NFL
Fantasy Football Stud or Dud: Week 4
With Week 4 of the NFL season underway, there are many matchups that fantasy players should look to take advantage of. Numerous memorable performances highlighted Week 3’s play. Patrick Mahomes had yet another flawless game, Alvin Kamara had 15 catches, rookie Calvin Ridley caught three TD passes, and Vance McDonald had a 75-yard TD reception. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s notable fantasy options in Stud or Dud: Week 4.
Quarterback
Stud
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns: The Browns’ first overall draft pick earned Cleveland’s starting job over Tyrod Taylor heading into Week 4. Mayfield was magnificent last week, leaving the bench to lead Cleveland to their first win in two years. This week, the Browns will face Jon Gruden’s winless Oakland Raiders. The Raiders’ 0-3 start has been a massive disappointment, with Oakland’s defense allowing 258 passing yards per game. This bodes well for Mayfield in his first career start. Mayfield’s passing against the Jets last week reminded people why he was chosen with the first pick. The Browns QB will look to continue the trend against the patchy Raiders secondary. Mayfield also features notable upside with his scrambling ability, as he will look to gain extra yards on the ground when he can. While there’s still plenty of unknowns and Baker’s sample size of success is small, his Week 3 comeback performance proves his upside. Expect high-end QB2 to low-end QB1 production from Baker Mayfield this week.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: The Packers are playing the Bills this week, raising Rodgers’ value notably. Rodgers has been great (as usual) this year and will look to keep going against the Bills. The Bills dominated the Vikings last week, but it looked to be a flash in the pan after their repeat blowouts through the season’s opening two weeks. The Packers, meanwhile, will look to get back on track after their loss to the Redskins. Rodgers still threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, which he will look to improve on this week. Expect high-end QB1 numbers and, possibly, a chance at the best QB performance of the week.
Dud
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: Ryan went off last week, passing for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Notably, despite his five-touchdown performance (a career high for Ryan), the Falcons ended up losing to the Saints. Ryan threw to rookie receiver Calvin Ridley for three of those touchdowns. Ridley has seen more attention from Ryan this season, particularly when Julio Jones faces double-coverage. While these are encouraging signs for the former MVP, Ryan and the Falcons played poorly through the first two weeks. He averaged about 260 passing yards through those opening matchups, but managed just two touchdowns overall (with two interceptions as well). The Falcons also remain one of the league’s worst offenses in red zone. Week 4 sees the Falcons take on a Bengals defense that’s played notably better than their stats suggest. This should be a hotly contested game and, in all likelihood, a low-scoring one too. Look for both teams to run the ball as much possible. Matt Ryan should post high-end QB2 numbers in Week 4.
Running Back
Stud
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints: Alvin Kamara has been nothing short of spectacular through the opening three weeks. He has absolutely been the workhorse back that the Saints hoped he’d be. Kamara got the ball 31 times last week, with 16 carries and 15 catches. That places him towards the top of the league in terms of touches per game. With such a sizable workload through the air, Kamara sustains a very high floor every week. The Saints will face the Giants for Week 4 in what looks to be a battle of the running backs. With the Giants’ Saquon Barkley already impressing in his rookie season, this matchup should see plenty of action on the ground. With the way the Saints defense has performed this year, they must rely on their offense to keep pace with the Giants. For Kamara’s last game before Mark Ingram’s return from suspension, expect top-three RB numbers from the Saints backfield star this week.
David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals: David Johnson has been disappointing so far this season — much like the Cardinals as a whole. Arizona is 0-3 on the season and will turn the offense over this week to rookie first-rounder Josh Rosen. Rosen will need some time to adapt to the speed of the NFL, which should give Johnson plenty of opportunities on the ground. Johnson should also see action from dumpoffs and short completions. The Cardinals will face the Seahawks this week in what should be a closely contested game between two disappointing teams. Seattle’s defense is not what it used to be, which has showed through the start of the season. The Seahawks D allowed Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot to rush for 127 yards last week. Johnson has a good shot to approach that kind of performance. Look for the talented back to post strong RB1 numbers this week.
