The Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals played one of the best games of the weekend on the Week 3 season schedule for the NFL, as the Bengals were able to pull out a comeback to get their second victory in a row after holding the Packers to zero points in the fourth quarter and some fantasy free agent players to check out heading into Week 4 includes Jonathan Franklin, Jason Snelling and Bilal Powell.
Andy Dalton had a very efficient game while missing on just eight of 28 passes and throwing two touchdowns and he helped direct scoring drives in the fourth quarter to propel the comeback, with the Bengals scoring 13 points while shutting out Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers didn't quite match his day last week of 480 yards and four touchdowns, going for 244 yards and one score in the loss and the team got solid production from both Jonathan Franklin and Jordy Nelson.
Last week James Starks became the first running back since 2011 to rush for over 100 yards for the Packers in a game with 132 last week, but he suffered a knee injury and Franklin got his chance since fellow rookie back Eddie Lacy was out with a concussion. Franklin made the most of his chance on Sunday despite losing the game, as he rushed for 103 yards on 13 carries and also scored a touchdown. Franklin did not do anything in the first two games of the season for the Packers and he proved valuable in the passing game as well, making three catches for 23 yards.
Franklin could be a short-term option in deeper leagues and PPR leagues if Lacy or Starks are out for an extended period of time and he had an impressive 51 yard rush as well as a 7.9 yards per carry average in the game. Franklin did lose a fumble, but he made up for it by at least snagging a touchdown in the game. Nelson has been a consistent target for Rodgers this season, getting targeted at least nine times in two of three games this season, including 10 in the opening loss against the San Francisco 49ers.
Nelson made seven catches for 130 yards in the game and on Sunday he snagged eight of the nine targets from Rodgers for 93 yards and it looks like he will be a consistent option for the Packers along with James Jones and Randall Cobb. The addition of a consistent running game could be a huge boost for the Packers this season after not having it the past few years and if Franklin or Lacy turns into a dependable running back, the offense could be even more dangerous. The more troubling part is the defense, as they are giving up too many yards and they couldn't make the big plays down the stretch on Sunday and could be what hinders the team after starting at 1-2 in the NFC North.
