Is your team falling apart? I know a couple of mine are. The pressure is on to make the right roster moves in the next coming weeks, especially if you’ve been dealt a couple of tough losses early in the season. Bye weeks, injuries, and Antonio Brown are all common factors in why people are having personnel problems at this point in the season, and not all problems are created equal. Is Saquon Barkley out for the foreseeable future? Yes, he is, but your bench guys can help carry the load, just as long as you play the right one.
The pressure’s on, but I did my best to help you make the last-minute FLEX decisions that could help you to an upset this week. Here’s some fringe players who you should be in or out on for Week 4.
CLICK HERE for Week 4 Fantasy Rankings
Quarterback
Start
Daniel Jones vs Redskins
Daniel Jones! It remains to be seen whether he’ll consistently see himself so high up on the weekly quarterback rankings list, but after what he showed in his first week, I’m not hesitating to activate him against the Redskins defense that just allowed three second-quarter Mitch Trubisky (and Taylor Gabriel) touchdowns. This is one of the most vulnerable secondaries in the league, and the Giants are coming in with confidence restored, ready to make a run at the NFC East. The loss of Saquon Barkley is obviously painful, but the Giants have enough pieces to will together an offense powerful enough to expose the Redskins. They stink.
Philip Rivers at Dolphins
The Dolphins stink even more, and we’ve reached the point where you almost certainly have to play every player you have on the team going up against the Dolphins on a given week. There are very few quarterbacks I would rather have this week than Rivers.
Sit
Jameis Winston at Rams
Winston was astonishing in the first half last Sunday against the Giants, taking a 28-10 lead into halftime, with Mike Evans catching three touchdown passes. The Buccaneers scored three points the rest of the game and blew the lead, making the first three games of this season a perfect microcosm of Jameis Winston’s career. About 90% of the time, Winston is an unplayable, unwatchable disaster of a quarterback, with the other 10% forever fueling the undeserved hype that seemingly is always surrounding him, especially as a fantasy player. He’s one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league, and you should want no part of him against the Rams defense.
Baker Mayfield at Ravens
Baker doesn’t look the same out there this season. He’s still well worth a roster spot, but keep him on the bench for a week or two and see if he comes out of his early season rough patch. Baker was actually very good against the Ravens in their two matchups last season, averaging 359 yards and two TDs with two INTs, but so far this season the Ravens have allowed just one TD pass to QBs that aren’t Patrick Mahomes. He’s a start if you need him, but don’t consider him the QB1 lock that he was when the season started, because so far this season he’s QB23.
Running Back
Start
The Chargers’ backfield at Miami
Melvin Gordon is returning this week(!!!), but he will not be playing this week. Miami has somehow allowed both the most passing (10) and rushing (6) touchdowns on the season, so Austin Ekeler is obviously a lock, but Justin Jackson should see your lineup too. It will probably be the last week he’ll be startable though.
James White at Bills
After missing the last game against the Jets due to the birth of his child, White should be back on the field in a major role for the battle for the top of the AFC East. White averaged 19.4 PPG in his two games against Buffalo in 2018, and with Julian Edelman questionable to play, White should be in for a huge role. He’s been a borderline RB2 this season when he’s on the field and he has the potential for better than that this week.
Sit
Sony Michel at Bills
When I said to start James White, I did not mean “all Patriots RBs” like I sometimes do. Michel has been downright ineffective this season, and his carries dropped into the single digits Week 3 against the Jets. The hype surrounding Michel as a receiving threat has completely dried up, with Rex Burkhead and James White continuing their domination of that role in New England. Burkhead could be an interesting pickup if Sony’s slide continues, which is highly possible against the Bills.
David Montgomery vs Vikings
Montgomery looked like the future of the Bears’ offense on Monday against Washington, but right now, he’s struggling with an inconsistent number of touches, as Matt Nagy tries to figure out what the Bears’ offensive identity is. The Vikings have been top-10 in the league so far in fantasy against running backs, only allowing one touchdown rush. Be patient with Montgomery, but wait for now.
Wide Receiver
Start
Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs Eagles
One of my favorite rookies from last year’s class, MVS is on the verge of a career breakout and the Eagles secondary could be what gives him the final push. So far, he’s nearly matched Davante Adams in receptions (13-15) and yards (170-198). Both are outstanding plays against a weak defense on a short week.
DK Metcalf at Cardinals
The Cardinals may be weaker against other positions (one in particular), but the secondary without Patrick Peterson is still one that is ripe for exploitation and DK Metcalf is the perfect player that can take advantage. Nobody on the Cardinals’ starting secondary is 6 feet tall, so Russell Wilson’s early connection with the 6’3” Metcalf for big plays should once again be in full effect.
Sit
John Brown vs Patriots
You simply cannot play any fringe fantasy starters against New England right now. The defense has yet to allow a single touchdown, they currently rank #1 in defense against wide receivers, and I suppose it depends on how much you believe in Josh Allen and the magic of the 3-0 Bills to reverse the trend. Go ahead if you want, I’ll be over here.
Jarvis Landry at Ravens
Landry’s ceiling is generally low, but a road matchup against the Ravens basically caps any chance Landry had of having a particularly productive fantasy day. A touchdown is always on the table, but less so for Landry than for other players.
Tight End
Start
Remember back in week 1 when I said the Cardinals were a difficult fantasy matchup for tight ends last year? Well they were and I stand by that. But that’s why Week 1 in fantasy is so impossible to predict, because this season, the Cardinals couldn’t have less of a clue as to what to do about tight ends. TJ Hockenson nearly got elected into the Hall of Fame for his performance against the Cardinals, and he’s barely recorded a stat since. The top TE on the three teams that have faced the Cardinals have averaged 106 yards, and each one has scored at least one touchdown. Dissly has shown a penchant for catching touchdowns this season too. Get him into your lineup, and don’t be afraid to use him as a FLEX player if you need to.
Sit
TJ Hockenson vs Chiefs
It’s always nice to have some measure of consistency out of your TE, and Hockenson has been a ghost for the past two weeks. He lit up the Cardinals, who have nearly been twice as bad as any other team against TEs this season, and then vanished. The Chiefs are a middle-of-the-road defense against TEs so far this season, which should be enough to scare you off if you’re lucky enough to have another option. Hockenson looked like an exception to the rookie TE rule early on, but it’s possible he’s not a fantasy starter this season. Hold onto him but don’t get too attached.
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