NFL WEEK 4: In Case You Missed It

It seems pretty crazy to say that we are a quarter of the way through the NFL season already. Anyway, now that we are four weeks through, we start to identify some trends that we can use to gain an edge moving forward. Bye weeks are going to start hitting hard along with the injuries that have already hit hard. Here are some key things that I identified from each game, just in case you missed it.

Bengals vs Dolphins

Literally, the only good thing about this game was AJ Green went absolutely nuts catching 10 of 12 targets for 173 yards and a touchdown. Miami failed to move the ball much the entire game as their entire offense struggled. Their backfield is still a cluster as they split 13 carries between four different backs.

Jaguars vs Colts

I’ll be honest, I watched very little of the London game this week and from the looks of it – I didn’t miss much. What is interesting is that while Frank Gore has been consistent running the football, Josh Ferguson has been a very active member in the passing game. Ferguson saw five targets in back to back games in weeks 2 and 3 before seeing it spike up to 10 targets this week against the Jags. With Donte Moncrief sidelined, this Josh Ferguson thing could be something to look out for. The Jaguars backfield remains a puzzling situation as T.J. Yeldon had 18 touches and Chris Ivory had just eight. Allen Robinson saw double digit targets once again as he led the team with 10 and found the endzone.

Texans vs Titans

The big news here is how bad DeAndre Hopkins disappointed on Sunday. They credited him with six targets but in reality it looked like just four – two of which were intercepted. He ended the day with just one catch for four yards while Will Fuller led the team in targets with nine. Fuller caught seven balls for 81 yards and a touchdown and also returned a punt for a TD. Lamar Miller has now seen at least 20 touches in four straight games. For the Titans, Tajae Sharpe is a thing of the past as this entire offense runs through DeMarco Murray. He received 27 touches that resulted in 119 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.

Browns vs Redskins

Terrelle Pryor led the Browns in targets as expected. He caught five of nine targets for 46 yards and a touchdown. Duke Johnson had eight targets and he has now had at least five targets every game through the first four weeks. Matt Jones had a big day on the ground for Washington but I wouldn’t count on that much moving forward. Jordan Reed finally was getting targets in the redzone which resulted in two touchdowns and a monster day from the TE. Reed received four of the seven total redzone targets for Washington this week. It is easy to see how they benefited from this as they struggled in the redzone through the first three weeks of the season. I expect Reed to be targeted more there moving forward.

Seahawks vs Jets

So much for Wilson’s injury affected him…He threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns against the Jets on Sunday. Jimmy Graham has now gone over 100 yards receiving in back to back games. Christine Michael had 23 touches that resulted in 90 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. I would be very surprised if he is not the primary back even when Rawls returns from injury. For the Jets, Matt Forte came back to earth with a very disappointing line. It could be because he was hurt though as recent reports state that he had to receive an MRI after the game. Bilal Powell is worth a look in all formats.

Bills vs Patriots

There is not much to be said about this one. Both teams looked sloppy as Jacoby Brissett got the start again. Rob Gronkowski played more snaps this week but was ineffective. For the Bills, Robert Woods led the team with 10 targets and that is likely to continue as long as Sammy Watkins misses time. Tom Brady will return this week for the Patriots so we won’t have to suffer through another game like this.

Panthers vs Falcons

This one was a blood bath as you already know. Julio Jones went absolutely nuts catching 12 balls for 300 yards and a touchdown. Yes, 300. It looks like that inexperience at CB for Carolina may be more troublesome than Ron Rivera may have thought. Matt Ryan threw for over 500 yards and four touchdowns cementing his place as the top fantasy QB through the first four weeks of the season. The big news for Carolina is that Cam Newton has been placed in concussion protocol and is not expected to play in their week 5 matchup against Tampa Bay on Monday Night.

Raiders vs Ravens

Joe Flacco dropped back and passed 52 times in this one but only managed to throw one touchdown. Steve Smith led the team with 11 targets that resulted in 111 yards that included a long 52 yards touchdown. Terrance West quieted the crowded backfield concerns this week as Forsett was a healthy scratch and West tore up the Raiders for over 100 yards and a score. Derek Carr was much more efficient than Flacco as he threw for four touchdowns off just 35 passing attempts. Michael Crabtree led the team in targets with 12 but more importantly saw two redzone targets that resulted in touchdowns while Amari Cooper saw zero.

