Fantasy Fast Forward: Week 3

Ah, the NFL. You never can truly peg it.

The Bills and Lions are unbeaten behind surprise fantasy stars Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matthew Stafford. Eli Manning, who has looked lost, threw four touchdowns on Sunday. Chris Johnson was supposed to show up, but instead looks like is still holding out -- on his fantasy owners.

Michael Vick is playing like a fantasy backup and he might be one now after suffering a broken right hand.

Also, we relearn just how inconsistent rookie quarterbacks can be: Cam Newton, Andy Dalton and Blaine Gabbert all looked the part of first-year passers and fantasy disappointments.

We take our quick game-by-game look at the action of Week 3 in Fantasy Football Fast Forward:

Dallas 23, Washington 20

• Felix Jones did exactly what we hoped he would do: get out of his own shadow. After he struggled against the elite run defenses of the Jets and 49ers, he went over 100 yards and chipped in 40 more on the ground. This is a promising performance for a back who could develop into a must-start fantasy option this year. He is not there yet, but he could finally be on his way.

• Tony Romo wasn't great, but he was at least able to give his loyal fantasy owners something, despite reports of a cracked rib and a punctured lung. He looks like he should be able to make it through this injury and be fine to use in all leagues still.

• Dez Bryant wasn't necessarily full go, which likely hurt Romo some. Bryant should improve health-wise as the time ticks on, and if Miles Austin isn't back, he should be a must-start fantasy option. There are huge weeks ahead.

• The Redskins learned they cannot trust Rex Grossman to win games for them. He piled up yards but he threw a pick and fumbled on a potential game-winning last drive. They need to focus more on ball-control with Tim Hightower week to week, apparently. Hightower was productive as a receiver, though, keeping him as a solid option in all leagues.

• Fred Davis took a step back, unfortunately, as Cooley stole more of the looks. This is a frustrating development for those of us hoping Davis was breaking through. Cooley will only get healthier and still more targets, though.

Pittsburgh 23, Indianapolis 20

• Joseph Addai had a surprisingly good night against a tough Steelers run defense, a sign the Colts have learned to think run first without Peyton Manning. Manning might be shut down for the year with the Colts going nowhere, so Addai is going to get more fantasy value by the week. It is especially noteworthy Delone Carter wasn't much of a factor spelling Addai. Addai is the Colts back of choice to have and his mojo is rising.

• Rashard Mendenhall again proved to be a bust. The Steelers offensive line just hasn't helped him get anything started on the ground. This is a bad sign for Mendenhall owners. You have to keep him active unless some report comes out about him being banged up. Mewelde Moore and Isaac Redman were the ones being used on the last drive, surprisingly and disappointingly.

• Ben Roethlisberger remains on a career-high pace for passing yards, mostly because Mike Wallace has emerged as one of the best deep threats in the NFL. Antonio Brown, Hines Ward and Emmanuel Sanders are more furniture-type pieces right now. Heath Miller had a solid day out of the tight end spot, but he is more of a bye-week replacement.

• Kerry Collins (concussion) had to give way to Curtis Painter and Painter was at least able to help Pierre Garcon show some life, even if Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Austin Collie still are not getting much of anything done for fantasy owners. The Colts, justifiably, are considering going to Painter or someone else to start, even if Collins is healthy enough to practice and play. Anyone is better than Collins for the Colts' receivers at this point.

N.Y. Giants 29, Philadelphia 16

• Just when you try to bury Eli Manning, he rises up and throws four touchdowns with a banged-up receiving corps against some great Eagles corners. Manning should be a viable start next week at Arizona, a team that has given up a lot of yards early this season to far less established quarterbacks.

• The 2010 preseason hero Victor Cruz made his first start and caught two touchdowns for over 100 yards. He is a legit sleeper with Mario Manningham out dealing with a concussion and the Cardinals looming in Week 4.

• Hakeem Nicks (three catches, 25 yards) should have a much better week against the Cardinals, too.

• Jeremy Maclin (hamstring) and DeSean Jackson were seriously impacted by a mediocre Vick, who may or may not have a broken hand. It's not his throwing hand, but it is uncertain as of this writing if the Eagles will risk playing Vick against the 49ers. They need to give this time. Mike Kafka threw two picks late and likely hands the starting quarterback job to Vince Young, who could take off in Vick's absence. Monitor this situation during the week.

• LeSean McCoy faces a tough 49ers run defense next, but another 100-yard game makes him a must-start in all weeks, particularly with the quarterback situation a question mark again for the Eagles.

Buffalo 34, New England 31

• Fitzpatrick continues to produce, although it was as expected in this one: coming from behind. The Bengals shouldn't scare you off Fiztpatrick next week either. He has made fantasy stars out of Steve Johnson, David Nelson ... and Donald Jones? Don't expect another week like this from Jones, so ignore him on waivers. Johnson and Nelson are just targeted too much for Jones to take off, too.

• C.J. Spiller is playing some receiver now, but it was Fred Jackson's receiving out of the backfield that was impressive for the Bills. Jackson looks like a solid every-week starter with the Bills looking alive now.

• The loss of Aaron Hernandez (knee) is Rob Gronkowski's gain. He is the best tight end in fantasy now, only Jason Witten can make a case next to him.

• Wes Welker is headed for a career season. That extra year coming off the major knee injury really looks like it has made a difference. Welker's situation makes him one of the top five receivers to have this year.

• The Pats' completely worthless running game cost them in this one. BenJarvus Green-Ellis just couldn't get anything going, but he needs more than nine carries. Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead were more effective. This mess could have been intriguing for a number of backs against the Raiders next week. At this point, though, you have to avoid them all.

