Week 3 NFL Sunday Surprises in Fantasy Football
What a crazy week it has been in the NFL.
The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions both ended long losing streaks against their division opponents.
Many hoped that Cam Newton would continue his hot streak after his performance against a very good Packers defense, and didn’t.
But that’s not even the half of it. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest surprises that you likely didn’t have starting.
10. Daniel Thomas, RB, Miami Dolphins
I started Thomas in a few of my leagues hoping he’d take advantage of a mediocre rush defense, and he did just fine.
Thomas rushed for 95 yards on 23 carries and also caught a screen pass for a touchdown, earning roughly 17 points.
9. Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers
It’s always tough figuring out which Charger running back will score (damn you Tomlinson for leaving!).
Mathews scored not once, but twice, had 98 yards rushing and even added four receptions for 51 yards.
That’s worthy of a nice 26 points for fantasy owners.
8. Jason Hanson, K, Detroit Lions
It may be a good idea to start plugging this guy in your lineup.
The Lions can score, and if they don’t get in the end zone, they get in field goal range for one of the leagues most accurate kickers of the last 10 years.
Hanson hit on four field goals and two XP’s to earn around 17 points for your kicker spot.
7. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, New York Jets
Hopefully I get bonus points for fitting Tomlinson in this post twice.
Tomlinson carried the ball six times for 38 yards, but was best in the passing game, catching five passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Jets failed to beat the Raiders in a surprising upset, however as Tomlinson earned roughly 20 points.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
The Buccaneers defense ended up impressing after holding on to win a close one against the Falcons.
Tampa Bay recorded an interception, fumble recovery and four sacks while holding the big play Falcons to just 13 points, 10 of which were scored in the fourth quarter.
5. Sidney Rice, WR, Seattle Seahawks
With the way Tarvaris Jackson has been playing, I figured that playing Rice or any Seattle receiver would be a bad decision.
Rice made plays, however. Despite not getting into the end zone, he recorded eight catches for 109 yards for a solid 10 fantasy points.
4. Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
When you think of Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Asante Samuel, you don’t believe a quarterback will score four touchdowns in the air.
But Manning did that in just 16 completions.
He threw for just 254 yards, but his receivers made big plays as the Giants upset the Eagles for their first win against them since 2008.
Manning earned around 26 points.
3. James Casey, TE, Houston Texans
Coming into Sunday’s matchup against New Orleans, Casey had 17 receptions for his career, dating back to 2009.
In this game, he had five catches for 126 yards and a touchdown reception.
He even rushed for 11 yards as he earned around 19 fantasy points on your waiver wire.
2. Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants
I’m still trying to figure out how Cruz did it, but he just three receptions on Sunday.
Those three receptions totaled for 110 yards and two touchdowns for unsuspecting fantasy owners.
Cruz had to fill in for Mario Manningham, and Eli Manning made sure to include him.
Cruz scored roughly 23 fantasy points in Week 3.
1. Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens
What a performance by Smith who filled in for the inactive Lee Evans (ankle).
Smith made big plays in the blowout of the St. Louis Rams.
He finished with five receptions for 152 yards and a whopping three touchdowns.
The funny part is 133 yards and the three touchdowns all came in the first quarter.
This performance was good for around 34 fantasy points.
