It’s always good to recap, and even though I didn’t do it in recent editions of this article, I should have. I was correct with A.J. Green and DeSean Jackson, so hopefully you played them. Tyler Lockett didn’t quite pan out, while Funchess was screwed over by Scam Newton. Anyway, we are onto Week 4 and I’ll be honest with you, we are taking some risks with my selections at the end. Hey, we’re all looking for something different, right?
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Offense | Left WR | Defense | Right CB | Analysis |
| ARI | John Brown | SF | Rashard Robinson | Brown logged a limited practice on Wednesday and this is a situation to monitor moving forward. If he plays, he has an advantageous matchup against a poor San Francisco secondary. Did you see the Thursday game last week? |
| ATL | Julio Jones | BUF | E.J. Gaines | Jones continues to be targeted plenty, but it is worth noting that he hasn't found the end zone yet in 2017. He's also dealing with a back injury heading into a matchup with the Bills. For what it's worth, the Bills have yet to allow a receiving touchdown to opposing wideouts. |
| BAL | Breshad Perriman | PIT | Artie Burns | While Joe Haden has been pretty bad, Burns has been the opposite. Regardless, the Baltimore offense has shown no willingness to throw the ball downfield, which is Perriman's strengths. Until it's not a checkdown every play, Perriman is barely rosterable. |
| BUF | Zay Jones | ATL | Robert Alford | Jones leads the Bills in snaps and targets, but he hasn't been productive in 2017. He may be the top receiver in the Buffalo passing attack, but the low-octane passing game offers minimal upside to any pass catcher. |
| CAR | Kelvin Benjamin | NE | Malcolm Butler | Benjamin may not play, so be wary of that first and foremost. Cam, dare I say Scam, Newton has been disappointing this season and Benjamin's fantasy value at this juncture is solely tied to his ability to find the end zone. He does draw another good matchup against a New England secondary that allowed rookie Deshaun Watson to throw for 301 yards. |
| CHI | Josh Bellamy | GB | Damarious Randall | Just no. Don't do it to yourself. Green Bay's secondary isn't good, but Glennon hasn't had much success completing passes to his receivers. It's going to be the Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen show again on Thursday night. |
| CIN | A.J. Green | CLE | Jason McCourty | Green will feast on the lackluster Cleveland secondary. He's averaging 2.47 yards per route run on the season and has an excellent opportunity to burn a very vulnerable Jamar Taylor.* |
| CLE | Rashard Higgins | CIN | Adam Jones | What a disappointing week for Higgins. Was he in your seasonal lineups? Daily lineups? He was in the latter for me. Yeah, that stung. Cincinnati boasts some physical corners and I envision him receiving right around eight targets in this game, which is above last week's total (6), but below Week 2's output (11). I'd look elsewhere. |
| DAL | Dez Bryant | LAR | Troy Hill | If it weren't for a max-effort touchdown in Week 3, Bryant would have had an extremely disappointing fantasy week. His matchup softens this week against the Rams, but then again, anything is softer than facing Arizona's Patrick Peterson. In fact, his touchdown came away from Peterson's watch. Bryant is a legitimate WR2 against the Rams. |
| DEN | Demaryius Thomas | OAK | David Amerson | Both Denver receivers are in the WR2 range this week, but I don't like the fact that his teammate, Emmanuel Sanders, sees more targets and gets more work in the red zone. I expect Trevor Siemian to throw at least two touchdowns in this one, with one going to Mr. Thomas. |
| DET | Marvin Jones | MIN | Xavier Rhodes | Another tough break for Jones, having to deal with Xavier Rhodes on Sunday. Honestly, seeing how Rhodes has performed thus far, I would sit Jones in every format. With the way Rhodes has been playing, five receptions for 52 yards seems to be Jones' upside in Week 4. |
| GB | Davante Adams | CHI | Prince Amukamara | Amukamara had a nice debut, allowing just one reception on three targets.* However, that receptions went for a touchdown. Despite Randall Cobb likely being healthy enough to play tonight, Adams will still get his fair share of targets. I like Adams this week. |
| HOU | DeAndre Hopkins | TEN | Brice McCain | Have you read the WR coach? If so, you know my feelings on Hopkins. He's torched the Titans throughout his career and Deshaun Watson needs to continue to target Hopkins to move the football. Tennessee's corners will have no answers for Hopkins on Sunday in an intense divisional matchup. |
