Couch Guy Sports Fantasy Football League Recap: Week 3

NFL WEEK 3 = COMPLETE. A football week of wildly epic proportions, with some crazy finishes, big performances, and as always, some SERIOUS fantasy implications.

The basic rundown of these weekly recap blogs is as follows: Recap the previous week’s matchups, analyze a smidge, and lastly, talk a bit of trash. Let’s get into it. 

Week 3 Matchups and Recaps:

Small State Big Cakes (Gilli, aka me) over CGS President Quags (Nick Quaglia) 122.9 to 117.38

DOWN GOES KING QUAGS. Some said it couldn’t be done. Some said it wouldn’t be me. Nay, they all thought I was incapable of such a feat. But here we are, the deed has been done, and I have slayed the previously undefeated King of CGS. Sure he was only 2-0, but it was a LOUD 2-0, consisting of resounding wins with biblical point totals for his first two matchups. Alas, his reign has ended, for now.

*Terrible edit, even insinuating I’m about to die, but if that’s what it takes to be the one to dethrone Quags from the #1 spot, I don’t care. LET ME HAVE THIS MOMENT.

Bench Points Left on the Table

Quags left some points on the bench here, but not much he should’ve done differently. Zero chance you’re starting Michael Gallup over Thielen or JuJu. Additionally, we all know that Your Fantasy: 2 Dudes Fake Balls is all in on Jonathan Taylor, so Quags is contractually obligated to start him in the FLEX. 

Patty Mahomes – A MNF MF’n HERO

What a week, with the finale determining the outcome of this matchup. Going into Monday Night Football, Quags had a 33.48 point lead. CGS President Quags had the Ravens D/ST yet to go, but Small State Big Cakes had one player left to go as well… Mr. Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes went off in the most clutch fashion possible for your boy. Mahomes put up a 40 piece on 385 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, 26 rushing yards and a rushing TD. That turned out to be a double-whammy, of sorts, as it kept the Baltimore defense from being fantasy relevant, only scoring a single point. Pretty wild to think 

Cloak and Dak-er

Sneaky big performance for Dak Prescott. As one of the most divisive QBs in the NFL (Josh Allen clear #1 in that conversation), the Prescott haters must be pretty mad. 29.48 points, despite throwing 2 INTs. He’s thrown for 450 yards in back to back games, and was able to log 3 passing TDs in the shootout against the Seahawks. If he minimizes his turnovers moving forward, he’s very much the QB those rostering him in fantasy were hoping him to be.

Jones and Jacobs Fail to Boom

Neither of Quags’ top RBs had an epic performance this week, something that has to feel a little abnormal for him. Week 1 had Josh Jacobs go off for 35.9 pts, and then in Week 2, Aaron Jones dropped 45.6 pts for Quags. Perfectly fine performances for these two in Week 3 (Jones 16.6 pts, Jacobs with 9.3 pts) but nothing earth-shattering like Quags has become accustomed to.

Gilli’s Swagger: No Longer, Week-to-Week – Confirmed to be BACK.

Matchup MVP: Patrick Mahomes (40 pts)

Easiest Matchup MVP pick ever. Mahomes won the matchup, and carried my squad to the first W of the season.

Side note: it’s crazy that KC were the underdogs in that game. 

Matchup Letdown: Josh Jacobs (9.3 pts)

Not the worst day ever for Jacobs, but he’s the biggest letdown here. On a day when Quags needed him to score well into the double digits, Jacobs could not against the Patriots defense. Projections are a shot in the dark, but an 8 point different between a projection and actual production is not great.

Wilson! Wilson! (Al Nahigian) over Danvers Powderpuffs (Thomas ‘Powder’ Cadmus) 151.7 to 130.7

Interesting matchup here between two co-hosts of the Legends Lingo Podcast. Al got the best of this one, but Powder, enduring a plethora of injuries, had a great bounce back week, despite the loss. 

Another Al-ectric Performance

After a Week 1 loss to Quags, Al has bounced back nicely, with back to back outings of over 150 points. If he keeps that up, he’s for sure a team to fear! 

Dion for a Trade Offer: Someone Trade Powder a RB

Honestly, we know it’d be an uphill battle to score 100 points this week when Powder has to start Dion Lewis as his RB2. Phillip Lindsay hopefully will be back for Week 5, albeit in a more limited role than initially thought, with Melvin Gordon producing for Denver. 

Either way, Powder is in need of some running back depth, something hard to come by this year. His team has a ton of starting-caliber wide receivers, and could be a perfect match for anyone enduring an injury from one of the many hurt top WRs. Just a thought!

