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It’s time to get bold.
It’s always fun to go a bit crazy and make some bizarre predictions, just to see how it pans out during the week. I’ve had my fair share of laughable bold calls, but believe it or not, some have actually been accurate. Of course, that’s just how fantasy football works. Unpredictability at it’s finest. So, let’s check out some of my bold predictions for the third week of the season.
Seattle D/ST will outscore every quarterback outside of Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford
You read that correctly. After a dominating performance against a very strong 49ers team, the Seahawks will be rewarded with a home game against the Jaguars offense. An offense that could be without Maurice Jones-Drew. This offense has been the worst in football through two weeks and after watching the Chiefs post 26 fantasy points against them in Week 1, I can’t wait to see what the best defense in football can do on Sunday. Rodgers and Stafford are my top-two quarterbacks for Week 3, and I think they are the only quarterbacks that outscore the Seattle defense this week. Cecil Shorts won’t be able to breathe against the likes of Richard Sherman, Jones-Drew, even if he does play, will be banged up and Chad Henne will throw at least three picks. Oh yeah, did I mention the game is in Seattle, also known as the toughest place to play in all of football? Seattle will go bonkers in this one, folks. How’s that for bold?
Both Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline will eclipse 100 yards
Wallace had his coming out party with the Dolphins last week, posting 115 yards and a score. Hartline, meanwhile, totaled over 100 receiving yards and a score in Week 1. This week? Both will reach the century mark against a Falcons secondary that has looked awful, allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this year. This secondary is young, their linebacking corp is banged up, and as a result, the Falcons are allowing 346.5 yards per contest, which is the fourth-most in football. I think Ryan Tannehill will have to throw the ball a good amount in this game, and while Wallace is the main target in the passing game, Tannehill has targeted Hartline quite a bit during his time with the Dolphins.
Anquan Boldin finishes as a top-10 fantasy WR
The 49ers got absolutely demolished on national television on Sunday night. Having said that, I think they come out angry on Sunday against the Colts, and considering how poorly quarterback Colin Kaepernick played (three interceptions), I think he has a major bounce back game. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has never lost two consecutive games during his tenure with the 49ers, and wide receiver Anquan Boldin will be a big reason as to why the 49ers will win this contest. Boldin struggled to do much against Seattle as well, being held to just one catch for seven yards. His fortunes will change this week against an Indianapolis secondary that has surrendered double-digit fantasy points to opposing number one receivers in seven of their last eight games. And if tight end Vernon Davis (hamstring) can’t suit up for this game, Kaepernick will be looking for Boldin even more than usual.
Robert Turbin finishes as a top-30 fantasy RB
Gut call here, but I think anyone who even slightly knows football understands that Seattle is going to obliterate the Jaguars this weekend. With that being said, I foresee a lot of running the football in Seattle’s future, and as long as they are up by a ton, why would they even risk star running back Marshawn Lynch getting hurt late in the game? The answer to that riddle? They won’t. Insert Turbin, who had six carries in a similar role last weekend, and he should be able to get around 8-12 touches this week, with some touchdown potentially thrown in as well. This season, Jacksonville has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, so it isn’t crazy to believe Turbin can get some cheap fantasy points as the Seahawks try to run the clock out. He’ll also get some third-down work mixed in as well.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