| IND | Donte Moncrief | SEA | Shaquill Griffin | Hilton is the safest, riskiest play among the Indy wideouts. Moncrief has just five targets on the season and he's not someone worth trusting at this point. His fantasy value is fading rapidly. |
| JAX | Marqise Lee | NYJ | Morris Claiborne | The Jets aren't good, but Claiborne is a decent corner that give an opposing wideout fits. In a low-octane Jacksonville passing attack, Lee is no better than a flex option in my eyes. It's going to be a ton of Leonard Fournette on Sunday, not Lee. |
| KC | Tyreek Hill | WAS | Josh Norman | Tough matchup for Hill on Monday Night Football. If you have him in seasonal leagues, you're likely starting him, but you can be optimistic with the notion that Andy Reid will likely move him around and get him into advantageous situations. Even if he's bottled up by Norman in the passing game, he could take a handoff to the house. |
| LAC | Tyrell Williams | PHI | Rasul Douglas | This is a prime matchup for Williams to break out of his early 2017 slump. Opposing quarterbacks have targeted Jalen Mills a ton early this season. Only one corner has allowed more receiving yards on his watch than Mills.* |
| LAR | Sammy Watkins | DAL | Chidobe Awuzie | Well, gee, who woulda thunk it? Sammy Watkins finally had a productive game for the Rams! Well, less surprisingly, he left with an injury and is questionable for this matchup with the Cowboys. It's a very good matchup if he does suit up, but we'll need to monitor his status as he works through the concussion protocol. |
| MIA | DeVante Parker | NO | Marshon Lattimore | Parker was the true garbage time hero last week against the Jets. This week, he gets a solid matchup against a weak New Orleans secondary. Hopefully Jay Cutler doesn't pull a Scam Newton and s%@t the bed. Parker is an attractive WR2 this week. |
| MIN | Laquon Treadwell | DET | Nevin Lawson | It is a good matchup for Treadwell, as Lawson has allowed the second highest QB rating to opposing quarterbacks on the Lions, but Treadwell doesn't get enough work to be trusted in any lineup.* Treadwell has eight targets on the year, and six came in one game. He cannot be trusted, even in a good matchup. |
| NE | Brandin Cooks | CAR | Daryl Worley | Opposing receivers have a 66.7 percent catch rate against Worley this year and if we took anything away from last week's matchup against the Patriots, Brady and Cooks are starting to heat up. He was second on the team in targets and receptions, and I envision him finding ample room in the soft spots of the Carolina defense. Fire him up as a WR2. |
| NO | Michael Thomas | MIA | Xavien Howard | Thomas has had at least eight targets and five receptions in each of the three games this year. He finally put up meaningful fantasy numbers last week and his rare combo of a high floor and unlimited upside is fantasy owner's dream. Fire him up against a vulnerable Miami secondary. |
| NYG | Brandon Marshall | TB | Vernon Hargreaves | If he sees Vernon Hargreaves as much as I expect him to, that's a huge mistake by Tampa Bay. Hargreaves is one of just six cornerbacks allowing 2 or more yards per cover snap this season.* |
| NYJ | Jermaine Kearse | JAX | A.J. Bouye | Best of luck to you, Jermaine. Bouye is a tough corner and has allowed just seven receptions on a team-high 17 targets.* I'm not a fan of any Jet receiver this week. |
| OAK | Amari Cooper | DEN | Bradley Roby | Do I have Cooper on any of my fantasy teams? I do not. Would I sit him this week against Denver? Believe it or not, yes I would. He's dropping too many passes and no Denver corner presents a positive matchup for the Oakland receivers. If you're limited at wide receiver and you have to start him, I get it, but i'm expecting another down week for the young wide receiver. |
| PHI | Alshon Jeffery | LAC | Casey Hayward | With Jason Verrett out for the year, Hayward will be doing plenty of shadowing against the opposing team's top wide receiver. That begins this week. Volume could help Jeffery remain in the WR2 category, but less than five receptions in all but one game this season makes me tempted to call him a WR3. |
| PIT | Antonio Brown | BAL | Jimmy Smith | Matchup proof. You're starting him in every seasonal format. Cash lineups? Go right ahead. GPPs? Go right ahead. Can I really doubt you for starting Brown? As long as Big Ben is out there, no, no I cannot. |
| SEA | Paul Richardson | IND | Vontae Davis | The Colts are reeling, but Davis' likely returns helps the secondary immensely. He won't go into the slot to face off with Doug Baldwin, but he'll spent his time out wide on Richardson. With this in mind, I'd rather go Lockett. |
