Fantasy football is about perseverance. Fighting through tough weeks brought on by underperforming or injured playres. Anticipating what's relatively likely to happen next week. Digging in for another few rounds of waivers and trade discussions to capitalize on future production. There's no such thing as permanent success. It's week by week, decision by decision.
With that in mind, let's try to make sense of Sunday's games, highlighting the biggest fantasy impact for each team--and how it might shape our decisions ahead of Week 5
Saints vs. Vikings -- Is Latavius Murray the better handcuff for Alvin Kamara? It looked that way for one game, at least. Ingram started the year surprisingly strong and has faded the last two games. If both are healthy in Week 5, I'd rather bet on Murray if Kamara's still out. And for Minnesota, Adam Thielen is officially legit. There were some questions about his advancing age and a potentially ascending K.J. Osborn. But Thielen has reasserted himself as the Vikings' unquestioned #2 WR.
Falcons vs. Browns -- I wrote on Saturday that Cordarrelle Patterson was "either sell high or hold." It should be concerning to anyone rostering Patterson that Tyler Allgeier looked terrific yesterday, and even Caleb Huntley ran well. Even more concerning, Patterson's caught only one pass in his last three games. Not a good sign. And Amari Cooper had another one of his "Amari Cooper" performances, which has separated him from the elites and near-elites since he broke into the league. It'll be hard to trust someone in the fantasy playoffs whose floor is as low as his.
Cowboys vs. Commanders -- Michael Gallup returned and scored. The big question, then, is whether even a Dak Prescott-led passing attack can feed CeeDee Lamb, Gallup, and Schultz consistently, especially with tough matchups on the horizon. And for Washington, the biggest story is what we didn't see. Brian Robinson could return next week. Antonio Gibson has been barely adequate. This backfield could become a wreck for fantasy managers.
Lions vs. Seahawks -- How does a team missing their top three playmakers score 45 points? I guess when they're playing the Seahawks. But more than that, Detroit's a deep team, and the guys we saw step up yesterday included several backups forced to play prominent roles last season, as well as the often underutilized T.J. Hockenson. If you have Hock, what a great time to sell high, because he'll surely have more trouble battling for targets with Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark, and eventually Jameson Williams. For Seattle, wow. I whiffed big-time on Rashaad Penny this week. Then again, he won't face Detroit again, so I'd call him another sell-high guy.
Colts vs. Titans -- A high-ankle sprain for Jonathan Taylor? As of Sunday night, that's the rumor. Who knows. But it's worrisome, obviously. Nyheim Hines and Deon Jackson are the next guys up, with Hines clearly becoming a must-start RB. That said, don't be surprised if Indy quickly brings in help if Taylor's injury is serious. And I underestimated the Titans in this one, thinking they'd fall to 1-3. Derrick Henry carried them. The bigger news is Treylon Burks' injury; if that's long-term, Robert Woods' fantasy value clearly would spike.
Giants vs. Bears -- Daniel Jones got hurt and might not be ready for Week 5's face-off against the Packers. Bad timing with Tyrod Taylor also ailing. Saquon Barkley could struggle if he's paired with a third-string QB, so keep an eye on that. As for Chicago, I pushed two underperforming WRs this week, believing they'd rebound. One was Darnell Mooney. Now sell high if you can. Chicago's passing game might be the worst in more than a decade.
Eagles vs. Jaguars -- My opponent this week started the Jags DST, and I started the Eagles DST. Thought I'd crush him. Midway through the first quarter, I thought he'd crush me. This is the craziness of this year's Jaguars. So much upside, and then as the game went on, a complete collapse. Interestingly, Jamal Agnew stepped up in Zay Jones's absence, finishing second on the team with six targets. Stash that away for later if Jones sits again. And Miles Sanders has one of the highest YPCs of any RB in history (with at least 500 carries). If he can maintain this pace up when he hits 750 carries, he'll be top 5 among all RBs in that group. The problem with Sanders in fantasy has never been talent; it's simply been how he's used.
Steelers vs. Jets -- Mercifully, the Kenny Pickett era has begun. Ignore his interceptions. He looked much better than this stat line, and each of those picks could be explained away (receiver miscue, Hail Mary, etc.). George Pickens dominated. Coincidence? Probably not, since presumably Pickett and Pickens would have worked together on the second team early in camp. And I warned that Zach Wilson was in for a rough day in Pittsburgh and . . . missed in the end. Wilson came through in the fourth quarter, but was very shaky. And because Garrett Wilson looked like the #1 with Joe Flacco, he has the most to lose with this QB change.
