After three weeks of fantasy football, you should have a pretty good idea of where your team stands.
Maybe you started 3-0 and drafted the best team of all time, but maybe you lost your quarterback last week and Saquon Barkley this week.
Ultimately, you know what your team’s strengths and weaknesses are. Regardless of what position you need, we’ve got you covered.
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QUARTERBACKS
Daniel Jones vs. WAS
Matthew Stafford vs. KC
Case Keenum at NYG
Jacoby Brissett vs. OAK
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Daniel Jones, otherwise known as ”Danny Dimes”, made the first start of his NFL career against the Tampa Bay Bucs in Week 3. All he did was score four total touchdowns, finishing as the QB2 overall behind only Russell Wilson. The rookie finished 23 for 36 with 336 passing yards, 9.3 yards per attempt with an additional 28 rushing yards and four total touchdowns (two rushing). The athleticism is really what makes Jones valuable for fantasy football. We’ve seen below-average passing quarterbacks become relevant in fantasy football because of their rushing ability. His matchup heading into Week 4 is a plus as well, going up against the Washington Redskins. Washington’s secondary is aging and one that Jones, Evan Engram, and Sterling Shepard should be able to take advantage of. If you miss out on Jones or want a more proven option, Matthew Stafford is facing the Kansas City Chiefs in a game with a 53.5 game total, the highest of any Week 4 game thus far. It’s not always pretty with Stafford but he’ll likely be playing from behind, which means we get passing volume against a suspect defense.
If you play in a deeper league, Case Keenum and Jacoby Brissett have plus matchups as well heading into Week 4. Let’s start with Keenum who will be opposing Jones and the New York Giants.
The Giants have a poor defense. They just allowed 380 passing yards and three touchdowns to Jameis Winston, just two weeks after allowing 405 passing yards and four touchdowns to Dak Prescott. Keenum could have his way against this Giants secondary.
Andrew Luck, who? Although the Colts may be handling Brissett with kid gloves, he’s performed well. Through three games, Brissett has completed 71.7 percent of his passes with multiple touchdown passes in each game. He’ll face the Raiders in Week 4 who are allowing 286.3 passing yards and 26 points per game.
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RUNNING BACKS
Wayne Gallman vs WAS
Rashaad Penny at ARIZ
Darrel Williams at DET
Ronald Jones at INDY
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It’s not the best week in terms of running back waiver adds but if you lost Saquon Barkley or have suffered from underperformance, there are a few names to target.
With Barkley sidelined 4 to 8 weeks with a high ankle sprain, Wayne Gallman will assume the starting duties. While Gallman isn’t the athlete Barkley is, he has a real opportunity for the next month or two.
Gallman was a fourth-round pick in 2017 out of Clemson where he had 66 catches in a three-year career. At the least, we know he can catch the ball, which should mesh well with a rookie quarterback.
Additionally, the Giants offensive line has performed well, believe it or not. According to Football Outsiders, the Giants line ranks first in run-blocking this season. It’s not often you’re told to add a running back who was just inactive but this is a unique situation.
Entering this season, Seahawks running back Chris Carson fumbled three times in 18 games. Well, so far he’s fumbled in each game of the 2019 season, with a few of them being pivotal. Rashaad Penny missed Week 3 with a hamstring injury but he’s looked good this season, averaging 5 yards per carry, albeit on just 16 carries. If Carson continues to fumble or perform poorly, Penny could take over as the team’s lead back.
Admittedly, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to the Chiefs backfield. Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy top the depth chart but are dealing with injuries, Darwin Thompson was a preseason darling, and Darrel Williams was the forgotten piece to the puzzle. Forgotten, no more. McCoy left Week 3 after reinjuring his ankle, which allowed Williams to step in. He led all Chiefs backs with 37 offensive snaps, running nine times for 62 yards (6.9 YPC) while hauling in all five of his targets for an additional 47 yards. This might turn out to be nothing if Williams and McCoy are healthy, but I’m willing to take a shot on anything involving this Chiefs offense. For the second time in the first three weeks, Ronald Jones severely outplayed Peyton Barber.
In Week 3, Barber finished with 48 yards (3.7 YPC) while Jones ran for 80 yards (5.7 YPC). Jones still only played 23 snaps to Barber’s 26, but if Bruce Arians decides to hand the job over to Jones, we could have a low-end RB2 on our hands. I’d be willing to stash that upside.
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WIDE RECEIVERS
Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs. PHI
Phillip Dorsett at BUF
Golden Tate vs. WAS
Dionte Johnson vs. CIN
Preston Williams vs. LAC
Zach Pascal vs OAK
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I’m not sure why anybody would have dropped Marquez Valdes-Scantling after just two weeks, but the truth is he’s only owned in 52 percent of Yahoo leagues. Valdes-Scantling is coming off a big game against the Denver Broncos in Week 3 where he had six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets (28 percent target share). The Packers face the Eagles on Thursday in Week 4, a defense that already struggled against wide receivers and will be without their top cornerback Ronald Darby. If Valdes-Scantling is already owned in your league, feel free to turn to Phillip Dorsett. Dorsett is coming off a nice game of his own with six receptions, 53 yards, and a touchdown on seven targets in Week 3 against the New York Jets. After the Patriots released Antonio Brown, Dorsett was immediately thrust back into a significant role on one of the best offenses in the NFL. Add in the fact that Julian Edelman is dealing with a chest injury and Dorsett becomes a solid WR3 option.
Golden Tate is suspended through Week 4, which means now is the time to add him before your league mates remember. Tate is a year older (31 years old) but he can still perform, especially in PPR formats. He’s had at least 74 receptions in each of the past five seasons and should provide a safety blanket for rookie Daniel Jones.
Quite the opposite of Tate is Diontae Johnson, rookie wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson won’t demand a ton of targets and receptions but should be able to make some big plays. If there’s one thing Mason Rudolph can do decently well, it’s throw the deep ball. Johnson ended Week 3 with three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown on six targets (23 percent target share). There will be some inconsistency with Johnson, but the upside is there as long as he’s a starter for the Steelers. I understand it’s not popular to own Miami Dolphins for fantasy football right now but there should be interest in Preston Williams. In Josh Rosen’s first start with the Dolphins, Williams led the team with 11 targets and 67 offensive snaps. The Dolphins defense is so bad that it should allow for a ton of passing volume and Williams and Rosen have a clear connection.
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TIGHT ENDS
Will Dissly at ARIZ
Dawson Knox vs. NE
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Will Dissly was a popular addition last week, but the truth remains: he’s only owned in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues. Dissly put together another big-time performance in Week 3 with six receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. The real reason you want Dissly is his Week 4 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, who are allowing the most fantasy points to tight ends this season and it’s not close. If Dissly is already owned in your league, I really like what I saw from rookie Dawson Knox of the Buffalo Bills. In Week 3 against the Bengals, Knox led the Bills in receiving with 67 yards and a touchdown on three catches. He also led all their tight ends in offensive snaps (43) and routes run (21). Knox faces the Patriots in Week 4, a team that has been strong against tight ends but if the Bills have any chance of competing in that matchup, they’re going to need Knox to step up.
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For those who like to stream defenses on a weekly basis, make sure to check out the Colts (vs. OAK), Steelers (vs. CIN) and Bengals ((at) PIT). I realize it’s weird to have two defenses in the same game, but we could see turnovers from both Mason Rudolph and Andy Dalton.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by SportsGrid Inc., www.sportsgrid.com
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