In a season where the running back position is not so strong, if you are lucky enough to have Dallas’s DeMarco Murray, you scored big this week. Murray, a third-year back out of Oklahoma, ran 26 times for 175 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 31-7 win over St. Louis.

LeSean McCoy ran 20 times for 158 yards and a 41-yard touchdown, but the Eagles fell to the now 3-0 Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday night. McCoy has been thriving in Philadelphia’s new offense under new head coach Chip Kelly.

As for quarterbacks, once again Peyton Manning delivered with a Monday night performance as sharp as any. Manning missed on just five passes finishing 32-of-37 for 374 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 12 TD passes on the season.

Pittsburgh’s Ben Rothliesberger put up some big numbers in a Steeler loss to Chicago. Big Ben completed 26-of-41 passes for a week three-high 406 yards passing. Although not one of the elite fantasy QBs, Rothliesberger makes for a good second QB on any roster.

Detroit’s Matthew Stafford put up good numbers as usual. The former Georgia QB was 25-for-42 for 385 yards and two touchdowns. Drew Brees led New Orleans to a 31-7 win over Arizona to lift the Saints to 3-0 on the season. Brees threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth in the win. He completed 29-of-46 passes for 342 yards.

On the receiving end of Rothliesberger’s passes was Antonio Brown, who caught nine balls for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Brown may be a receiver to keep an eye on. With Mike Wallace gone in Pittsburgh, Brown could become the feature guy.

Another sleeper is Cleveland’s Josh Gordon who caught 10 passes for 146 yards in the Browns’ upset of Minnesota. Former Steeler Santonio Holmes put up some big numbers as the Jets moved to 2-1 with a win over Buffalo. Holmes had five receptions for 154 yards and a 69-yard TD catch from rookie QB Geno Smith.

As we head into week 4 of the NFL season the first bye week is upon us. The Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers are sitting this one out. We are also about one quarter of the way through the season, too.  It may also be time for you to make some roster moves. If you have started 0-3 it may be time to shake things up.

There are four players that could give you solid points this week. They are available in most leagues.

Daniel Thomas – RB Miami Dolphins. Thomas will be getting more reps and carries as teammate Lamar Miller hasn’t showed that he can be the center of the Dolphin running game.  Miami heads to New Orleans Monday night and Daniels is projected to rack up 95 total yards and one TD.

Denarius Moore – WR Oakland Raiders. Moore had a solid game against a tough Denver Broncos defense in week 3. He pulled in 124 receiving yards and one TD. He will have a much easier time against the Washington Redskins.  Even if Terrelle Pryor is out for the game Matt Flynn should be able to get the ball to Moore. He should be good for 90 yards and one TD.

Nate Washington – WR Tennessee Titans. Washington caught eight passes on 11 targets for 131 yards against the San Diego Chargers Sunday. He could have a similar type of game against the New York Jets this week. The Jets has a solid defense, giving up an average of 190 passing yards over the first three weeks but expect them to focus on Kenny Britt, which should free up Washington. Look for Washington to pull in 90 receiving yards and one TD this week.

Bilal Powell – RB New York Jets. Powell could step into the Jets’ number one running back roll with Chris Ivory likely missing some time recovering from a hamstring injury. Powell had 149 yards against the Buffalo Bills in week three and should have about 115 total yards this week.

If you have a roster spot that is empty due to a bye week or if you just need a solid player to jumpstart your squad any one of these players can fit the bill.

The NFL season heads into week three of the 2013 NFL season this Sunday with a great lineup of games. These games will be excellent to watch but also great for many fantasy football owners around the league. The only downfall this week is a couple key players are banged up and might cost you points like Ray Rice for the Baltimore Ravens and Andre Johnson for the Houston Texans.

Three Players To Start In Week 3:

DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans – With Andre Johnson returning from a concussion the question will be how will hold up against the Baltimore Ravens in week three. Hopkins who took over as Matt Schaubs go to receiver down the stretch could benefit early from the extra reps in practice this week. The Texans are also going up against a secondary that allowed seven passing touchdowns to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in week one.

C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills – Spiller and the Bills have a difficult matchup in week three against a solid New York Jets defense. The gut feeling is Spiller will get 80 plus yards on the ground and another 60 through the air along with a pair of touchdowns. Spiller has the potential to take it to the house on any play.

Eric Decker, Denver Broncos – One part of the four headed receiving monster for the Denver Broncos has yet to find the end zone in the first two games. Look for Decker to get more involved against the Oakland Raiders in week three.

Three Players To Sit in Week 3:

Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens – Even if Rice gets the start in week three after leaving the game against the Cleveland Browns in week three shouldn’t be trusted. The Ravens rushing game hasn’t looked good in the first two games and should struggle against a good Houston Texans defense.

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Freeman in the Bucs is going up against a New England Patriots team that has allowed just 339 yards passing and two touchdowns in the team’s first two games. The Bucs have also struggled to score touchdowns making it even more difficult to start.

Surprise Players of Week 1 & 2:

Marlon Brown, Baltimore Ravens – The undrafted wide receiver out of Georgia has emerged as one of Joe Flacco’s go to receiver. He has eight catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in two games for the Ravens. Brown has the potential to become the Ravens number one receiver if he continues to develop till then he and Torrey Smith will team up to create a dynamic deep ball tandem.

