Week 3 wasn't a dumpster fire, but that's about the only nice thing I can say about it. The success rate held steady at 50%, dropping the YTD rate to 53%. There were no stars on this list but there were a couple of duds...most notably Julian Edelman and Lance Moore at receiver. We knew that Moore was a boom-bust selection and bust he did. Edelman saw the targets and receptions but 44 yards isn't going to do it for you, no matter how many targets you receive. Week four starts the bye season which presents some excellent opportunities, so let's jump on getting that bad taste out of our mouth. As a reminder, the Best Bang for your Buck is based on David Dodds' projections while the Bargain Buys are my personal selections.
Quarterback
- Highest Priced Player: Peyton Manning- $9,900
- Average Priced Player: Eli Manning- $7,100
Best Bang for your Buck: Ben Roethlisberger- $7,000 vs. Minnesota. The Vikings were torched in week three by none other than Brian Hoyer. This Steelers offense is bad, and Roethlisberger's protection is worse, but they have to move the ball somehow. Dodds has the Steelers quarterback as the 10th best option this week.
Bargain Buy: Ryan Tannehill ($6,300) vs. New Orleans.Tannehill was an average play last week and I expect him to be even better in week four against the Saints. We've all seen this Saints offense on Monday Night Football and we can expect fireworks again. Tannehill will have to wing the ball all over the field to keep up and should put up top ten production.
Running Back
- Highest Priced Player: Adrian Peterson - $9,600
- Average Priced Player: DeMarco Murray- $7,900
Best Bang for your Buck: Bilal Powell ($4,700) vs. Tennessee. Powell has been thrust into the spotlight with the injury to Chris Ivory. He faces a Titans defense that's been slightly better than expected but is still no juggernaut. The Jets are winning their way in 2013, with tough physical football. That should mean a lot of carries for Powell.
Bargain Buy: Lamar Miller ($6,500) vs. New Orleans. Miller's being underused right now, but I can't wait to see him on that Superdome turf. I expect him to have great success against the Saints and further elevate his value. At some point the Dolphins have to realize that they're leaving yards on the field by playing Daniel Thomas as much as they are. If they figure it out this week, Miller will have a monster performance.
Wide Receiver
- Highest Priced Player: Calvin Johnson - $9,200
- Average Priced Player: Four players- $7,000
Best Bang for your Buck: Josh Gordon ($6,500) vs. Cincinnati. This is just a case of the FanDuel computers not catching up with Gordon's production yet. The Bengals are a tough match up, but if Gordon can get even half of the 19 targets he saw in week three, he'll be a great play. Outside of Gordon and Jordan Cameron, this is an offense devoid of weapons.
Bargain Buy: Marlon Brown ($5,000) vs. Buffalo. Brown is going to be up and down as a rookie in a questionable offense, but with this match up I expect him to be more up than down. His price is an absolute steal, especially if he can get into the end zone. Unlike most weeks, the Ravens should have no trouble moving the ball in week four.
Tight End
- Highest Priced Player: Jimmy Graham - $8,400
- Average Priced Player: Zach Miller- $5,100
Best Bang for your Buck: Brandon Myers ($4,700) vs. Kansas City. If at first you don't succeed, try try again. The Chiefs are going to focus their efforts on shutting down Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, which should leave the middle open for Myers. If this one gets out of hand early, it should be good for Myers...although it didn't help much last week.
Bargain Buy: Brent Celek ($4,600) vs. Denver. I can't wait to see how many plays are run in this one. Two of the fastest, most potent offenses in the league face off in what should be an exciting game. I expect the Broncos to sell out against LeSean McCoy and the run, leaving Brent Celek open on play action. Like Myers, we've been burnt by Celek before but I feel good about him this week.
Defense
Colts vs. Jacksonville. The Colts defense? Really? Against that offense, absolutely. The Jaguars are brutal, especially their interior line. I expect the Colts to have success getting after the quarterback and that to force at least two turnovers. What they do with those turnovers may determine whether this was a good selection or not.
Kicker
Mike Nugent vs. Cleveland. Nugent has been a disappointment so far in 2013 and that's why you can find him for just $5,000. This is a game the Bengals should win handily, and I wouldn't be surprised if they got just a little bit conservative in the red zone to make sure they continue to pile up points. The Browns should be able to stop them from running the ball with great success which could lead to several Nugent attempts.
Contact Heath at cummings@footballguys.com or on Twitter @heathcummingssr