Fantasy Football Week 3 Cheat Sheet: Waiver-Wire Rankings and Flex Projections

Fantasy players have a huge dilemma on their hands this week when the Minnesota Vikings meet the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

This Week 3 game at Carolina features the defending NFC champions and superb quarterback Cam Newton against Minnesota's ferocious defense that pummeled Tennessee quarterbackMarcus Mariota in Week 1 and was in Green Bay signal-caller Aaron Rodgers' face throughout Week 2.

The Vikings may well be Carolina's top challenger in the NFC, and that point was hammered home when they traded for QB Sam Bradford following Teddy Bridgewater's knee injury late in the preseason. Minnesota has a defense that is capable of slowing down, if not stopping the best quarterbacks in the league, and their offense may be just good enough to win crucial games.

Newton is coming off an MVP season, and there's no reason why he can't win it again. But the Vikings held Rodgers, who is generally considered to be the best passer in the league, to 213 yards with one touchdown. Can they do the same thing to Newton?

Newton certainly recognizes the Vikings defense as a challenge, and perhaps he will be as ready for Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr as any quarterback could be. Newton threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns versus the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, and he is always up for a challenge.

However, he will not reach his usual lofty standards against the Vikings, and he may have his lowest ranking of the season.

With that issue leading the way as the schedule heads into Week 3, we present our cheat sheet with the top 10 players at each position, top sleepers and sharp waiver-wire pickups.

Here are the projections for all 16 games on the schedule this week.

Positional Rankings

Week 3 Rankings

1	Ben Roethlisberger	David Johnson	Antonio Brown	Jordan Reed
2	Russell Wilson	DeAngelo Williams	Julio Jones	Greg Olsen
3	Andrew Luck	Matt Forte	DeAndre Hopkins	Martellus Bennett
4	Cam Newton	Ezekiel Elliott	Odell Beckham Jr.	Julius Thomas
5	Drew Brees	Devonta Freeman	A.J. Green	Delanie Walker
6	Matt Ryan	C.J. Anderson	Dez Bryant	Jason Witten
7	Aaron Rodgers	Lamar Miller	Larry Fitzgerald	Dwayne Allen
8	Eli Manning	Todd Gurley	Amari Cooper	Richard Rodgers
9	Derek Carr	Mark Ingram	Jordy Nelson	Coby Fleener
10	Ryan Tannehill	Eddie Lacy	Kelvin Benjamin	Rob Gronkowski

Silverman rankings

David Johnson was a known commodity at the start of the season for the Arizona Cardinals. He was on the outskirts of the top 10 among running backs on some ranking lists and within the top 10 on others.

However, just two weeks into the season, Johnson has put his name near the top of the running back rankings. Adrian Peterson (meniscus) of the Vikings is injured, and his status is up in the air for Week 3. Todd Gurley is getting no help from the passing game with the Los Angeles Rams, and he is being stifled by defenses that make stopping him their top (i.e., only) priority.

Le'Veon Bell has not played a game because of his suspension, and he won't be back until Week 4 when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

David Johnson

Meanwhile, Johnson has turned into a machine for the Cardinals. Even though head coach Bruce Arians was unhappy with Arizona's effort in Week 1 in the loss to the New England Patriots, Johnson ran for 89 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown and had a long run of 45 yards. Running for more than five yards per carry against New England is a notable achievement.

Johnson followed that game with a show of versatility against Tampa Bay. He ran for just 45 yards, but he caught three passes for 98 yards. Johnson figures out a way to make a key contribution, and he is rapidly becoming one of the most dangerous backs in the league.

The Cardinals head east to play the reeling 0-2 Buffalo Bills this week, and they gave up three rushing touchdowns to Matt Forte of the New York Jets in Week 2. Look for Johnson to tear up the Bills with a big performance as a runner and receiver.

When quarterbacks are ranked throughout the season, Newton, Rodgers and Russell Wilson are often going to be near the top of any list. While health issues could change that as the year progresses, those three can seemingly be counted on most weeks.

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Andrew Luck

Don't be surprised if Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts joins those three in the next few weeks. Luck had a subpar 2015 season before it was ruined by injuries, and he appears to be determined to have a brilliant season in 2016.

While the Colts are 0-2, which creates a ton of tension in the locker room, Luck threw four TD passes in the season opener against the Detroit Lions. He was not as productive against the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in Week 2, as he threw for 197 yards with one TD and an interception.

Luck is healthy this year, and it shows in his ability to run. He had four carries for 22 yards against the Broncos, but one of those runs was for 21 yards; he looked elusive, fast and powerful on that jaunt.

This week the Colts return home against the San Diego Chargers, and that should give Luck the opportunity to take his place with the quarterback leaders. The Chargers have played well in seven of eight quarters this year and are 1-1, but the Colts are much better than an 0-2 team. Luck and his teammates will bounce back in this game.

It's still too early to draw conclusions about certain teams and players at this point in the season. Monday Night Football fans heard analyst and former head coach Jon Gruden sing the praises of the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Doug Pederson as the team moved to 2-0 following a road victory over a pathetic Chicago Bears team.

It says here that Gruden needs to tone down his assessments of the Eagles. It's great to start out the year with victories over the Cleveland Browns and Bears, but the Eagles will face a much bigger test when they host the Steelers in Week 3.

Don Wright/Associated Press

Look for Antonio Brown to tear up the Eagles.

The Philadelphia defense will be under pressure throughout as Ben Roethlisberger, DeAngelo Williams and Antonio Brown put that unit to the test.

It is unlikely the Eagles will be able to stop any of them, and Brown should be able to put together one of his classic games against the Eagles. Look for Brown to snag double-digit catches with 125 yards or more and at least two touchdowns. 

The Steelers have Super Bowl-quality personnel, and they will prove it against their Keystone State rivals.

Waiver-Wire Rankings and Flex Projections

Waiver Wire Pick-ups

QB	Marcus Mariota	Tennessee
QB	Sam Bradford	Minnesota
QB	Matthew Stafford	Detroit
RB	Tevin Coleman	Atlanta
RB	Charles Sims	Tampa Bay
RB	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati
WR	Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City
WR	Golden Tate	Detroit
WR	Mohamed Sanu	Atlanta
TE	Travis Kelce	Kansas City
TE	Jordan Cameron	Miami
TE	Clive Walford	Oakland

Silverman rankings

Let's start off with wideout Victor Cruz of the New York Giants, who is making a fine comeback after an injury-ruined 2015 season.

Cruz is going to get single coverage all season since Odell Beckham Jr. is the Giants' No. 1 receiver. Cruz caught four passes in the Week 1 victory over the Dallas Cowboys and four more in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. The big news was that Eli Manning targeted Cruz twice as often in Week 2, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com, and that indicates Cruz should be in your lineup as a flex player.

The Peterson injury puts the Vikings' running back position in a state of flux. The meniscus injury is not one that has to keep Peterson out of the lineup for weeks on end, but he will not be at his best in the next couple of games. That's why we like backup Matt Asiata as a productive fill-in for him and a potential flex player. 

Asiata did a fine job for the Vikings in 2014 as a runner and receiver when Peterson was suspended, and he figures to get at least 10 touches per game and the carries around the goal line. Pick Asiata up off the waiver wire

Atlanta wideout Mohamed Sanu should be in excellent position to put sensational numbers on the board as the Falcons go to New Orleans for their Week 3 Monday night game. Julio Jones will get nearly all the attention from the Saints' vulnerable pass defense, and Sanu should be able to run free and clear.

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