Fantasy Football: The Things I Learned – Week 4, 2017

By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.

Below, check out my fantasy-centered recaps of key players from this week’s contests. For instance, did a player come back to earth after an aberrant breakout, or were they simply affected by something like game flow?

Saints 20, Dolphins 0
Jay Cutler looked good on the first drive, until he threw one of his patented end-zone interceptions, and then he was done. The Dolphins couldn’t get anything going in the passing game the rest of the way. That’s two weeks in a row of anemic offense now for Cutler. He showed some promise Week 1 in San Diego, but this team needs something to get it going.

Jay Ajayi looked good, but only ran the ball 12 times, which resulted in 46 yards. A full workload wasn’t in the cards as the passing game wasn’t able to keep drives going. The overall incompetence of this offense is trouble for Ajayi’s outlook.

Alvin Kamara led the team in receptions this week, as he saw five rushing attempts for 25 yards and caught 10-of-10 targets for 71 yards and a touchdown. Those 10 receptions doubled the 10 total receptions he had coming into this game, and there’s no reason he should be on any waiver wires, especially in PPR leagues.

Mark Ingram also got a bit of a fantasy boost, despite not putting up big numbers. He has clearly created distance between himself and Adrian Peterson, as he rushed 14 times for 45 yards and caught 4-of-8 passes for 17 yards, while Peterson ran the ball four times for four yards. Peterson is now an afterthought/road block to this offense. I would be surprised if he is still on the team at the end of the season.

Bills 23, Falcons 17
Both Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu were injured in this game, which hurt the offense as a whole. Jones has a hip flexor problem and Sanu a hamstring injury. The Falcons thankfully get a bye next week, which should give both time to heal.

Tevin Coleman and Austin Hooper benefited the most from the injuries, as Coleman led the team in rushing and receiving, as he rushed nine times for 79 yards and caught 4-of-6 targets for 65 yards. Unfortunately for his upside, Devonta Freeman is the no-doubt goal-line back, as he again scored a touchdown this week, his fifth of the season.

The Bills slowed this game down, especially after the Falcons lost Julio Jones, so Tyrod Taylor only attempted 20 passes, completing 12 for 182 yards and a touchdown. Most of the yardage went to tight end Charles Clay, who caught 5-of-7 targets for 112 yards. Clay was the target and reception leader, while rookie Zay Jones was second with five targets, but only caught one for 18 yards. If you are holding onto Jones in a redraft league, don’t.

LeSean McCoy was set up for a great game, but he was held in check despite getting 23 touches. He totaled 108 yards, but didn’t find the end zone for his fourth straight game. I’m still on board with McCoy though, especially in this offense that would rather run the ball. I’ll be putting out some trade offers for him this week.

Bengals 31, Browns 7
The Browns aren’t built for making up big deficits, and so far, no team has been behind as much as Cleveland. That pushes DeShone Kizer to do more than he’s capable of, and the results are pretty obvious.

Kenny Britt is Cleveland’s No. 1 receiver, but he continues to be unimpressive, especially if you add in Kizer’s misthrows, which happen more often than not. The Browns’ true No. 1 right now is Duke Johnson, who gives Kizer easy dump-off passes and also sees a few rushing attempts. This week, Johnson was targeted 10 times, catching nine for 47 yards, and rushed four times for 13 yards and a touchdown. Much like last week, Johnson got a rushing touchdown that we can’t rely on, but in PPR, he’s become very reliable with 15 receptions over the last two games.

After looking like he was starring in “Ernest Goes to the NFL,” Andy Dalton has turned around his game in the last two weeks. This week must have felt good, as he completed 25-of-30 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns. We knew Dalton was better than his start to the season, but we also know he isn’t going to put up numbers like this either. He’s somewhere in-between, and be sure to start quarterbacks against the Browns!

Joe Mixon was a big disappointment this week, as his workload has increased, but his production has not. He rushed 17 times for 29 yards and added four receptions for 19 yards. The workload was great, but 48 yards on 21 touches isn’t good. We can’t blame the Bengals’ offensive line for all his woes, but it isn’t a plus, we know that. He will have better games if he can keep up this workload, but his upside may be capped by this line.

