There was finally a good performance displayed by a wide out in Cincinnati and it only took three weeks. Houshmandzadeh got his season on track with 12 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown. This is a big sigh of relief for everyone who picked T.J. early on in their drafts. And with Carson Palmer starting to show signs that he is getting back on track, there is no reason not to think that more days like this one are in store for Houshmandzadeh.

Drew Brees , QB New Orleans Saints: Brees was hitting on all cylinders in week three as he spread the ball around and delivered one great throw after another. He completed 39 of 48 passes for 421 yards and one touchdown, but Brees and his squad came up just short 34-32 to the Broncos. The good news here though is that the former Purdue Boilermaker had some time in the pocket to pick apart the bad Denver secondary. New Orleans has had a rough start to the 2008 season, but if Brees continues to get time, he will make defenses pay and reward fantasy owners. Expect a top five fantasy finish at QB for Brees.

Busts of the Week

Derek Anderson, QB Cleveland Browns: As each week goes by it’s starting to look like last season was a fluke for Anderson. I was real high on him in the preseason, but he continues to struggle. Three interceptions on Sunday and just 125 passing yards are not going to get it done. Anderson is in real jeopardy of losing his job to Brady Quinn and probably has one more week to prove that he can get the job done. I still think he can turn his season around, and who better to help him get out of his funk than the good old Bengals? I’m going out on a limb here and telling you to start Anderson next week because the whole Cleveland offense is due to explode.

Willie Parker , RB Pittsburgh Steelers: Parker was non-existent on Sunday as he rushed for 20 yards on 13 carries. This had to be a letdown to fantasy owners after he showed such promise in the first two weeks of the season. To Parker’s defense, he did go up against a solid Philadelphia squad who is good against the run, but the reality is that Parker is not going to continue to put up big fantasy numbers. I would trade him while you still can because his production is going to slowly decline.

Andre Johnson , WR Houston Texans: The most underrated wideout in the NFL had one of those weeks that fantasy owners will want to forget. Johnson caught just two passes for 29 yards and dropped not one, but two touchdown passes. The good news here is that Johnson was targeted 10 times, but QB Matt Schaub could not get in a groove on Sunday as he threw three INT’s. Keep Johnson in your starting lineup no matter what because he is still one of the best receivers in the game and look for him to bounce back next week against the Colts. It was just one of those weeks where the offense was out of sync.

Waiver Wire

Correll Buckhalter , RB Philadelphia Eagles: Buckhalter played most of week three and did a pretty good job for the Eagles after Brian Westbrook left the game early in the second quarter with an ankle injury. He ran the ball 10 times for 43 yards and had six receptions for 44 yards and a TD. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but they are steady enough to warrant a waiver pickup on him. The news in Philly is that Westbrook is day-to-day with an ankle strain, but is status for week four is still uncertain so go grab Buckhalter just in case Westbrook’s injury proves to be more serious.

Shocker Special

Steve Slaton , RB Houston Texans: The rookie out of West Virginia made the most out of his first career NFL start as he ran the ball 18 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. It was even more impressive that he did it against a tough Tennessee defense that is usually great against the run. The bottom line with Slaton is that he is very fast and just needs to get carries and experience in the NFL. He should see a lot of playing time the rest of the season because Ahman Green is always hurt and Chris Taylor ...wait who is Chris Taylor?

Keep on your Fantasy Radar

Robert Meachem, WR New Orleans Saints: If there’s one player who is a fantasy stud in the making, it is Robert Meachem. The Saints drafted Meachem in the first round last season and are bringing him into the offense slowly, but once he gets comfortable and gets his reps he could be a great receiver. He’s 6-2 and has good speed; the only problem is that he’s competing with a handful of other WR’s in New Orleans. Watch Meachem very closely because he is a star in the making.

Must Start in Week Four

Dwayne Bowe, WR Kansas City Chiefs: Even though Kansas City is having all kinds of problems at the QB spot, Bowe continues to be the go-to guy, especially in the red zone. He has a very favorable matchup against a Denver defense that has allowed over 30 points in each of the past two games, so look for Bowe to stay hot and find pay dirt in week four.

Must Bench in Week Four

Chris Johnson , RB Tennessee Titans: Johnson has been doing a great job so far this season, but he is really going to be tested against the Vikings defense in week four. He has run well against the Texans and Bengals the last two weeks, but Minnesota is a lot better against the run than either one of those two teams so bench Johnson if you have a better option.