| SF | Marquise Goodwin | ARI | Justin Bethel | Drops have really impacted Goodwin's numbers thus far. When you're an all-or-nothing receiver like Goodwin, drops are an absolute killer and will drive the coach, quarterback and fantasy owner mad. Until the drops get rectified, there's no possible way you can feel comfortable with him in your lineup. |
| TB | Mike Evans | NYG | Janoris Jenkins | Jenkins has been stingy to opposing wideouts this season. Evans, coming off a tough matchup with Xavier Rhodes, offers a high floor in PPR formats, but should actually be considered a WR2 this week against the Giants. |
| TEN | Eric Decker | HOU | Johnthan Banks | It's never easy when your first game with a new team comes against Tom Brady. Banks struggled last week in coverage and he allowed a near perfect QB rating (156.3).* Decker has low-end flex appeal in extremely deep leagues. |
| WAS | Josh Doctson | KC | Terrance Mitchell | Easy there, Josh. You looked impressive last week and you found the end zone. This week, he gets a plus matchup on Monday Night Football against the Chiefs, but more specifically, Terrance Mitchell. No cornerback in the NFL has allowed more receiving yards in coverage than Mitchell, not to mention his putrid 17.8 yards per reception.* I'm not ready to trust him in cash game lineups quite yet, but if there were ever a week to throw him in one, it would be right here. For you seasonalists out there, he's flexy this week. |
Offense | Right WR | Defense | Left CB | Analysis |
| ARI | Jaron Brown | SF | Dontae Johnson | Honestly, playing any Cardinal receiver against the 49ers in a GPP (Fitz in cash) makes sense. The defense has struggled to stop a nose bleed here in 2017, so I have no problem playing Brown in DFS or a deeper league. |
| ATL | Taylor Gabriel | BUF | Tre'Davious White | Gabriel continues to get run out of the slot and a big play last week salvaged his fantasy outing. He's outsnapped and targeted by Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu, not to mention that backup running back Tevin Coleman has as many targets through three games as Coleman. He's not my cup of tea in Week 4. |
| BAL | Mike Wallace | PIT | Joe Haden | Haden has struggled this season, and the only reason that his numbers aren't worse is because he faced the Chicago Bears last week, and Mike Glennon completely ignored his wide receivers. He gets another matchup this week where the opposing signal caller is completely content with checking down. I was bullish on Wallace in past week, and I missed. Screw me once, shame on you. Screwing me twice would be a shame on me. No thanks. |
| BUF | Andre Holmes | ATL | Desmond Trufant | Sorry, Andre, it's not personal, but you're just not a good play in fantasy. His snaps have gone down each week, and best case scenario, he sees four targets on Sunday, which would tie his season high. |
| CAR | Devin Funchess | NE | Stephon Gilmore | Screw Scam Newton. Not only Kelvin Benjamin, but Funchess was built for a huge fantasy performance last week against the Saints. Well, Newton screwed that one. It's another plus matchup, but Newton's struggles don't instill much confidence in Funchess. |
| CHI | Deonte Thompson | GB | Kevin King | It's Kevin King's shot to be the team's top corner. King is a young gun out there, but he plenty of potential to be a very good corner. Thompson is an uninspiring wide receiver that shouldn't be trusted except those in the deepest of leagues. Mike Glennon is too infatuated with his running backs to even fathom throwing a ball to a wide receiver. |
| CIN | Brandon LaFell | CLE | Jamar Taylor | Only two corners have allowed more receiving yards than Taylor.* However, too bad Brandon LaFell has a minimal role in the offense, outside of the red zone especially, so we won't be able to take advantage of Taylor in Week 4. |
| CLE | Kenny Britt | CIN | Dre Kirkpatrick | Am I buying last week's performance for Britt? Um, not really, no. 10 of his 15 targets on the season came last week and that isn't going to become the norm moving forward. Of those 10 targets, he hauled in just three passes, so he's lucky that he sniffed out the end zone. |
| DAL | Terrance Williams | LAR | Trumaine Johnson | Johnson has allowed 2.02 yards per coverage snap, which is the fifth-highest in all of football.* Williams is an uninspiring fantasy asset, but he always seems to pop up in a winning GPP lineup at some point every season. He may be leading the team in receptions, but his 81.3 percent catch rate is certainly unsustainable. |
