Baltimore Ravens (0-3) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) – Thurs. @ 7:25 p.m.
Charlie’s Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers
Why: Even without Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers still have two of the most versatile offensive weapons in the NFL. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell should be able to help Michael Vick, a proven quarterback, past the Baltimore defense.
Tyler’s Pick: Baltimore Ravens
Why: Baltimore has looked weak so far, but their offense has been steadily improving. Steve Smith has been a monster the past two weeks, and that trend should continue against a poor Pittsburg secondary. Joe Flacco should be able to give his defense enough breathing room to survive a weakened Steelers offense led by journeyman Michael Vick.
Fantasy Impact: Steve Smith Sr. has started out strong in 2015. This trend may not continue though, as the Steelers have held teams to just 17 points this year. Behind a banged up offensive line, Justin Forsett has been limited in the run game this year for Baltimore. He has value in PPR formats, as he gets a bulk of his work from catches in the backfield. Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown may lose a little bit of value with teams focused less on pass rushing Roethlisberger. Both are still must starts as their value is some of the highest in the league for a RB-WR combination. If you don’t trust Michael Vick, the Ravens defense is an interesting play this week, as they boast one of the best run defenses in the league and a pair of good cornerbacks. Flacco is a solid QB2, borderline QB1 this week. Utilize him with caution though. A sleeper pick for daily fantasy in this matchup is Darius Heward-Bay, the journeyman speedster who seems to have filled in for the suspended Martavis Bryant.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) – Sun. @ 12:00 p.m.
Charlie’s Pick: Kansas City Chiefs
Why: Even though they lost to the Packers, the Chiefs played a very competitive game against arguably the best team in the NFL last week. Offensive weapons Jamaal Charles, Travis Kelce and Jeremy Maclin are utilized by the Alex Smith, who is known to limit mistakes offensively. While the Bengals have been solid to this point, the fluctuations in the run game and the surprisingly sneaky secondary of the Chief will be too much to overcome.
Tyler’s Pick: Cincinnati Bengals
Why: Cincinnati has been on fire to start the season, and Andy Dalton has been a main reason why. Dalton has looked incredibly confident this year and is getting the ball to all of his receivers. AJ Green, Tyler Eifert, and Marvin Jones all have the potential to go off, and Jeremy Hill forms a formidable backfield duo with Gio Bernard. Cincinnati’s defense is elite and should be able to hand a weak Kansas City offense that relies on Jamaal Charles for most of their attack.
Fantasy Impact: To this point, Giovani Bernard has been the better back in Cincinnati, after Jeremy Hill fumbled twice in week 2. The Bengal backfield is uncertain though. One thing that is not uncertain for the Bengals is A.J. Green, who reeled in 10 catches for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns last week. Eifert is also a top 5 play this week at tight end for the Bengals, while Quarterback Andy Dalton may be a low-end QB1 in deeper leagues. Jamaal Charles is one of the few truly elite running backs in the NFL and is a must-start in all formats. Travis Kelce is likely the best tight end play this week with Gronkowski on bye. Maclin, coming off a hot week 3, is a solid WR2 play. This game will likely be fantasy friendly for all players involved. A sneaky, low-cost daily fantasy play is Marvin Jones. The Bengal receiver has caught a touchdown in the last two games, and may very well continue that trend.
New York Jets (2-1) @ Miami Dolphins (1-2) – Sun. @ 8:30 a.m.
Charlie’s Pick: New York Jets
Why: With the addition of Darrelle Revis, the good Jets defense became elite. against a Dolphins team that has struggled offensively so far, The defense will carry the load in this bout. The Jets run game is improved and the addition of Brandon Marshall has made the Jets passing attack surprisingly effective. In the end, the Jets will be too much for the Dolphins who have look dysfunctional to this point.
Tyler’s Pick: New York Jets
Why: New York’s defense has been dominant this year, and that trend should continue against a Miami offense that just got shredded by Buffalo. The Jets’ offense may not be elite with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, but he is able to get the ball to playmakers like Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Marshall and Decker should be huge mismatches for a Dolphins defense that couldn’t handle Tyrod Taylor in his third career start or the relatively underwhelming Buffalo receivers. This game could be just as much as a blowout as last week for Miami.
Fantasy Impact: New York wideouts Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker are must-starts against a Miami secondary that has been exposed this year. Marshall has been on a tear this year and that should continue. Jets running backs Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell can be started in deeper leagues, but they’re inconsistent and Miami has a formidable front seven. For Miami, wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews are solid starts, especially in PPR, since they will likely have to throw the ball a lot. Running back Lamar Miller remains a solid flex pick but New York has been ferocious on defense all year. Out of the defenses, only New York’s is worth starting since they rank high in turnovers and scoring.