The Seahawks return to Seattle for their home opener this week. It should be an energized atmosphere as the Seahawks host the Chicago Bears with their first victory of 2015 in their sights. This looks to be a good matchup for the Seahawks on both sides of the ball, and as they control the tempo offensively and execute well defensively, the ball club will be a big help to Fantasy players in Week 3.
It begins with getting Marshawn Lynch back on track for a classic Fantasy superstar performance after Green Bay did a fine job of defending him last week. As the Bears will find out, though, the Beast cannot be contained for too long, and he is certainly due to get into the end zone, possibly more than once. The Bears have allowed 248 rushing yards and two ground scores in the first two weeks. They simply will not able to hold off Lynch as he motors towards a big day and proves to be one of the most productive running backs in all of Fantasy Football in Week 3. Lynch has scored 18.60 standard Fantasy points so far this year on NFL.com and could approach that total in one game this week.
Fantasy owners who watched Jimmy Graham come on strong in the second half of the season opener for 11.10 standard NFL.com Fantasy points at St. Louis should look forward to seeing more of that same form from the standout TE this week. The coaching staff will likely ensure that Graham gets into the offensive flow early and often as he makes his debut in front of the 12s. Graham should start becoming even more of a consistent contributor in the coming weeks. Remain patient with him as a Fantasy owners and you will start to reap the statistical rewards very soon. The Bears have allowed seven passing TDs in two games, so there is a very strong chance Graham gets into the end zone this week. His first major Fantasy performance as a Seahawk should come very soon, and it could be this week.
Russell Wilson continued to perform as a quality Fantasy starter in Week 2, and we certainly will see even better Fantasy performances than the 22.04 NFL.com Fantasy points he registered at Green Bay. The Bears have yet to sack the quarterback in 2015, and have only one interception. It will prove to be very challenging for Chicago to corral the elusive Wilson, so he offers a lot of promise as both a passer and runner this week. Wilson looked very comfortable from the pocket at Green Bay, and he also rushed for 78 yards. With Lynch further easing some pressure on him and Graham possibly busting loose, No. 3 could be in for a very big day in Week 3. The Wilson to Graham connection could be very prolific for Fantasy purposes against Chicago.
Deep PPR leaguers received a strong performance from Doug Baldwin, who caught seven passes for 92 yards and a TD at Green Bay. In leagues larger than 12 teams, Baldwin does deserve some starting consideration against the Bears, who will also have difficulty keeping Wilson's trusty veteran target in check. A good game for Wilson should mean Baldwin is involved often.
Seeing as the Bears have been vulnerable to the TD pass, Jermaine Kearse will get his chances to cash in for a TD as well. He remains a favored big-play target for Wilson and should remain on your Fantasy Watch List for upcoming bye week usage. If you are in need of a good one-week play, Kearse has some sneaky play appeal. Rookie Tyler Lockett can explode for a big play at any time as both a returner and receiver. In leagues that award return yardage to individual players, Lockett has already earned starting consideration in those formats. The Bears allowed a 108-yard kickoff return for a score to open last week's game at Arizona, so Lockett is looking extra appealing as a Fantasy return man for this week.
If Lockett can bring one to the end zone for a special teams score this week, that only enhances the terrific outlook of the Seahawks defense/special teams unit for Week 3. The Bears likely will want to keep pressure off backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen - the likely starter this weekend with the hamstring injury to Jay Cutler - by utilizing Matt Forte as both a runner and pass-catcher quite often. The Seahawks will be ready to key on Forte as much as possible, and Bobby Wagner will be very focused on him. The Seahawks should be able to limit Forte enough to put Clausen in adverse passing situations frequently, and that means sacks for Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. Bears QBs have been sacked four times, but that number should swell this week. If Clausen has to rush his throws under duress, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman will be lurking for opportunities. The Seahawks DST is one of the top Fantasy units for Week 3.
In other games, Cam Newton presents a significant rushing threat to the Saints defense and should post good overall Fantasy numbers this week. Marcus Mariota has looked confident and smooth very often so far and should fare well against the Colts. Eli Manning will perform very well as the Giants look to secure their first win of the season against Washington.
Latavius Murray may have his first big outing of the year against the Browns. C.J. Anderson could very well bounce back this week at Detroit. Doug Martin is running very well and could explode against the Texans. Melvin Gordon might have his first 100-yard game as a pro at Minnesota.
Allen Robinson had a breakout game in Week 2 and will be hard for the Patriots to handle. Jeremy Maclin will have his best performance as a Chief so far as he faces Green Bay. Terrance Williams will score again as the Cowboys take on the Falcons. Pierre Garcon will score again this week as he opposes the Giants.
Look for a Kyle Rudolph TD against San Diego. Heath Miller is a good PPR start against St. Louis. Along with Steven Hauschka, Justin Tucker should be one of the top Fantasy kickers of the week. The Bengals defense looks better this year and is a good start against the Ravens. The Browns defense will look good again, as they oppose the Raiders this week.
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