Mario’s Hot & Not Fantasy Rundown: Week 4
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cincinnati Bengals
Hot: Joe Burrow
The new age Broadway Joe had a very efficient game vs the Jags on Thursday night. 25/32 for 348 yards and 2 TDs on a night where the Bengals needed all they could get from the former #1 overall pick in a game that was closer than most predicted. Burrow repeatedly found his 2nd and 3rd reads with his top WR Higgins ruled OUT with injury. Burrow is looking good, and can be considered a streaming QB in 12 team leagues with bye weeks coming up.
Not: Marvin Jones
With DJ Chark lost to injury, the opportunity to perform was at a season high for Jones, yet he was only able to muster 24 yards on 3 receptions. Lawrence had the best game of his young career, but the bulk of the targets went to Shenault, while Jones received only 3.
Washington Football Team @ Atlanta Falcons
Hot: Cordarelle Patterson
Patterson had the best fantasy output of his career vs a WFT defense that has surprisingly looked like Swiss cheese this season. Listed as a RB on fantasy sites, Patterson only had 6 carries for 34 yards. However, most of his damage this Sunday was as a WR. 5 receptions for 82 yards and 3 of Matt Ryan’s 4 TDs on the day. Patterson is a must add if he’s available in your league, and is a true weekly FLEX option.
Not: Mike Davis
Week by week, Davis is losing touches to the more effective Cordarelle Patterson. He even yielded 6 carries to Wayne Gallman. This week, he scored a TD on a short pass, but his lack of touches is concerning. Davis might be a drop candidate in 10 team leagues.
Houston Texans @ Buffalo Bills
Hot: Dawson Knox
It’s quite refreshing to see a TE emerge with good production with such scarcity at the position in fantasy. Knox scored a TD for the 3rd week in a row, and accentuated that streak with TWO TDs vs the hapless Texans. Knox is the only viable TE on a high scoring offense, and is a must-add this week if he’s available in your league.
Not: Davis Mills
By no means is Davis Mills fantasy relevant, but for the sake of this column, I include him here because his play does affect the very few (or maybe just Cooks) players on the Texans offense that ARE fantasy relevant. Mills looked every part of a rookie being thrown into the fire on the road in a hostile environment, and this continued play will have negative fantasy effects on all Texans players.
Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
Hot: Darnell Mooney
I talked up Mooney last week on my DFS column, but it appears I was a week too early. Fields has an obvious rapport with the speedy deep threat, and that rapport was on display in a much needed win vs the Lions. Mooney put up 5 receptions for 125 yards, and was a shoe-string tackle away from a 90+ yard TD. We don’t know how the QB situation in Chicago will shake out once Dalton is healthy, but if Fields remains the starter, Mooney’s stock is high.
Not: D’Andre Swift
Prior to Week 4, Swift was RB3 on the season. Which is exactly why his performance vs Chicago is so disappointing. The all-purpose back managed only 49 yards on 12 touches, and a paltry 2.0 yards per carry. We’ve witnessed the nearly even split with Williams so far this season, but Sunday Williams received nearly twice the carries, and was much more effective. Let’s hope Swift gets back on track next week vs a porous Vikings run defense.
Carolina Panthers @ Dallas Cowboys
Hot: Ezekiel Elliott
Sunday’s performance has to excite Zeke owners. For the first time this season, Elliott hit 100 yards rushing, and really separated himself from Tony Pollard. Overall, the entire Cowboys run game was dominant. Pollard was still effective at 6.7 yards per carry, but Zeke averaged over 7.0 yards per carry and got the only rushing TD of the day. Next up is a tasty division matchup with the Giants.
Not: CeeDee Lamb
You’d think by looking at Dak Prescott’s stat line Sunday that Lamb had himself a day. That wasn’t the case. Lamb accounted for only 13 yards on 2 receptions, while the 4 TDs thrown by Dak were reeled in by Cooper, Jarwin, Schultz, and Wilson. Lamb is still a must start if you roster him, and a matchup with the Giants coming up.