Ravens vs. Bills -- I kept telling readers to wait on J.K. Dobbins until he had one good game under his belt. Well, I guess this one counts. He actually ran poorly, but it was the Bills, so that can be excuse. His four receptions are the key. Managers need to know he can hit double-digits even if he doesn't score. Note, though, that Justice Hill ran better and is a must-roster RB in nearly all leagues. For Buffalo, Jameson Crowder (ankle) and Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) exited. If they sit next weekend, Khalil Shakir could be a terrific 14-team-league flier.
Texans vs. Chargers -- On Saturday I asked whether Dameon Pierce, and whether Austin Ekeler would get going. "Yes" on both, apparently.
Panthers vs. Cardinals -- D.J. Moore was the other underperforming WR I banked on rebounding in Week 4. He did, but converting 11 targets into a scoreless 6-50 line isn't inspiring. Sadly, that might be near his ceiling in a Baker Mayfield-led passing attack. And Eno Benjamin ran better than James Conner. It'll be interesting to see if Conner maintains his backfield dominance.
Packers vs. Patriots -- I missed on Allen Lazard. He and Romeo Doubs led the Packers' passing attack, and I'd like to see one more game before feeling confident that these two are the co-leaders of the WR corps. But yeah, it seems that way, doesn't it. And it was Damien Harris's turn in New England's backfield, though only barely. It seems clear that in the absence of an efficient passing game, Harris and Stevenson will remain volume-heavy and fantasy-startable.
Raiders vs. Broncos -- Josh Jacobs. Wow. Career game. Sell high? It's tough to trust him after all these years. He's as likely next week to go 12-47 with two catches as he is to crack 80 rushing yards. And the biggest news of the day--and not just because I drafted him--is Javonte Williams. We'll know soon whether he's out for the season. Anything less than that would be a shock.
Buccaneers vs. Chiefs -- So much to say, but let's keep it narrow. Rachaad White lost a fumble on the opening kickoff, but almost made up for it with a 5-50 receiving line. Notably, losing that fumble didn't send him to the bench. He remains a useful handcuff. And rather than talk about Isiah Pacheco (great performance), I'd rather highlight Skyy Moore's four targets. That's a big deal. he has the talent to become a top-3 receiver in this offense by the fantasy playoffs.
With that in mind, let's try to make sense of Sunday's games, highlighting the biggest fantasy impact for each team--and how it might shape our decisions ahead of Week 5
Saints vs. Vikings -- Is Latavius Murray the better handcuff for Alvin Kamara? It looked that way for one game, at least. Ingram started the year surprisingly strong and has faded the last two games. If both are healthy in Week 5, I'd rather bet on Murray if Kamara's still out. And for Minnesota, Adam Thielen is officially legit. There were some questions about his advancing age and a potentially ascending K.J. Osborn. But Thielen has reasserted himself as the Vikings' unquestioned #2 WR.
Falcons vs. Browns -- I wrote on Saturday that Cordarrelle Patterson was "either sell high or hold." It should be concerning to anyone rostering Patterson that Tyler Allgeier looked terrific yesterday, and even Caleb Huntley ran well. Even more concerning, Patterson's caught only one pass in his last three games. Not a good sign. And Amari Cooper had another one of his "Amari Cooper" performances, which has separated him from the elites and near-elites since he broke into the league. It'll be hard to trust someone in the fantasy playoffs whose floor is as low as his.
Cowboys vs. Commanders -- Michael Gallup returned and scored. The big question, then, is whether even a Dak Prescott-led passing attack can feed CeeDee Lamb, Gallup, and Schultz consistently, especially with tough matchups on the horizon. And for Washington, the biggest story is what we didn't see. Brian Robinson could return next week. Antonio Gibson has been barely adequate. This backfield could become a wreck for fantasy managers.
Lions vs. Seahawks -- How does a team missing their top three playmakers score 45 points? I guess when they're playing the Seahawks. But more than that, Detroit's a deep team, and the guys we saw step up yesterday included several backups forced to play prominent roles last season, as well as the often underutilized T.J. Hockenson. If you have Hock, what a great time to sell high, because he'll surely have more trouble battling for targets with Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark, and eventually Jameson Williams. For Seattle, wow. I whiffed big-time on Rashaad Penny this week. Then again, he won't face Detroit again, so I'd call him another sell-high guy.
