Week 3 Observations

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Published on September 28, 2009

The Saints got nothing from Drew Brees and his receivers, yet still won by 20 on the road. Give some credit to Dick Jauron for rarely targeting Terrell Owens or Lee Evans, his two best offensive players.

Is there any doubt Pierre Thomas, who rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns in a half, wouldn't be the top fantasy running back through three weeks given what the team did against the Lions and Eagles had he been healthy?

For the last two weeks the Colts scored so easily, and Peyton Manning had such command of the situation, it's hard to rank any team ahead of them in real life power rankings. And Dwight Freeney (was) 100 percent healthy, and he and Robert Mathis are as disruptive as any defensive-end combo in the NFL. Keep in mind, the Steelers didn't get to Warner anywhere near as consistently in the Super Bowl.

Knowshon Moreno got 21 carries for 90 yards and a score - he's the workhorse in Denver going forward and can be counted on for consistent production - on the level of a Clinton Portis or Ryan Grant at least.

The JaMarcus Russell experiment is just about over. He's a poor man's Byron Leftwich at this point, and this is his third year in the league.

Brandon Marshall will be top-20 receiver, but in that offense, probably not top-10.

Cedric Benson is a legitimate top-15 running back.

Steve Smith's (NYG) seven catches and a touchdown in a shutout bode perhaps even better than his 10-catch game last week.

Ahmad Bradshaw has a chance to be as good or better than Derrick Ward was last year.

Kevin Kolb has 718 yards in his first two NFL starts.

The Texans defense will make Matt Schaub a monster all season long - and anyone who plays against it.

Steve Slaton quietly had 113 total yards on just 15 touches. Meanwhile Chris Brown had 19 yards on eight touches and lost a fumble at the goal line. Don't be surprised if the Texans do what they did last year - talk a big game about the need for a goal-line back, then turn to Slaton all the time for most of the year.

"Fragile" Fred Taylor had 21 carries for 105 yards and his second touchdown of the year Sunday at age 33. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, and Taylor plays a significant role, i.e., maintains his current one, Durable Fred is going to the Hall of Fame.

Frank Gore always gets dinged up. He might play through injuries, but Week 2 was probably the last time we'll see him at 100 percent this year.

That Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards in a 34-3 win means he'll almost certainly be a top-10 QB, if he stays healthy. Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Todd Heap and Kelley Washington all deserve upgrades.

Brett Favre made a great throw to win the game against the Niners. Sidney Rice might be the most valuable receiver on the Vikings.

You know you've had a rough week against the spread when 4-12 is your best hope heading into Monday night. The Panthers had better cover against Dallas - a heartless team whose owner is just five years away from being Al Davis.