Friday Fantasy Talk is back again to give you that juicy, juicy fantasy football advice. Carr and Winston made us look smart. Eli and Stafford, not so much. Melvin Gordon and Will Fuller made us look real dumb for picking them as busts. They tore is up last week. But hey, no one is perfect and here we are once again to give you our picks for week 3. Once again, you won’t see the obvious guys like David Johnson or Antonio Brown. Now lets get to it!

QUARTERBACKS

Matt Ryan, ATL vs NO

Matt Ryan is the highest scoring fantasy QB so far this season. We expect him to stretch the field with Julio and Sanu to expose a weak Saints secondary. After this week, Ryan has a tough stretch of games against Carolina, Denver, and Seattle so enjoy the points while they last. You may want to bench him soon but not this week. Expect another big week from Matty Ice.

Phillip Rivers, SD vs IND

Rivers has quietly been very good with limited options. He lost his top receiver in Keenan Allen in the first half of week 1 and lost his favorite pass catching back, Danny Woodhead, in the first half of week 2. How did he respond? Well he only threw for 4 TDs last week against Jacksonville. Rivers is getting up there with age but he can still throw the ball as well as anyone else. The Colts are giving up the 11th most fantasy points against QBs and we expect another good games from Rivers.

Carson Palmer, ARZ vs BUF

Last week Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick picked apart Buffalo’s defense for 374 yards and a TD. Buffalo has been in all sorts of disarray. They have given up a significant amount of yardage through the air to Joe Flacco and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Expect Palmer, a much better QB than the other two, to put up some big numbers.

SLEEPER: Marcus Mariota, TEN vs OAK

To put it lightly, Oakland’s defense is atrocious. They are giving up the most fantasy points  to opposing QBs, who are averaging almost 30 fantasy points per game. Mariota may not have the offensive firepower around him as Drew Brees and Matt Ryan, but we still expect him to have a good game.

BUST: Andy Dalton, CIN vs DEN

Dalton faces a very difficult Denver defense this week. Denver is giving up an average of 15 points per game to opposing QBs. Dalton will face a lot of pressure from Denver’s front seven and will not have much time in the pocket to find his best friend AJ Green. We expect a low scoring game this weaken Cincinnati.

RUNNING BACKS

Matt Forte, NYJ vs KC

Forte has looked like the free agent steal of the year so far. He has become the workhorse for the Jets. He is third in the league in total carries, so far, behind DeAngelo Williams and Lamar Miller and tied with Miller for second most touches in the league only behind Williams. Forte is the go to guy in New York and will face a Kansas City defense who has allowed an average of 24 fantasy points to opposing RBs so far this season. We expect another big week from Forte.

Melvin Gordon, SD vs IND

Last week we had Gordon as a bust and boy were we wrong. Gordon had a great week against Jacksonville and will benefit even more with the injury to Woodhead. Indianapolis gives up an average of 34 fantasy points to opposing RBs, most in the league. Expect another big game from Gordon.

Ezekiel Elliot, DAL vs CHI

Zeke has been a little bit of a disappointment so far this season. He was expected to burst onto the scene behind one of the best offensive lines in football and never slow down, However, he has yet to rush for over 100 yards in a game and has had some fumble issues. This week against Chicago looks like the time to get things on track. Chicago is a weak defense who will be without NT Eddie Goldman and LBs Lamar Houston and Danny Trevathan after they got injured last week. Expect Zeke to have a good game against a banged up and weak Bears defense.

SLEEPER: Charles Simms, TB vs LAR

With Doug Martin injured, Simms becomes the go to guy in Tampa Bay. Last week LA had a good week containing a banged up Seattle offense, but in week 1 Carlos Hyde ran for 88 yards and 2 TDs against them. Simms is an every down back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. He has proven that he can be a suitable replacement for Martin in the past and could have a good game this week as the starter against the Rams.

BUST: Latavius Murray, OAK vs TEN

Murray has had a nice start to the season. He is currently the 9th ranked fantasy RB and has had double digit points in both games so far. However, Murray faces a tough matchup in the Tennessee Titans this week. Tennessee has given up the least amount of fantasy points against RBs this season and could very well shut Murray down on Sunday. We expect Oakland to win, but Murray owners should be wary.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Jeremy Maclin, KC vs NYJ

The Jets secondary has been straight up bullied so far this season. Revis looks like a shell of the CB he once was. Opposing WRs score an average of 35 points against the Jets which is second only to Oakland. Maclin is Alex Smith’s favorite target and we expect him to see the ball thrown his way very often. Look for Maclin to have a good game.

Willie Snead, NO vs ATL

The New Orleans Saints have a prolific passing offense and Willie Snead is a big part of that. He is currently the second highest scoring WR in all of fantasy football behind Kelvin Benjamin. While Cooks will get more targets as Drew Bress’ top option, Snead provides a very good second choice. Their game on Monday night against Atlanta should be a high scoring affair and expect big numbers from Snead.