Bears vs Lions

Many people (myself included) really thought this game had a good chance of shooting out. Clearly that did not happen. That being said, Hoyer did throw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. As expected, Jordan Howard saw the bulk of work for the Bears backfield as he saw 26 touches that he parlayed into over 130 yards from scrimmage. Kevin White led the team in targets with nine but left the game with an ankle injury and did not return. If he is out, Alshon Jeffery should finally start to see more targets like he did last season and I will continue to target him moving forward. For the Lions, Dwayne Washington also suffered an ankle injury and did not return to the game. He is unlikely to play this week meaning Theo Riddick will continue to see plenty of work and Zach Zenner could see some carries as well. Golden Tate saw just four targets and was benched after a miscommunication between him and Matt Stafford that resulted in an INT. You can drop Golden Tate in all formats and let him be someone else’s headache.

Broncos vs Bucs

Trevor Siemian suffered a shoulder injury in this one but it is not expected to keep him out this week. CJ Anderson saw 20 touches and found the endzone and Emmanuel Sanders had 13 targets for the second straight week. As expected, the Bucs didn’t move the ball much against this Broncos defense. Mike Evans led the team with 11 targets but only had 59 yards.

Rams vs Cardinals

The Rams may be the ugliest 3-1 team in the history of the NFL. Winning is winning though and they managed to get one against the Cards despite their lack of fantasy relevance at almost all positions. Brian Quick caught two touchdowns and that was about it. For the Cards, Carson Palmer suffered a concussion against the Rams and I would be very surprised if he is cleared by Thursday night’s game against the Niners. David Johnson saw 21 touches that resulted in 122 yards from scrimmage. John Brown led the team with a league-high 16 targets. He caught 10 of those for 144 yards.

Saints vs Chargers

The Chargers epic collapse in the fourth quarter cost them this game. The Saints were able to spark a comeback led by John Kuhn’s three touchdown performance. Yes, John Kuhn. Michael Thomas led the team with nine targets and Mark Ingram saw seven targets as well. This is a very positive thing to see from Ingram as he was previously not involved in the passing game and not getting many goal-line opportunities as well. He did get four rushes inside the 20 this week so things are looking up for Ingram owners. For the Chargers, Melvin Gordon continues to be a touchdown machine as he added two against the Saints. He also had seven targets in the passing game. I think you can expect him to get targets but it is fairly obvious that the touchdowns will soon regress and when that happens, Gordon will not have a good week – consider yourself warned. Inman led the chargers with 11 targets and a 7-120-1 line so he is worth a look in the upcoming weeks as well.

Cowboys vs Niners

Ezekiel Elliott continues to be a work horse, as he got 23 carries that resulted in 138 rushing yards and a touchdown. Brice Butler co-led the Cowboys with nine targets and he managed to score. Also, he dropped what would have been a second touchdown. He is worth a look if Dez Bryant misses additional time. For the Niners, oh nevermind.

Steelers vs Chiefs

This was a monster showing by the Steelers offense. Le’Veon Bell’s return proved dividends for Ben Roethlisberger and the entire offense in general. Bell rushed for 144 yards and also had six targets in the passing game. He even took some snaps at WR. AB caught two early touchdowns but because it was such a blowout, only received five targets. No other big news in this one….Jamaal Charles returned but only played a handful of snaps. The bye week should help him be ready for week 6.

Vikings vs Giants

It is looking more and more like this Minnesota Vikings team is legit. Their defense was forcing pressure on Eli Manning all night long. Manning was so afraid to get hit, he was throwing the ball at the ground multiple times to stop the play dead. Odell Beckham continued his early season struggles but he has had some tough matchups, making him a good ‘buy low’ candidate. For the Vikings, Jerick McKinnon received 21 touches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Matt Asiata received the goal-line though as expected which helped him get into the endzone as well.