Under-the-Radar Booms/Busts: Week 3

September 23, 2018

Craig Rondinone analyzes the under-the-radar booms and busts for Week 3 in fantasy football. These players could be high upside flex plays or players to bench and sit in Week 3.

Forget about the busts and booms everyone in fantasy football knows about! What about those busts and booms flying under the radar?

There are a plethora of players who fit the under-the-radar profile this week. It is still early enough in the season where certain players are not getting the pub (negatively or positively) they should be and could go unnoticed by fantasy players looking to set the perfect lineup in their standard or DFS leagues.

Here are some under-the-radar booms and busts for the third week of NFL action to help you set a winning lineup. Good luck RotoBallers!

Week 3 Under-the-Radar Booms

Kenyan Drake, Miami Dolphins (RB, MIA) vs. OAK

Drake has been stuck in a timeshare situation with future Hall of Famer and Miami hero Frank Gore that has hurt his fantasy worth. Drake has touched the ball 32 times during the Dolphins’ two victories, while Gore has had the ball in his hands 19 times. This has stunted Drake’s fantasy value as he has only managed 135 total yards and one score with Gore cutting into his playing time and scoring opportunities like a hot knife cutting through meatloaf.

Oakland’s run defense is about as much of a mess as Chip Kelly’s UCLA team is. The Raiders are ranked 31^st against the run, their best run-stopping defensive tackles are injured, and there are no signs of them fixing the problem anytime soon. Drake should be able to find plenty of open space whether he runs between the tackles or swings outside for some short passes. Look for Drake to have his best game of the season so far.

Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks (TE, SEA) vs. DAL

Dissly showed the fantasy world that he is not a one-week fantasy fluke. After blowing up Denver’s secondary for 105 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, Dissly followed with 42 yards and another trip to the end zone against Chicago this past Monday night. With top target Doug Baldwin out with a knee injury and top tight end Ed Dickson out with a quad injury, the only other Seahawks Dissly has to battle with for passes is dropaholic Brandon Marshall and underwhelming Tyler Lockett, so Dissly should be a solid fantasy option over the next month.

Dallas has been playing above-average defense over their first two games, but the Cowboys allowed New York’s Evan Engram to catch seven passes for 67 yards and a score last week. They only held Carolina’s Greg Olsen in check during the opening week because Olsen re-fractured his foot. Look for Dissly to dismantle Dallas’ defense this weekend en route to another fantastic fantasy outing.  His combo of size and surprising speed will be hard for Dallas to match up with.

Latavius Murray (RB, MIN) vs. BUF

The Buffalo Bills are battling neck-and-neck with the Arizona Cardinals for the early-season title of worst team in the NFL. I cannot for the life of me figure how Buffalo and its laughable offense will be able to muster more than 14 points against Minnesota’s stingy defense this week inside the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium, nor can I fathom a way the Bills defense will be able to slow down Kirk Cousins and his cheery corps of receivers to under 30 points.

Murray has been stuck behind top tailback Dalvin Cook the first two weeks and has 61 rushing yards and zero touchdowns so far. Cook is a surprise scratch with hamstring problems for this week, though, and Murray is notorious in fantasy circles for scoring touchdowns late in blowout games. I see a scenario where Minnesota is up 24-3 in the second half and Murray is gets more of the carries and finds his way into the end zone twice. I have seen it before, and I think we will see it again this weekend.

Week 3 Under-the-Radar Busts

Phillip Lindsay (RB, DEN) at BAL

Lindsay has been Denver’s best back so far, running for 178 over Denver’s two wins while compadres Royce Freeman and Devontae Booker have only combined for 120. Lindsay has also been the best of the bunch in the passing game (35 receiving yards and a TD) and has shown more pop when hitting holes and better big-play ability after he breaks through the front seven and gets into the open field.

Denver’s running back rotation is trickier than a Phil Ivey bluff, though. Lindsay could do all the work to get the Broncos down the field, yet Freeman could be the one who gets the goal line carries. And you never know when Booker will be subbed into the game for a couple carries for no real reason. Baltimore’s defense always plays like a bunch of bullies at home and should be able to keep Lindsay and Denver’s inconsistent offense in check.

Randall Cobb (WR, GB) at WAS

The longtime slot receiver and Aaron Rodgers favorite has gotten off to one of his better starts in years with 13 receptions for 172 yards and a touchdown. Cobb was a fantasy nonfactor in 2017 due to Brett Hundley being his quarterback in lieu of Rodgers’ cracked collarbone, so it is refreshing to see him contribute again, especially in PPR leagues where he is more valuable.

Cobb is going to find tough sledding trying to get open this week against Washington’s top-ranked pass defense, however. While Josh Norman is locking down opposing No. 1 receivers, the rest of the secondary is doing a fine job covering the other receivers and tight ends. Cobb is going to have to fight and claw for five catches for 55 yards, so his chances of having a monster day against a defense only giving up 160 passing yards per game at the moment are slimmer than an ostrich’s neck, especially now that tight end Jimmy Graham is developing more chemistry with QB Aaron Rodgers and getting more looks.

Cooper Kupp (WR, LAR) vs. LAC

The Rams love spreading the ball around as much as Willie Nelson loves marijuana, yet Kupp has still been able to haul in 11 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in the early going. The Chargers have had trouble covering the top receivers on teams this season, so Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods could have field days on Sunday, but the Bolts have bottled up No. 3 receivers. Kansas City’s Chris Conley only caught one 15-yard pass against them in Week 1, while Buffalo’s Robert Foster caught two passes for 30 yards in Week 2.  Kupp will probably only see six targets on Sunday and will have a hard time turning them into anything special. Avoid Kupp and think about other low-rent receivers in your DFS and standard leagues.

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