Week 3 Fantasy Avengers

    Hello everyone, I am back again with your week 3 fantasy avengers. Last week my picks for the debut of the Fantasy Avengers column went about as well as the finale of Infinity War. Three out of my four picks turned to dust on the field, and more importantly in your line up. I did manage to nail my call on Iron Man aka Stefon Diggs; as he torched the Miami secondary with 8 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown. Diggs finished as the wide receiver four in half ppr scoring, which surpassed his week 2 consensus rank of 22. I failed to mention this last week, but I am pulling rankings from the fantasy pros half ppr expert consensus ranks to avoid any analyst bias and because half ppr is the most common format in fantasy football. Going forward I plan on diving deeper into my weekly analysis of players, especially now that the player/hero descriptions have been written. Please keep in mind that I am no expert, and that I am only making observations and predictions on the information in front of me, I am not being paid or supported by any third party. Each week I look to improve in my writing and in my analysis, so any constructive criticism is accepted and appreciated. If you are looking for a TL;DR to avoid reading an article that doesn't mention any of your players you can find it at the bottom of this write-up.

    There are a lot of great match-ups going into week 3 of the NFL season. We start with the battle of the superior facial hair, as the  mustache wielding Gardner Minshew takes on Fitzmagic and his glorious beard on Thursday night football (by the time this is posted we will know the outcome). Following Thursdays game we have the duel of two NFC offensive juggernauts as the Dallas Cowboys travel to Seattle to take on the Russel Wilson led Seahawks, after the skirmish we end the day with two future Hall of Famers in Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers take to the turf covered gridiron on Sunday Night Football. That is not all, the week will then come to a close as the two reigning NFL MVPs duel it out on Monday Night Football in a true clash of the titans. These games not only have huge fantasy implications, but also also real life consequences. A win or a loss this week could determine the playoff seeding when the playoffs arrive.  With another great week of football knocking on our door, here are your week 3 Fantasy Avengers. 

Ryan Tannehill (FantasyPros Rank No. 15)

Image taken from A to Z sports Nashville

    Steve Rogers AKA Captain America is the unquestioned leader of the Avengers. Even though Cap is not the strongest member of the team, without him the Avengers would not be able to capitalize on all of their potential. Just like with the avengers a football team can only be as good as its quarterback. The QB who makes this designation may not be the best player on his team, but it is someone I believe can lead his team to fantasy success. From a ranking standpoint I will choose QBs who are outside the top 15 who I believe will finish inside the top 10.

    Ryan Tannehill (FantasyPros Rank No. 15) - I understand that Tannehill is right at 15, but looking at the QBs behind him, I wasn't able to justify a top 10 finish no matter how many stats I looked at. Tannehill ranks as the number 10 quarterback in fantasy football through two weeks. While Tannehill seems like a boring pick for your fantasy team, his efficiency in the passing game especially around the goal line is something to be admired. Last week Ryan made the most of his limited opportunities by throwing four touchdowns on 24 pass attempts against the lowly Jacksonville defense. This week he will be facing a defense that is arguably worse, the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are allowing 8.4 yards per attempt and have already given up a 350+ yard, 4 touchdown game. I am fully aware that game came from Aaron Rodgers, but in week 2 they were one 50 yard touchdown catch away from giving Philip Rivers a good day in fantasy. Tannehill was able to provide value in a game without his top receiver, and this week looks no different. Trust Tannehill to be your Captain America in week 3. 

Kareem Hunt (FantasyPros Rank No.19)

Image taken from Dawg Pound Daily

    Thor, also known as the God of Thunder, is one of the most dominant avengers to date. Thor is a true game changer for the Avengers, he has turned the tides in countless battles and he is one of the most important members on the team. The same can be said for a successful fantasy football running back. For a running back to have success in fantasy he needs to be able to make cuts as quick as lighting, while also bringing the thunder against the toughest foes in the NFL. Each week I will look for the true King of Asgard by picking a running back who is ranked outside of the top 15 who has a strong likelihood of finishing inside the top 10.

