Week Three In Review

I figured I would take care of this again this week. Since I'm basically a Comm major at Valpo again (and everyone but Welty knows what that is like), I have a lot of time on my hands. If you think I'm doing a crappy job, make sure to say so in the comments.
Another interesting week in the VUFSA as three teams moved to 3-0, the defending champion fell to 0-3 (and is probably cursing Chris Johnson and Philip Rivers) along with Welty, and Champ and JR both fell to 1-2. After last week's lack of close games, we had a couple decided by fewer than 12 points this go around (which I guess sort of qualifies as close). Games are listed in order of final margin of victory.

Pantry Cereals 129.75-Dexter McClusterfunk 124.00
The Lowdown: In a match-up of unbeatens, Drew keeps rolling along as Wes Welker topped the 30-point mark, and Tom Brady had his third-straight big day (although it would have been better if he hadn't channeled his inner Philip Rivers and throw four interceptions. Eli smartly decided to drop sexy Rexy and got a great day from Jermichael Finley, but his trio of Santana Moss, Tim Hightower, and Dez Bryant couldn't quite bring enough Thunder.
PC: Did you know that more than half of Brady's completions on Sunday went to Welker? As long as these two keep performing, Drew is going to keep winning. Welker had 16 catches for 217 yards and two scores (31), and Brady threw for almost 400 yards and four scores (although that was partially offset by his four picks). Ray Rice had 162 all-purpose yards, and Dwayne Bowe finally caught a touchdown pass. Hero: Welker, without question. A really good day for a receiver is 20 points, and 30 is almost unheard of. Goat: Since defensive players are exempt from this space, I'll go with Rashard Mendenhall. Facing a Colts defense that was gashed repeatedly by Peyton Hillis last week, Mendenhall managed only 37 yards on the ground and finished with 4.50 points. Not a strong showing.
DMCF: Eli is the league-leader in team names, with three in three weeks. So there's that, which is nice. His team had a very solid week (4th highest score), but unfortunately, they were opposing the team with the 2nd highest score. The Bears neglected to cover Finley (25.50) in the red zone, which I imagine angered the Gun much more than it pleased him, and Fred Jackson continued to be awesome (19.50). Cam Newton did fine (17.50) but could quite manage the magic of the first two weeks. Hero: Finley. He finished with seven grabs for 85 yards and three scores. Best TE production of the week, and it wasn't even that close. Goat: Hakeem Nicks only managed 2.50 points with both Mario Manningham and Domenic Hixon out.

Let My Monkeys Go 127.50-Champeons 116.00
The Lowdown: Viano picks up his first win of the year as Ryan Mathews finally shows off some of the skill that made him a first-round pick in last year's draft. Champ only had double-figure scoring from three guys, and it was still almost enough to get the win. Sean tried to single handedly bring the Thunder, but Felix Jones kept that from happening.
LMMG: Matt Schaub was fantastic against the Saints (373 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT--27.50), and Mathews had 149 yards of total offense and two touchdowns (25.50). Could this performance spur Mathews onto great things this year, Viano sure hopes so. If for no other reason than it would allow him to leave Mike Tolbert on the bench. It isn't too often that play both running backs in a rotation will get a win, but it did this week. Felix Jones had 155 yards of total offense, and Sidney Rice caught eight passes for 109 yards. Let that sink in for a minute...Tavaris Jackson threw for 109 yards. I'm as surprised as you are. Also of note, Billy Cundiff scored 13 points, making him the highest scoring PFL alumnus of the week. (Hero: Mathews. He has started to put it together the last two weeks, and that could be real trouble for Viano's opponents down the line. Goat: A.J. Green. Four catches for 29 yards against the Bengals is just not good enough.
C: Champ's defenders combined for 23.75 points, which is quite commendable. Drew Brees was even better than Schaub (30.75), and Lesean McCoy (19.50) was the bulk of Philly's offense once Mike Vick left the game. Pat Angerer scored 8.25 points. I only mention that because he went to IOWA, so that's extra cool for Champ. Hero(es): All three of Champ's defenders. It isn't often that your defenders combine for that many points, and as will be seen momentarily, they easily outscored his wide receivers. Goat(s): Champ's four wideouts (Steve Smith, Brandon Marshall, Chad Ochocinco, and Danario Alexander) totaled nine points, or 0.25 less than Sean Lee scored by himself. Ouch.

