Stars of Week 4

QB: Andrew Luck: 29-41, 393 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT

RB: DeMarco Murray: 24 carries, 149 yards, 2 TDs

WR: Steve Smith: 7 catches, 139 yards, 2 TDs

TE: Larry Donnell: 7 catches, 54 yards, 3 TDs

Last week Andrew Luck made it onto the honor roll for the first time this season, and now he’s made it here twice. Just like the Jags last week, the Titans D didn’t offer much resistance. DeMarco Murray made the Saints look like a JV defense. If we were to redraft today, would Murray go with the first pick? Most likely, yes. Steve Smith has been a pleasant surprise this season, with folks who wrote him off coming to realize that they were dead wrong. Especially sweet for Smith was the fact that his performance came against his former team, the Carolina Panthers. Larry Donnell has been subject of this weekly report a few times already, and we’ll take another look at him below.

Just one more note about the season thus far – yes, things have been quite crazy so far. The consensus top 3 RBs have all underperformed or worse. Shady has been ordinary, Adrian Peterson most likely won’t play again this season, and Jamaal Charles has missed a few games. Other than a monster Week 1 performance, Megatron has not paid dividends for his owners. And for the big three QBs, Drew Brees has been mediocre, Aaron Rodgers had been subpar until this week, and Peyton Manning has been good, but not a superstar. As was the message not too long ago, except in the case of AD, you should be patient. In each case at least 75% of the season remains, so it’s still too early to jump into panic mode with your highest level stars. Unpredictability remains a trademark of fantasy football, and patience remains an important skill. 

Week 4 Takeaways – A Closer Look

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Mike Glennon 21-42, 302 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Analysis: Mike Glennon took over starting QB duties for the Bucs midway through the 2013 season, only to lose the starting job once the team signed Josh McCown this past offseason. Well, like an inordinate number of players in the league, McCown is injured, which has opened the door to Glennon reclaiming the starting QB role. In case there was any doubt, it’s clear now that Glennon should have been the starter since week 1. He played well last season and showed promise as a potential franchise QB. Look for Glennon to continue to improve and put up solid numbers throughout the season. He’s got a great stable of weapons in Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and Glennon will be a solid QB2 and bye week fill-in.

- Tony Romo 22-29,262 yards, 3 TDs

Analysis: In the draft guide, I touted Romo as a QB to target in the later rounds due to his perennially strong performances each season, which much of the fantasy community underappreciates. His first start of the season was terrible, and each game since he has improved. Against the Saints this past Sunday, Romo put it all together, essentially having his way with the Saints D. I tweeted and advised those of you who own Romo that he would be just fine. Well, he looks much healthier and in sync now with his WRs. I’ve listed Romo here primarily to reinforce the notion that patience (in the proper instances) will be rewarded. You should be very careful to panic too quickly with players with good track records such as Romo.

- Kirk Cousins 19-33, 257 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs

Analysis: QB-heavy analysis this week! We analyze both good and bad performances, so Cousins finds his way back here for the wrong reasons. Prior to the game against the Giants, I was asked by a handful of you as to whether or not you should feel comfortable with Cousins as your weekly starter. My answer was the same then as it is now: not quite. Cousins profiles more as a high end QB2 than low end QB1, and as we saw, there will be uneven performances mixed in. Feel free to platoon Cousins with another QB based on matchups. Sure, the Giants matchup looked great on paper, but Cousins went off the rail in the second half against the Giants. This will happen from time to time. Best not to start him against the Seahawks next week, but there will be more favorable matchups down the road. So continue to view Cousins as a high end QB2, with platooning based on matchups as a solid option.

- Tom Brady 14-23, 157 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Analysis: Speaking of bad performances, Tom Brady owners rightfully should be alarmed after what has been a mediocre start to the season. Yes, we have the “don’t panic prematurely” rule, but in each case that rule needs to be weighed against the overall gravity of the situation. While Brady has not looked good, much of the problems stem from poor blocking from the offensive line, together with several drops from his pass catchers. So how worried should Brady’s owners be? On a scale of 1-10, I’d say 6. Will his O-line give him better protection? That’s worry number one. Right now, there are 12 QBs that need to start ahead of Brady, so Brady falls into high end QB2 territory. Things can improve for Brady and the Pats’ O, just like last season, so don’t make the mistake of writing him off. But the days of Tom Brady carrying your team to victory are well in the rear view mirror.

- Jerick McKinnon 18 carries, 135 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: Super sleeper Jerick McKinnon started making waves this past weekend, and it looks like an increased role in the Vikings’ offense looms imminent. With Adrian Peterson highly unlikely to play another down for the Vikings (this season or ever), the Vikings’ running duties fall to Asiata and McKinnon. I wrote about Asiata a few weeks back, and it looks like a few of our questions have been answered. The Vikings view Asiata as a solid RB with useful pass-catching skills, but do not view him as anything special. The tape backs up that assessment. McKinnon, a relatively unknown, oozes the dangerous word “potential”. As such, look for the Vikings to figure out exactly what they have in McKinnon (i.e. whether or not he is the heir apparent to AD) by increasing his workload as the season goes on. If you need RB help, certainly grab McKinnon. Be careful relying too much on McKinnon at the moment, as we need to see what exactly the Vikings have in mind for him.

