Tony Cutillo
The Vikings are 4-0, Matt Ryan is showing the true rewards of a late round pick, Jimmy Graham finally looks healthy and Julio Jones shows off his special talents. These are just a few of the highlights from Week 4. In a week where Rex Ryan may have saved his job by outcoaching Bill Belichick, many questions still remain unanswered.
The bye weeks will continue to come into play and injuries will always happen. Guys like Jordan Howard will always pop up and regression woes for prime talent like Jameis Winston will continue. The hardest part is deciding which is real and what is overstated. Let’s take a look at the recap of Week 4 below to try and help us decide.
Standout Stars
QB
- Matt Ryan: 503 yds, 4 TD/1 INT
- Ben Roethlisberger: 300 yds, 5 TD
- Derek Carr: 199 yds, 4 TD
RB
- Melvin Gordon: 36 yds, TD; 6 rec, 43 yds
- DeMarco Murray: 95 yds, 2 TD; 2 rec, 24 yds
- Isaiah Crowell: 120 yds, 1 TD; 3 rec, 22 yds
WR/TE
- Julio Jones: 12 rec, 300 yds; 1 TD
- Michael Crabtree: 7 rec, 88 yds; 3 TD
- A.J. Green: 10 rec, 173 yds; 1 TD
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Substandard Stiffs
QB
- Marcus Mariota: 202 yds, 1 INT
- Eli Manning: 261 yds, 1 INT
- Jameis Winston: 179 yds, 2 INT
RB
- Latavius Murray: 19 yds…2 rec, 5 yds
- Charles Sims: 28 yds…2 rec, 7 yds
- Matt Forte: 27 yds….2 rec, 16 yds
WR/TE
- DeAndre Hopkins: 1 rec, 4 yds
- DeSean Jackson: 1 rec, 5 yds
- Julian Edelman: 1 rec, 16 yds
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Surprise Performers (Sleepers)
Will Fuller: I think every fantasy show and book in America was talking about the WR depth chart in Houston. DeAndre Hopkins was coming off a career year, Jalen Strong was showing flashes of brilliance and their newest draft pick Will Fuller was being talked about as the speediest WR in his class. The concern was the amount of touches Hopkins would lose and Fuller would gain. Would it be enough to make Fuller a draftable commodity? Would be it enough drop Hopkins out of the first round? Let’s look at the numbers and you can decide.
- Fuller – 34 TAR, 19 REC, 323 YDS, 2 TD……80 YDS PER GAME, 17 YDS PER REC
- Hopkins – 33 TAR, 17 REC, 227 YDS, 2 TD…..56.8 YDS PER GAME, 13.4 YDS PER REC
This is something that needs to be taken seriously. Bill O’Brien took over the playcalling this week and he called Fuller’s number frequently. I am not saying it is time to panic for Hopkins owners, but make a note of this situation going forward. If I was put on the spot, I would still favor Hopkins. However, if we continue to get one-catch performances, my faith will start to diminish real fast.
Matt Jones: Matt Jones was supposed to the heart of the Redskins running game last year. His results were underwhelming leaving him to ponder why he wasn’t able to produce. Whether it was over thinking or pressing too hard to be great, Jones was determined to flip the script.
Jones rushed for 117 yards on 22 carries in Washington’s 31-20 victory over Cleveland on Sunday, finally finding the direction that was sorely missed. At 6-foot-2 and 232 pounds, he is comparable to a Dodge Ram 2500 going one-on-one with a Toyota Prius in most cases. The Redskins have been missing a balanced offensive gameplan for a few years now, but in week 4 they started to revert. They dialed up 27 pass plays and 26 run plays on the way to their victory. If they continue to employ this same philosophy moving forward, Matt Jones will finally pay dividends to the owners who have been patiently waiting for his arrival.
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Statistical Busts
Odell Beckham Jr.: Another week down and another lackluster performance by a 1st round receiver. This was a game that we already knew would be difficult for Eli and company, but to not show up at all is concerning. The Giants looked to implement a conservative gameplan against the best defense in the NFL, but failed miserably. OBJ did receive nine targets, but they only amounted to an average of 2.56 (yards per target). As you can see, the shots downfield were absent.
