Heading into Week 4

QB Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia) – The media and fans are off his back, the bulky knee brace has been put in storage, and the remaining schedule is favorable. 

WR Kevin Curtis (Philadelphia) – Hey Kevin, let my boy, Reggie Brown, catch a few. 

QB Tony Romo (Dallas) – Romo has what it takes to be a great quarterback – he makes good decisions, has excellent pocket presence, moves well in the pocket, and throws accurately.  How else do you explain that he’s averaging 287 passing yards per game with just two good receivers? 

WR Roy Williams (Detroit) – He leads the pass-happy Lions with 20 receptions for 335 yards (an NFC-high) and three TDs.  If rookie Calvin Johnson misses any more time, Williams will become an even bigger part of the offense. 

QB Brett Favre (Green Bay) – He is playing better than he has in years.  Decent pass protection and solid play from his receivers have made life easier for the veteran QB.  The Packers don’t have much of a running game, and Favre is averaging nearly 42 pass attempts per game. 

RB Reggie Bush (New Orleans) – Despite scoring two TDs on Monday night, Bush was held in check for most of the game by the Tennessee defense.  He was limited to 15 yards on seven carries and managed just 20 yards on his six receptions.  However, you have to like the fact that he’ll be getting the majority of the carries with Deuce McAllister done for the year. 

WR Brandon Marshall (Denver) – Marshall is right behind Javon Walker for the team lead in receptions with 17, and he actually leads the Broncos in receiving yards with 267. 

WR Vincent Jackson (San Diego) – The San Diego passing game started to get on track last week, and Jackson had a nice game.  With 13 catches for 179 yards, his numbers are more than double any other Charger wide receiver.  

RB Thomas Jones (NY Jets) – Jones got in gear last week with a 100-yard effort vs. the Dolphins.  I was not overly impressed because Miami was minus Pro Bowl MLB Zach Thomas, but then again, Jones has a very favorable upcoming schedule.  His next five games include contests against the Bills (twice), the Giants, and the Bengals.

Houston Defense – This unit ranks sixth in total yards allowed and has two very dangerous return men in Jacoby Jones and Jerome Mathis. 

Tampa Defense – Led by the NFL’s leading tackler, MLB Barrett Rudd, the Bucs are allowing just 12.3 points per game. 

QB Matt Leinart (Arizona) – Apparently, Leinart was too busy in the offseason to learn the Cards’ offensive system, or he is really good at handing the ball off to running backs.  According to Coach Ken Whisenhunt, veteran Kurt Warner knows the no-huddle offense better than Leinart, and the former MVP will be used in those situations in future games.  This makes no sense.  Are we to believe that Leinart is better than Warner at everything else?  Un-whiz-like reasoning aside, if the Cards are going to use a platoon system at quarterback, Leinart is not going to help your fantasy team very much.   

QB Rex Grossman (Chicago) – The Train Rex appears to be on a collision course with the bench. 

WR Patrick Crayton (Dallas) – Since he dislocated a finger in Week 2, he’s dropping balls faster than sponsors dropped Michael Vick. 

WR Devery Henderson (New Orleans) – He’s still on the Saints, isn’t he?  Drew Brees has thrown more passes to Lance Moore than Henderson this season. 

WR Jerry Porter (Oakland) – Porter has yet to drop a pass this season, and he’s been thrown to 15 times, which isn’t too bad, but the Raiders’ QBs haven’t been putting the ball where he can catch it. 

Carolina Defense – They were shredded by Joey Harrington, of all people, and on the season, the Panthers have just two sacks and no picks. 

Chicago Defense – Injuries could catch up to these guys.  First, S Mike Brown was lost for the year, and now, DT Tommy Harris, OLB Lance Briggs, and CB Nate Vasher are hurting. 

QB Marc Bulger (St. Louis) – With LT Orlando Pace out for the season, Bulger was sacked six times in Week 2’s loss to the 49ers.  The Rams are now saying that the quarterback broke two ribs in that game, which forced them to play conservatively at Tampa Bay to protect him.  The broken ribs probably didn’t make it easy for Bulger to throw the ball, and high winds and heavy rain didn’t help, either.  A porous defense and no Steven Jackson for at least a week will likely lead to Bulger throwing a lot, but will he hold up behind the Rams’ patchwork offensive line? 

RB Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) – He’s having a major sophomore slump.  Fred Taylor is getting more carries and averaging one yard more per attempt than Jones-Drew. 

