Admin October 1, 2024
NFL Overreactions Week 4
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down some of the biggest games from NFL week 4.
Sports Seriously
*pulls up chair*
So, you’re 0-4 in fantasy, huh? Life’s got you down, and you don’t really know what to do with your lineup? That’s why we’re here. To help elevate you out of your league’s basement. If you’re 4-0 with your head held high, we’re here to help you get to 5-0. No matter what situation you’re in, you’d be grateful to know who to start in your upcoming matchup.
Week 4 was the first week where stars really started showing up. Travis Kelce put up over 15 PPR points. Derrick Henry had 200 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Allen…well, he’s the exception. That might make you think picking your lineup has never been easier, but there is still a myriad of players to consider putting in or taking out of your Week 5 lineup.
Here are eight players to start and eight more to sit in Week 5.
Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 5
Players to start in Week 5:
Quarterbacks:
Fresh off two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown, the Pittsburgh Steelers now get a soft Dallas defense that has had trouble limiting yards and getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson ran for 87 yards and a touchdown against Dallas in Week 3. A similar performance would be very appreciated from Fields.
The Colts’ defense isn’t quite a joke, but it’s as close to one as we’ve seen in the NFL this year. Trevor Lawrence has been underwhelming through four weeks, but he gets an incredibly easy matchup in Week 5. The Colts have surrendered at least 20 points to opposing quarterbacks in three of four weeks. The one week they did not was against Malik Willis and the Green Bay Packers. Essentially, Lawrence should be a lock for solid points next week.
Running Backs:
Although Etienne outcarried Bigsby in Week 4, Bigsby was heavily involved early against Houston, and was more efficient than Etienne. Now the Jaguars are set to face a Colts’ defense that surrendered over 300 yards on the ground in the first two weeks. Sure, the Colts have improved their run defense the last two weeks, but they still allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to score three offensive touchdowns after they’d only scored three offensive touchdowns through three weeks.
The Dallas Cowboys have dominated Devin Singletary and the New York Giants’ run game in Week 4. That’s the New York Giants though. The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t an overwhelming offense, but they’ve at least proven capable of pushing the ball downfield. The Cowboys surrendered at least 20 PPR points to running backs in each of the first three weeks. Harris has been used heavily as Pittsburgh’s feature back, and this week’s matchup should serve him well, especially if he gets a few receptions.
Wide Receivers:
In non-PPR formats, Robinson shouldn’t be starting. He shouldn’t even sniff your bench, but after four weeks and 38 targets, Robinson has proven himself valuable. He gets incredible volume. Even if he’s not turning that volume into yards or touchdowns, the volume alone gives him a pretty safe floor. The Giants will likely be playing from behind a lot this season, and while Seattle’s secondary is one of the better in the league, the Seahawks should have no problem getting up early against New York.
As pathetic as Aiyuk has been this year, getting outshined by Jauan Jennings, Aiyuk still has a lot of potential. We know he does. We saw it last year. Against a lowly Arizona Cardinals defense, Aiyuk should have plenty of opportunity to get open. Although others like Deebo Samuel and George Kittle will also have opportunities, the 49ers need to start getting their $30 million man involved in their offense. With a great matchup against a divisional opponent, Week 5 provides a great opportunity for Kyle Shanahan to give his star receiver some momentum.
Tight Ends:
Although Ravens’ tight ends did not do much against Buffalo in Week 4, their lack of production can largely be attributed to negative game script. The Ravens were up big early and they didn’t need to pass the ball. Outside of Week 4, the Bills have surrendered 18 receptions to tight ends in three weeks. The Bills will likely place an emphasis on stopping Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, giving Schultz every opportunity to rack up receptions.
After three weeks of atrocious performances, Travis Kelce truthers and Swifties alike have started wondering whether Kelce is just washed up. That said, Week 4 provided some relief. Not only did Kelce rack up seven receptions and nearly 90 yards, but star teammate Rashee Rice also suffered a serious injury that should keep him sidelined for weeks. With Rice out, Kelce should get more designed looks and his volume should increase substantially.
Players to sit in Week 5:
Quarterbacks:
Did you see what the Baltimore Ravens just did to Josh Allen?
That alone should scare you, but Burrow has been underwhelming as well. Despite the return of Tee Higgins, Burrow was only able to rack up 16 points against Carolina. CAROLINA!
Burrow may have performed well each of the last two weeks, but those weren’t defenses that put up much of a challenge. Baltimore will be a serious challenge, and Burrow may not pass.
Although Sam Darnold is playing at a very high level currently, the passing attack will not be the reason the Vikings win on Sunday. Minnesota’s defense will. The New York Jets have not surrendered more than 15 fantasy points to an opposing quarterback all year. That streak likely won’t end this weekend.
Running Backs:
As great as Alvin Kamara has been all year, the Kansas City Chiefs defense has arguably been better. They’ve been incredible at shutting down opposing teams’ top options, and Kamara is the Saints’ top option right now. JK Dobbins, Bijan Robinson, even Derrick Henry, all of them crumbled under the weight of Chris Jones and the Chiefs’ defense. Week 5 will be no different.
Rico Dowdle was already someone many teams were considering shelving, but Week 5 will only bolster those opinions. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been tremendous at limiting running backs all year. While Jonathan Taylor did find some success against the Steelers in Week 4, Dowdle is no Taylor.
Wide Receivers:
Don’t let those two Week 4 touchdowns fool you. Addison has played two full games and has earned only four targets in both games. Addison’s floor is far too low to feel good about starting him, especially against a no-fly zone like the New York Jets.
Regardless of Adams’ injury status, he should be kept on benches in Week 5. When healthy, Adams has been decent, but still put up fewer than 11 PPR fantasy points in two of three games. Now, coming off an injury, and likely shadowed by Patrick Surtain Jr. if he does play, Adams is not in a position to succeed.
Tight Ends:
Ertz may be one of Daniels’ go-to targets, but the Cleveland Browns are a terrible matchup for tight ends. Only the Jaguars’ tight ends in Week 2 were able to score more than 10 PPR fantasy points against this Browns defense. Ertz still has a solid floor amongst the thin tight end position, but his ceiling is so low, sitting Ertz warrants consideration this weekend.
Come on. How much longer are you going to let Kyle Pitts keep fooling you? Yes, he’s tremendously talented, but he’s not being used. Even if he were to be used in Week 5, he likely wouldn’t get much production. While Dallas Goedert put together a tremendous performance against the Bucs’ defense in Week 4, there were a lot of factors favoring Goedert.
Both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith were out with injuries. The Bucs were up early, forcing the Eagles to pass more often. While the Falcons could very well fall behind early, the Bucs have been very good at bottling tight ends up (prior to Week 4, of course). Between Weeks 1 and 3, opposing tight ends totaled 13 combined PPR points against the Buccaneers.
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