Russ and Al Roll On

Once again, the majority of Al’s scoring came from Alvin Kamara and Russell Wilson. 45.7 for Kamara, and 36.8 for Wilson. Crazy for just two guys to combine for 80 points!! Kenyan Drake and Leonard Fournette disappointed, combining for just 13.1 between the two of them. Other than that, solid day for Al, but no one came close to the heroics of his aforementioned dynamic duo. A little scary lack of balance for Al, but if those 2 keep anchoring his team, it won’t be a problem. 

QB1 Woes: Powder Wishes He Wentz in a Different Direction

After a couple of disappointing weeks from Carson Wentz, Powder had enough, and gave Gardner Minshew II the start. Of all weeks, Minshew came back down to earth, with a major let down of a week. Averaging 3.9 yards on 30 completions is NOT GREAT. A very quiet day for the ‘Stache, with 275 passing yards, but zero TDs (passing or rushing) with an interception and fumble to boot. 

Meanwhile, on his bench, Carson Wentz had a nice day, scoring 21.5 points with a balanced attack through the air and on the ground for the Eagles. Nothing too sexy about his stats, but he got the job done. 225 passing yards (29 for 47 – eek), with 1 passing TD, and 2 INTs. Then on the ground, 9 carries for 65 yards and a TD. Overall, a solid performance for the Cinnamon Cannon. Granted, it was against the Bengals, so for Week 4, not sure if Powder goes with Wentz against a stout 49ers defense.

Overall, the difference between Minshew and Wentz wasn’t enough to turn this from an L to W, but certainly would’ve put Powder within striking distance.

Matchup MVP: Alvin Kamara (45.7 pts)

No other choice when someone puts up 45 points by themselves. Honorable mention to Russell Wilson, but c’mon – with Michael Thomas out, Kamara is single-handedly keeping that offense afloat in a big way.

Matchup Letdown: Dion Lewis (2 pts)

Not so much blaming Dion Lewis, but the impossible spot he was in, as an RB2. He was projected for 9.6 points, but could only muster 2 in this one. Not sure if Lewis is anything more of a desperation flier flex for bye weeks, but Powder really had no choice. Hopefully Powder can make a trade for a RB before Week 4 and get a more solid RB2 in there.

The Sharks (Fred O’Brien) over Team Waleed (Waleed Jeha) 169.02 to 168.22

TOUGH break here for Waleed. 0.8 was the different here. Yes, that’s zero point eight points. Waleed was one reception short of winning this one, but it likely shouldn’t have been a ball-game, had Fred started the one and only Josh Allen over Mitch Trubisky. 

That aside for now, Waleed’s team had some huge performances to put up 168 pts, even if it was all for naught against a strong week for Fred’s Sharks.

QB Controversy, Over!

What do Matt Nagy and Fred O’Brien have in common? They both regret starting Mitch Trubisky last week! However, for both parties, they still managed to pull out a win, so perhaps they have no regrets. Josh Allen may have proven to all those who roster him in fantasy, that he’s a must-start QB1, with little to no regard for the weekly matchup.

No Davante Adams, No Problem!

In what was initially a tough break for Fred, Davante Adams not playing in Week 3 might have been his most fortunate turn of events. Had Adams played, it’s unclear how many snaps or targets he would’ve gotten. Instead, he did not play, and Fred slotted in Keenan Allen into the FLEX. How’d he do? Oh, he only racked up 30.2 points!!!! Huge point swing there in favor of The Sharks. Great call by Fred to go Keenan Allen in the FLEX over Ronald Jones II, or even Mark Ingram II.

His other receivers took care of business as well. DK Metcalf with a solid 19, and Stefon Diggs continued his streak of consistency with a 14.9 point performance. Not sure how they knew, but The Sharks wideout crew really stepped up in the absence of Adams. 

Hitting a Wall

As most of us saw firsthand, the Raiders’ Darren Waller really struggled against the Pats on Sunday. The only person more upset than Gruden (or Waller) by his performance was probably Waleed. 2.9 points on the day for one of the hottest TEs coming into Week 3. 2 receptions, on just 4 targets. That number of targets might be the most frustrating part, if I’m Waleed. He didn’t even get the targets he’s been warranted! Granted, he was banged up, so maybe that was part of the Raiders’ gameplan, but still! From 16 targets (12 receptions) all the way down to 4?! Derek Carr is just a frustrating as hell player to rely on, in any capacity. 

