At the very least, this football season is interesting. No unbeatens, yet plenty of teams who appear to be among the elite one week, only to quickly fall from grace (what up Atlanta Falcons).

This makes for a very interesting fantasy season, where true studs seem to be hard to come by. Thus far, there is no one dominant performer that everyone wants on their roster.

With that being said, let’s review the good, the bad and the just plain mediocre from the week that was.

Top Performer

With DeSean Jackson knocked out of the game early, Jeremy Maclin more than ably filled in for him. 7 catches for 159 yards and 2 TDs is nothing to scoff at. In another down week for fantasy scoring, Maclin was top dog and he apparently has a great connection with both Kolb and Vick. Regardless of who starts at QB or whether or not Jackson is able to play, you should be starting Maclin every week. He is the TD machine on this team and so far has headlined a very impressive group of second year WRs.

Studs

Kevin Kolb–The man throwing the ball to Maclin had himself a day, which I absolutely hated. Why? Well, as a proud owner of Michael Vick, who’s QB spot was largely dependent upon him returning from injury, this performance was a bad omen. 300-plus yards and 3 TDs will make it very hard for Andy Reid to quit riding the Kolb train.

Luckily, I’ve been able to trade T.O. for Ben Roethlisberger, but honestly I am extremely disappointed that I’m not going to be able to ride the Vick train for the rest of the season. Each of the Eagles QBs are worth owning and starting whenever they actually play, but the problem is knowing who is going to start when. For those who prize stability at the QB position, you’d be better off staying away from anyone who plays the position for the Eagles.

Calvin Johnson–I wish that injuries would stop slowing him and his teammates down (it’s a shame that Matt Stafford isn’t throwing him balls right now) because honestly, Calvin Johnson might be one of the most talented WRs to EVER play in the NFL. Even with an injured shoulder, Johnson still caught 5 passes for 146 yards and a TD and that’s with his third string QB behind center. The Detroit offense and scheme is legit, and as long as Johnson is able to suit up, he will continue to put up big numbers.

Ryan Torain–There we go, one of my waiver wire claims finally performing up to my high standards. Torain looked like the RB that I thought would be on the field against the Packers last week, but hey, better late than never. He scored 2 TDs while also cracking the century mark for the first time this season against an admittedly poor Colts’ run defense. He was injured at the end of the game, however, forcing Keiland Williams to take his spot in the final Redskins scoring drive. He has a somewhat tough matchup against the Bears next week, but barring further injury, I expect at least one goal line TD and a healthy stat line.

Dwayne Bowe–As I was watching my local games, there were frequent game breaks to the Chiefs/Texans game and more importantly, highlights of Bowe actually making plays. Needless to say, I was surprised and didn’t really believe what I saw at first, but there you go. 6 catches for 108 yards and 2 TDs will go a long way to restoring his fantasy owner’s faith in him. However, I still don’t trust him and see this game as more of a mirage than a trend. If anything, I advise you to trade him while he’s high.

Underachievers

Brandon Marshall–Blame Chad Henne for this one. On the one end zone shot that Henne threw to Marshall at the end of the first half, Henne waited too long to get the ball to Marshall, throwing it just a little bit too far. This pass didn’t allow Marshall to get his second foot in as he caught the ball falling out of bounds. Otherwise, his stat line of 10 catches for 127 yards was very impressive. Henne also looks for Marshall on basically every passing down and you have to believe that the TDs will eventually get there for Marshall. He’s a definite must-start.

Ahmad Bradshaw--I let him know last week that if he doesn’t perform well, he’ll end up in my Duds list and then he goes out, puts up 133 yards on 19 carries, but still fails to score a TD. This time it’s not even his fault, however, as the Giants coaching staff brought Brandon Jacobs into the game for 2 red zone TDs. Bradshaw is on the fringe of being a Top 10 RB, but his lack of goal line carries will continue to rob owners of potential points. The points that he leaves out on the field is frustrating, but he’s basically the best No. 2 RB in fantasy football.

Duds

Miles Austin–Who knows what the Cowboys were thinking. After Austin’s long TD got called back due to him shoving a Vikings CB to the ground, the ‘Boys never really went back to him. That was perplexing, to say the least. Austin is the best player on the Cowboys offense, yet Tony Romo kept checking the ball down his outlet receivers, normally Felix Jones. Of course, you should still start Austin every week, but the notable absence of any kind of solid game planning (Austin was playing against 3rd and 4th string CBs on the Vikings) is disturbing.

Hakeem Nicks–I felt like I got swindled by trading Nicks for Jonathan Stewart after Week 2, but this game makes me feel a little bit better. Against a notably weak pass defense in the Lions, Nicks managed only 3 catches for 8 yards. He’s still the No. 1 option on the Giants but in a stacked passing game, there will be weeks where defenses choose to take away Nicks and consequently leave everyone else open.

Waiver Claim of the Week: Anthony Armstrong

What am I doing, two Redskins in the past three weeks? Well, hear me out. The Redskins are playing the Bears, a team I believe the Redskins can beat for big plays. The Redskins are going to pound the ball frequently and I expect at least some success. The Bears love stacking the box to stop the run (they have to since outside of Julius Peppers, that line has no one) and I suspect that the Shanahans will dial up some play action deep shots to their big play specialist, Armstrong. It’ll be a one-week play and then back to the bench he goes, but close to 100 yards and a TD is not unreasonable.

Players I Love/Hate Score-Tracker

Jamaal Charles: +1 (solid No. 2 outing)
Kevin Kolb: -1
Larry Fitzgerald: BYE
Brandon Marshall: -1
Chris Johnson: -1 (stupid garbage time TD…)
Justin Forsett: +1 (looks good with a complementary back in the form of Lynch)
The Rams:  -1
Joe Flacco: +1
Tom Brady: +1

Last week’s score: 0
Current standing: +2

Check out all the articles from the Players I Love/Hate series. Players I Love: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V. Players I Hate: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V.