Where to Put 'em is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for the week. Decisions are based upon the FFN rankings and matchup analysis. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid for Week 3.
This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Aaron Rodgers, Andre Johnson, or Adrian Peterson. Where to Put 'em takes a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.
Put 'em In The Game: Cam NewtonFor a guy that was often drafted in the late, late rounds this year (or not drafted at all), Cam Newton has earned a starting role on most fantasy teams. Apparently nobody told him that rookie quarterbacks don't throw for over 400 yards in their first two starts. Against Green Bay, Newton proved that Week 1 wasn't a fluke. The Jaguars have a middle-of-the-road pass defense that he should be able to light up like the 4th of July.
Put 'em In The Game: Ryan FitzpatrickRyan Fitzpatrick has been fantastic in the first two weeks of this season throwing for 7 scores. Normally a QB facing the Patriots would warrant a second thought, but the secondary of the Pats isn't what it used to be. Chad Henne and Philip Rivers took advantage of them for big numbers. New England has given up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing QB's and Fitzpatrick has been looking too solid to sit now.
Put 'em In The Game: Rex GrossmanRex Grossman has been one of the most underrated QB's this season. The defense of the Cowboys is banged up and Grossman took them for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns when he faced them last year. By all accounts, he should have a solid game against them in this anticipated game on Monday night. Unless you already have an elite QB ahead of him on your roster, Grossman deserves a starting spot.
Put 'em In The Game: Ryan MathewsWeek 1 was the Mike Tolbert show, but last week saw Ryan Mathews with a solid outing. Mathews had 64 yards on the ground, 7 catches for 62 yards, and a score against New England. This week he faces a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has given up the 3rd most points to opposing backs in the last two games. Mathews and Tolbert make great plays this week.
Put 'em In The Game: Ben TateHopefully you handcuffed Ben Tate when you drafted Arian Foster who will be limited at best this week with that lingering hamstring injury. That Houston offense is going to cause some headaches for the Saints. They've given up a ton of yards through the air and James Starks and Matt Forte took advantage of them in the running game. We're not ready to call Tate an RB1 like Foster (was and hopefully will be again), but he's a great RB2 option this week.
Put 'em In The Game: Mark IngramAcross the field from Ben Tate will be rookie RB Mark Ingram who hasn't lived up to expectations with his first two games. We're going out on a limb and saying that this should change this week - FFN expects to see Ingram in the endzone. Another rookie, Daniel Thomas of the Dolphins, hit the century mark in rushing last week against the Saints and looked good doing it. This should be the week where that Ingram sleeper pick from your draft starts to pay off.
Put 'em In The Game: Ahmad BradshawIf it weren't for Brandon Jacobs siphoning carries, Ahmad Bradshaw would be a #1 fantasy stud, particularly in PPR formats. He faces the Philadelphia Eagles who have one of the most dominating secondaries with guys like Nnamdi Asomugha floating back there, but one of the least effective defensive lines in the game. Philly gives up the 2nd most fantasy points to opposing RB's and Bradshaw is too fast and strong for them to stop.
Put 'em In The Game: Steve SmithIt felt so good to put Steve Smith back on the FFN Start'em List last week that we're doing it again. After years of seeing him on the bench list, Steve Smith is fantasy-relevant thanks to Cam Newton. The Panthers have said that when passing, Smith is option #1. Looking at the FFN Defensive Dossier, you'll see that Kenny Britt and Santonio Holmes took the Jaguars to town. Smith should do the same.
Put 'em In The Game: Jeremy MaclinRemember how folks were passing on Jeremy Maclin in your drafts because of his unknown illness? If you were smart and grabbed him late, your value pick is paying off. He gets a solid share of the targets each week and the Falcons had absolutely no answer for him last week. Assuming that Vick is starting, he should do well this week against the Giants secondary which has given up more than their fair share of points to opposing WR's.
Put 'em In The Game: Mike WilliamsMike Williams (the one from Tampa Bay) has been utterly useless for the first two weeks of the season. Freeman has not been in top form and Williams hasn't performed anywhere near the level we expected when we drafted him with our early WR picks. Looking at the last time Williams faced Atlanta, he averaged 5 catches for roughly 80 yards and a score each time. We're anticipating a nice bounce back this week against the Falcons who had their hands full with Philly last week.