The other part of his lacking production that is a concern is his attitude. We all know his passion of the game overloads his mindset and sets him up for the occasional outburst that could very easily take his head out of the game. Sure he is averaging 9.5 Targets per game, but his still has not reached the endzone. Will this turnaround at some point? Will he produce consistent double digit performance as in years past? The same question could be asked for numerous WR1’s this year, but OBJ is unique. My thought is he comes out and makes a statement in week 5.
DeAndre Hopkins: The milk carton, “Have You Seen Him?” award this week goes to Mr. Hopkins. The man who was picked as a Top 5 WR, decided to catch as many catches as the waterboy. He certainly has more skill than Bobby Bouche’, but maybe he needs a little ammunition to get that desire back. Him and Brock seem to be lacking a solid connection, while Fuller is clicking on all cylinders. We are not in full blown panic mode quite yet, but to say I’m a little on edge is an understatement.
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Week 4 Thoughts and Theories
–Lack of consistency among the NFL’s top talent is concerning: The inconsistent play among the top WRs in fantasy has definitely raised some red flags. Odell Beckham, Brandin Cooks, DeAndre Hopkins, and Kelvin Benjamin have all been inconsistent from week-to-week. There seems to be very few guys who are must-starts on a weekly basis. Times are changing and the analytics of matchups have now taken center stage. It may finally be time to go with what the numbers say and not we think they will mean.
–Le’Veon Bell wastes no time laying claim to RB1 status: We knew by the comments of HC Mike Tomlin that Bell would be thrown right back into the fire upon his return. He wasn’t exaggerating. Bell touched the ball 25 times and racked up 144 yards on the ground with another 34 receiving. Sure he didn’t score, but he is a special back that doesn’t need to score to be productive. Enjoy the ride and hats off to the owners that drafted a real RB in the 4th round instead of one who is now bagging groceries.
–Concussions continue to hurt quarterbacks: The NFL’s new concussion protocol is a process that was sorely needed to ensure the health of the players. Unfortunately, for Fantasy Football purposes it means more missed games from our starters. Week 4 saw Cam Newton and Carson Palmer go into the protocol with their next start up in the air. For Cam it could be a welcomed break from the punishment he has endured already and for Palmer it could be a good time to see why he can’t hit the side of a stationary tractor trailer from 10 yards away. Both these QBs need to get healthy and reclaim their form.
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My Skinny Post for Week 4
Tom Brady is back and Julian Edelman can be heard rejoicing like a bad episode of GLEE … Zeke is the man in Dallas and continues to bring back memories of Emmitt Smith. He leads the league in rushing 412 yards … Golden Tate has become the afterthought in Detroit. In Week 4, he was on the field for 35-of-66 snaps leading us to believe he must be spending too much time on IG … Speaking on Detroit, Matt Stafford showed us his performances fluctuate like the stock market. Investors beware … Jordan Howard will become the household name in Chicago. If he somehow is sitting on waivers, snatch him up now … Jimmy Graham is back to flexing again. He has now posted back to back 100 yard games and can be considered a TE1 … Andrew Luck will not last if he continues to be knocked down like a tackling dummy. He is on pace to take 60 sacks this season. I don’t even think trimming his beard can help him be mobile enough to withstand that … Brian Hoyer looks to have won John Fox over. Before you pick him up you might want to call Bill O’Brien and ask for his opinion. Use at your own risk … In a quiet resurgence, Mike Evans is on pace for 200 targets … Also in Tampa Bay, Cameron Brate is for real! … Now onto Week 5.
As always, you can stop by my Facebook page (Fantasy Sports Addiction) or tweet me (@TCutillo23) for questions or some nice fantasy debates. I can also be heard weekly via the internet stream live at WENG RADIO every Monday at 4:00 P.M. ET for a weekend sports wrap. But most importantly, you can catch me here at Pi!
For fantasy purposes, all my articles are predicated upon a PPR-based system.