Week 4 of the NFL was definitely more entertaining than that debacle we witnessed the week before. We saw five 400-yard passers, another nine 300-yard efforts, eight 100-yard rushers and 25 100-yard receivers. We saw three overtime games and the fantasy points were flying all over the place. Unfortunately, we also witnessed some pretty atrocious efforts, both by players and coaches, which continue to trash the fantasy stock of some guys. Let’s sift through the aftermath of Week 4 and figure out whose stock is on the rise and whose isn’t as we already look ahead to Week 5.
But remember….just because a guy’s stock is on the rise doesn’t make him someone you want. Conversely, some stock fallers below are going to make for great buy-low opportunities.
Stock Rising
Mitchell Trubisky , QB CHI – Quite the coming-out party for #Truthbisky this week as he threw for 354 yards and six touchdowns against the Bucs. This is exactly the type of confidence boost he needed to get this Bears offense clicking and while you obviously can’t expect this kind of performance each week, you can be happy with the fact that he is growing as a quarterback and as his ascension continues, the players around him, statistically, will follow suit. He still shouldn’t be considered as anything morew than a QB2, but there is definite promise here.
Derek Carr , QB OAK – With every week that passes and Carr posts a completion rate of 60-percent or greater, his stock will continue to rise. Jon Gruden has made him vastly more efficient under center and the results are helping bear fruit with the rest of the skill positions on the raiders. Marshawn Lynch will continue to find running room as defenses are forced to play the pass properly and guys like Jordy Nelson , Amari Cooper and Jared Cook are also on the rise. No, Cleveland’s defense was not an unstoppable force – clearly – but they also aren’t as bad as they looked in this game, so appreciate Carr’s efforts.
Mike Davis, RB SEA – Pete Carroll’s decision to use Davis as the lead back over Rashaad Penny sent shockwaves through the fantasy community. Davis rumbled to 101 yards and two rushing touchdowns while also bringing in four catches for 23 yards and sent the value of Penny into the toilet. But the real question is, how real is this? Chris Carson was out with a hip issue, but what happens if he’s good to go in Week 5? Does Davis have any additional value or did his performance here just clutter the Seattle backfield even more by adding another mouth to feed. If you’re playing waivers this week, be careful how much FAAB you unload on this guy. It might not be worth it.
Nyheim Hines , RB IND – Hines continues to grow in this Colts offense and his two-touchdown performance certainly has fantasy owners buzzing. Even if Marlon Mack comes back, that will only hurt Jordan Wilkins , right? Hines is entrenching himself as a reliable third-down, pass-catching back and should remain in that role regardless of who is running between the tackles. He’s averaged just over five catches per game and seems to have gained the trust of both Frank Reich and Andrew Luck , so if he’s out there in your PPR league, you should think about adding him if you have the space.
Aaron Jones , RB GB – While he saw the same number of carries as Jamaal Williams , Jones, once again, showed Mike McCarthy and fantasy owners that he is the best runner out of this backfield and deserves the opportunity to hold this job by himself. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry this week after averaging 7.0 YPC last week and found his way into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season. I always say the cream rises to the top and it’s evident that this is the case here. Williams will never be fased out completely, but his carries are going to diminish steadily as the season progresses.
Alshon Jeffery , WR PHI – Nothing boosts your fantasy stock like a touchdown catch in your first game back from injury. Not to mention what nine targets right off the bat will do. He hauled in eight of those passes for 105 yards and already looks like he and Carson Wentz are back in the groove they had going before Wentz’ injury last year. Jeffery has the capability to be an immediate WR1 and should be considered as such. If you’ve got him on your roster, enjoy. If not, the price to acquire him will increase with every week.
Dede Westbrook , WR JAC – When you see 13 targets and make nine catches for 130 yards, you’re going to immediately turn heads. And after last year’s emergence, Dede is a well-known commodity and a game like this is only going to increase his notoriety and people’s belief that he’s a worthwhile grab. But just because this game has increased his fantasy stock in the public eye, doesn’t mean you should buy into this. This was a match-up thing, not a Dede is talented thing. The Jets have two of the best cover-corners in the game but are floundering with slot coverage as Buster Skrine is awful in coverage. Don’t expect Westbrook to put up these types of numbers unless the circumstances look just right again.
Keke Coutee , WR HOU – The rookie out of Texas Tech made his NFL debut in Week 4 and wow…what a start. The game was a shootout that went into overtime so the numbers are padded up just a bit, but still, 15 targets are pretty damn tasty. But while we believe Coutee is a guy to own, you also have to remember that, in addition to this being a shootout against a weak secondary, Will Fuller was removed with a hamstring injury. If his injury holds him out next week against Dallas, Coutee is in for another big day. If Fuller is back, I would just temper expectations a bit.