Rams 35, Cowboys 30
The Cowboys bogged down late in this game, but for fantasy, Dak Prescott and company did what we fake footballers wanted. Prescott completed 20-of-36 passes for 252 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while rushing three times for 25 yards. Ezekiel Elliott rushed 21 times for 85 yards and a touchdown, plus caught 4-of-5 targets for 54 yards and another touchdown. The third member of the Cowboys’ fantasy triumvirate is Dez Bryant, who had a few good receptions, catching five for 98 yards and was targeted 13 times, seven more than the second-most targeted Cowboy. All in all, it was a positive sign for how this offense will work for fantasy.

The Rams’ offense once again ran through Todd Gurley, as he led the team in both rushing and receiving, with 23 rushing attempts for 121 yards and 7-of-8 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown. At this point, if you have Gurley on your team, just thank the fantasy gods and move on.

Jared Goff continues to play well and put up decent fantasy numbers. This week, he completed 21-of-36 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns, but only two of those attempts went toward Sammy Watkins, who caught just one for 17 yards. It’s a bad sign for fantasy, but Goff did most of his work short and over the middle of the field, as slot man Cooper Kupp and Todd Gurley led the team in receiving. Watkins is going to remain boom-or-bust, but I think we can expect better things in the future.

Lions 14, Vikings 7
Dalvin Cook went down with a non-contact knee injury, which we all know is not good. Coach Zimmer has already said they suspect he has a torn ACL. This is a big hit to those with Cook on their fantasy teams, because he was doing everything for the Vikings. Before he left with the injury, he had rushed 13 times for 66 yards and a touchdown, plus had caught a pass for eight yards. In his absence, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon will likely pair up to man the backfield. We should also see a bit more work for Kyle Rudolph due to Murray’s poor receiving ability.

Stefon Diggs remained hot, even with Case Keenum cooling down this week. Diggs caught 5-of-7 targets for 98 yards despite Keenum only totaling 209 passing yards. Diggs is the real deal, as he had a tough matchup with Darius Slay this week and was able to still put up good numbers.

Ameer Abdullah had his best rushing-yardage game of his career, as he rushed 20 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 3-of-4 for 15 yards. His uptick in work has also coincided with Theo Riddick getting fewer touches. I expect the Lions will keep pushing Abdullah to his limits, but he did leave this game late with an ankle injury, which coach Caldwell says is no big deal, but with the bigger workloads, there will be a higher chance of injury.

The Lions slowed this game down with the lead and couldn’t do a lot against a strong Minnesota defense, so Matthew Stafford and his receivers were held down in fantasy. I think we can assume that will be the case when most teams play in Minnesota this season.

Panthers 33, Patriots 30
Tom Brady completed 32-of-45 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns, which will get it done in fantasy, but the Panthers were able to contain him to mostly short passes all day, as you can see with James White catching 10-of-12 targets for 47 yards.

New England’s offensive players continue to be spread out as far as workloads go, so it continues to be difficult to pick the right players for a fantasy breakout. Chris Hogan has been the one exception, because he’s been finding the end zone to go along with his team-high targets for wide receivers with 27. He’s now scored four touchdowns over his last three games.

The Panthers put up 444 total offensive yards on the Patriots in Foxborough, with Cam Newton completing 22-of-29 passes for 316 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. This is good to see from Newton, even if it comes against the worst defense in the league. He wasn’t perfect, but played more aggressively and used his legs more, as he rushed eight times for 44 yards and another touchdown to add to his huge fantasy day.

Devin Funchess was the breakout star in this one, as he caught 7-of-9 targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Panthers in targets, while Kelvin Benjamin finished with more yardage, but only saw four targets. This is a good sign for Funchess of course, but the Patriots’ defense didn’t want to cover anyone on Sunday.

Jets 23, Jaguars 20
Blake Bortles reverted to Blake Bortles against the Jets this week, completing just 15-of-25 passes for 140 yards, a touchdown and interception. He may have a good game here and there, but I doubt he’ll be starting much longer with these kinds of games against a defense like the Jets.

Allen Hurns led the Jaguars in targets with 10, but caught just four passes for 42 yards. Coming into the game, Marqise Lee had been the target leader, but he only saw three this week, catching two for 18 yards. Unless there is a consistent No. 1 target in Jacksonville, it will be tough to start any of their receivers.

The Jaguars’ defensive line is stout, and the Jets offense isn’t, so 32 rushing attempts for 256 yards out of Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire was a bit of a surprise. Powell’s 75-yard touchdown was helped by the Jaguars giving up after they thought he was down, but his other 88 yards had no such luck involved. McGuire was used as a clock killer in the fourth quarter and also made a nice 69-yard run for a touchdown. If Matt Forte returns next week, we could revert to a three-headed back, but the Jets could hold him off due to the success of these two.

