Let’s dive into some news and notes around the league, my top fantasy plays and favorite picks for Week 4.
Notes:
• The Panthers’ offense was dreadful with Bryce Young under center but found new life with Andy Dalton leading the charge. Chuba Hubbard and Diontae Johnson benefited from the quarterback change, with both tallying more than 100 yards of offense. It was hard to trust any Panthers in your starting lineup with Young at the helm, but Hubbard and Johnson can be deployed as solid FLEX options.
• Running backs on new teams have been some of the league’s best this season. Saquon Barkley is the No. 1 player in all of fantasy football in his first season in Philadelphia. Derrick Henry is RB7 in his first season in Baltimore. Aaron Jones is RB9 and has his former team, the Packers, up next. J.K. Dobbins and Devin Singletary are RB12 and RB14, respectively. Tony Pollard is RB17 and the clear lead back in Tennessee. Start all with confidence that the success continues.
• The top wide receiver in fantasy is a rookie, and it’s not the one selected higher in both NFL and fantasy drafts. Malik Nabers sits atop the position after garnering 37 targets, the most for any receiver in the NFL through three weeks. Those who used high draft capital on the rookie have been rewarded. There is no reason to believe the success does not continue. The Giants are running their offense through Nabers and his hold on the scoring lead should continue.
• Now, to the bad. It has only been three weeks, but the state of the tight end position has been brutal. Travis Kelce had just four receptions for 30 yards against the Falcons. Sam LaPorta only had two catches for 36 yards before suffering a knee injury. Trey McBride reeled in just three passes for 25 yards before a concussion knocked him out of action. Kyle Pitts had the best effort of the group, but there’s nothing too exciting about two receptions for 59 yards. Mark Andrews failed to bring in his lone target. We’re not benching any of them, but it is mind-blowing how bad the position has been.
• It feels crazy to write this so early in the season, but teams on a bye will become a thing next week. The Chargers, Eagles, Lions and Titans will all be out of action in Week 5. If you have Jalen Hurts or LaPorta as your lone QB or TE, this is a good week to get ahead of the curve and grab your bye week replacement.
• If you didn’t have enough of it in Week 3, we have two games on Monday night once again. While it does offer the opportunity to make more moves if you have a player in limbo on Monday, my favorite thing about Monday Night Football — and Thursday and Sunday night for that matter — is getting to focus on one game. Make sure to set your lineups accordingly.
• Remember to check the weather heading into Sunday for your kicker selection.
Thursday Night Game: Cowboys vs. Giants
Sunday Night Game: Bills vs. Ravens
Monday Night Games: Titans vs. Dolphins and Seahawks vs. Lions
Start ‘Em:
Quarterback: Jared Goff
Running Back: Chuba Hubbard
Wide Receiver: Rome Odunze
Tight End: Pat Freiermuth
Defense: Dolphins
Sit ‘Em:
Quarterback: Anthony Richardson
Running Back: Zamir White
Wide Receiver: Courtland Sutton
Tight End: Dalton Schultz
Defense: Ravens
Sleepers:
Quarterback: Andy Dalton
Running Back: Roschon Johnson
Wide Receiver: Jahan Dotson
Tight End: Noah Fant
Defense: Colts
NFL Picks for Week 4
Weekly Pick ‘Em (Season Record: 23-25)
Cowboys (vs. Giants)
Falcons (vs. Saints)
Steelers (vs. Colts)
Texans (vs. Jaguars)
Packers (vs. Vikings)
Bengals (vs. Panthers)
Rams (vs. Bears)
Jets (vs. Broncos)
Buccaneers (vs. Eagles)
Cardinals (vs. Commanders)
49ers (vs. Patriots)
Browns (vs. Raiders)
Chiefs (vs. Chargers)
Ravens (vs. Bills)
Titans (vs. Dolphins)
Lions (vs. Seahawks)
Five Picks Against The Spread (Season Record: 8-7)
Cowboys -4.5 vs. Giants
Rams +2.5 vs. Bears
Panthers +5.5 vs. Bengals
Ravens -2.5 vs. Bills
Titans +1.5 vs. Dolphins
Five Over-Under Totals (Season Record: 9-6)
Steelers-Colts under 40
Eagles-Buccaneers under 45
Commanders-Cardinals over 49.5
Browns-Raiders under 37.5
Seahawks-Lions over 47
One Bold Prediction for the Week
Week 1: Jayden Daniels finishes as a top-five fantasy QB against the Buccaneers. (Off to a good start!)
Week 2: Greg Dortch finishes as a top-25 WR against the Rams. (WR89 — yikes!)
Week 3: Derek Carr makes it three straight weeks as a top-five fantasy QB against the Eagles. (Major miss)
Week 4: Malik Nabers remains WR1 after scoring two touchdowns against division rival Dallas.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox