Week 4 Roundup

Welcome back for another weekly roundup! I'm telling you what... this NFL season has been a roller-coaster. Now we have to sprinkle COVID into the mix, as it has officially reared it's ugly head. In my opinion, it was just a matter of time, I was fairly vocal (on Twitter) with my pessimism of the season starting at all. Pros: We made it ALMOST 25% of the way through smoothly. Football happened. Cons: Weeks 4-17 are going to get CRAZY.

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Injuries:

There are a lot of big names either: 1. Newly injured or 2. Still missing time due to lingering injuries. Now we have COVID to content with... As always, These are just the injuries that I can remember (or find without extensive digging). I would refer you to injury experts, Matthew Betz & Edwin Porras for more comprehensive injury analysis. Their Twitter accounts are linked above, they are fantastic follows (if you aren't following already).

Nick Chubb - MCL (IR, eligible to return) *

Austin Ekeler - Hamstring (Grade 2 Pull) *

Davante Adams - Hamstring *

Chris Godwin - Hamstring *

OJ Howard - Achilles (IR - out for season)

K.J. Hamler - Hamstring

Noah Fant - Ankle

Phillip Lindsay - Toe *

Leveon Bell - Hamstring *

Nick Chubb & Austin Ekeler are two of the biggest names newly added to the injury report. Both players are expected to miss significant time. Chubb has landed on IR, but the team expects him to return at some point this season. Ekeler's injury appears to be serious. He likely ends up on IR, and based on what I have heard his season could be in jeopardy.

Davante Adams & Chris Godwin were sidelined with hamstring injuries. Adams has now missed two consecutive games, as he was a late 'Inactive' for Monday Night Football vs. Atlanta. Godwin's injury was sustained during week 3. After missing week 4, Godwin is still a longshot to play in week 5 due to a Thursday night game. He may simply need more time to return to action safely.

Phillip Lindsay & Leveon Bell are two players on their way back from injury. Leveon Bell is targeting a week 5 return from his hamstring injury that he sustained during week 1. I am not exactly sure when Phillip Lindsay is set to return, but he was never placed on short term IR to recover from his turf toe injury. This tells me that he is close to returning to action.

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What I Learned from Week 4:

- Bill O'Brien, the first coach fired in 2020

BOB tanked the roster before kissing his job goodbye. The former Texans coach & GM exits, but the Texans are still in incredibly rough shape, as they have 0 1st or 2nd round picks in the 2021 draft. Yikes...

- Adam Gase won't go away

I have been touting "Adam Gase Fire Weekend" for a month now. The Jets are 0-4, they absolutely suck, Adam Gase still has a job. I used to feel bad for coaches getting fired until Chris Long mentioned on his esteemed program, The Green Light Podcast, that coaches make their living "talking shit about players". Coaches are much more likely to get another shot as a coach than a struggling player is to get another chance on another team. Get Gase out of there.

- The Cowboys have a problem, it is not Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott has 3 consecutive games with 450+ passing yards, including a 502 yard performance in week 4. The Cowboys are 1-3, realistically they should be 0-4 because they should have lost to the Falcons in week 2. All that talent.... extraordinarily mediocre. Again. Zeke ranks 5th in rushing attempts (70) and 2nd in targets (30), yet we have not seen a vintage 'Zeke game' yet. The Cowboy's defense is swiss cheese (in the words of my co-host, Alex). Not sure what is going on in Dallas, but it is an utter disappointment, just like we are used to.

- CeeDee Lamb > Michal Gallup

I was never worried about Lamb landing in Dallas. That is primarily because I have always thought that CeeDee Lamb is better than Michael Gallup. This is not an anti-Gallup take. This is a pro-Lamb take. Lamb is simply that good. Through 4 weeks, Lamb has more targets, yards & TD's than Gallup. Again, Gallup is a great player! But IMO, the fantasy football industry completely undersold how good CeeDee Lamb was when they projected Gallup for another high-end WR 2 season. Lamb has been involved early, and often. That trend should only continue.

- Odell Beckham Jr. owns the Cowboys

Odell's career defining catch during the 2015 was against the Cowboys. Fast forward to 2020, Beckham went OFF on the Cowboys again. 81 yards & 2 TD's via the air. 73 yards & 1 TD (including a game sealing 50+ yard end around) on the ground. This is the game we have waiting for from Odell Beckham Jr. The question is now, are you trying to move OBJ coming off of his huge performance? Or are you holding him hoping that week 4 wasn't a façade?

- Panthers improve to 2-2, production coming from unlikely sources

This offseason, we all thought that the Panthers offense would run exclusively through CMC & 'My Guy', DJ Moore. CMC is nursing a high ankle sprain, and Moore has not lived up to his offseason hype. Teammate Robby Anderson currently ranks as a high-end WR 2 on the season. D.J. Moore, not even a WR 3 (Currently WR 39 sandwiched between rookies Tee Higgins & Jerry Jeudy. Mike Davis has filled in brilliantly for CMC, being extremely productive & efficient with his opportunity, finding the end-zone in 2 consecutive games. Teddy Bridgewater is also performing admirably. Teddy currently ranks as 4th in passing yards in 2020. Who woulda thunk it?

- Joe Burrow earns his first NFL victory; 33-25 over JAX

Burrow, 'My Guy' at the QB position recorded his 3rd consecutive 300+ yard game in his first NFL win. Burrow was awarded the game ball afterwards. He put the ball back into the bag to be used in next week's game. Burrow is the real deal. Many more wins to come for Burrow, Cincinnati in the future.

- Antonio Gibson has arrived

Another 'My Guy' for me, I 100% bought into the talent and the hype of Antonio Gibson. Sunday vs. a stout Baltimore defense, Gibson balled out. 128 yards from scrimmage & 1 TD. Gibson displayed elusiveness & burst on multiple occasions. Gibson currently ranks as a top 20 RB (0.5 PPR), and his workload should increase as we progress into the season. Let's also not overlook that fact that Gibson has found the end-zone in three consecutive games now.

- Eagles pick up first win of the season

Nobody has been under fire more this season than Carson Wentz. Despite another underwhelming performance, the Eagles captured their first win of the season, holding off the 49ers, 25-20. Hopefully this can be a confidence boost for Wentz moving forward. The Eagles sit atop the embarrassingly bad NFC East with a record of 1-2-1.

- 49ers slowly gaining playmakers

Despite a loss to the aforementioned Eagles, the 49ers are getting some of their key pieces back. TE George Kittle and WR Deebo Samuel both suited up for last night's game. Kittle recorded a performance for the ages; 15/15 rec. / 183 yds. / 1 TD. Rookie WR Brandon Aiyuk is really impressing as well. Look out for this offense as the continue to add their playmakers back from injury.

- Go Pack Go!

The Packers are 1 of 6 remaining unbeaten teams. As a Packers fan, I am elated with how they have looked through the first 4 games. Undefeated heading into the bye week. Aaron Rodgers is playing out of his mind. The Packers boast the highest scoring offense in the NFL this year. You love to see it.

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Report Card:

This week was... better... wait, maybe not. But at least where I missed, I wasn't alone. Let's start with my starts.

Starts:

QB: Deshaun Watson: Meh. Watson finished just outside of QB 1 territory. His 20.9 points were fine. Not great, just fine.

RB: Darrell Henderson: C'mon Rams! Henderson followed up a 20 carry / 114 yard performance with only 8 carries for 22 yards; 1 catch for 16 yards. Henderson looked as if he was entering 'workhorse' territory. Sean McVay went full Belichick on us and Henderson saw very little work in a prime matchup.

WR: Preston Williams: Until there is a QB change in Miami (which could be sooner that we think) I am done with Preston Williams. I saw this matchup as a potential breakout for Preston. Instead he caught 1 pass for 15 yards (& converted a 2 pt. conversion, just to make us all laugh)

TE: Darren Waller: Waller rebounded nicely from his dud performance vs. the Patriots, finishing the week as a top 10 TE.

Sits:

QB: Daniel Jones: This one was easy money. As I mentioned on the podcast, there are very few matchups the rest of the year I will feel comfortable starting Daniel Jones in.

RB: Josh Jacobs: Jacobs's week 1 performance: 33.9 pts. (0.5 PPR), RB 1 overall. Since then, Jacobs has scored 28.6 pts. (0.5 PPR) combined. This is a tough stretch for a 1st or 2nd round pick for your fantasy football team. Jacobs is too talented for this to continue for too long.

WR: Justin Jefferson: Jefferson looks like he just needed some time to adapt, because damn does he look good out there. Jefferson recorded his 2nd straight 100+ yard game. If you were lucky enough to get Jefferson off of waivers, he is a perfect sub for an injured player/bye week fill in moving forward.

TE: Jimmy Graham: This is the Jimmy Graham that we have grown used to over the past few years. Week 3, TE 1 overall. Week 4, low end, TE 2.

My score:

I hate missing. I hate leading you astray. This week I felt extremely confident in my Darrell Henderson call, so that one hurt. Preston Williams was one that I was trying to will into existence... I learned my lesson there. My sits (aside from Jefferson, who was more of a 'wait and see if this is for real' sit) were decent. A slight improvement over last week.

Grade: C-

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Popped off | Dropped off: This segment may not always feature the highest/lowest scoring players at their respective positions. These are just guys who surprised me and could have continued success. Points referenced are from fantasydata.com | 0.5 PPR scoring

Popped Off:

- QB - Dak Prescott - QB 1 | 37.3 pts.

41/58 passing / 502 yds. / 4 TD / 1 INT | 2 rush att. / 12 yds.

- QB - Aaron Rodgers - QB 3 | 29.6 pts.

37/33 passing / 327 yds. / 4 TD | 1 rush att. / 5 yds.

- RB - Joe Mixon - RB 1 | 39.1 pts.

Rushing - 25 att. / 151 yds. / 2 TD | Receiving - 6 rec. / 30 yds. / 1 TD

- RB - Antonio Gibson - RB 5 | 20.8 pts.

Rushing - 13 att. / 46 yds. / 1 TD | Receiving - 4 rec. / 82 yds.

- WR - Odell Beckham Jr. WR 1 | 35.9 pts.

8 tgt. / 5 rec. / 81 yds. / 2 TD | 2 carries / 73 yds. / 1 TD

- WR - Amari Cooper - WR 2 | 27.4 pts.

16 tgt. / 12 rec. / 134 yds. / 1 TD

- WR - D.J. Chark Jr. - WR 3 | 25.5 pts.

9 tgt. / 8 rec. / 95 yds. / 2 TD

- TE - George Kittle - TE 1 | 32.6 pts.

15 tgt. / 15 rec. / 183 yds. / 1 TD

- TE - Robert Tonyan - TE 1 | 2 | 30.8 pts.

6 tgt. / 6 rec. / 100 yds. / 3 TD

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Dropped Off:

- QB - Nick Foles - QB 24 | 11.9

26/42 passing / 249 yds. / 1 TD/ 1 INT | 2 rush att. / -1 yds.

- QB - Jared Goff - QB 25 | 11.7 pts.

25/32 passing / 200 yds. / 1 TD | 3 rush att. / -3 yds.

- RB - Miles Sanders - RB 33 | 8.6

Rushing - 13 att. / 46 yds. / 0 TD | Receiving - 2 rec. / 30 yds.

- RB - Jonathan Taylor - RB 34 | 8.4

Rushing - 17 att. / 68 yds. / 0 TD | Receiving - 1 rec. / 11 yds.

- WR - DeAndre Hopkins - WR 46 | 7.6 pts.

9 tgt. / 7 rec. / 41 yds. / 0 TD

- WR - D.J. Moore - WR 49 | 6.9 pts.

6 tgt. / 4 rec. / 49 yds. / 0 TD

- WR - Robert Woods - WR 51 | 6.7 pts.

7 tgt. / 6 rec. / 35 yds. / 0 TD | 1 carry / 2 yds.

- TE - Evan Engram - TE 17 | 6.5 pts.

10 tgt. / 6 rec. / 35 yds. / 0 TD

- TE - Zach Ertz - TE 27 | 4.9 pts.

tgt. / rec. / yds. / TD

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The Waiver Wire: (Roster percentage is in reference to Yahoo Fantasy statistics)

Quarterback:

Justin Herbert - QB, Chargers - 17% Rostered

Justin Herbert's roster % actually went down from last week, but after what he did Sunday vs. a good Buccaneers defense, Herbert has shows that he can go toe-to-toe with the GOAT, Tom Brady. Herbert will continue to be a weekly start as long as he holds on to the starting job in LA.

Teddy Bridgewater - QB, Panthers - 19% Rostered

Teddy Bridgewater is quietly ranked 6th in passing yards (1147 yds.), and has now recorded back-to-back wins for the Panthers. The Panthers lackluster defense should leave Bridgewater in a position to put up fantasy points on a weekly basis. As we approach bye weeks, Bridgewater is a prime streaming option.

Tua Tagovailoa - QB, Dolphins - 6% Rostered

The Dolphins tanked for Tua last year. They drafted him with the 5th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Tua's time may be approaching. The Dolphins hesitated to name a starter for week 5. Ryan Fitzpatrick was named the starter, but the Dolphins are 1-3, & Fitzpatrick currently has more INT's than TD's through 25% of the season. Keep an eye on Tua in the coming weeks, he could be on the field very soon.

