Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 4
SUMMARY
The Patriots are still good. The Chiefs are still good. If the sky is still blue, then why does it feel like it's falling? Do any of us have a good team anymore? Jordan Howard just scored 28 points. Odell barely scored 4. Mike from HR is probably winning your league, and he thought the Cubs were in the NFL. Fret not, we help you make sense of this month-deep fever dream in this week's after action report.
Blue chip medal
Leonard Fournette, RB, Jaguars- 225 rushing yards. 7.8 yards per rush. One 81 yard rush. Fournette bounced back BIG time from his lackluster week three performance. The Broncos defense is dilapidated and fading quick, but, as Gardner Minshew continues to develop successfully, teams will be forced to unstack the box, leaving even more room for Fournette to dominate the run game. This could be a renaissance in the nick of time.
Nick Chubb, RB, Browns- Nick Chubb is the real deal. Chubb had three TDs and 164 yards on the ground. In a crowded offense, it seems that Chubb is actually the most reliable of the weapons. OBJ and Landry have flashes of brilliance, but Chubb is always given opportunities to score. He has at least 17 carries and 60 yards in every game so far. Numbers will come.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams- Kupp is the go-to pass catcher for the Rams. The myths surrounding his tremendous ACL recovery are true. He is racking up insane YAC, and making athletic moves downfield. He hauled in nine receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown, and seemed to be a favorite over his talented teammate Robert Woods. He's a borderline WR1 moving forward.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers- RODGUHHZ! The ageless wonder still produces at a prolific clip. He threw for 422 yards and two TDs against an Eagles defense that is no slouch. He's not afraid to unleash the deep ball, and Adams and Valdez-Scantling are looking more and more lethal every week. Rodgers is still, at age 35, a safe plug-and-play every week.
Loss of rank
Denver D/ST- Denver blew a big-time lead to give Uncle Rico and the Jaguars just enough wiggle room to steal away another win. They've given up big point totals in pretty much every week, and cannot force turnovers. All the hubbub around Bradley Chubb and Von Miller hasn't panned out. Now Chubb is out for the season with a torn ACL, leaving Von Miller vulnerable to double teams and the focus of pass blocking RBs. They're 0-4, and not even defense streamers should look to them anymore. The no-fly zone is grounded for good.
Josh Gordon, WR, Patriots- Perhaps the most meme'd player in all of fantasy football, Flash Gordon, rolled away the great stone once again this year and re-entered the lineups of risky fantasy managers across the globe. However, that dice roll pick seems to be already rearing its ugly thing. Gordon put up four points, his second sub five-point week on the year. Here's the thing though: it's not Gordon's fault. It really isn't. The Patriots offense is not what it's been in years past. Gordon makes plays, but Tom is old, and Gordon simply doesn't have the opportunity to be an elite WR anymore.
David Montgomery, RB, Bears- If you still have Montgomery, trade him while you can. The Bears have a brutal back end of their schedule, and Montgomery is averaging only seven points a week this year. The young running back is a sincere talent, but it has become adamantly clear that Matt Nagy isn't willing to give him the lion-share opportunity in an offense that makes paint drying on walls look like the Greatest Show on Turf.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings- At this point, if you own Cousins, you must be playing in a 32 team league. He is surrounded by elite weapons, an incredibly effective run game, and a dominant offensive line, and he can't seem to get anything going. Something needs to change in Minnesota. The closest thing to a Minneapolis Miracle now would be a decent QB performance.
Promotion watch
Wayne Gallman, RB, Giants- Barkley owners rejoice (if you were smart enough to pick up his handcuff upon injury) Gallman posted a two-score, 118-yard performance in a rout of the Redskins. He caught passes out of the backfield and was the lone go-to man in the running game. This promotion is tentative, because it was against the pitiful Redskins (and his seven-week shelf life), but he could be an excellent RB2/Flex for the time being.
Jordan Howard, RB, Eagles- The Eagles finally made use out of the storied ex-Bears running back in week 4. Jordan Howard racked up 28 fantasy points, aided by two red zone touchdowns. However, the best sign moving forward isn't even his flash of production; it's his usage over backfield partner Miles Sanders. As hot as everyone was on Miles Sanders coming into the season, Howard outpaced him 33 snaps to 22. Maybe he won't fade away on your bench after all.
Will Dissly, TE, Seahawks- The Seahawks offense clearly has no problem getting the rock to the tight end; he had a team-high eight targets. He has four touchdowns in three weeks and is their premier red zone target. I think it's time we promote Dissly. If he is available on your waiver wire, and you don't have a top five tight end, he may be your guy moving forward.
AJ Brown, WR, Titans- If you told someone this preseason that an Ole Miss rookie would haul in 94 yards and two TDs in week four—you'd have bet good money on that being DK Metcalf. In a surprise twist, Brown has been a much more reliable and electric fantasy option. As Mariota continues to re-discover his rhythm in the Arthur Smith offense, AJ Brown will become more and more viable.
Badass hit of the week
Donovan Cole Smith, Bucs
An offensive lineman takes the "Badass Hit of the Week" medal for the third time in four weeks. This one's different, though. This was no stout-legged pancake block. This was 340 pounds of MAC truck flying full speed for a tackle. Although it shouldn't be considered a tackle. No, this is something more. Something devastating. This was an assassination. Marcus Peters still scored and sealed the game, but this Monday morning, he was still feeling Donovan Cole Smith. Fine probably incoming...
