There was a time in my life as a kid when I wanted nothing to do with playing football. I didn’t want to play flag or tackle. Just didn’t want to do that. At some point I came to my senses and became obsessed, but during that time my dad had a saying: “give it two weeks.” He’d tell me to participate in football for two weeks and see if I still didn’t like it. And then when two weeks came and went and I still didn’t want to do it, my Dad would then say to me “give it another two weeks.”
That’s how you get a bratty kid to do things. In fantasy terms, we’re at the “another two weeks” point. A month into the season and it’s time to elevate the fantasy studs and maybe cut bait with (at least some) of the duds. And with that, let’s recap Week 4!
10 Studs
- Christian McCaffrey: 177 total yds. 4 TDs
- A.J. Brown: 175 yds. 2 TDs
- Josh Allen: 320 yds. 5 total TDs
- Stefon Diggs: 120 yds. 2 3 TDs
- Kyren Williams: 127 total yds. 2 TDs
- Justin Fields: 335 pass yds. 4 TDs
- Mark Andrews: 80 yds. 2 TDs
- Josh Jacobs: 139 total yds. 1 TD
- Michael Wilson: 76 yds. 2 TDs
- Jonnu Smith: 95 yds. BUT STILL BETTER THAN KYLE PITTS
Honorable Mention -- Zach Wilson, 245 yds. 2 TDs. But this doesn’t absolve him from the careerlong streak of being mediocre.
It’s news to literally no one that CMC is a stud. Four touchdowns could have been five if Brock Purdy didn’t sneak in for one. Hand up: I was “cautious” when he got traded to the 49ers because of his injury history. Hand up: I’m dumb. He leads the league in rushing and could run away with it.
It’s good to see A.J. Brown build on the success of last week’s 131 scoreless yard performance with a monster day. The Eagles needed every bit of it in a shootout with the Commanders (good for you if you predicted that one) and it looks like any “give me the damn ball” problems there may have been in Philly have been worked out. Brown has 27 targets in the last two weeks compared to DeVonta Smith’s 14.
This was the Josh Allen you drafted. This was the guy you pictured when some league mates told you it was a reach to grab him in the 2nd round. His perfect passer rating and five touchdowns helped knock out the Dolphins. And he did it by going to his number 1 Stefon Diggs.
Stefon Diggs certainly hasn’t disappointed fantasy owners, but he hadn’t found the endzone in the previous two weeks. That changed Sunday with his three scores and the duo put to bed any doubts about Buffalo’s offense.
I think we can confidently say Kyren Williams is good. Granted, the Colts defense isn’t a brick wall, but he’s been showing versatility week after week. Against Indy it was on the ground, but he can get it done through the air, too. I’m high on Williams keeping it going with the return of Cooper Kupp on the horizon and the prospect of the offense being even better.
When in doubt, start offensive players against the Broncos. I guess that’s where we’re at now? Justin Fields’ 4-touchdown performance is either smoke and mirrors or the start of something beautiful. Cole Kmet had 2 touchdowns. The DJ Moore rollercoaster provided a thrill with 131 yards and a score. Khalil Herbert had more than 100 on the ground and a receiving touchdown.
Despite all of this, the Bears still lost. The Broncos did just enough by spreading it around. Unfortunately, Chicago doesn’t get to play Denver every week so let’s pump the brakes on a Midway revival.
The Ravens needed this Mark Andrews badly. His five targets led the depleted Baltimore receivers. His two touchdowns reminded us he’s still Lamar Jackson’s redzone go-to. Again, the Ravens need this and would be crazy to go away from it in the weeks ahead.
Is it fair to say the Las Vegas Raiders are a mess? I think it’s more than fair. Hell, that might even be an undersell. But it’s always darkest just before the dawn, as they say. Unfortunately for the Raiders, this is like that six-month period of time in Alaska where it’s 24-hour darkness.
More on the NFL:
- It's Bye Week -- Let's Fill Those Holes (sportstopia.io)
- Studs & Duds: Not Quitting on Burrow ... Yet (sportstopia.io)
That doesn’t mean there can’t be bright spots, though! Welcome back to the fold, Josh Jacobs. Fantasy owners likely expected more through four weeks, but you could argue Week 4 of last season is when Jacobs got it rolling on his way to a rushing title. This year’s Week 4 was better than that one so let’s hope he can keep it going.
Michael Wilson is a household name. I am very confident there are multiple Michael Wilson’s in houses all around the world. I will forgive you, though, if you didn’t have *the* Michael Wilson rostered on your fantasy squad, but maybe you should. His two scores built on a good Week 3, but more importantly he has overtaken Rondale Moore in Arizona and is a threat to be a top-2 or -3 option weekly in the Cardinals offense. And let’s give it up for Josh Dobbs.
This weekly column isn’t always about the BIGGEST performances. Sometimes it’s about guys who you just flat out should consider rostering. That’s Jonnu Smith and his 95 yards as the Atlanta Falcons’ second (but really first) tight end.
Personally, I’m moving on from Kyle Pitts in non-dynasty formats. You can do it, too. Sure, he might have that *one* game where he makes you think about what could be, but you know it’s not reality. Smith has almost doubled up on Pitts in terms of fantasy points this season.
The Duds
Chris Olave can be a guy you build a gameplan around, but one catch for four yards on six targets is not how you do it. If Derek Carr was deemed healthy enough to be the starting quarterback, then I’m not going to blame his health on this.
I’m more worried about Alvin Kamara’s 14 targets on his return. That’s less run for Olave and the rest of the receiving corps. The offense has also only scored 20 points or more once.
I’ll throw Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert in here. I guess it’s hard not to have sky-high hopes after a 70-point game, but the Dolphins were brought back down to Earth. Hill had only 58 scoreless yards, but he’ll be fine.
Mostert is a tougher call. I called him MustStart, but tack on a couple of fumbles and De’Von Achane’s ascension … what do I call him now? The Miami offense (and your fantasy team) can still support both backs, but Achane wasn’t a fluke and that can only mean Mostert’s ceiling is limited.
Lastly, let’s go back to “give it two weeks … give it another two weeks.” I thought of that phrase when looking at the Cincinnati Bengals this season. Just give it a couple weeks! They’ll be fine! They are not fine. The game against the Tennessee Titans was supposed to be the “get right” game. They were coming off a win against the Los Angeles Rams and finally got Ja’Marr Chase involved, but nothing kept rolling.
Joe Burrow has flat out stunk, and the offense has scored three total touchdowns. Tee Higgins is hurt now. It’s been two weeks and another two weeks. They’re KILLING your fantasy team if you have virtually any Bengal.
Well, I’m gonna give it another two weeks because I refuse to believe they forgot how to play football. At least until the next poor performance.
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