Eddie Royal, San Diego Chargers – In his first two games of the season Royal has pulled in five touchdown passes and tied his season high for most touchdowns. Royal has become a red zone target for Phillip Rivers.

Player To Watch Moving Forward:

Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts – Richardson was traded to the Colts this past week for a first round pick in next years NFL draft. He and Andrew Luck will work together to form a young tandem for the next couple seasons and expect him to put up big numbers down the stretch for the Colts. The advantage he has in Indy is they have an explosive passing game that will open up the run game.

Fantasy Tip Of The Week:

Stay away from using your heart to pick players and focus on matchups. Last week I talked to two different fantasy owners in big money leagues who both went with players on their favorite team and it cost them. If you want to be a good fantasy football owner you need to leave your heart on the sofa when it comes to picking players.

The opening weekend of the National Football League season saw some phenomenal performances, several of them surprising. The new year got underway on a Thursday night that saw history made and ended with some outstanding performances on Monday night. Here’s a look at week one’s top performers.

Peyton Manning lit up the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens for an NFL record-tying seven touchdowns. Manning threw for 462 yards as the Broncos had an easy go of it in their 49-27 win on Thursday night.

The Ravens’ opponent in last year’s Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers, kicked off the season with a rematch of last year’s NFC playoff game. Niners’ QB Colin Kaepernick led another San Francisco victory on the strength of his arm this time. In last year’s playoff game, Kaepernick carved up the Packers defense for 181 yards rushing. The Packers limited the 49ers’ QB to just 22 rushing yards, but the former Nevada star threw for 412 yards and three TDs. Newcomer Anquan Boldin was Kaepernick’s favorite target and wound up with 208 receiving yards and a touchdown.  Kaep has been a season favorite of ours and you may remember the recent RotoGuys article ‘What to expect when expecting’ we didn’t believe the sophomore blues theory .. Kaepernick is not Tebow and his ability, speed and versatility is not a one time flash in the pan occurrence but will become a fixture in the NFL.

The New York Giants opened their season with Dallas and, despite the 36-31 loss, both Eli Manning and Victor Cruz turned in outstanding performances. The younger Manning threw for 450 yards and four touchdowns. He might have approached his big brother had he not thrown three interceptions. Cruz had 118 of those yards receiving and caught three of the TDs.

The Detroit Lions welcomed Minnesota to Ford Field for their initial contest of the season. One would expect the 93 yards and two touchdowns from last year’s NFL MVP, Adrian Peterson. However, not many expected the stellar performance of Lions’ RB Reggie Bush. Bush rushed for 90 yards, caught passes for another 101, and had a touchdown reception.

Two more big-play receivers enjoyed stellar performances on Sunday. Cincinnati’s A.J. Green put up 162 receiving yards to go with two touchdowns in a 24-21 loss to Chicago while Demaryius Thomas was on the receiving end of two of Peyton Manning’s seven TDs. Thomas, who had a poor first half, wound up with 161 total receiving yards.

Need A Last-Minute Fantasy Football Pick? Look No Further

So, you have made it through your fantasy football draft and with the advent of the NFL season upon you, you are still struggling for a last-minute addition. There are plenty of players on the table who may or may not be worth scooping up just before the start of the regular season. There are a few that maybe were overlooked due to injury or a poor 2012 season. Here are some guys that will make great last-minute acquisitions to your roster.

Sam Bradford QB, St. Louis Rams

Bradford makes the Rams’ offense go. Entering his fourth NFL season, the former Oklahoma QB threw for 3,702 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2012. This season, he will have the benefit of playing in the same offensive system as the year before, a first for him. He won’t be your starter immediately, but Bradford is a No. 2 with the potential to become the starter down the road.

Rob Gronkowski TE, New England Patriots

Many shied away from Gronkowski knowing that he was hurt and most likely won’t play the first few weeks of the season. Even so, the Gronk is the league’s best tight end, and he will put up big numbers in the Tom Brady-led offense. Last year, he had 55 receptions for 790 yards, and 11 touchdowns…and that was in 11 games! Sure, he is a risk because of his injury-filled season last year, but with numbers like he can produce, Gronkowski is worth it.

Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Minnesota Vikings

The rookie out of Tennessee is a play maker. Blessed with tremendous speed, Patterson will help the Vikings in multiple ways including in the return game. He’ll be eased into the offense and used more and more as the season progresses. If your league accounts for return yards, this is a guy worth having on your roster. If not, stash him away for later in the season when he becomes a bigger part of the offense.

Zach Sudfeld/Kenbrell Thompkins, TE & WR, New England Patriots

Consider picking up one of these two players who will benefit from playing in an offense with QB Tom Brady. Thompkins has had a troubled past, but has excelled in the Patriots’ preseason. Sudfeld is a 6-foot-7-inch TE who has been referred to as a “mini-Gronk.” Undrafted out of Nevada, Sudfeld is athletic and is a big target for Brady, who has a penchant for turning so-called average players into superstars who put up big numbers.