Josh McCown was saved by the big rushing plays, because he was not good against Jacksonville’s pass defense, throwing an interception and losing a fumble to go along with zero touchdown passes. The only receiver I’d look at in fantasy is Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who caught all four of his targets for 46 yards and gets the Browns next week; the same team that just gave up a huge two-touchdown game to Tyler Kroft.

Steelers 26, Ravens 9
The Ravens continue their offensive woes this week, as Joe Flacco was again not elite, completing 31-of-49 passes for 235 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Forty-nine passes for 235 yards is yucky and gross, and you need to stay away from that sort of thing.

Alex Collins was a bright spot for the Ravens, as he rushed nine times for 82 yards, but he also lost a fumble, which has been a problem for him since college. In this game, it was Collins as the lead back and Javorius Allen as the passing-down back, while Terrance West lost seven yards on four carries. Will that be the case next week? Who knows, but in this offense, we can’t get overly excited for any single running back for now.

The Steelers leaned on Le’Veon Bell this week, and it worked as well as it possibly could. Bell rushed a whopping 35 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught 4-of-6 targets for 42 yards. He had an amazing 41 chances to touch the ball in this game. I think he’s going to be okay.

Bell was the whole offense for the most part, but JuJu Smith-Schuster did find the end zone again this week and has taken over the job as the full-time slot receiver. He will have off and on games, but when Roethlisberger is playing well at home in a good matchup, JuJu could do some damage.

Texans 57, Titans 14
The Titans scored two touchdowns, and both were rushing touchdowns from Marcus Mariota, who then had to leave the game with a hamstring injury. Mariota also threw two interceptions before he exited. It was a thorough dismantling that very little can be taken from for fantasy purposes, other than the Titans very much need Mariota back, because Matt Cassel was, as usual, horrid in relief.

Have yourself a game, DeShaun Watson! We saw Watson play well in New England last week, and that carried over into this week as he absolutely went off on the Titans’ defense. He completed 25-of-34 passes for 283 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while adding four rushing attempts for 24 yards and a rushing touchdown. He accounted for all but one touchdown from the 57 points Houston unloaded on the Titans. You can’t call this game a fluke, especially after he backed up a strong game on the road in Foxborough, so he’s now very much in the fantasy conversation moving forward. I don’t see how he could keep this up against stouter defenses, but he has gotten better every game.

Will Fuller returned from his collarbone injury with a vengeance, catching 4-of-6 targets for 35 yards and two touchdowns. His speed and presence also helped DeAndre Hopkins put together another strong game, as he caught 10-of-12 targets for 102 yards and a touchdown. Having a competent quarterback is fun isn’t it, Houston?

Cardinals 18, 49ers 15
Brian Hoyer completed just 24-of-49 passes for 234 yards and one interception. His outcast group of receivers did make a few drops, but overall, Hoyer wasn’t up to the task as usual.

Carlos Hyde remains the only consistent fantasy option in San Francisco, but he was unable to score this week, as he rushed 16 times for 68 yards and caught 5-of-6 targets for 27 yards. Those targets are really keeping him afloat in PPR leagues right now.

Neither team scored a touchdown in regulation, but Carson Palmer was able to find Larry Fitzgerald for the game-winning score in overtime. Palmer racked up 357 yards on 33-of-51 yards passing and an interception to go with that touchdown. His offensive line is causing him real trouble though, and at his age and with his lack of mobility, an injury seems to be on the horizon.

Andre Ellington led the team with 14 targets, catching nine for 86 yards, including a touchdown that was overturned, but I couldn’t see any clear reason why it was. He also saw five carries for 18 yards, while Chris Johnson was also shut down as a runner. Palmer had to check down more than not in this game, so I don’t think we can count on 14 targets moving forward, but he’s no doubt a big part of this offense right now.

Eagles 26, Chargers 24
Philip Rivers completed 22-of-38 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns, plus lost a fumble. It was a nice bounce-back game after his three-interception crap fest last week and just shows you that this offense can put up fantasy points with the best of them, despite consistently losing.