- Jarius Wright 8 catches, 132 yards, 0 TDs

Analysis: While the Vikings’ RB corps has garnered the most attention, the WR situation also deserves a look. Wright’s breakout performance coincided with Teddy Bridgewater’s debut, as the young QB targeted Wright 10 times. It’s been reported that Bridgewater and Wright worked together in the preseason, so we’re not looking at a random occurrence. We need to see more from Wright, but at this point, we’ve definitely seen enough to warrant taking a flyer on him if you need WR help. Needless to say, Wright’s value bumps up if Bridgewater starts, so keep an eye on the status of Bridgewater’s ankle before considering putting Wright in your lineup.

- Larry Donnell 7 catches, 54 yards, 3 TDs

Analysis: Larry Donnell has been touted by this site since Week 1, and in case people were slow to catch on, he gave us a tutorial on why he’s a must own in fantasy leagues. Now, remember that predicting TDs is a near impossible task and for TEs not named Graham, Thomas and Gronk, they come and go, so don’t go expecting 16 TDs for Donnell this season. But you should feel secure if you have Donnell as your team’s starting TE. He’s absolutely legit, and belongs in your lineup if you have him.

- Travis Kelce 8 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Along with Larry Donnell, Travis Kelce helps show why I recommended waiting to draft a TE if you didn’t go with Graham. The depth at the position has been nothing short of sensational, and Kelce is another emerging TE who passes the eye test. Kelce had a terrific game against the Patriots, and has quickly developed into one of Alex Smith’s favorite targets. Kelce has forced his way into TE1 status, and he’s another guy that needs to be in your lineup if you’ve got him. Expect his breakout season to continue. 

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: Darren Reaves, CAR

WR: Eddie Royal, SD

WR: Brandon LaFell, NE

WR: Louis Murphy, TB (short term while Mike Evans is out)

TE: Owen Daniels, BAL

Week 5 Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Drew Brees

2. Peyton Manning

3. Aaron Rodgers

4. Andrew Luck

5. Russell Wilson

6. Philip Rivers

7. Jay Cutler

8. Ben Roethlisberger

9. Matthew Stafford

10. Matt Ryan

11. Colin Kaepernick

12. Eli Manning

13. Nick Foles

14. Andy Dalton

15. Tony Romo

16. Cam Newton

17. Joe Flacco

18. Alex Smith

19. Mike Glennon

20. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Running Backs

1. Le'Veon Bell

2. DeMarco Murray

3. Rashad Jennings

4. Marshawn Lynch

5. Matt Forte

6. Jamaal Charles

7. Giovani Bernard

8. Arian Foster

9. LeSean McCoy

10. Eddie Lacy

11. Alfred Morris

12. Frank Gore

13. Montee Ball

14. Zac Stacy

15. Andre Ellington

16. Doug Martin

17. Reggie Bush

18. Matt Asiata

19. C.J. Spiller

20. Khiry Robinson

21. Ahamd Bradshaw

22. Chris Ivory

23. Bishop Sankey

24. Fred Jackson

25. Trent Richardson

26. Steven Jackson

27. Jeremy Hill

28. Justin Forsett

29. Ben Tate

30. Jerick McKinnon

31. Stevan Ridley

32. Donald Brown

33. Darren Sproles

34. Toby Gerhart

35. Darrin Reaves

Wide Receivers

1. Antonio Brown

2. Julio Jones

3. Jordy Nelson

4. Calvin Johnson

5. Dez Bryant

6. Demaryius Thomas

7. Randall Cobb

8. A.J. Green

9. Alshon Jeffery

10. Jeremy Maclin

11. Brandon Marshall

12. Kelvin Benjamin

13. Emmanuel Sanders

14. Steve Smith

15. Michael Floyd

16. Keenan Allen

17. Andre Johnson

18. Vincent Jackson

19. Victor Cruz

20. Percy Harvin

21. DeAndre Hopkins

22. Julian Edelman

23. Reggie Wayne

24. Wes Welker

25. Brandin Cooks

26. Golden Tate

27. T.Y. Hilton

28. Michael Crabtree

29. Cordarrelle Patterson

30. Brian Quick

31. Roddy White

32. Pierre Garcon

33. Terrance Williams

34. Larry Fitzgerald

35. Sammy Watkins

36. DeSean Jackson

37. Rueben Randle

38. Markus Wheaton

39. Eric Decker

40. Greg Jennings

Tight Ends

1. Jimmy Graham

2. Julius Thomas

3. Martellus Bennett

4. Larry Donnell

5. Rob Gronkowski

6. Delanie Walker

7. Jordan Cameron

8. Antonio Gates

9. Greg Olsen

10. Zach Ertz

11. Travis Kelce

12. Jason Witten

13. Dwayne Allen

14. Vernon Davis

15. Jared Cook

Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports expert for RealGM.  He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on twitter at @NeemaHodjat.