Colts vs. Titans -- A high-ankle sprain for Jonathan Taylor? As of Sunday night, that's the rumor. Who knows. But it's worrisome, obviously. Nyheim Hines and Deon Jackson are the next guys up, with Hines clearly becoming a must-start RB. That said, don't be surprised if Indy quickly brings in help if Taylor's injury is serious. And I underestimated the Titans in this one, thinking they'd fall to 1-3. Derrick Henry carried them. The bigger news is Treylon Burks' injury; if that's long-term, Robert Woods' fantasy value clearly would spike.
Giants vs. Bears -- Daniel Jones got hurt and might not be ready for Week 5's face-off against the Packers. Bad timing with Tyrod Taylor also ailing. Saquon Barkley could struggle if he's paired with a third-string QB, so keep an eye on that. As for Chicago, I pushed two underperforming WRs this week, believing they'd rebound. One was Darnell Mooney. Now sell high if you can. Chicago's passing game might be the worst in more than a decade.
Eagles vs. Jaguars -- My opponent this week started the Jags DST, and I started the Eagles DST. Thought I'd crush him. Midway through the first quarter, I thought he'd crush me. This is the craziness of this year's Jaguars. So much upside, and then as the game went on, a complete collapse. Interestingly, Jamal Agnew stepped up in Zay Jones's absence, finishing second on the team with six targets. Stash that away for later if Jones sits again. And Miles Sanders has one of the highest YPCs of any RB in history (with at least 500 carries). If he can maintain this pace up when he hits 750 carries, he'll be top 5 among all RBs in that group. The problem with Sanders in fantasy has never been talent; it's simply been how he's used.
Steelers vs. Jets -- Mercifully, the Kenny Pickett era has begun. Ignore his interceptions. He looked much better than this stat line, and each of those picks could be explained away (receiver miscue, Hail Mary, etc.). George Pickens dominated. Coincidence? Probably not, since presumably Pickett and Pickens would have worked together on the second team early in camp. And I warned that Zach Wilson was in for a rough day in Pittsburgh and . . . missed in the end. Wilson came through in the fourth quarter, but was very shaky. And because Garrett Wilson looked like the #1 with Joe Flacco, he has the most to lose with this QB change.
Ravens vs. Bills -- I kept telling readers to wait on J.K. Dobbins until he had one good game under his belt. Well, I guess this one counts. He actually ran poorly, but it was the Bills, so that can be excuse. His four receptions are the key. Managers need to know he can hit double-digits even if he doesn't score. Note, though, that Justice Hill ran better and is a must-roster RB in nearly all leagues. For Buffalo, Jameson Crowder (ankle) and Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) exited. If they sit next weekend, Khalil Shakir could be a terrific 14-team-league flier.
Texans vs. Chargers -- On Saturday I asked whether Dameon Pierce, and whether Austin Ekeler would get going. "Yes" on both, apparently.
Panthers vs. Cardinals -- D.J. Moore was the other underperforming WR I banked on rebounding in Week 4. He did, but converting 11 targets into a scoreless 6-50 line isn't inspiring. Sadly, that might be near his ceiling in a Baker Mayfield-led passing attack. And Eno Benjamin ran better than James Conner. It'll be interesting to see if Conner maintains his backfield dominance.
Packers vs. Patriots -- I missed on Allen Lazard. He and Romeo Doubs led the Packers' passing attack, and I'd like to see one more game before feeling confident that these two are the co-leaders of the WR corps. But yeah, it seems that way, doesn't it. And it was Damien Harris's turn in New England's backfield, though only barely. It seems clear that in the absence of an efficient passing game, Harris and Stevenson will remain volume-heavy and fantasy-startable.
Raiders vs. Broncos -- Josh Jacobs. Wow. Career game. Sell high? It's tough to trust him after all these years. He's as likely next week to go 12-47 with two catches as he is to crack 80 rushing yards. And the biggest news of the day--and not just because I drafted him--is Javonte Williams. We'll know soon whether he's out for the season. Anything less than that would be a shock.
Buccaneers vs. Chiefs -- So much to say, but let's keep it narrow. Rachaad White lost a fumble on the opening kickoff, but almost made up for it with a 5-50 receiving line. Notably, losing that fumble didn't send him to the bench. He remains a useful handcuff. And rather than talk about Isiah Pacheco (great performance), I'd rather highlight Skyy Moore's four targets. That's a big deal. he has the talent to become a top-3 receiver in this offense by the fantasy playoffs.