Week 4 Fantasy Trends
Another week in the NFL equals another round of twists and turns. Some handle the curves with ease while others struggle to navigate a challenging path. We are back to document it all with another round of Week 4 fantasy trends or what we like to call it—Sizzle/Fizzle. As a friendly reminder to all, bye weeks are now underway, with San Francisco and the New York Jets offline. But as long as you stay online with Create-A-Rank, you will gain a winning edge your NFL fantasy football competitors are lacking!
Sizzle
Daniel Jones, QB/Sterling Shepard, WR/Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants – The debut for Danny Dimes will not be forgotten anytime soon. Rallying Gotham City’s Giants from a 28-10 deficit, Jones accounted for four touchdowns. Two came on the ground and the other two were on passes to Shepard and Engram. Both Shepard and Engram topped 100 yards and looked way more compelling with Jones than Eli Manning. After drawing Washington this week, the Giants have to play Minnesota and New England. Those squads will present stiff tests, but this talented trio appears poised to produce plenty of fantasy points overall.
Kyle Allen, QB, Carolina Panthers – The impact of Allen’s start in Arizona goes beyond the box score. Yes, it was a beautiful box score as Allen threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns. But his excellent play means the rest of Carolina’s playmakers remain relevant. Curtis Samuel, D.J. Moore, and resurgent Greg Olsen all caught touchdown passes. Christian McCaffrey had a 77-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, Allen does not draw the Cardinals every week. But with Cam Newton apparently out of commission for a while, Allen ensures harmony for the Panthers offense. And he enters the 2QB league picture and streaming radar.
Gardner Minshew, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars – Once you get beyond the hype of the man’s mustache, you realize Minshew offers plenty of potential. Minshew made believers out of the Tennessee Titans, throwing for 204 yards and two touchdowns in an easy victory. After drawing Denver this week, Minshew has a fairly easy stretch that includes Cincinnati and New Orleans. You can plan on Minshew being an option during the worst of the bye weeks.
Mitchell Trubisky, QB/Taylor Gabriel, WR, Chicago Bears – After a pair of lackluster weeks, Trubisky rebounded against the Redskins. Gabriel was his partner in crime as the duo combined for three touchdowns. Unfortunately, Gabriel left the game with a concussion. By no means does this performance make Trubisky or Gabriel reliable weekly contributors. Nevertheless, we seek positives wherever we can find them. Both players are back to the point where they can pitch in on occasion.
Mark Ingram, RB, Baltimore Ravens – Ingram may not be able to keep his torrid pace going, but until that happens, enjoy the ride. In Baltimore’s shootout loss to Kansas City, Ingram rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns. He now has five touchdowns overall. Ingram’s upcoming opponent, the Cleveland Browns, clamped down on the Rams in Week 3. However, the Browns allowed a big day to Tennessee’s Derrick Henry on opening day. And Le’Veon Bell enjoyed success against them in Week 2.
Phillip Lindsay, RB, Denver Broncos – With Royce Freeman dealing with a nagging shoulder injury, Lindsay had a higher level of involvement in Green Bay. His fantasy owners were happy after Lindsay rushed for 81 yards and two scores. While Freeman does not appear likely to miss time, any limitations give Lindsay an opening to capture more of a lead role.
Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers – In 2018, Allen produced six touchdowns. Through three weeks, he has already scored three times. He’s got 29 receptions for 404 yards! Another big week ought to be in store down in South Florida against the dour Dolphins.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Those expecting to see Chris Godwin thrive are very happy overall. Nonetheless, the talk that Godwin had usurped Evans in the pecking order seemed suspicious. Evans justified his defenders by catching eight passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns against the Giants. Obviously, Evans will not produce like that every week, but in the end, count on him being a WR1.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks – On a day where Seattle threw more than usual, Lockett notched a career-high 11 receptions. Those receptions produced 154 yards and a touchdown. Cemented as Russell Wilson’s number one target, Lockett now heads into a great matchup with Arizona.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Redskins – When you are going through a dismal start like Washington, rays of sunshine are hard to find. The disillusioned Washington fans are at least McLovin McLaurin, who has three touchdowns. One common belief centered on McLaurin thriving once his Ohio State teammate Dwayne Haskins took over at quarterback. It turns out Terry can thrive with anyone, which has made him one of the great steals of the young season.
Darren Waller, TE, Oakland Raiders – Surprisingly, Waller has not found the end zone yet. But Darren dominates the rest of the field. In a tough matchup at Minnesota, Waller caught 13 passes for 134 yards. Things move fast in fantasy football. Waller’s progression from no name to big name happened very quickly. Congratulations to anyone who landed Waller, as you have a TE1 the rest of the way.
Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills – Buffalo would love it if Knox turns into their version of Waller. Ultimately, that might be a stretch. The Bills are a playoff contender and will not be playing from behind as frequently as Oakland. That drains Knox’s upside. Still, the rookie from Ole Miss looked impressive in catching three passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. Cole Beasley gets volume in Buffalo’s attack, but has low upside. Home run hitter John Brown has never been a high volume receiver. An opening exists for Knox to make an impact.
Fizzle
Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns –Baker’s anticipated breakout has not materialized. Through three weeks, Mayfield has thrown just three touchdown passes. More troubling, he has tossed five interceptions. Mayfield maximizes his larger than life personality by proving doubters wrong. By no means are we suggesting anyone give up on the second-year signal-caller. But the Browns have issues and their next two games are road trips to Baltimore and San Francisco. After their Week 7 bye, Cleveland travels to New England. Even if the Browns start showing the potential many thought they possessed, temper expectations when it comes to Mayfield.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers – In an era where waiting to draft a quarterback remains in vogue, plenty took the plunge with Rodgers early. Rodgers has yet to clear 250 yards in a game and has thrown only four touchdowns. In his defense, clashes with Chicago, Minnesota, and Denver are no picnic. Philadelphia may be the tonic Rodgers needs to start looking like himself again.
Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants – The Giants are unable to be completely giddy over their comeback in Tampa because of Barkley’s ankle injury. Fantasy owners with Barkley may feel compelled to change their team name to Devastation, Inc. The first overall pick in many leagues will be out for 4-8 weeks. Wayne Gallman makes for a logical replacement provided New York does not land anyone compelling via free agency. But in the end, neither the Giants nor fantasy owners can compensate for the loss of this special talent.
Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks – Will Carson be able to recover after orchestrating another fumble festival? In Week 4, with Rashaad Penny sidelined, Carson looked poised to dominate against New Orleans. Instead, after his third lost fumble in as many weeks was returned for a touchdown by Saints safety Von Bell, Carson ceded a heaping helping of playing time to C.J. Prosise. It may be do or die for Carson this week, although he does get a favorable matchup against Arizona. If he cannot succeed, the Penny activists will be out in full force.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – Although Ekeler produced a quieter performance in Week 3, his overall numbers look great. However, with the end of Melvin Gordon’s holdout, Ekeler looks to be heading back to the flex ranks. Ekeler can easily generate RB1 production Sunday in Miami, so the party is not over yet. But many were hoping the party would last throughout most of the season.
Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots – More so than many backs, Michel needs the game script to work in his favor in New England’s crowded backfield. In Week 3, with the Patriots poised to obliterate the overmatched Jets, Michel looked to have a dream script. Instead, he and Rex Burkhead had the same amount of carries. To make matters worse, James White did not play. If Michel could not produce under these circumstances, his outlook for the rest of the season looks troubling. The case against Michel grows stronger when you notice an average of 2.4 yards per carry.
Darwin Thompson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs – Were you one of the owners who happily snatched Thompson off waivers last week? If so, you probably sent him back to the free-agent pool this week. Thompson barely played with Damien Williams out as Darrel Williams handled the role many thought Thompson would have.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings – The decline of Diggs represents the traditional conflict between real and fantasy football. We all know Diggs has the talent to put together electrifying performances. But with Minnesota letting Dalvin Cook run wild, Diggs has been a disappointment through no fault of his own. Diggs managed a touchdown in Week 2 but caught three passes for 15 yards in Week 3. With a trip to Chicago on tap, Stefon’s slide should continue.
Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams – In Week 1, Woods caught eight passes for 70 yards. He looked like his usual steady self. However, over the past two games, Woods has five receptions for 73 yards. Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks have a better rapport with Jared Goff at the moment. With Tampa Bay journeying to Southern California, Woods could not have asked for a better opportunity to rebound.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons – Ridley ran hot and cold as a rookie in 2018. That trend continues in 2019. After hauling in eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown in Week 2, decline could be expected in Week 3. But Ridley’s cold spell was way too cold for fantasy owners. Ridley finished his day in Indianapolis with one reception for six yards. Hopefully, a return home to Atlanta will result in another heatwave for Calvin.
John Ross, WR, Cincinnati Bengals – Ross flashed back to his disappointing days last Sunday against Buffalo. J.R. pulled in two passes for 22 yards. Did Ross merely have a bad day or did he already peak in 2019?
Jared Cook, TE, New Orleans Saints – Yes, New Orleans has gone through some turmoil with Drew Brees giving way to Teddy Bridgewater. But Cook looks terrible no matter who plays quarterback. Through three weeks, Jared has five catches for 69 yards. One of the bigger busts at any position so far, cutting Cook may be inevitable for many owners.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions – Hockenson’s Week 1 explosion in Arizona looks like a desert mirage. Since then, the rookie out of Iowa possesses two catches for eight yards. Fortunately, Hockenson’s opponent this weekend, Kansas City, can make anyone look great. But it would be hard to have faith in the rookie if you have a proven alternative.
Come back next week for our next edition of NFL fantasy football Sizzle/Fizzle!