Put 'em In The Game: Fred DavisChris Cooley who? Fred Davis has quietly emerged as one of the top TE's in the game posting solid stats the first two weeks. Davis should follow the lead of Dustin Keller (week 1) and Delanie Walker (week 2) and find himself in the endzone. He should continue to improve upon his already fantastic start to the season.
Put 'em In The Game: Jimmy GrahamHe's big. He's fast. He's got great hands. Jimmy Graham is an ideal TE and a solid target for Drew Brees. Colston will be out and the combination of Henderson and Meachem should continue to spread the field. Graham becomes a great option in that offense. Combine that with what's expected to be a shootout and you've got all the makings of a solid fantasy day.
Put 'em In The Game: Shaun SuishamIf you're like Greg B, a regular FFN user, you probably looked at this week's FFN kicker rankings and said "Hmmm". Shaun Suisham? Really? He only has 7 fantasy points in two games. What gives? The match up. Indy is giving up an average of 9.5 fantasy points per game and Pittsburgh should have their way with a Peyton-less Indy this week.
Put 'em On The Bench: Jay CutlerWhether you question Jay Cutler's toughness or not, you can't deny that he has had difficulty against the Packers. The fact that Cutler is still vertical with that horrible offensive line is a testament to his durability. He's averaged just over 200 yards passing against the Pack since coming to Chicago and has thrown 4 TD's and 9 picks in that time. Combine the fact that Nick Collins is out for the season with the fact that both Brees and Newton torched Green Bay, and there's a chance that Cutler could defy our expectations and come out of this game positively.
Put 'em On The Bench: Tony RomoAfter one of the gutsiest performances we've seen in a long while, Tony Romo is a question mark going into Monday night. His cracked rib and collapsed lung are painful reminders of what can happen at that QB position. He played through it last week to everyone's surprise, but he'll be without star wide receiver Miles Austin and Dez Bryant is banged up. Felix Jones hasn't shown up to keep defenses honest. Romo could very well pull one out of his hat, but there's a lot of risk this week.
Put 'em On The Bench: Felix JonesAll indications are that Felix Jones will play Monday night against Washington. He suffered a separated shoulder last week and his fantasy production should continue its decline. The Cowboys have already indicated that Tashard Choice and Demarco Murray will see an increased workload as they rotate them in more. None of this is good news for Felix Jones-owners out there.
Put 'em On The Bench: DeAngelo WilliamsWe are ready to formally put DeAngelo Williams in the same class as Ryan Grant of Green Bay - upstaged and outplayed by their official backups. There's little evidence to support putting Williams in our lineups anytime soon.
Put 'em On The Bench: Percy HarvinThis NFC North matchup should be entertaining. Percy Harvin reminds of Steve Smith (CAR) of the past two years. He's blazingly fast and a dynamic playmaker, but if he can't get the ball, he can't produce. Harvin was barely on the field last week and he's become a questionable play. Facing the Detroit Lions, who have turned themselves around over the past few years, is not going to be an easy task. In fact, the Lions are the stingiest defense to opposing WR's.
Put 'em On The Bench: Dwayne BoweThere's no rainbow for Dwayne Bowe this week. Bowe is the only legitimate threat on that team and the Chargers know that. Against San Diego last season, Bowe was a complete nonfactor. You can bet that the Chargers are going to key in on him all day long. It's hard to get excited about any of the Chiefs right now.
Put 'em On The Bench: Brandon PettigrewBrandon Pettigrew was a preseason favorite based upon his skill and the Stafford-powered offense. There's no sign of him coming back into fantasy relevance anytime soon - not with Tony Scheffler the clear #1 in Detroit.
Put 'em On The Bench: Marcedes LewisAnother preseason favorite, Marcedes Lewis was expected to repeat last season's performance. His chemistry with David Garrard was the envy of many tight ends last year, and the loss of Garrard doesn't bode well for Lewis.
Put 'em On The Bench: Adam VinatieriAdam Vinatieri has been a solid kicker for quite some time, but that was with Peyton Manning moving the Colts down the field. The Colts are not the same team anymore and if they can't get down the field, Vinatieri can't get into field goal range or kick the extra points. The Steelers shut down the Seahawks and the Colts could be next.