3-Headed Monster

All was not bad for Team Waleed, as he had a day of 3 monster performances from skill position players to keep him in this shootout. Austin Ekeler with a cool 31.3 pts. Tyler Lockett with 37!!! Even Cooper Kupp got into the action, with a big day, dropping 25.7 pts. Good things will happen when 3 guys combine for nearly 100 points, all out of skill position spots. 

No CMC? NBD

While losing CMC for a few weeks obviously hurts Waleed, his team, even in this loss, proved they’re still able to put up points and compete with ANYBODY. Having Mike Davis on the bench must’ve hurt a bit, but it’s always nice to have that handcuff to your elite RB. Waleed is still very much in a good spot moving forward, despite what can only be described as a heart wrenching Week 3.

Matchup MVP: Rex Burkhead (34.8 pts)

Not yet mentioned, but LOVED by many Pats fans… SEXY REXY BURKHEAD! What a move by Fred to foresee a big day from Burkhead in the Patriots offense, with the absence of James White. I can’t say I would’ve been this bold, and likely would’ve played Ronald Jones as my RB2. But hey that’s why Fred’s 3-0, and I’m barely 1-2. 

Matchup Letdown: Darren Waller (2.9 pts)

Not to keep dumping on the poor guy, BUT Waller was just such a bummer for Team Waleed. No other real option here. Sure David Montgomery could’ve done better than 7.4, but Waller is the one who needed to step up with literally ONE more reception. This might actually be more on Derek Carr, than Waller, but still. Someone in the matchup has to take the fall. 

Team Chubby (Brent Buckley) over Fresh Prince of Helair (Jared Scali) 131.66 to 128.88

Another TIGHT matchup here. About 4 out of the 5 matchups were quite close, and came down to the wire. Other than Quags, Couch Guy Sports VP Jared Scali was probably the 2nd most impacted by the Patrick Mahomes clinic on the Ravens defense. Not only did zero of his 5 passing TDs not find Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but Brent’s team has Tyreek Hill, who scored a TD through the air in the 2nd quarter. I don’t know if he was watching, but I imagine Scali watching the Chiefs crush the Ravens in the 2nd half, clamoring for CEH to get into the end-zone to secure the fantasy W.

Yet Another Tough Break for The Forever Consistent Father Scali

He may be 1-2, but Scali has been WILDLY consistent this year. I guess that makes sense when you become a dad, reliability becomes inherent. He’s scored quite a bit, with the 5th most points, but hasn’t had advantageous matchups that allow him to churn out the dubs. His average points scored over 3 weeks is 130.32. His highest scoring week? 131.96. His lowest? 128.88. That’s quite impressive. For Diego, who plays him this week, at least he knows how much he’s going to have to score to beat Scali!

Reliable Full Chubb

Brent’s Team Chubby, has seen significant production from Nick Chubb since making him the namesake of the team. 19 carries for 108 yards and 2 rushing TDs is quite the day, and just what someone like Brent wants from him as the RB1. If those touches continue to reach 20 or so, with all of the injuries so far this year, Chubb is likely a top 5 RB on the season. That’s saying a lot, especially with Kareem Hunt vulturing touches and getting most of the backfield’s red zone passing targets.

Balanced Effort For the Scali-Wags

Not sure if Scali-Wags is crossing the line or not, but apparently I’m willing to find out. Just a nice balanced attack from Scali’s squad. No one dramatically overperformed (with the possible exception of Tyler Boyd’s 22.5 pts) to heavily anchor him. Which is kind of scary, when you think about it. He’s looming in the weeds with these consistent performers. When one or a couple of these guys (Calvin Ridley) bust out for a booming performance, this team is ready to put up NUMBERS. Hell, even Big Ben put up a solid 19.18 against the Texans. Everybody is contributing on this team!!!

Wisely Mixon it Up

Lowkey the most fascinating start/sit decision of the week: 2nd round pick, Joe Mixon BENCHED! How did Jared Scali know Joe Mixon was going to do little to nothing against the Eagles? Just HOW? The foresight to start Kareem Hunt over Mixon as his RB2 was just mind-blowing – but the right move. Mixon still got touches (17 rushes, 2 receptions) but didn’t do much with them, totaling 8.5, less than both his RB2 Kareem Hunt, and flex Kenny Golladay.

Matchup MVP: Tyreek Hill (21.2 pts)

As mentioned previously, Hill’s performance on Monday Night was CRUCIAL in this one. Though he didn’t score the most points for Team Chubby, his MNF game was massive. Even beyond the obvious, (76 yards receiving with a TD) that was on just 5 receptions, and just 6 total targets. He’s an elite wideout, so he’s more than capable of a game like this – but with only 6 targets, every single reception mattered. Kudos to you on that, Tyreek Hill, even if you are still a piece of sh*t human-being.

