Takeaways from Week 3 as told by the tweets of the Fantasy Stronghold.
If you were a Christine Michael truther, then the doors of the CWOKE church were open for you. Those in attendance were treated to quite a fiery sermon at the feet of Rev. Matt "Franchise" Franciscovich. After months of trying to convince us to accept Michael as our personal fantasy savior, it finally happened -- although it seemed like a matter of time. The Seahawks have been trying to wait on Thomas Rawls but in the short time he was on the field, Michael was obviously the better back. This will still be a committee, but the split might be about to change.
On the one hand, there's this. The Titans are a nearly fully dysfunctional unit on offense. Their best deep threat is tight end Delanie Walker and when he's out of the offense, Tennessee's passing game has less punch than caffeine-free, diet cola. Marcus Mariota struggles to put together four full quarters and still hasn't fully embraced his ability to be a weapon as a runner. But on the other hand...
You're not really going to make me say something nice about the Titans offense, are you? Most of Murray's production last week against the Lions came on one play. Beyond that, he was rather underwhelming. This week, he did have a big run (36 yards) but found ways to soften up the Raiders defense. But Derrick Henry is still lingering and remaining efficient with his opportunities. Can Murray continue to be a big-play guy? I have my doubts and I wouldn't count on it next week against Houston. That doesn't count as something nice about the Titans. Don't send me candy corn. I'm going to get candy corn, aren't I? I hate everything.
Life comes at you fast moment of the week: That feeling when you're Golden Tate and not only are you not the Lions' No. 1 wide receiver but low-key you might not even be the No. 2 guy either. Boldin has outproduced Tate this season -- and that's with having a touchdown called back by a penalty. Boldin is getting looks in the red zone and is earning Matthew Stafford's trust. Who knows if the veteran keeps it up, but for the time being he belongs on your roster. Oh ... this makes me think of a new award: The Hoodie, given to the veteran wide receiver who makes the biggest impact. Tweet me and let me know what you think.
The Lions didn't run the ball particularly well as a group on Sunday, but Washington again looks like the better back in the competition between himself and Theo Riddick. The older player is going to remain the starter -- especially with his skills as a receiver in Detroit's short passing game. But Washington is a better between-the-tackles runner and should get some of the goal line work. You don't have to embrace committees, but you have to learn how to work them and Washington could have some nice weeks in his future.
In our Week 3 preview podcast, I suggested that Todd Gurley would post good fantasy totals in an otherwise inefficient day. The result: 80 scrimmage yards on 28 total touches while the two touchdowns led to a 20-point fantasy day. But the Rams still struggle to generate a consistent ground game. If Case Keenum can continue to muster even a mild downfield threat, maybe things will get better. But with Arizona on the schedule next week, that doesn't seem too promising.
Nothing about the matchup suggested that Jeremy Hill was going to have big day. In his first two weeks, Hill would have needed to overachieve in order to be "whelming." There was never a reason to believe that he'd find his voice against the gruffest defensive chorus in the league. Does this mean that he's out of the slump and he'll run over the Dolphins next week? Or will he score four points? That's among The Mysteries of Jeremy Hill. cue fog and spooky music
Consider this your yearly reminder that touchdowns are fickle beasts. Evans' three receiving touchdowns last season were a football fluke for a player with his talent and opportunity. We've been reminded of that through the first three weeks of the season as Jameis Winston gets more comfortable in the offense and builds a stronger rapport with Evans. This has the makings of a super productive duo and is the reason Evans is on the verge of being an elite receiver.
The Chiefs defense caught as many Ryan Fitzpatrick passes as Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Matt Forte combined.
Wait...what?"
- Kelvin Benjmain had how many targets?!
- Blake Bortles (3 rush, 17 yards) was Jacksonville's best rushing option on Sunday.
- Terrelle Pryor (200 yards of total offense) accounted for 46.5 percent of Cleveland's offensive production.
- Antonio Brown (12 rec, 140 yards) outproduced the rest of the Steelers pass-catchers (12 rec, 117 yards).
And one for the road...
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. His snapchat (marcasg9) is a mixture of fantasy football and shenanigans. He still has half a container of hummus but just ate the last of his crackers and might consider spreading it on an apple. If you read all of that, congrats. Follow him on Twitter too.