Indianapolis Colts @ Miami Dolphins
Hot: Jonathan Taylor
If you drafted Jonathan Taylor, you finally got the return on investment you’ve been waiting for. Taylor eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark for the first time this season, and found paydirt for the first time as well. Next week is a tough test vs the Ravens. If you roster Taylor, you may want to temper your expectations for Monday night.
Not: Myles Gaskin
Gaskin ended the 2020 season as the Miami RB1, and was expected to resume that role for the 2021 season. However, Gaskin only received 2 carries for 3 yards vs the Colts on Sunday, while Malcolm Brown received the bulk of the RB touches in the loss. Another performance like this, and Gaskin will be nearing droppable territory.
Cleveland Browns @ Minnesota Vikings
Hot: Nick Chubb
This game was supposed to be high scoring, but instead was a game with 14 punts and 2 turnovers on downs. Chubb was the lone bright spot (besides the defense) for the Browns in this game. Putting up exactly 100 yards rushing on 21 carries. Hunt vultured a TD from him or it would have been a nicer stat line. This game proved that Chubb can be successful in a game where the Browns have to grind out a low scoring win.
Not: Odell Beckham Jr.
We are all still waiting for the return of OBJ. In a tough day on offense for the Browns, OBJ was only able to haul in 2 catches for 27 yards. Not exactly the result you expect when you put him in your starting lineup in a plus matchup vs a vulnerable secondary. Until we see signs of improvement, OBJ should be on your bench.
New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints
Hot: Saquon Barkley
Saquon looks to be back. 18 touches for 126 yards and 2 TDs, including a long one through the air where he made a couple of moves before outrunning the defense to the endzone. Barkley looks strong, fast, and agile like the Saquon of 2018. No more wondering about the matchup as the Giants ease him back in. Those days are over, and Saquon is a must start the rest of the season.
Not: Alvin Kamara
It doesn’t seem plausible for Kamara to be on here after rushing for 120 yards on 26 carries, but there is concern here because of his complete lack of passing game usage. Kamara has been a PPR king since he was drafted, but is on pace this season for a career low 40 receptions. Without the receiving work, Kamara’s floor moves down to RB2.
Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets
Hot: Derrick Henry
King Henry cannot be stopped. The Jets were the latest victim, and Henry ran for 157 yards and a TD on 33 carries. The brunt of the load was on #22 with both starting WRs out with injury, and he came through in a big way. Unfortunately, the rest of the team didn’t show up, and the Titans lost to the lowly Jets. Henry looks to keep up this torrid pace next week vs the winless Jags.
Not: Braxton Berrios
If we weren’t clear before the game how the return of Jamison Crowder would affect the production of Berrios, we are sure now. Berrios caught 1 pass for 0 yards on the day, and that’s all the action he saw. Crowder received all of the targets that Berrios was previously receiving, and as long as Crowder is healthy, Berrios is a drop candidate in 10 team leagues.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles
Hot: Tyreek Hill
There is no WR in the NFL like Tyreek Hill. He torched the Eagles DBs for 186 yards and 3 TDs on 11 receptions. The Eagles had no answer for Tyreek, as Mahomes repeatedly found the speedy wideout open all over the field. Let’s see how Hill fares next week vs Buffalo, where he will most likely be shadowed by All-Pro Tre’Davious White.
Not: Miles Sanders
What has happened to Miles Sanders? In a shootout with the Chiefs where the Eagles offense put up 30 points, Sanders only managed only 47 total yards on 10 touches. He was out touched and out gained by Kenneth Gainwell, who has slowly started getting more playing time early this season. Sanders may be a bench candidate until he shows otherwise.
Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams
Hot: Chase Edmonds
Chase Edmonds has really turned up the heat on the field in the last couple of weeks. Sunday he ran rampant through a solid Rams defense for 120 yards at a whopping 10.0 yards per carry, while still contributing 4 receptions for 19 yards in the passing game. If Edmonds can keep up this production, he may finish the season in the elite tier of fantasy RBs.