Waiting for Goodell 119.75-Fruit on the Bottom 91.25
The Lowdown: Baron picks up his first win of the season thanks to Rob Gronkowski's two touchdowns and his four wideouts combining for 45.50 points. Welty had two defenders (Jared Allen and Ray Lewis) put up double-digit totals, but that was offset by two zeros. Michael Vick's injury didn't help either.
WFG: No one was happier that Aaron Hernandez hurt himself than Baron. Gronkowski stepped into the primary role at tight end (although it's not like he was begin neglected when Hernandez was healthy) and finished with seven catches for 109 yards and two scores (21.00). Mike Wallace, Stevie Johnson, Darren Sproles, and Brandon Jacobs all had at least 12 points. Hero: Gronkowski. Normally, when a tight end is your leading scorer, it means the rest of your team was awful. In this case, it's because Gronkowski was quite good. Goat: Frank Gore. One measly point from Gore, who is on his way to becoming one of the biggest disappointments of the season (along with Arian Foster and Chris Johnson).
FOTB: Vick was injured (again), Knowshon Moreno didn't play, and Cameron Wake didn't record a single tackle. Two goose eggs and two points from Steven Jackson mean bad things for Welty. Jared Allen was Welty's highest scoring player, which is cool for Jared Allen, but is generally bad for the team's owner. Denarius Moore continued to be awesome. Also, Welty had him on the bench, but Johnny Knox should retroactively be given six points for that punt return for a touchdown. I don't care if there supposedly was holding, that deserves credit for the score. Hero: Allen. He was a one-man wrecking crew against the Lions. He totaled three sacks and also forced a fumble for 14.75 points total. Goat: Moreno. He was listed as active and did not get a single touch. Vick gets a pass here due to injury.

Phil Powell Rules 109.00-Bobby Engram 77.25
The Lowdown: Ed's quest for a repeat championship took a serious hit this week, as he only had two players post double-digit point totals. Aaron Rodgers and Calvin Johnson were great for me, and everyone else managed to be decent enough to keep Phil Powell Express rolling down the tracks at break-neck speed.
PPR: Rodgers's three touchdowns doomed both Ed's real team and his fantasy one. Johnson had 108 yards and two touchdowns (20.25), and he would have scored more if really awesome catches earned bonus points. That one in overtime was spectacular. Adrian Peterson (15.00) was good in the first half, and we finally had a Mike Thomas (10.00) sighting. Hero: Megatron. He's the first wide receiver in NFL history to have two touchdown catches in each of his team's first three games of the season. He is quite good at football. Goat: James Starks. He may be the future running back in Green Bay, but a late fumble sent him into negative territory and saved Deion Branch from ending up here.
BE: First, congrats to Edwin as his State Farm office officially opens on Saturday. Well done, sir. Now on to the not so good news. Philip Rivers continues to do his best Ali Berdiel impression, and Chris Johnson still looks really rusty (11.00 combined). MJD (167 total yards), Andre Johnson (128), and Vernon Davis (102) all topped 100 yards, but none found the end zone. Joe Flacco (30.75) had a huge day on the bench, but it wouldn't have been enough to get the win. Hero: MJD was the best player of the week with 15.50 points. Goat: Rivers. Two interceptions and no touchdowns against the Chiefs (5.00) is awful, especially considering Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matthew Stafford both scored 30-plus against KC. Chris Johnson as well for scoring 18.50 points in three weeks.

Who is Ron Mexico 136.75-Jamie Looks Hot 99.75
The Lowdown: Darren McFadden and Stafford keep Tomke unbeaten, and Kenny Britt's ACL no longer exists. Neil Rackers was JR's second-best scorer, and just like defenders, it doesn't generally bode well for you when your kicker is your second-best player for the week.
WIRM: Things didn't look quite so good for Tomke at halftime of the Lions game, but Stafford kicked into high gear in the second half to finish 378 yards and two scores (27.00). Darren McFadden rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns (30.50). Jimmy Graham (13.00) continues to be one of the best tight ends this year, and Roddy White had nine catches for 140 yards (12.00). Hero: McFadden. He made Rex Ryan's vaunted defense look quite silly. Goat: DeSean Jackson. He only managed two catches (2.50), and if Vick can't go in the next few weeks, his value could be seriously hurt.
JLH: Matt Ryan thought he was Philip Rivers (three total turnovers), and Kenny Britt's knee exploded. This is nothing but hindsight, but if JR had started Eli Manning and Lance Moore in place of Ryan and Britt, he would have won. But the Brewers won the division on Friday, so I don't think JR is too bummed. Ahmad Bradshaw (18.50) and Shonn Greene (10.50) were pretty good. Hero: Bradshaw had 139 total yards and a score, tallying one of JR's three offensive touchdowns. Troy Polamalu deserves special mention for scoring a defensive touchdown (10.00). Goat: Santonio Holmes. I know Britt was in the negatives (-1.50), but the injury was the reason for that. Holmes, on the other hand, had one catch against a Raider defense that was shredded by Buffalo last week. Of course it could just be that Ryan Fitzpatrick is really that good and Mark Sanchez is really that bad.