Matchup Letdown: Chargers D/ST (4 pts)

Realistically, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the difference, and his inability to punch one in for a TD on Monday night was brutal. BUT, the guy still put up 18.4 points without scoring, so that’s not all on him. Instead, we’re going with the LA Chargers D/ST unit. Somehow, they only scored 4 points against a CMC-less Panthers offense. HOW?! Sure, losing Melvin Ingram really hurts their pass-rush and ability to pressure opposing QBs, but overall this unit has been so underwhelming from initial expectations. 

Zero interceptions against Teddy Bridgewater, who threw 28 times on the day? Not saying that’s a crazy high amount of attempts, but damn, you need to take advantage! The Chargers made Mike Davis look like CMC, allowing him 46 yards on the ground, and then another 45 and a TD via receiving. 

Boston Antidote (Diego Galvis) over The Click Baits (Connor Ryan) 142.68 to 90.2

Well, I alluded to it before. 4 of the 5 matchups were close. That 5th one that was not-so-close? Right here. BLOWOUT CITY.

Connor had an uphill battle coming out of the gate, with James Robinson’s massive 30 point performance for Diego. The Colts defense went off as well for Diego’s squad, producing like a RB1 on the day with 27 points. When a defense is putting up points like that, it helps everything else go a lot smoother. Heck, even Lamar Jackson failed to surpass 15 points score for Boston Antidote, and they still put up 142! That’s a week where everything is going your way. Big turnaround from being the WAP (Wack-Ass Performance) winner last week for Diego’s team. Job well done.

Cookin’ with Murray: Not Enough Sauce

Kyler Murray (21.7) and Dalvin Cook (25.9) shouldered the load for Connor, and did what they had to do, but it simply wasn’t enough for The Click Baits. Lackluster performances across the board from his other starters, with the lone slight exception of Jonnu Smith scoring 11.1. Those 2 guys are going to need help ASAP, especially if Julio Jones and George Kittle remain out for any longer period of time.

Murray and Cook are both top 3 or so at their respective positions, so expect a king’s ransom IF Connor were to entertain any trades for either star. But honestly, Connor is probably too stubborn to even consider a trade for either of those two, so don’t waste your time! I’ll send him a trade offer for one or each of these guys just to be an asshole though. Feel free to do the same. The Click Baits are 0-3, might as well kick him while he’s down! Maybe we’ll get a shoutout in the next episode of Your Fantasy: 2 Dudes, Fake Balls.

Injury Island, Population: Connor

Tough week right out of the gate for Connor, with both Julio Jones and George Kittle out. His lack of depth showed, with some weak showings from his bench guys. Diontate Johnson with a measly 0.9 for the day after leaving the game with a concussion. The poor guy couldn’t even muster a full point!!! 2 targets, no catches, 1 rush for 9 yards. Brutal. Hope he’s okay.

Connor left JK Dobbins on the bench for Johnson, which didn’t help, but at the same time, would’ve just been a drop in the bucket to chip away at the point difference here.

At the end of the day, Connor’s team is going to rely on the health of Julio and Kittle. That’s a surprise to no one, but if they don’t get healthy ASAP, Connor might have his back against a wall and forced to make some trades for more reliable pieces to right the 0-3 ship.

Indy D/ST, Elite?!

The Colts defense / special teams unit looks… special. Granted, they’ve had a fluffy schedule thus far, but should face some more challenging opponents soon to serve as a better test. Until then, this D/ST is putting up points! I’m jealous, personally, in a year where it seems every defense is a total crapshoot on what to expect. Diego has the Bills D/ST on his bench! That’s a deep couple of options for a week to week basis.

If the Colts are able to keep up their super high pressure rate, expect them to continue to get sacks, force turnovers, and wreak havoc in fantasy.

Matchup MVP: James Robinson (30.9 pts)

Not going to lie – kind of wanted to put the Indy D/ST here, but that would just be rude to James Robinson. What a story. Undrafted free agent, likely a 3rd or even 4th stringer heading into camp, and now he’s a bonafide STUD. Can’t wait to see what he does next against Cincinnati. He’s the type of flier pickup that could prove to be critical for Diego to lean on this year. He’s got the option to either cash out the promise and value of Robinson via trade, or he could ride Robinson’s hot streak out in hopes of superstardom.