Jarvis Landry, MIA vs CLE

Landry is a reception machine. so far he leads the league in catches with 17 and is second in targets behind Mike Evans. Cleveland’s defense gives up an average of 28 points per game to opposing WRs. We expect Landry to see a ton of passes thrown his way on Sunday. Start Landry with confidence against a very weak Cleveland Browns team.

SLEEPER: Quincy Enunwa, NYJ vs KC

Enunwa has quietly been very good for the Jets this season. If we asked you who leads the Jets in receptions who would you say? Probably Marshall, maybe Decker? Well both answers would be wrong because Enunwa leads the Jets in receptions. On top of that, Marshall is labeled as a game time decision with a knee injury. Even if Marshall plays Enunwa will see an increase in activity and could be a very good sleeper this week.

BUST: Stefon Diggs, MIN vs CAR

Diggs is currently the NFL’s leading receiver and has made all the fantasy owners who used a late round pick on him this year very happy. However, Diggs faces a very tough defense in the Carolina Panthers this week. Carolina is giving up the second least amount of points to opposing WRs this year. With Adrian Peterson now out, possibly for the season, with a knee injury (RIP in peace AP’s knee), Carolina may focus their efforts more on stopping the passing game. Don’t be surprised if Diggs has a down game this week.

TIGHT ENDS

Jacob Tamme, ATL vs NO

Tamme leads the team with targets so far. Yes, he even has more targets on the season than Julio Jones. He is tied for third amongst all TEs with targets. Him and Matt Ryan look to be on the same page so far this season. Saints vs Falcons is always a back and forth, high scoring affair. Expect Matt Ryan to throw the ball a lot and to look Tamme’s way often Monday night.

Dennis Pitta, BAL vs JAX

Pitta has been a highly talented, but often injured player since he entered the league. For now he is healthy and playing strong. He is tied with Tamme with 16 targets on the season and is coming off a 100 yard receiving performance last week. As long as Pitta stays healthy, look for Pitta to be a factor in Baltimore’s offense. We expect another strong game by Pitta this week against a shaky Jacksonville defense.

Delanie Walker, TEN vs OAK

The Oakland Raiders have the worst defense in the NFL. They have given up 30+ points in each of their first games. Delanie Walker is one of Mariota’s favorite targets. Not only does he get red zone targets, but he gets yardage as well. Oakland is giving up 4th most fantasy points to opposing TEs. Expect another strong game from Walker.

SLEEPER: Trey Burton, PHI vs PIT

Bruton filled in very nicely Monday night for the injured Zach Ertz. He had 5 catches for 49 yards and a TD on 7 targets. With Ertz still banged up Burton could be a good plug in option once again. Ertz’s status is still up in the air for this weekend so it is worth monitoring but if he cannot play again, expect another solid weekend for Burton.

BUST: Vance McDonald, SF vs SEA

McDonald has put up good numbers so far this season. He has a TD in both games and is currently the number 2 ranked fantasy TE. However, McDonald is putting up these numbers on very limited opportunities. He has only been targeted 3 times this season. San Francisco is facing a Seattle defense that gives up an average of only 3 points to opposing TEs. McDonald’s numbers may look very nice but don’t be too quick to jump on him. If you have another TE we would suggest sitting McDonald.

DEFENSE / SPECIAL TEAMS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs LAR

Tampa Bay may not be a high powered fantasy defense but this one is all about the matchup. Los Angeles has only scored a total of 9 points this season and has yet to score a TD. If you’re streaming defenses and looking for a plug in with a good matchup this week, Tampa Bay could be a decent choice that is most likely available.

Miami Dolphins vs CLE

Last week Cleveland jumped all over Baltimore early, going up 20-2. Then they remembered they’re the Cleveland Browns and promptly blew that lead. Cleveland is starting Cody Kessler, a rookie with no NFL experience. Look for Miami to put pressure on the young QB to try to force some turnovers. We said it last week and we’ll say it again. Cleveland is terrible.

Cincinnati Bengals vs DEN

Denver is a very good team with a very good defense. However, their offense is not the explosive high powered offense of two years ago. Trevor Siemian has done enough to help  his team win games, but he has more interceptions (3) than TDs (1). That’s no bueno. This game could be a battle of defenses and a low scoring game.

SLEEPER: San Diego Chargers vs IND

Let’s start this by saying San Diego does not have a great defense. This is more about how unbelievably bad Indy’s offensive line has been. Luck has been straight up abused this season so far. He was sacked twice against Detroit and 5 times against Denver. San Diego will give up points but they will also be in Luck’s face all game. Expect some sacks for this defense and a turnover, possibly more.

BUST: Minnesota Vikings vs CAR

Minnesota is currently the top scoring defense in all of fantasy. They are very very good. However, so are Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers offense. Carolina currently has the third best offense in the league and will give Minnesota a real tough task on Sunday.