Patience is a virtue. Don’t panic.
It’s only Week 4.
So you’re 0-3. You are probably screaming at your television every weekend and constantly checking your phone to see if your team is not being completely outclassed by your cousin in 6th grade who took Nick Foles second overall or you die-hard Cowboys fan uncle who took DeMarco Murray first round. Or maybe you are terrified of any notification you receive because you don’t think your heart can handle it if there is another injury to your team already consisting Arian Foster, Brandon Marshall, RGIII, and Ryan Mathews. Or you are seriously contemplating on benching Jamaal Charles for Donald Brown because your number one overall pick hasn’t gotten you more than 5 points the entire year and the Chargers running back is projected to have more points.Or you dropped Jay Cutler believing in Jake Locker hype after Week 2, just to see him crumble into pieces against the almighty Cowboys defense.
Whatever it is, don’t do anything stupid. It’s a long season and plenty of ways to go. Pay more attention to your line up. Try to be more savvy in waiver wire. Maybe try to buy low on struggling studs, i.e. Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Demaryius Thomas, and Andre Johnson. It is no time to freak out. Not yet at least.
Remember kids, it’s only fantasy. We play this for fun. Isn’t it why we play the game? Besides winning, of course.
Players I Love
QB Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers: The Eagles gave up 34 points and 511 yards against the RGIII-less Redskins. Every game Philadelphia plays seems to be a shootout, and this will be no exception. To keep up with Chip Kelly’s explosive offense, the Niners will have to throw. He has been rushing and rushing more each week, but he will have to air it out to test the questionable secondary that allowed Kirk Cousins to pick them apart. Also, Vernon Davis is very likely to come back, providing yet another weapon to the Nevada product along with Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin and co. This has to be the game where he proves himself as one of the brightest young quarterback in the league.
QB Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins: Speaking of Kirk Cousins, he made me look like a genius last week, racking up 27 points last week in standard ESPN fantasy league. That is second most points by a quarterback that week. Think about that. Better than Peyton, better than Drew Brees, better than Aaron Rodgers, better than everyone except Andrew Luck, who’s leading the league in fantasy points. Yeah. He’s pretty good. He also has a very favorable matchup against the swiss-cheese Giants defense, which can not generate turnovers like the Eagles can. Top 10 play this week.
RB Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins: Knoshown Moreno out. Against Oakland Raiders, the second-worst rush defense in the league. 5.8 yards per carry. Lock for 20+ carries. What more do you want? He is an absolute must start in all leagues.
RB Matt Asiata, Minnesota Vikings: Simply put, the Falcons cannot stop the run. They are the third worst in stopping any running backs from slicing and dicing them like we did that to carrots back in FCS classes. While the matchup is very favorable, the bigger reason why he landed on this list is because of the pure fact that he is the number one back of the Vikings. While Jerick McKinnon may be more talented, Asiata gives Minnesota more safety. Also, his goal line prowess is nothing to ignore.
RB Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts: Oh dear. Why. God, why do you have to be so cruel? He was suppose to save the Browns. He was suppose to be next big thing in the NFL. He was the ONE. But now, he looks lost on the field, losing coaches’ trusts, losing carries to AHMAD BRADSHAW, and being dropped like pencils of students sitting next to smart kids during the final exam. Then why is he on the list? Touchdowns. Titans have allowed second most rush touchdowns in the league. Who is more likely to get a goal line carry, Richardson or injury-prone Bradshaw? You guessed it.
WR Markus Wheaton, Pittsburgh Steelers: I was going to put Terrence Williams here, but just couldn’t resist my love for the Steelers. Did you see what Big Ben did against the Panthers?! Tampa Bay’s secondary is absolutely disastrous, allowing the most points against the opposing wideouts. I don’t know. I just love him. Mad? Well you’re not the one writing this column. Deal with it.
WR Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles: I don’t know if you heard, but the Eagles can flat out score. Jeremy Maclin has risen to the challenge and looking like an elite wideout, and Zach Ertz has been fantastic. Along with the dynamic duo of LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles, the opponent has so much in their hands that they are can not possibly cover all of them. Then BOOM. Here comes Jordan Matthews. The Niners have been surprisingly poor against passing, and with Shady not playing like himself, leading to aerial attack as destructive, if not more, than one put on ISIS. Expect the rookie wide receiver to be heavily involved in high-octane offense.
WR Golden Tate, Detroit Lions: It doesn’t hurt to have Calvin Johnson drawing three defenders while you have one on one matchup with opponent’s number two cornerback. He is going against the Jets defense that allowed fourth most points against the opposing wideouts. They are going to definitely not going to try to run the ball against the number one run defense, as Joique Bell and Reggie Bush have been less than excellent.
TE Brandon Myers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: His quarterback scares me a lot. A LOT. Josh McCown and and Mike Glennon are as reliable as Coach Beck deciding the starting quarterback 24 hours before the game. But his matchup is very favorable against the shaky Steelers defense. If you are in a deep league, he is worth a look.
TE Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans: Now, don’t go running away because he had one bad performance. Mind you it was against the Bengals defense, that eats offenses for living. As you probably saw, the Colts can’t stop tight ends if their lives depended on it. Only reason they didn’t get burned again is because the Jaguars don’t have a TE. Yeah. It simply doesn’t exist. Like I said before, after Gronk, Graham, Julius, and Olsen, tight end position is purely matchup based. Top 5 play for me this week.
Chargers D/ST: The Jaguars are in the town. Hurray!
Players I Hate
QB Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs: Do not be fooled by his three-TD performance last week. New England defense is legit. They have allowed the least yards in the air and less than 13 points against all opposing quarterbacks this season. With Jamaal Charles back, the Chiefs offense is going to be run-heavy. Unless your league gives points for handoffs, he’s going to sit pretty on your bench.
RB Joique Bell and Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions: See Tate, Golden. Neither of them is going to even sniff double digit points.
RB Rashad Jennings, New York Jennings: The Redskins have actually been good against rushes, allowing third-least rushing yards per game this season. Even with pick machine as their field general, the Giants are going to have to throw rather than run, especially when they are going to be down a lot. Unless your league gives points for blocks, he’s going to sit pretty on your bench.
WR T. Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts: I love the Colts this season. Andrew Luck is a fantastic quarterback, as he is leading all players in fantasy points this season. However, this matchup is too risky. While the Titans have allowed second most rushing touchdowns as I said above, they have allowed second least passing yards against their opponents. You’re not benching Andrew Luck, but Hilton is not an elite player like his quarterback is.
WR Eric Decker, New York Jets: Geno Smith is nowhere near what NFL quarterback should be, and Eric Decker should not be a number one option for any team. Except the Jets. Playing while banged up, he was not a factor against the Bears and he is questionable heading into the weekend, missing the wednesday practice. Also, going against the tough, gritty Lions which allowed second least points against opposing wide receivers isn’t going to help.
TE Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers: You are not benching him. This is not a start/sit column. This is love/hate column. Kinda like high school relationships or Taylor Swift songs. Baltimore has shut down opposing tight ends so far this season and look for that trend to continue. He is still a top-3 play, but just don’t expect fireworks out of him.
D/ST San Francisco 49ers: No team is stopping the Eagles offense. They just try to score more than them. The Niners lost their reputation as a defensive-minded team, and really struggled to stop passes. Nick Foles and co. will make them pay.