Matchup Letdown: Diontae Johnson (0.9 pts)

Not to beat a dead horse, but Connor’s team was full of letdowns. But the biggest letdown just had to be Diontae Johnson, given his projected points of 14.2, and actual output of 0.9. Sure we also expected more than 3.3 out of Hollywood Brown, or even Melvin Gordon, but with his injury knocking him out of the game, Johnson’s point total was crushing to Connor.

Weekly Accolades:

Some random shout-outs and disses to acknowledge the best and worst performances of the past week.

The Galaxy Brain Award: The Sharks – Fred O’Brien (169.02 pts)

Congrats. You made all the right moves this week. A true galaxy-brain level performance that led to the most points scored.

Fred chose the perfect time to be the pacesetting high scorer for the week, with Waleed hot on his tail. Bravo to The Sharks – have a feeling this won’t be the only time they win this award.

The WAP (Weak Ass Performance) Award: The Click Baits – Connor Ryan (90.2 pts)

THIS is our household Fantasy Football expert?! The 0-3 man, Connor Ryan?! I’m beginning to wonder if he’s letting his cat Roscoe make some of these roster decisions. If he hasn’t yet, maybe he should? Certainly can’t hurt at this point!

In all seriousness, between Julio Jones and George Kittle both being out, the injury bug bit hard for Connor this week. This is the highest point total yet from a WAP award winner.

The Went Down Swingin’ Award: Team Waleed – Team Waleed (168.22 pts)

Team Waleed was in the shootout of the year this past week. 0.8 points was the difference here between two teams scoring in the high 160s! Unfortunately for him, he was on the wrong end of a matchup against the highest-scoring team, The Sharks. 

He did nearly everything right, yet it wasn’t enough. But even in a shootout between a couple of sharpshooters, someone has to lose. Way to go down swingin’ champ, better luck next time.

The Sneaky Snake Award: Small State Big Cakes – Gilli (AKA, me) (122.9 pts) 

This person won with the lowest score total among all winners this week. A little luck goes a long way in fantasy, and this is symbolic of that. For now, congrats… but it let it be known that we see you slithering your way to a victory! So much of fantasy is playing teams on the right week, the fantasy gods are on your side, for now…

NO SHAME IN SLITHERING MY WAY TO A VICTORY HERE. A WIN IS A WIN. 

The Honey, We’re Going Streaking Award: Danvers Powderpuffs and The Click Baits – Thomas Powder Cadmus and Connor Ryan

Powder and Connor are both Will Ferrell here. In a first for these reviews, I have no choice but to give this award to two teams. 3 weeks in, both have gone streaking in the worst way. 3 losses in a row. Powder had a better Week 3 than Connor, but Connor has more total points on the season, hence why it felt right to have them share this title . 

God, for their sake, I at least hope KFC is still open.

The If You Could Turn Back Time Award, Presented By Cher

What a song. This week, Jared Scali wins the award sponsored by Cher! He wishes he could turn back time to Sunday morning and make a different start/sit decision, which would have resulted in a matchup win, not a loss.

If only he had started Robert Woods (21.4) over Kenny Golladay (17.7). By no stretch was this an obvious decision to make. Even still, it hurts leaving matchup-winning points on the bench, especially if a single move could’ve been the difference. Cher, play me out.

*Side note / General disclaimer: Fantasy Football leagues are totally screwed once we figure out time travel. Shit’s going to be defunct so fast when someone cheats, waits until Week 16, and then time travels back to the draft and picks the best performers of the year. 

Standings After Week 3

Fred, at 3-0, is the undisputed team to beat! Big task for Team Chubby in that Week 4 matchup.

Good news for Connor and Powder though – one of them will come out of Week 4 with their first win. The Superbowl Matchup of 0-3 teams. CAN’T WAIT.

A bit of disparity in the point totals here, even just 3 weeks into the 2020 season. Plenty of season left to turn it around and save your season, or to screw it all up and completely fumble the bag. Either way – I’m happy to be slightly out of the basement, and all the way to 8th place at 1-2.

Song Expressing My Current Feelings following Week 3: 

NEWSFLASH: IT WASN’T A DROUGHT. STARTED 0-2 BUT I’M BACK BABYYYYYYYY.

Good luck to all in your respective leagues – may the waiver odds ever be in your favor. I’ll be back next week with another recap on the Couch Guy Sports fantasy league.

-Mike Gilligan (@BigGilli, @VerbalCommitPod and @SmallStateTakes Podcast) – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/small-state-big-takes/id1432138166 / https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/verbally-committed/id1516871465

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