| DEN | Emmanuel Sanders | OAK | Gareon Conley | He's one of my favorite plays this week and for you daily players out there, he's underpriced. He's going to be right around double-digit targets in a home game where his quarterback typically posts better numbers. Two touchdown upside in this one. Lock him in. |
| DET | Kenny Golladay | MIN | Trae Waynes | Waynes is a good run stopping corner, but he's struggled in coverage this season. I liked DeSean Jackson to score against him last week, and he did. I expect a similar result for Golladay. |
| GB | Jordy Nelson | CHI | Marcus Cooper | Nelson is a must start regardless of matchup, especially when you consider his excellent rapport with Aaron Rodgers in the red zone. Nelson is a WR1 this week. |
| HOU | Bruce Ellington | TEN | Adoree' Jackson | Will Fuller is due back soon, but in the meantime, the new look Houston offense bodes well for Ellington. He saw just one less target than DeAndre Hopkins last week, and he even received a carry on an end-around. Solid GPP play. |
| IND | T.Y. Hilton | SEA | Richard Sherman | YES! Hilton's outburst finally occurred, albeit against the Browns, but we'll take it! It's a tough matchup, so expectations should be tempered for Hilton in Week 4. |
| JAX | Keelan Cole | NYJ | Darryl Roberts | I'm not a huge fan of Lee this week, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I'm not on the Cole train either. Hopefully your team isn't so thin at wide receiver that you're stuck starting Cole in any of your lineups. |
| KC | Chris Conley | WAS | Bashaud Breeland | Conley could see some Norman island this week, and he likely will, but I expect Norman to spend most of his time on Tyreek Hill. Conley can't change a game like Hill can, so I expect Washington to put their best guy on him. Breeland has been good in his own right, which is why I won't be playing Conley anywhere. Hot take? Probably not. |
| LAC | Travis Benjamin | PHI | Jalen Mills | Yes, yes, yes. This is a matchup to target. Mills has been terrible this season and Benjamin's big play ability should shine in this one. Hard to trust in cash games, but the home run hitter is a threat to strike big against a vulnerable Eagles secondary. |
| LAR | Robert Woods | DAL | Jourdan lewis | Call me crazy, but I like Woods this week. I'd prefer Sammy Watkins if he plays, but if he doesn't, Woods should see a few extra targets. With Cooper Kupp manning the slot, Woods will be the top option on the outside. He leads the team in targets and should see anywhere from 6-8 more on Sunday. |
| MIA | Kenny Stills | NO | De'Vante Harris | Harris is allowing a near perfect QB rating this season, so there is optimism for Stills.* Stills did see 10 targets last week, but hauled in just four for 51 yards. If there's ever a chance for Stills to break a big one, it's right here against Harris and the Saints. |
| MIN | Stefon Diggs | DET | Darius Slay | Tough matchup for Diggs here with Slay, but no one has slowed down Diggs this season. He's practically in must-start territory, so fire him up in your lineups this week. I have no qualms with that whatsoever. |
| NE | Chris Hogan | CAR | James Bradberry | Hogan has been very consistent with his targets this season, but his stat line is a little inflamed from last week. He was wide open on both of his touchdowns, due to busted coverages in the back end of the Houston defense. However, not to take anything away from Hogan, but things will likely be a bit tougher this week. |
| NO | Ted Ginn Jr. | MIA | Byron Maxwell | Even though Maxwell has allowed a 63.6 percent catch rate this season, it's hard to get excited about a guy who's barely averaging four targets per game. The opportunity for the long ball is there, but I'm not going to take a chance on it. |
| NYG | Odell Beckham Jr. | TB | Brent Grimes | You're playing OBJ every week, so I don't need to wow you with any statistic or measurable. Just put him in your lineup. |
| NYJ | Robby Anderson | JAX | Jalen Ramsey | Yikes. The Jets are likely going to have to throw the ball, but it won't be happening on either Jacksonville corner. As of Wednesday night, Ramsey is the top graded corner in the National Football League.* |
| OAK | Michael Crabtree | DEN | Aqib Talib | Ramsey may be the top corner, per Pro Football Focus, but Talib has been damn good in his own right, coming in at No. 7.* Talib is allowing a 59.8 QB rating this season, not to mention merely 54 receiving yards on his watch.* |
| PHI | Torrey Smith | LAC | Desmond King | Smith is averaging about five targets per game, but this matchup against King bodes well for Smith. King has allowed a reception rate just south of 90 percent and a whopping 63 yards after the catch.* |