    Last week Hunt brought both the lightning and the thunder as he went for 101 total yards and 2 scores. Through two weeks Hunt has been the more reliable back in the Browns backfield and he is doing so with less touches. The Browns have been in two opposite game scripts the past two weeks, and Hunt proved that he is seemingly game script proof. This week the Browns host the Washington Football Team in what looks to be a favorable match-up. Through two games the Washington Football team has allowed an average of 4.43 ypc, which includes a game where they played the Eagles without Miles Sanders.  In a game where the Browns are expected to win by a touchdown I can see Hunt doing a majority of his damage in the second half. I also expect the Browns to have the ball quite often as the Washington O-line is giving up 3.5 sacks per game and Haskins is averaging a measly 56.3% completion rate. Hunt has a real opportunity to make lightning strike twice this Sunday and I believe that he can far surpass his #19 week 3 ranking. 

Diontae Johnson (FantasyPros Rank No. 18)

Image taken from Behind the Steel Curtain

    

    Iron Man is smart, adaptive, and always ready to strike. These are the qualities that make him a valuable asset to the avengers. These same qualities can be applied to the wide receiver position. For a receiver to have success he needs to be able to outsmart defenders, adapt to their coverage, and be willing to strike when given the opportunity. Tony Stark is known for his ability to adapt after every battle, constantly changing his suit or technique in order to solve the problem at hand. A wide receiver needs these skills in order to put your team over the top Each week I will look to find the receiver who can display these qualities in his match-up. The wide receivers I choose will be ranked outside the top 15 who have the opportunity to finish inside the top 10.

    Through two weeks Diontae Johnson appears to be Ben Roethlisbergers favorite target with a market share over 30%.  Over the past two games Johnson has caught the ball 14 times on 23 targets for 149 yards and a touchdown. This week Johnson looks to continue his dominance in the Steelers receiving game as the Texans travel to Pittsburgh. While the Texans have done well at limiting both Mahomes and Lamar in the passing game, I predict that Johnson's receiving volume will allow him to overcome the Texans secondary. Johnson shares a lot of the qualities in an Iron Man level receiver, he is able to adapt to the defenses thrown at him with an 88th percentile receiving score in Matt Harmons reception perception. To go along with his route running prowess Johnson has the top tier speed to break away to the endzone every time he touches the ball. This week look to Diontae to be your week 3 Iron Man. 

Darius Slayton - (FantasyPros Rank No. 30) 

Image taken from SFgate

On the surface Bruce Banner is just a normal guy who couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag, but if you get him angry he turns into the Incredible Hulk. While Banner is very valuable to the Avengers on a week to week basis, they really need the Hulk when it comes to stopping the world's toughest foes. As a fantasy football owner you always want to try and have one of your players “hulk out” and win you the week. While this player may not be the best guy on your team, if you can get him into the right situation he can become an unstoppable force.  For this category I will pick a player who is currently ranked outside the top 30 who has a real chance at finishing inside of the top 20.

    Darius Slayton - (FantasyPros Rank No. 30) Darius Slayton has a real opportunity to turn into the Incredible Hulk for your fantasy team in week 3. The 49ers were decimated by injury last week, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Going into week 3 the San Francisco defense will be without Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford, and their top three cornerbacks in Sherman, Verrett, and Witherspoon. With such a weakened defense, Slayton is primed to have a big day on Sunday. In two weeks Slayton is averaging 7.5 targets a game, but with Barkley out for the season I expect that number to rise. Combining the expected rise in targets with the diminished Niners defense I see Darius Slayton putting up a stat line similar to week 1 where he caught the ball 6 times for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Look to Darius to go from Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk in week 3. 

Good luck to everyone this week, I will be back in week 4 with a whole new line up!

TL;DR

Captain America - Ryan Tannehill

Thor - Kareem Hunt

Iron Man - Diontae Johnson

Hulk - Darius Slayton

Stats and Data taken from:

FantasyPros.com

Pro-football-reference.com

Thefantasyfootballers.com