Game Previews: Week 4

By Cory

After three weeks, studs are proving that they’re studs and duds are proving that they’re duds. The tough calls remain with those players who are yet to perform consistently at one level or the other. If injuries to Britt and Charles weren’t enough, there are plenty of question mark players who look like pro-bowlers one week and 49ers the next week. So far I have made the wrong decision with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Reggie Bush each week, not to mention benching Felix Jones in his breakout performance and not heeding my own advice by leaving Victor Cruz on the bench (not that I knew that he would have such a monster performance but I added him with that expectation). As the season remains young, there is no point in giving up hope yet, but we can glean something from what we’ve seen these past three weeks. With that in mind, here are some tips for this weekend that should hopefully get you a victory.

Redskins at Rams

The Skins have been a bit of a fantasy goldmine this season, but it’s not always clear who the fantasy stud will be. In what was shaping up to be an excellent matchup for Rex Grossman last week against the Boys (yes I’m on a shorthand relationship with the Dallas Cowboys), Sexy Rexy looked more like the Gross Man. Grossman threw an ill-timed interception and failed to connect downfield with Santana Moss. We still like Fred Davis, but the heart of the Washington offense will be in the backfield with Hightower and Helu. Both these backs were plenty involved on Monday night which sounds like trouble for Hightower-owners but Hightower will still get enough touches to be a solid RB2 and should give many owners an advantage considering how late he was drafted. As for Helu, I want to see a little more consistency in his carries and his performance before I would want to start him. For now, Helu remains a thorn in the side of Hightower’s value.

Vikings at Chiefs

I said it last week and I stand by it. Thomas Jones is washed up and will be ineffective as a starting back in the NFL, especially against the Vikes. Jones will most likely get more touches than Dexter McCluster, a.k.a. “Poor Man’s DMC,” but McCluster is the more explosive back and will play a larger role when the Chiefs are playing from behind, which – spoiler alert – will be every game this season. McCluster is a solid flex play but I’d avoid Jones wherever possible.

Lions at Cowboys

You know how much we love the Lions, so let’s get to the NFC East Dallas Cowboys (they complained about me claiming to be on shorthand basis with them). Romo did not look great last week with a decimated receiving group and injury issues of his own and may have lost you your matchup. However, Romo will log a full week of practice this week and be accompanied by a healthy Dez Bryant and Felix Jones which should help his fantasy numbers. Bryant and Jones practiced yesterday and should be full participants this weekend in what figures to be a shootout between two talented offenses. Jones-owners should be happy to see him emerge on Monday night. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, and he will be able to start logging some scores soon. The Cowboys continue to try and make things work with Ogletree but it’s just not there. Ogletree will be getting targets but he is not doing anything with them and would be best suited on your bench or on the waiver wire.

Titans at Browns

Brett has already performed his eulogy for Kenny Britt and we have pointed out that Nate Washington figures to be the beneficiary of Britt’s absence. Washington was putting up serviceable numbers even with Britt around, so his value figures to increase without Britt around. The second biggest disappointment out of the Titans this last weekend was Chris Johnson. In what looked like a solid matchup, Johnson was unable to produce much on the ground. I know we talk about hitting the panic button on Johnson but he is still a very serviceable flex option with the upside of an RB1. If you can get first or second round value on Johnson it might be worth offering him out as trade bait, but I am still a believer that CJ is an every week starter and will return to form soon.

Bills at Bengals

You all already know about our bromance for Ryan “Baby Santa” Fitzpatrick and the rest of the Bills, but the big story in this game is the Cincy backfield. As though things couldn’t get worse for the Cincinnati Bungles, Cedric Benson will likely be serving a three game suspension which will open the door for Bernard Scott to be the workhorse in three favorable matchups. Scott does not fit the mold of a workhorse back, but he has taken over the load in the past and managed to succeed. Scott should be in starting lineups during the three weeks that Benson is eventually suspenced, which nicely corresponds with many bye weeks. 

