Fantasy Football: Falcons vs. Lions top game of Week 3
By Dan Salem
Which NFL game is the best Fantasy Football matchup in Week 3? It’s surprising, but no less amazing. Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions is the game to watch!
Each Sunday during the NFL season, certain games stand out. These are not necessarily the games with the most on the line or with the most impact on the standings. Instead, these contests hold the most star power and fantasy football implications.
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These are the games every fan needs to watch, from the die hard to the guy pressured into joining a fantasy league with work associates. This is the fantasy football game of the week for NFL Week 3.
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Fantasy Football in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Fantasy Football Week 3
Heading into Week 3, instead of clearly seeing who the best fantasy teams are, it is much easier to distinguish those that should be avoided at all costs. The beginning of this 2017 season has been more about ugly offense than anything else. Cincinnati, both New York teams, and the bottom rung of the league are to blame. But even contenders like Carolina and Seattle have been putrid on the eyes.
This makes the game of the week stand out even further. We can cross most off the list because one team is not worth a look. Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions is the lone exception. Watch this game.
Game of the Week
Todd Salem: It has been hard to find exciting games this season where both teams perform well. Week 3 somehow looks worse than each of the season’s first two weeks. We have to turn to an unlikely source for the best fantasy football game of the week.
The Detroit Lions are 2-0, having scored 59 points in their first two games against what were supposed to be great defenses: the Cardinals and Giants. Matthew Stafford is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes. Now, they host the Atlanta Falcons in a game that looks like a great bet for a surprising shootout.
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The Lions shredded Arizona through the air, then broke off big plays in the running game and on special teams against New York. Such a varied attack should succeed against Atlanta as well.
Meanwhile, the Falcons remain one of the premiere offenses in the sport. Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman, and Julio Jones form one of the best trios in fantasy football. This is star power that few other franchises can match. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be enough to garner fantasy game of the week status, but against a sneaky powerhouse like Detroit, this is the matchup to watch. No other game offers intrigue on both sides like this one.
Dan Salem: My head still wants to consider some teams as great Fantasy Football options, but we can no longer ignore the truth of this NFL season. Giants vs. Eagles is not a good fantasy matchup, despite us wanting it to be. Houston at New England isn’t either. These could have, should have, would have been great games. Moving on to the real NFL Week 3 and our fantasy football game of the week.
Honorable mention must be made to the Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers matchup. Both teams feature potentially potent quarterbacks and dominating running backs. Philip Rivers is usually excellent and Alex Smith has already proven himself worthy this season. Kareem Hunt is a stud until proven otherwise, as is Melvin Gordon. The wide receiver options are somewhat lesser names, but no less worthy of fantasy relevance. I love this game for fantasy purposes, but its not the best of the weekend.
The fantasy football game of the week is indeed the Detroit Lions vs. Atlanta Falcons. Consider me impressed, because Atlanta has maintained its high powered offense thus far this season. I was skeptical of whether or not they would be as potent and as reliable in fantasy football. The big three certainly are, along with a few other side characters offering potential.
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Detroit has been equally as impressive offensively. While Matthew Stafford had an average game against the Giants, he is still having a great season thus far. This is another team that I expected to take a step back in 2017. They still might, but the Lions are playing great football, meaning great fantasy options abound. With so many unreliable players in fantasy, this game is the best of the bunch. A shootout awaits, so I’d avoid the defenses.