Dud
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs: Kareem Hunt has disappointed through the first three games of the season. He hasn’t logged more than 20 touches in a game and has managed only one reception heading into Week 4. This dip in performance is likely a product of Patrick Mahomes’ breakout performances and the Chiefs’ desire to move downfield as far and often as possible. On Monday night, the Chiefs will face a Broncos team that allowed Joe Flacco 250+ passing yards last week. Flacco is nowhere near the talent of Mahomes, leading me to believe that KC will come out firing in this game. With Mahomes finishing off so many drives and constantly throwing downfield, Hunt’s usage has increasingly diminished. The Chiefs will eventually return to using him and his talent regularly, but not until Mahomes cools off. Expect average RB2 numbers from the Chiefs running back in Week 4.
Wide Receiver
Stud
Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers: Davante Adams has been one of the league’s most consistent WRs this season. Impressively, Adams has managed at least five receptions and a touchdown per game through Week 3. The Packers will be hosting a Bills team who dominated their rival Vikings last week. The Bills win seemed to be more of a one-off, though, as they suffered blowout losses in weeks previous. This is a turnaround game for the Packers, who suffered a surprise loss to the Redskins last week. Adams and Aaron Rodgers have a solid connection and he should see plenty of targets. Look for strong WR1 numbers from the Adams in this matchup.
Tyler Boyd/AJ Green, Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals face a Falcons team this week that has been ravaged by injury. The Falcons have lost both starting safeties, along with Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones. This should be an easy offensive game for Andy Dalton and Co. AJ Green was injured last week and may not be at 100% on Sunday, but he should still manage at least ten targets. Boyd, meanwhile, has come out strong to start the season. He’s managed two touchdowns this season and topped 130 yards in last week’s loss to the Panthers. Dalton should look Boyd’s way at least eight times in this game. Expect AJ Green to produce mid-tier WR1 numbers, with high-end WR2 numbers from Tyler Boyd.
Dud
Any Titans WR: The Titans’ passing game has been nothing short of awful this year. Marcus Mariota is not 100% healthy and has failed to top 103 yards in the two games he’s played. This is unlikely to change this week, with the Titans continuing to deal with Mariota’s injury. The Titans will also be facing one of the league’s best defenses in the Eagles for Week 4. One would expect the Titans to lean heavily on the run game until Mariota returns to full health. This does not bode well for any Titans receivers. Corey Davis, Tennessee’s leading receiver, has a mere 151 yards on the season. The second leading receiver is… Dane Cruikshank, who has just one reception from a fake punt. Davis is the only Titans receiver worth starting this week, but warrants flex consideration at best. All other Titans receivers should be avoided.
Tight End
Stud
O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Howard has established himself as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s go-to tight end. Howard was a former first-round draft pick and one of the more talented and complete TEs to enter the league. In his second NFL season, Howard has passed Cameron Brate as Tampa’s first-choice TE. On the season, Howard has 11 receptions to Brate’s 3. Fitzpatrick has had an incredible start to the season, throwing for 400+ yards in three straight games. He likely won’t be able to continue this streak, however, as the Bucs are set to face Khalil Mack and the explosive Bears defense. The Bears D/ST remains #1 in fantasy production and leads the league in several defensive categories. Chicago’s secondary will look to shut down receivers Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, which should give Howard some easy looks down the middle. O.J. Howard should be started with confidence this week and is likely to produce low-end to mid-tier TE1 numbers.
Dud
George Kittle, San Fransisco 49ers: Kittle was a popular breakout TE at the start of the season and has teased that potential in two games with five receptions and 75+ yards. His value took a big dip, however, when Niners quarterback Jimmy Garropolo suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 3. The 49ers will now look to backup QB CJ Beathard to lead the offense. Beathard does not inspire a lot of confidence as a starter, which does not bode well for Kittle’s fantasy production going forward. Look for Kittle to produce high-end TE2 numbers for the rest of the season, unless CJ Beathard can prove he is more than a backup.
Photo Credit: Erik Drost via Flickr
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