Panthers at Bears

Folks may have panicked about their Carolina players this last weekend, but I liked what I saw. Cam Newton was playing in terrible conditions and still managed to control the game. Kevin said Newton looked like a rookie quarterback, but I think he looked more like an 8-year veteran. Cam Newton controlled the pace of the game and avoided mistakes in a game that the Panthers could have and did win. Against the Bears, I expect Newton to have to be throwing more often which means both he and Steve Smith should have rebound performances. I also like Jonathan Stewart in this game over DeAngello Williams against a tough Bears defense. J-Stew is the more explosive back and will likely have more of an opportunity to excel in the passing game over his over-drafted counterpart.

Saints at Jaguars

The entire Saints offense is a grab bag filled with talent and potential to succeed, but there is no guarantee who the main producer will be. Obviously Drew Brees figures to benefit from this situation, and we love Jimmy Graham as an every week starter, but the rest of the offense is a little murky. Lance Moore was the most reliable target in the passing game and was the go to guy on two 2-point conversion attempts which shows the kind of confidence Brees has in Moore. Meachem is a little less consistent but has the edge over Henderson so this is pretty analogous  to the Green Bay offense with Jennings as the must start and Jordy Nelson as the more reliable but less explosive option than James Jones. The New Orleans backfield is just as complicated. Darren Sproles continues to outperform his counterparts and figures to maintain his role in the offense, but last week appeared to be the game where Mark Ingram distanced himself from Pierre Thomas on the ground. All three of these backs remain flex options but my rankings go 1) Darren Sproles, 2) Mark Ingram, 3) Pierre Thomas.

49ers at Eagles

The question on everyone’s mind this week has been the status of Mike Vick for this weekend against a weak 49ers secondary. Vick participated fully in practice yesterday and should be a full go against the 49ers this weekend. Fortunately the injury to Vick’s non-throwing hand turned out to be a deep bruise and not a break, but Vick will be limited by the absence of Jeremy Maclin. Maclin missed practice yesterday and is looking doubtful for this weekend, which means that Jason Avant will most likely start opposite DeSean Jackson. Monitor the Maclin situation, but Avant could make for a sneaky flex play in deeper leagues.

Dolphins at Chargers

Unfortunately for me and my many teams, Reggie Bush once again struggled last weekend and allowed Daniel Thomas to really run away with the starting job. Bush remains a factor in the Miami running game, but the Dolphins are not utilizing Bush’s skill set the way the Saints did. Until the Fins figure out how to get Bush the ball consistently out of the backfield, Bush is a very risky play. On the flipside, Daniel Thomas is starting to look like an every week flex play or RB2 on an offense that leans heavily on the run.

Patriots at Raiders

The Patriots backfield is a mess between Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and now Stevan Ridley getting some action. Unfortunately the Patriots seem set on letting Brady throw the ball in every situation which means that Woodhead is probably the most reliable option of the three as he has emerged as the most consistent receiving back. BJGE had his opportunity at the goal line last week and failed to convert, which does even less for his already decreasing value. On the receiving side, Aaron Hernandez seems optimistic about playing this weekend, but he missed practice yesterday and does not appear to be medically cleared to play. This is a good sign for Hernandez-owners but it still looks doubtful that he will return this weekend.

Jets at Ravens

Santonio Holmes practiced fully yesterday which means he should be a full go even in this difficult matchup. While the Ravens will be giving Mark Sanchez a headache all game, their secondary is more suspect which means that Holmes should be capable of big things. On the other side of the field, Torrey Smith showed what he was capable of last weekend exploding onto the fantasy radar. With Lee Evans most likely out again this weekend, Smith figures to be the number two option opposite Boldin. While Smith put together a monster performance last weekend, we would temper expectations against a much tougher secondary and just shear gravity bringing him back to Earth.

Best of luck in Week 4 and say a little prayer for Cedric Benson to keep a firm grip on the soap!