Keenan Allen continues to show that he’s healthy and a stud, with five receptions for 111 yards, but this week was Tyrell Williams’ time to shine, as he caught 5-of-6 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, including a 75-yard touchdown reception. It’s great to see him get more involved after not topping 54 yards in his first three games of 2017.

Melvin Gordon did not seem close to 100 percent this week, as he was stifled for just 29 yards on 11 touches. His knee injury will need some time. His backup became clear in this one though, as Austin Ekeler showed a nice burst on a 35-yard touchdown run. and to add to that, he caught both his targets for 23 yards. Gordon might not lose much work with his knee injury, but I’d drop Branden Oliver for Ekeler if you want Gordon’s backup.

The Eagles’ running back committee is a pain, but this week they were productive, as LeGarrette Blount rushed 16 times for 136 yards and caught his lone target for 20 yards, while Wendell Smallwood rushed 10 times for 34 yards and a touchdown, and caught 4-of-6 targets for 45 yards. Corey Clement also saw a few higher-leverage carries, as he rushed 10 times for 30 yards. Unfortunately, 36 carries split between three players is annoying for fantasy. Smallwood has the receiving job, so at least we know he’ll have a role even when the Eagles trail, but Blount again showed that he can be a strong between-the-tackles runner. They both have fantasy value, but will hurt each other’s upside.

Buccaneers 25, Giants 23
Evan Engram was second on the team with 11 targets, of which he caught six for 62 yards. Finding a tight end after the top guys is always tough in fantasy, and when you see a tight end averaging over eight targets in his last three games, you need to take notice.

Paul Perkins left this game with a rib injury, but not before he put up a very Perkins-esque nine carries for 13 yards and one reception on two targets for six yards. Wayne Gallman took over for Perkins in the third quarter and was a noticeable improvement as he rushed 11 times for 42 yards and caught both his targets for eight yards and a touchdown. Even if Perkins returns against the Chargers next week, I’d expect Gallman to get the start, because we have officially seen enough of Perkins in this offense.

Jameis Winston completed 22-of-38 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns against a usually stout Giants defense. He wasn’t perfect in this game, but he made things happen and kept pushing, especially when the game was on the line. He needs game scripts like this to push him to do more, and next week against the Patriots, seems like a perfect spot for him.

Mike Evans caught 5-of-11 targets for 67 yards and a touchdown, and came close to much more. He’s the no-doubt go-to receiver, even in tough matchups like this. Expect him to put up good numbers against the Patriots’ Swiss-cheese defense next week.

Broncos 16, Raiders 10
The Raiders couldn’t get much going against the Broncos in Denver, which is usually the way that scenario plays out. They also lost Derek Carr to a back injury, bringing E.J. Manuel in to face the Broncos’ defense. Carr will have an MRI this week.

Unless you started Johnny Holton this week, and you didn’t, then the Raiders were a disappointment for your fantasy endeavors.

The Broncos took the air out of the ball in the second half before any of their fantasy receivers could do much of anything. Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas were both huge letdowns, while A.J. Derby led the team in targets, yardage and touchdowns. Trevor Siemian has come back to his average self after a strong start, but he will still have upside in games where he’ll need to throw more often.

C.J. Anderson looked like he might be losing work to Jamaal Charles after last week and the first half of this game, but Anderson was the clear lead back when the Broncos were trying to run the clock out. He didn’t get into the end zone, but did manage 112 yards on 24 touches.

Seahawks 46, Colts 18
The Colts looked like they might be able to hang with the Seahawks in this game, but unfortunately, the Colts stopped playing at halftime.

Jack Doyle led Indianapolis in receptions with five, but also left with concussion symptoms. We never thought Jacoby Brissett and the Colts had much of a shot in Seattle as it was, so keeping it close for a while is going to have to be the silver lining.

The running back situation in Seattle remains mysterious, but unfortunately, it was narrowed down when Chris Carson suffered a horrific leg injury with the score 38-19 in the fourth quarter. Thomas Rawls was a healthy scratch for this game, so Eddie Lacy was Carson’s backup and finished the game strongly, but we also saw J.D. McKissic run for and catch touchdowns in this one. I’d hold onto Eddie Lacy, but I’m not overly optimistic.

Russell Wilson salvaged what looked like a horrible game after two interceptions, as he rushed for a touchdown and threw two more, on his way to 21-of-26 completions for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, as well as four rushing attempts for 38 yards and a touchdown.

For more thoughts, check out Walt’s updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

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