| PIT | Martavis Bryant | BAL | Brandon Carr | Bryant's Week 3 stat line would have looked much better had he caught that early deep ball from Big Ben. I'm not bullish on Bryant this week for a few reasons, and they include, Roethlisberger isn't good on the road, I'm not a fan of his skillset against this Baltimore defense and he's more likely to bust than boom this week. Flex consideration only. |
| SEA | Tyler Lockett | IND | Rashaan Melvin | This is a matchup I want to attack. Melvin has been decent this season, but Lockett's big play ability can't be kept down for long. It's more of a gut call here, but we all know that quarterback Russell Wilson plays much better at home. He didn't get many looks last week, but I envision Lockett getting at least six targets on Sunday night. |
| SF | Pierre Garcon | ARI | Patrick Peterson | No thanks. I like Garcon most weeks, but not here. Patrick Peterson is a lockdown corner and will completely take Garcon out of this game. Avoid. Stay away. |
| TB | DeSean Jackson | NYG | Eli Apple | For the second week in a row, Jackson has an opportunity to feast while his teammate, Mike Evans, draws considerable coverage from the opposition's top corner. Jackson saw seven targets last week and was able to turn one into a 25-yard touchdown. I like him again this week. |
| TEN | Rishard Matthews | HOU | Johnathan Joseph | Tom Brady exposed the Houston secondary last week, but Johnathan Joseph isn’t the corner you want to target. Consider Matthews to be a flex option at best here in Week 4. |
| WAS | Terrelle Pryor | KC | Marcus Peters | It's been tough sledding for Pryor thus far in 2017, and now he has to face off against Marcus Peters, who grades in the top 20 at his position.* With just 10 receptions on 10 targets for the year, Pryor is a WR3 this week. If you have depth at the position, I'm completely fine with benching him this week. |
Elite
Brandin Cooks vs. Daryl Worley
Cooks cooked my Texans, including the game-winning touchdown that never should have happened (sorry, still upset about that loss). Cooks continues to get plenty of run and he’s leading the Patriots’ receivers in targets and tied with Chris Hogan for receptions, but his 131 yards and two touchdowns last week really stand out. He’s always been an explosive receiver and he’s eaten up the Panthers in recent years. In his last three games against Carolina, Cooks has hauled in 20 passes on 27 targets for 319 yards and two touchdowns. Honestly, the only thing that could hold Cooks back in this matchup, is Cam Newton. If the Panthers can’t score, New England will attempt fewer passes, which could affect Cooks’ overall stat line. However, even if that were to be the case, Cooks will produce enough early on to warrant WR1 numbers.
Affordable
DeAndre Hopkins vs. Brice McCain
I love Hopkins this week in every format imaginable. For you seasonalists out there, he’s an excellent WR2 with WR1 upside this week. He’s getting plenty of targets from Deshaun Watson and the potential return of Will Fuller will only help Hopkins. Let me quote myself from this week’s WR Coach. “In eight career games against the Titans, Hopkins has eclipsed 90 receiving yards or scored a touchdown in six of them.” Play him everywhere. You won’t regret it.
Bargain Bin
Travis Benjamin vs. Jalen Mills
I love picking on Jalen Mills. It’s nothing personal, he’s just struggled immensely here in the early parts of 2017. He’s allowed the second most receiving yards, fifth-most yards after the catch and sixth-most yards per coverage snap.* Benjamin saw a season-high eight targets last week and he’s averaging 17.7 yards per reception this year. There is some volatility, given the nature of Benjamin’s game, but opposing quarterbacks have consistently thrown at Mills, and that trend will continue this week.
Josh Doctson vs. Terrance Mitchell
I understand Ryan Grant has been getting snaps out wide and Doctson has just three targets on the year, but for a tournament play, or a dart in the Monday-Thursday slate, I LOVE Doctson. He hauled in a long touchdown last week and that will resonate with the Washington coaching staff. Furthermore, when he is out on the field, he’ll be lined up with Terrance Mitchell, who has been a borderline dumpster fire at the cornerback position this season. Mitchell has allowed a league-leading 303 receiving yards on just 17 receptions this season.* Doctson has big play ability, Mitchell allows big plays, so are you catching my drift? I understand benching him in seasonal leagues, but boy is he tantalizing as a dart throw in GPP. If he goes off, you can thank me later.
*Information gathered from research done at Pro Football Focus.