Not: Matthew Stafford
The early season fairytale has come to an end. Stafford seemed to have finally met his match vs the Cardinals defense, and the undefeated record is now spoiled. Stafford didn’t have a terrible game, but he was much less efficient than what we have seen in the first 3 games of the season. Under constant duress, Stafford threw 1 interception to go with his 2 passing TDs, and finished the game with his lowest QBR of the season. He looks to get right next week with another divisional matchup on Thursday night vs the Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers
Hot: Deebo Samuel
Samuel entered Week 4 as fantasy’s WR1, and exits Week 4 with the same title. The Seahawks had no answer for the rejuvenated 3rd year WR, even after Jimmy G was ruled out at halftime with a calf injury. 8 catches on 12 targets for 156 yards and 2 TDs was the final stat line. As long as Deebo remains healthy, he is matchup proof, and should remain in your starting lineup.
Not: Chris Carson
Despite a big road division win, Carson was not much of a factor. He and Alex Collins split touches right down the middle at 14 each, and Carson was out gained by Collins, who also scored the only TD of the day by a RB. This even split is not good news for Carson going forward. At this rate, Carson is not much more than a FLEX play.
Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos
Hot: Marquise “Hollywood” Brown
Brown is finally living up to his nickname, Hollywood. He made a spectacular diving TD catch in the endzone on an absolute bomb by Lamar Jackson. He put up an impressive stat line of 4/91/1 in a game that featured 17 total punts between both teams. Brown remains a WR2 for fantasy purposes.
Not: Courtland Sutton
On the other side of the field, Sutton and the Broncos didn’t fare so well. Sutton received 8 targets, but turned those targets into only 3 receptions for 47 yards. Most of that can be attributed to blanket coverage by Marlon Humphrey. Sutton should remain in your starting lineup next week vs a poor Steelers pass defense.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Green Bay Packers
Hot: Randall Cobb
I just sent my only Randall Cobb share to waivers last week, so of course he goes off! The Rodgers to Cobb connection is back, to the tune of 5 receptions for 69 yards and 2 TDs. Give this another week to see if it continues, but if you have a bench spot open, reserve it for Cobb.
Not: Juju Smith-Schuster
Claypool was out with injury, which should lead to more work for Juju, but he did not deliver. 2 receptions for 11 yards is not going to cut it. Juju was out targeted by both Diontae and James Washington, and he is a low end bench stash until he shows us otherwise.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New England Patriots
Hot: Leonard Fournette
Playoff Lenny showed up a little early in the season, and fantasy managers can rejoice. Ronald Jones seems to be nothing but an afterthought at this point. In a tough road game at New England in the pouring rain, Fournette logged 20 carries for 91 yards, and also chipped in 3 receptions for 47 yards. The lone TD on the day was vultured by Jones, but this usage is encouraging moving forward.
Not: Patriots Rushing Attack
We have never been able to trust any Patriots RB for fantasy, but that was usually because we didn’t know who would be getting the bulk of the carries and goal line work from week to week. This time however, we need to avoid the Patriots’ RBs altogether. Collectively, the rushing totals for the Pats RBs on Sunday was 6 carries for negative 4 yards. The Bucs rushing defense is tops in the league, but until we see who emerges from the Patriots backfield, avoid in fantasy at all costs.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Hot: Austin Ekeler
Ekeler looked GOOD on Monday night vs the previously undefeated Raiders. He received his usual passing game work, but what excites me the most is the way he was utilized in the running game in between the tackles. Ekeler rushed for 117 yards and a TD on only 15 carries, and also scored a receiving TD in the big division win. There was a slight injury scare early in the 1st quarter, but it looks like it’s nothing to be worried about. Start Ekeler with confidence in all formats.
Not: Bryan Edwards
After a promising start to the season, Edwards put up his worst stat line. 1 reception for 4 yards on a night where the Raiders offense seemed to struggle for the first time this season. Let’s hope this is an outlier, and Edwards bounces back next week at home vs the Bears.
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