Running Back:

D'Ernest Johnson - RB, Browns - 3% Rostered

Nick Chubb has been placed on IR. The Browns have relied on a 1-2 punch throughout the season. With Chubb on the mend, Kareem Hunt enters the RB 1 conversation, but enter D'Ernest Johnson. Sunday vs. the Cowboys, Johnson saw 13 carries for 95 yards. I did not make the comp, but I absolutely agree, he looked very Alvin Kamara-esque. D'Ernest Johnson is NOT Alvin Kamara, but the play style certainly supports this comparison. The Browns are a team predicated on running the ball, Johnson is my top priority RB add of the week.

Chase Edmunds - RB, Cardinals - 36% Rostered

Chase Edmunds found the end zone on Sunday. The reason Chase Edmunds makes this list is because Kenyan Drake has looked horrendous through 4 weeks. Edmunds has already proven that he is more than capable when called upon. If Kenyan Drake's woe's continue, Edmunds could begin taking touches from Drake.

Justin Jackson - RB, Chargers - 6% Rostered

Justin Jackson finds himself in a position to see significantly more playing time due to Austin Ekeler's injury. Similar to the Browns, the Chargers have relied on a 1-2 punch with Ekeler and rookie, Joshua Kelley. Jackson, when healthy, is a good player. Kelley should assume lead back duties, but Jackson should have a weekly role and could provide FLEX value for your team.

Wide Receiver:

Laviska Shenault Jr. - WR, Jaguars - 24% Rostered

Hasta Laviska, baby. In my week 2 roundup, I said that Laviska Shenault should be on rosters. He is simply too versatile, and too dangerous with the ball in his hands. In week 4, Shenault caught 5 of 6 targets for 86 yards. Viska has also recorded at least 1 rushing attempt in every game this year. Jacksonville has a juicy schedule approaching (Texans, Lions, Chargers). Given these math-ups, I view Shenault has a great FLEX play over the next few weeks as his role continues to expand.

Scotty Miller - WR, Buccaneers - 16% Rostered

Scotty Miller recorded his second consecutive game with 83 receiving yards. In week 4 he found the end zone. With Godwin potentially sidelined for week 5 (Thursday Night Football), and O.J. Howard lost to a torn Achilles tendon, Miller's involvement is projected to increase heading into week 5.

Tre'Quan Smith - WR, Saints - 27% Rostered

Tre'Quan Smith capped off an efficient week 4, catching 4/4 targets for 53 yards & 2 TD's. While Michael Thomas is out, Brees has not hesitated to look for Smith. If you need a spot start at WR, you could certainly do worse than Tre'Quan Smith.

Zach Pascal - WR, Colts - 4% Rostered

Pascal has yet to 'Wow' us, but with the loss of Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman Jr., Pascal's involvement in the offense has been consistent. In week 4, Pascal saw 8 targets (catching only 3), playing 75% of offensive snaps. Pascal is a deep option, but given the insane amount of injuries we have seen through 4 weeks, you might be scrambling to find a startable WR. Pascal is a name to monitor. In 2019 Pascal saw 72 targets, catching 41 of them for 607 yards & 5 TD's.

Tight End:

Robert Tonyan, TE, Packers - 30% Rostered

BobTonSzn??? Yes please. Tonyan's 3 TD game in week 4 was amazing. But he is more than his week4 performance. Tonyan has now found the end zone in 3 consecutive games. Tonyan appears to have taken over the pass catching TE role in Green Bay. Tonyan's relevance has come on the back of Davante Adams's absence, but the Packers are going to be missing Allen Lazard for a significant amount of time, Tonyan fills that void very nicely. OH, by the way... Tonyan is TE/WR eligible in Sleeper. Just a fun fact.

Rob Gronkowski - TE, Buccaneers - 56% Rostered

Gronk's time may be coming. I was absolutely OUT on Gronk a few weeks ago. Now with O.J. Howard being lost for the season, Gronk may fall into more receiving work. Despite his lack of involvement as a pass catcher, Gronk has been on the field an average of 81.25% of offensive snaps this year. Gronk somehow remains 56% rostered in Yahoo leagues, but check your waiver wire if you need a TE.

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1/4 of the way through the season. I hope you have enjoyed these articles! My hope is that they have been valuable & entertaining reads for you. If you enjoyed reading this article be sure to follow me on Twitter! Follow @ZackFFB & @AtoZffb for all of our A-Z FFB content! You can find links to our podcast here in the Linktree.

I'll catch you next week. 'Same bat-time, same bat-channel'!

Peace!

Zack Housholder

Sources: Fantasydata.com / Profootballreference.com / ESPN.com