Cameron Brate , TE TB – Welcome back to fantasy relevance, Mr. Brate. Between the injury to O.J. Howard and the return of Jameis Winston , Brate jumps back on the tight end map, especially with his red zone looks. He caught one touchdown pass Sunday and would have had two had he not been called for offensive pass interference. Looking ahead, Howard is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks and Winston is expected to be under center for Week 6 after the team’s bye. If there’s a chance to grab and stash Brate, chef recommends!
Tyler Kroft /C.J. Uzomah , TE CIN – The alternative to grabbing Brate lies here with the Bengals as we try to figure out who the new No. 1 tight end will be. Personally, I think it goes to Kroft, but we’ll likely see a fair amount of split work between the two. It was Kroft who stepped up the most last season which is why I think the scales tip in his favor so if you’re making waiver claims, it should go Kroft then Uzomah….after Brate, of course.
Stock Falling
Ryan Fitzpatrick , QB TB – Come on, people. If you didn’t see the handwriting on the wall then you deserve to get stuck with the dead weight on your roster. Fitzpatrick was a great band-aid for the Bucs but there was no way he was going to lead this team all year, no matter how well you thought the team was doing. He’s a journeyman and as such, is playing on borrowed time. His first half against the Steelers was awful and the only reason he salvaged anything is because their defense is so bad. The Bears ran him into the ground and the switch to Winston was inevitable. Fitzpatrick will remain a bench option for the team, but don’t worry…we’ll always have the Conor McGregor press conference.
Jordan Howard , RB CHI – I was looking for Howard on milk cartons everywhere Sunday. What was that? Yes, Trubisky was on fire and coach Matt Nagy let him loose, but come on…how do we not put Howard into a more active role? Tarik Cohen ? Did we not learn our lesson last season that he cannot handle the full workload? It’s going to be tough, but you need to have patience. We went through this last year with him and there’s just no way, Nagy is going to faze him out. Remember, it was Nagy chirping in Andy Reid’s ear to keep pounding the running game in Kansas City last season.
Leonard Fournette , RB JAC – The hamstrings continue to be an issue for Fournette and it was clear the team brought him back too early. Head coach Doug Marrone said he doesn’t have a timetable for Fournette’s return now after the running back re-aggravated the issue on Sunday, and that’s going to sour a lot of his owners even more than they already are. This is your opportunity to buy-low. Do not go in with a big offer and don’t even go in with one that looks fair. Test the waters. The biggest problem people have had with their Le’Veon Bell negotiations is that they’re offering full value for a guy who is now missing the first seven weeks (six games) of the season. Don’t make that mistake when trading for Fournette.
James Conner , RB PIT – And speaking of the Le’veon Bell situation, your window to trade Conner is rapidly closing. With reports that Bell will report during the Steelers Week 7 bye and be ready for their Week 8 match-up, Conner is going to head back to the bench. If you can trade him for something right now, I highly suggest you do so.
Kenyan Drake , RB MIA – His stock continues to take a nosedive after back-to-back weeks of single-digit touches in the backfield and posting six yards on eight carries over a two-game span is enough to send any fantasy owner to booby-hatch. If Adam Gase were to give him 15-20 touches each week, we’d have something, but given the fact that they went 3-0 with minimal usage of him, it seems unlikely that Gase will pull his head out of his ass anytime soon. If you have the bench space to stash him, I would. I wouldn’t drop him outright. But as for buying low, he’s slightly above Conner and definitely below Howard/Fournette.
Dalvin Cook , RB MIN – After just 20 yards this past Thursday, so many people are down on Cook and that’s going to be fantastic for many of you looking to buy low. The guy was making his way back from a hamstring injury and was pulled from the field after Mike Zimmer determined the game would be a shootout and therefore could afford to rest his top guy. Most fantasy owners don’t take the time to actually assess a situation. They just look and say, “aw man, this guy sucks” after reading the box scores and just don’t know any better. Don’t be that guy. Be the guy who exploits that guy’s stupidity.
Mike Williams , WR LAC – Yes, another potential buy-low candidate as Philip Rivers spent much of his time looking for Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams . Certainly not the end of the world and if his stock is trending downwards because too many people require instant gratification on a daily basis, you can take advantage. Then when you’re in church on Sunday, you can thank God for making fools.
Antonio Callaway , WR CLE – You might think that I’m about to promote another buy-low candidate, but until this rookie gets his head screwed on straight, I’m actually ready to dump him. Aside from the fact that Baker Mayfield will have his growing pains, Callaway has a lot to learn. He had some very costly drops and should have had a touchdown had he actually had any spatial awareness on the field. Heading out of bounds with the pylon so close? Come on, man. You gotta improve your game, son.
Chris Hogan , WR NE – Is he even alive? Just cut bait now. Maybe he has a good game somewhere down the line but with the emergence of Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett , coupled by the return of Julian Edelman , Hogan is slowly dropping down the depth charts.
Mark Andrews , TE BAL – He was in a great spot to be a dumpster-dive tight end this past week but to no avail. Now we’re all talking about Hayden Hurst coming back. Andrews’ stock wasn’t all that great to begin with, but now it’s probably non-exitsant.