Week 3 Recap

Andy Dalton gets special recognition for: 1) being a beautiful ginger man, 2) I could not bring myself to have a Dolphins QB be the cover photo again, and 3) he helped me win my Survivor pool this week.

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Dolphins fans continue to feel the pain this season, DJ, Matt and Andy all limped to around only 100 points and got blown out in their matchups. Surely it will be one of them that is eliminated in Survivor next week.

The Weekly High Score Bonus was hotly contested. Going into Monday Night Adam, Josh, Chris, Rob and Jason were all projected in the 130’s, with only 7.5 points separating the five managers. In the end, Chris took home the $10 prize.

No changes in the other bonuses.

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nWo4LIFE (DJ) vs Puttin’ on the Ritz (ADAM)

DJ started off Thursday night with Hunter Henry at TE, over Kyle Pitts – clearly not the decision of a man with a sound mind. On the other side, Adam chose Rhamondre Stevenson, who managed to score a staggering 0.3 points….yes, you read that right. Despite this RB blunder, Adam entered Sunday with a 57% advantage.

Adam’s running backs were about as useful as a chocolate teapot, with a grand total of 9 points between them. Luckily, he was bailed out by his WR core – Jefferson, Metcalf and Rice all scoring over 20 points.

DJ picked up the Raiders Defense, which was considered a savvy move at the time, against the hapless Carolina Panthers. But Andy Dalton had a different script in mind, throwing for three touchdowns, leaving DJ with a whopping -4 points.

As Monday Night rolled in, Adam’s grip on the match was tighter than the special kid holding the class pet in 3rd grade. DJ needed Travis Etienne and Brian Thomas Jr. to outscore Ja’Marr Chase by 46.5 points. In a PTSD-esque flashback to the title matchup of 2023, Ja’Marr Chase let DJ down again, letting Adam strut his way to victory.

THE Gimpledaumus (JOSH) vs The Josh Allen Show (CHRIS)

In what I am generously calling a classic clash of fantasy titans, Josh kicked things off on Thursday night with Breece Hall, who was determined to prove he was worth the hype with a solid 18.3 points. Chris countered with Garrett Wilson, who managed to score 14.3 points—a performance that was somewhere between watching paint dry and getting your first prostate exam. It was a close matchup, Josh went into Sunday with a small edge, a 52% favorite.

But as Sunday unfolded, Chris pulled a masterstroke by picking up Zach Charbonnet off waivers and slotting him right into the starting lineup. The duo of Charbonnet and Derrick Henry put together a brutal 56 points, like a freight train barreling down the tracks. Josh's RB room held its own, with Hall and Kyren Williams notching a combined 50 points.

While the rest of Chris’s lineup disappointed on Sunday, his RBs were enough to keep him in the match, giving him a 70% chance of victory going into Monday night. This was it….the reason Chris over reached by a mile and took his lover boy Josh Allen in the first round. His moment of redemption was here.  All he needed was for Allen to outscore Tee Higgins and Terry McLaurin by just 5.5 points. Easy, right? It is when you’re facing the Jaguars. Allen put on a show, scoring 33.55 points, securing the win for Chris.

Team Cady (ROB) vs Tua-Tang Clan (MATT)

In this matchup that felt more like a stroll in the park than an epic showdown, Rob enjoyed a Thursday with zero players, leaving all the excitement for Sunday. And boy, did he cash in! Dak Prescott, the perennial underachiever, finally decided to show up with a dazzling 32 points, while both Jonathan Taylor and Stefon Diggs also cruised past 20 points each. It was a performance that had Rob grinning from ear to ear, like a kid in a candy store.

On the flip side, Matt was left floundering, with none of his players even breaking the 20-point barrier. It was like watching a kid get picked last in gym class, just sad. Going into Monday Night, Matt needed Dalton Kincaid to outscore James Cook by a staggering 28.65 points—an almost impossible task, especially given the sad state of his roster.

Trash Panda (JASON) vs Tua 3, 4 Concussions (ANDY)

A story of two Defenses. Thursday night was a big night for Jason, who had the Jets Defense, which was solid as a rock, only allowing the Patriots a field goal and racking up a sweet 16 points. Jason was a 55% favorite going into Sunday.

Enter Andy, who put his trust in the Cowboys Defense against Baltimore – that was wishful thinking; that was a pipe dream; that was folly. Dallas conceding 28 points left Andy in the negative by 6 points, resulting in a 22 point swing in the Defense position.

With many of Andy’s offensive players failing to hit double digits, and Jason having cheat codes Saquon Barkley and Malik Nabers, Jason had the victory in the bag before Monday night. Joe Burrow and Evan McPherson were let loose to widen the gap, and condemn Andy to defeat.

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Finally, just for fun, let's take a look at how the ESPN Final Standing Projections have changed. Below is a fun chart, tracking the changes in your projected final standing from post-draft to week 3. Click on the "Replay" button at the top left to watch the magic over and over.....FUN!