WR Lee Evans (Buffalo) – Five catches for 29 yards in three games are not good numbers to say the least, and now, Evans has a rookie QB throwing to him.  The good news is that the Bills will face three defenses (Jets twice and Cowboys once) that rank 23rd or worse against the pass in their next four games. 

QB Trent Green (Miami) – I wouldn’t want him as my starter, but 275 passing yards per game is not bad for a fantasy backup. 

WR Roddy White (Atlanta) – Maybe all of his drops last year had something to do with Michael Vick.  White leads the team with 15 catches for 237 yards and one TD, and he has yet to drop a pass this season. 

WR Greg Jennings (Green Bay) – Jennings made his 2007 debut in Week 3, catching four balls for 82 yards and the game-winning touchdown.  The second-year pro, who was slated to be the starting split end, missed the first two games with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the preseason. 

WR Brandon Jones (Tennessee) – He’s starting to develop a nice connection with Vince Young. 

WR Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City) – Eddie Kennison (hamstring) will miss at least one more week, giving this big, physical rookie receiver more opportunities to shine.  With 10 catches for 135 yards and two scores, Bowe will likely start opposite Kennison when the veteran does return. 

WR Nate Burleson (Seattle) – Filling in for the injured D.J. Hackett (ankle), Burleson has caught eight passes for 115 yards and two TDs in the last two games. 

RB Brian Leonard (St. Louis) – The former Rutgers star will get the first crack at the starting RB job while Steven Jackson is out.  Leonard might get some competition from fellow rookie Antonio Pittman. 

RB Earnest Graham (Tampa Bay) – With Carnell Williams injured (again!), Graham and Michael Pittman shared the workload at tailback during the fourth quarter of Week 3’s win over the Rams.  Graham ran eight times for 75 yards and two touchdowns and Pittman ran four times for 25 yards.  Williams is still the main man in Tampa, but given how often he is injured, picking up Graham might not be a bad idea. 

RB Kenny Watson (Cincinnati) – Watson has a chance to start for a couple of weeks due to Rudi Johnson’s hamstring injury.  The seven-year backup has started just four times in his career, but he did have two 100-yard performances in those games. 

TE Jeff King (Carolina) – Have the Panthers finally found a tight end?  King, a second-year pro out of Virginia Tech, is second on the team with 13 catches for 130 yards and a score. 

DL Jared Allen (Kansas City) – He might be available in your league due to his two-game suspension.  If he is, grab him and hold on to him. 

DB Marlin Jackson (Indianapolis) – This big, physical corner is one of the reasons why the Colts are better defensively this year.  Jackson leads the team with 33 tackles. 

DB Donte Whitner (Buffalo) – The Bills are losing defenders at an alarming rate, leaving Whitner scrambling all over the field to make tackles. 

LB Chad Greenway (Minnesota) – Greenway is quickly becoming as good as he is in Madden, averaging more than eight tackles per game. 

DL Kenyon Coleman (NY Jets) – The Jets’ defense stinks, but Coleman is putting up big numbers for the first time in his career. 

RB DeShaun Foster (Carolina) – Foster is off to a fine start, a great start, in fact.  Averaging nearly 80 rushing yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry, he’s easily outperforming his backfield mate, DeAngelo Williams.  However, the facts are that Foster has always had a difficult time staying healthy, has never scored more than three TDs in a season, and is still sharing time with Williams.  I wouldn’t give him away, but I’d try to use his 122-yard performance in Week 3 to get a better player. 

RB Larry Johnson (Kansas City) – Who is a better player than Foster, you ask?  With all due respect to Jason Lauren, L.J. is.  Yes, he’s off to a slow start, but so are LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, and Frank Gore.  Johnson’s is struggling for two main reasons:  1) the Chiefs’ offensive line isn’t what it used to be, and 2) opponents do not respect KC’s passing game.  There is light at the end of the tunnel, however.  The Chiefs’ passing game started to get on track in the second half of last week’s win over the Vikings, and five of the team’s next eight games will be against defenses that rank 22nd or worse against the run. 

QB Drew Brees (New Orleans) – Yes, I am shocked at how poorly he’s playing, but not totally shocked.  I thought that Brees and the Saints played over their heads last season.  With expectations running high, the pressure is on them to repeat last year’s performance, if not do better.  The problem is that the talent level is not there.  For example, their lone reliable wideout, Marcus Colston, is anything but a game-breaker.  From the coaching staff on down, you can see that this team is pressing, as opposed to playing with the carefree attitude that they had last year.  The bottom line is that this team (and Brees) are not as good as they looked in 2006, but they’re not as bad as they have looked in the first three games of this season.