New Orleans 40, Houston 33

• Lance Moore's return to health muddles the Saints WR depth chart a little. His performance cut deeply into Devery Henderson's production, while Robert Meachem remained about the same. It is hard to make sense out of the Saints' leading target competition, but you have to figure Moore is a great pickup off waivers, if he is available.

• Mark Ingram was decent, but he didn't get enough touches to really be worth more than being a flex option. It is clearer now Thomas is the third-best Saints rusher to have. Darren Sproles, because of his receiving, might be the No. 1 back to have. Ingram and Sproles will both be worth starting against the Jags in Week 4. Thomas is a candidate to cut at this point.

• Ben Tate didn't do anything to make the Texans anxious to rush Arian Foster (hamstring) back. The inadvisable No. 1 overall pick in some leagues, Foster, should be inactive in all leagues in Week 4 against the Steelers -- regardless of his health. Tate is going to be tough to start, too.

• Kevin Walter scored in his surprisingly early return, which could make him a sleeper pickup in deeper formats. There is no need to pick him up until after that Steelers game, though.

• The Texans' tight ends were busy here, a great sign for Owen Daniels owners. James Casey isn't worth consideration. This was a flash in the pan. Daniels is going to get those tight end routes and throws in most weeks.

Detroit 26, Minnesota 23 OT

• Percy Harvin, strangely, continues to make more of an impact in the running game than the passing game. It is enough to consider Harvin useless outside of being a bye-week replacement. Michael Jenkins is clearly the go-to man on the outside. His targets are about the only thing intriguing about him, but he is at least more useful than Harvin right now.

• Jahvid Best struggled mightily, a sign the Vikings run defense is getting back to its pre-2010 form. It is also bad news for Chiefs backs in Week 4. The Vikings can't possibly blow another lead next week, right?

• The Lions love throwing to the tight end as much as they love throwing to Calvin Johnson. Brandon Pettigrew is one of the most unheralded tight ends in the league and Matthew Stafford's breakthrough year makes Pettigrew a productive starter in most fantasy leagues.

• Rookie Titus Young continues to improve. He is a viable pickup in deeper leagues, particularly ones with three-wide receiver formats.

Tennessee 17, Denver 14

• You should officially be worried about Chris Johnson. He should have taken off here.

• He is at least healthy, which cannot be said for Kenny Britt (knee). This could prove to be a huge loss for Britt owners, but a big gain for Nate Washington owners. Washington is a must-own now.

• Matt Hasselbeck needs Britt to remain a productive fantasy starter in one-quarterback leagues. He has a good matchup coming up at Cleveland, but it is doubtful you will want to use him with Britt banged up.

• Eric Decker was busy, but not necessarily productive. He remains a solid own, but you likely have better options to start before bye weeks kick in Week 5.

• Willis McGahee's value might drop back to low-to-nil, but he did get a lot of carries in Knowshon Moreno's (hamstring) absence.

Carolina 16, Jacksonville 10

• You finally jumped on the Newton bandwagon and he let you down, significantly in what should have been a favorable matchup. Steve Smith cost his fantasy owners, too. They are both bad starts against the Bears next week.

• The tight ends are Newton's favorite non-Smith targets. Greg Olsen led the way here and is a viable starter in most leagues on a regular basis. nð Blaine Gabbert didn't do much of anything as a starter, but he at least was able to make Mike Thomas show some value for fantasy owners. The absence of Marcedes Lewis really hurts. Lewis (calf) should be productive once he is healthy. He wasn't Sunday.

• You are justified giving up on D'Angelo Williams. He should have run all over the Jags here. Jonathan Stewart looks pretty useless, too.

San Francisco 13, Cincinnati 8

• This, expectedly, wound up being the worst fantasy-point games of the early season, but at least Vernon Davis showed up after mouthing off about his use last week. We said he tends to rally after getting chippy about his targets. He is the only 49er worth looking at for as long as Alex Smith remains the quarterback.

• Kendall Hunter scored a clutch touchdown after Frank Gore had some bad plays, a fumble and missing a pass off his face mask. There is no controversy here, but Hunter is going to take a chunk out of Gore's carries this season, it appears. Gore should still remain active against the Eagles' run defense next week, though. Hunter remains merely a bye-week flex option when the matchup is right.

• The Bengals didn't do much of anything on offense, so stop all the Andy Dalton consideration. He isn't a fantasy option, despite his surprising Week 2. nð The 49ers' defense is fantasy-viable, particularly if Vick doesn't play next week.

• Cedric Benson could be headed for a suspension, so things might only get worse for the Bengals offense. Bernard Scott will be a popular running back on waivers this week. He stands to be busy against the Bills at least.

• A.J. Green is going to go up and down along with Dalton. It makes him a difficult receiver to trust. He should be decent against the Bills, though.

Cleveland 17, Miami 16

• In yet another one of the worst fantasy-point games of the year, Peyton Hillis laid an egg because of strep throat, giving Montario Hardesty some value.

• Daniel Thomas clearly will be the Dolphins fantasy back of choice. Reggie Bush is officially the least fantasy-viable starting running back in the NFL.

• Colt McCoy was better but still not quite viable for standard leagues. This mediocre performance makes him merely a low-end bye-week replacement and none of his wide receivers are worth much of anything -- although Mohamed Massaquoi at least showed some life with a TD.

• Ben Watson rebounded to be the go-to receiver and distancing himself over red-zone target Evan Moore among low-end tight ends.

• Chad Henne didn't do so many bad things as to lose his job, but he did a good job of ruining Brandon Marshall's value in this one.

Now on to the late games...