Stars of Week 4
QB: Philip Rivers, SD: 23-38, 358 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
RB: Chris Ivory, NYJ: 29 carries, 166 yards, 1 TD
RB: Devonta Freeman, ATL 14 carries, 68 yards, 3 TDs, 5 catches, 81 yards, 0 TDs
WR: Vincent Jackson, TB: 10 catches, 147 yards, 1 TD
TE: Charles Clay, BUF: 9 catches, 111 yards, 0 TDs
This week we’re not looking at any A-list names for the honor roll, with the exception of Philip Rivers (although not really an A-lister for fantasy purposes). Rivers had himself a great game against the Browns, despite having a patchwork offensive line protecting him.
We split the RB honors between Beast Mode Lite, aka Chris Ivory, and new sensation Devonta Freeman, who now has 6 TDs over the last two weeks. Both players put up monster numbers and deserved recognition for their efforts.
Vincent Jackson served as one of the few bright spots for the Bucs in a loss to the Panthers. Jameis Winston targeted Jackson 15 times, so Jackson, despite now playing in his 11th NFL season, can still get after it.
Charles Clay posted good numbers against the Giants. However, they would have been better had it not been for an unfortunate chop block penalty against two of his linemen on the same play – Clay had a 32 yard TD catch which was brought back because of the penalty. Nevertheless, Clay finds his name on this list.
Week 4 Takeaways – A Closer Look
Each week we take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.
- Sam Bradford, QB – PHI: 15-28, 270 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
Analysis: Chip Kelly has felt the heat turned up on him each week by the Eagles’ faithful, and the loss to the Redskins this past Sunday only raised the temperature further. Blame has to be distributed in several directions for the Eagles’ rough start, but one of the primary culprits has been the play of Sam Bradford. Many fantasy owners viewed Bradford as a sleeper this season because of the presumed great fit within Kelly’s offense. Well, Bradford actually had his best statistical day for the Eagles on Sunday, even if his performance fell short of carrying his team to victory. That’s two straight games without an interception for Bradford, and he mixed in some deeper throws in the game against the Redskins. Bradford remains a QB2, not a QB1, but we’re seeing some signs of optimism for the weeks ahead. So on that note, stay tuned.
Todd Gurley, RB – STL: 19 carries, 146 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: Those who picked Todd Gurley in the draft knew that he would come with injury risk and require patience, having torn his ACL less than one year ago. Gurley’s debut last week left something to be desired for his owners, with his performance this past Sunday leaving his owners giddy about what’s to come. Gurley had a very quiet first half against the Cardinals with only 10 yards rushing, only to explode in the second half with the remaining 136 yards. For those of you who own Gurley, he now moves to weekly start status. We needed to see a strong game before we bumped him up to weekly starter status, and we’ve got that now. Note that Gurley had 19 carries compared to two carries for each of Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham. So no timeshare either – the Todd Gurley era is officially underway.
- T.J. Yeldon, RB – JAX: 22 carries, 105 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: No question we have a talented group of rookie running backs this season. While Gurley has the highest profile among the group, Jaguars rookie T.J. Yeldon has also showed promise thus far. Yeldon eclipsed the 100 yard mark for the first time in his career, after some uneven performance through the prior three weeks. What should you expect from Yeldon going forward? He’s a mix of RB2/flex, depending upon matchups – both quality of run defense and overall caliber of opponent should be factored. To illustrate what’s meant by the latter, take the matchup the Jags had last week with the New England Patriots. The Pats don’t have a stout run defense, but their offense is so powerful that many teams fall behind early in the game – just as the Jags did. That led to only 11 carries for Yeldon last week, which resulted in only 33 yards. While the Jaguars’ offense is improving, the team is still prone to blowouts when facing quality offenses. So, factor the possibility of a blowout into your analysis as well as how strong of a run defense the Jags are facing when comparing Yeldon with your other RB options for a given week.
- Leonard Hankerson, WR – ATL : 6 catches, 103 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: The offensive juggernaut known as the Atlanta Falcons has weapons oozing out from all over the place. It was Leonard Hankerson, and not Julio Jones, who led the Falcons in receiving this past Sunday against the Texans. Matt Ryan targeted Hankerson 8 times, and the young WR didn’t let his QB down. Hankerson has 29 targets during the first four games, so what we’re seeing is the emergence of a new fantasy weapon. Hankerson’s got staying power as the new second option in the passing game for the Falcons (slotting behind Julio Jones and ahead of Roddy White). For purposes of fantasy, Hankerson should be viewed as a WR3/flex play going forward. In case he’s still available in your league, grab him now.
- Allen Hurns, WR – JAX: 11 catches, 116 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: If you play wide receiver for the Jaguars and your name is Allen, then you’ve got a great chance at having balls thrown your way. Otherwise, good luck! So Allen Robinson sits atop the Jags’ wide receiver throne – no question about that. But his running mate Allen Hurns also deserves attention in fantasy leagues. While Robinson was covered by top Colts’ cornerback Vontae Davis, Hurns had his way with the remainder of the Colts defensive backfield. Blake Bortles targeted Hurns 15 times, which can be viewed as nothing but promising. We arrive at the important question – how trustworthy is Hurns from week to week? Hurns arrow points upward, although he’s not consistent enough to be a weekly starter. I’d put him on the WR3/WR4 line with flex capability, depending on matchup. But he should be rostered in all but the shallowest of leagues, and he has a chance to become a solid WR3.
- Coby Fleener, TE - IND: 9 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: With Dwayne Allen sitting out due to injury (again), Coby Fleener took advantage of his counterpart’s absence with a nice game against the Jaguars, coming up with his team’s only TD. Should you jump on the Fleener bandwagon going forward? Only in games when Allen remains out. While the Colts employ two tight end sets frequently, Fleener is clearly behind Allen in the pecking order, and his stats differ dramatically with Allen playing as well. How much longer will Allen be out? His return is close, but not clear if he’ll play this Thursday against the Texans. In any event, Fleener is a low end TE1 in games with Allen out, and a clear TE2 when his better half plays as well.
Rapid Fire Pickups
Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, MIN
RB: Shane Vereen, NYG
RB: Thomas Rawls, SEA
WR: Cecil Shorts, HOU
WR: Willie Snead, NO
TE: Gary Barnidge, CLE
Week 5 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Tom Brady
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Matt Ryan
4. Peyton Manning
5. Andrew Luck
6. Carson Palmer
7. Philip Rivers
8. Drew Brees
9. Russell Wilson
10. Tyrod Taylor
11. Eli Manning
12. Sam Bradford
13. Matthew Stafford
14. Marcus Mariota
15. Joe Flacco
16. Alex Smith
17. Andy Dalton
18. Jay Cutler
19. Blake Bortles
20. Derek Carr
Running Backs
1. Le'Veon Bell
2. Jamaal Charles
3. Eddie Lacy
4. Matt Forte
5. Devonta Freeman
6. Arian Foster
7. Todd Gurley
8. Justin Forsett
9. Mark Ingram
10. Marshawn Lynch
11. T.J. Yeldon
12. Latavius Murray
13. Dion Lewis
14. Joseph Randle
15. Jeremy Hill
16. Carlos Hyde
17. DeMarco Murray
18. Frank Gore
19. Melvin Gordon
20. Alfred Morris
21. Chris Johnson
22. Doug Martin
23. Ronnie Hillman
24. Giovani Bernard
25. Boobie Dixon
26. LeGarrette Blount
27. Rashad Jennings
28. C.J. Anderson
29. Ameer Abdullah
30. C.J. Spiller
31. Danny Woodhead
32. Isaiah Crowell
33. Matt Jones
34. Andre Ellington
35. Duke Johnson Jr.
Wide Receivers
1. Julio Jones
2. Odell Beckham Jr.
3. Randall Cobb
4. Demaryius Thomas
5. Antonio Brown
6. DeAndre Hopkins
7. Calvin Johnson
8. Julian Edelman
9. Emmanuel Sanders
10. A.J. Green
11. Larry Fitzgerald
12. Jeremy Maclin
13. Keenan Allen
14. Alshon Jeffery
15. T.Y. Hilton
16. Jordan Matthews
17. Amari Cooper
18. James Jones
19. Mike Evans
20. Kendall Wright
21. Allen Robinson
22. Vincent Jackson
23. Donte Moncrief
24. Pierre Garcon
25. John Brown
26. Sammy Watkins
27. Golden Tate
28. Michael Crabtree
29. Terrance Williams
30. Leonard Hankerson
31. Martavis Bryant
32. Allen Hurns
33. Doug Baldwin
34. Travis Benjamin
35. Willie Snead
Tight Ends
1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Travis Kelce
3. Jimmy Graham
4. Martellus Bennett
5. Tyler Eifert
6. Jason Witten
7. Delanie Walker
8. Antonio Gates
9. Charles Clay
10. Larry Donnell
11. Owen Daniels
12. Jared Cook
13. Heath Miller
14. Richard Rodgers
15. Crockett Gillmore
Defense
1. Denver
2. Arizona
3. New England
4. Seattle
5. Baltimore
6. Buffalo
7. Cincinnati
8. Green Bay
9. Kansas City
10. St. Louis
11. Atlanta
12. NY Giants
13. Indianapolis
14. Jacksonville
15. Detroit
16. Philadelphia
17. San Diego
18. Houston
19. Tampa Bay
20. Cleveland