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| Wednesday, September 30, 2020 |
| This is about the time of the season I start to itch for a trade. If my team is doing well, I want to get greedy and consolidate my power; if I'm struggling, I start to feel desperate to turn things around. We've got plenty of trade scenarios to walk through in today's Fantasy Football Today newsletter, but the first thing you'll want to check out is Dave Richard's trade values chart, which will help make sure you're putting together the best offer possible in your trades. |
| And whether you're trying to remake your team or just have some tough lineup decisions looming, you'll need some help getting ready for Week 4, especially with so many injuries and the Titans COVID outbreak hanging over everything. Heath Cummings' previews for every position can help you get ready with his breakdown for QB, RB, WR and TE, his projections, and some key numbers and matchups to know about for each, plus the latest on injuries and news from around the NFL. |
| And remember, if you want to get one of your lineup or trade questions answered, send an email to Chris.Towers@CBSInteractive.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" or head over to Twitter and leave us a question with "#AskFFT." |
| Here's everything we've put together to help you in Week 4 so far, and keep an eye out for Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column later today! |
| Position previews: QB | RB | WR | TE Week 4 Trade Values 10 to sell high, 10 to buy low Week 4 Rankings Week 4 Cut List Week 4 Waiver Priorities Titans COVID outbreak: What we know |
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| #AskFFT Trade Mailbag |
| Want to pull off a trade? Want to win your trade? Of course you do. Use Dave Richard's Trade Values Chart to figure out the best values, and then check out my 10 sell-high and buy-low candidates for ideas on where to start or get some ideas from these real trades our readers sent in to grade. |
| Joseph: Give Deshaun Watson, David Montgomery, James Robinson, receive Aaron Jones and Brandin Cooks. Still have Matt Ryan and Cam Newton. |
| I think this is giving up too much, even knowing you're trading from a position of QB strength. Jones is the best player in the deal, obviously, but I think both Montgomery and Robinson could be high-end No. 2 backs. And I would still bet on Watson between the best of those three quarterbacks rest of season. Giving up two guys who may be must-start RBs for one is just too risky for me in a season with this many injuries. |
| Trey: Who wins this trade: Alvin Kamara and Adam Thielen for Dalvin Cook, DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers. |
| Usually, I'm going to side with the person getting the best player — and I do think Kamara is the best player in Fantasy right now — but in this case, I'll go with the deeper side because that side definitely has the next two best players, and might have the third. I'm worried Thielen is going to be a source of frustration all season. |
| Kyle: Would you trade away Robert Woods for Myles Gaskin and Devin Singletary. My RB are Mike Davis and Jeff Wilson. I also have Davante Adams and Chris Godwin. |
| With Godwin likely missing multiple games, I would pass on this one, and I'm not sure I would do it even if Godwin was healthy. Woods is a top-12 WR in my eyes, while Gaskin and Singletary are both mid-to-low-end No. 2 RB, not must-start guys. Aim higher. |
| Ben: Give up J.K. Dobbins, get A.J. Brown. Grade the trade. |
| A+. Dobbins is, at this point, nothing more than a lottery ticket, so you're betting that Brown returns from his knee injury before Dobbins gets a chance at a featured role. I think that's a good bet, though I'd feel better about it with some news on Brown making progress. Still, I love buying low on Brown, because he'll be a stud when healthy. |
| Scott: I gave up Raheem Mostert for Jamison Crowder. |
| Sorry, I don't like this one. Mostert's injury is a concern, but it's not any less of a concern than Crowder's, and we saw Crowder have a huge Week 1 last season without sustaining it. This Jets offense is a mess; I wouldn't be trying to trade into it. |
| Phillip: I was offered Julio Jones and Deshaun Watson for Kyler Murray and D.J. Chark. |
| I like Chark quite a bit, but obviously Jones is a lot better than him. I'm not worried about the possibility of Calvin Ridley having surpassed him as the Falcons' No. 1 WR because, well, there's room for both of them to be elite. And I would just point out that Jones had the same number of targets and catches as Ridley in the one game when both were healthy, so the jury's still out on that one. Murray is better than Watson, too, but I don't think it comes close to the gap between Jones and Chark. |
| Week 4 Preview |
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| Every week, Heath Cummings goes through each position to highlight everything you need to know. Here's Week 4: |
| QB Preview |
| How high has the bar been raised at QB? Twenty quarterbacks are averaging 20 points through three games and five are averaging 30. The good news is, that usually means there's someone with upside available to stream or play matchups with every week. |
| Matchup that matters: Gardner Minshew vs. CIN — We told you Minshew had a great matchup last week and he stunk it up, so we sure hope he has D.J. Chark back this week. The Jaguars clearly missed him. Top Streamers: Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. SEA, Teddy Bridgewatwer vs. ARI |
| Consensus Expert Rankings |
| Russell Wilson, SEA Dak Prescott, DAL Josh Allen, BUF Lamar Jackson, BAL Patrick Mahomes, KC Aaron Rodgers, GB Kyler Murray, ARI Deshaun Watson, HOU Cam Newton, NE Joe Burrow, CIN Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA Jared Goff, LAR |
| RB Preview |
| The names weren't as big as the previous week, but Week 3 left us with even more questions at running back. To a certain extent, that's just the nature of the position, but it's also been even more extreme this season. |
| Injuries: Chris Carson (knee) — Could miss at least a few games with sprain; Raheem Mostert (knee)/Jerick McKinnon (ribs) — At this point in the week, either could end up playing or both could sit. If at least one of them is out, Jeff Wilson will be a viable start; Tarik Cohen (knee) — Out for the season. Hopefully this means more David Montgomery, not more Cordarrelle Patterson. Matchup that matters: Melvin Gordon vs. NYJ — Short week against a team that has been a disaster in every facet. This should be a big workload for Gordon if Phillip Lindsay remains sidelined by his toe injury. |
| Consensus Expert Rankings |
| Alvin Kamara, NO Aaron Jones, GB Ezekiel Elliott, DAL Dalvin Cook, MIN Austin Ekeler, LAC Miles Sanders, PHI Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC James Conner, PIT Jonathan Taylor, IND James Robinson, JAC Derrick Henry, TEN Mike Davis, CAR |
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| WR Preview |
| At least at running back, an injury usually opens up a clear role for someone to step into. Sometimes that happens at wide receiver — Allen Lazard did a heck of a Davante Adams impersonation in Week 3 — but just as often it seems like a big-name receivers targets simply get spread around — that's what happened in Atlanta last week, and it's the concern with the Chris Godwin and Diontae Johnson situations in Week 4. |
Injuries: Chris Godwin (hamstring) — Might miss multiple weeks with the injury; Mike Williams (hamstring) — Hamstrings are always tricky, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he missed this one; Diontae Johnson (concussion) — We should know well before game time if he's clear to play, but I wouldn't bet on it at this point; John Brown (calf) — Cole Beasley stepped up in Brown's absence in Week 3 and could be a flex play; Julio Jones (hamstring)/Russell Gage (concussion) — At this point, Jones looks more likely to play.
Matchup that matters: Mike Evans vs. LAC — The Chargers have allowed the ninth-fewest Fantasy points this season, and with Chris Harris out, it might make more sense for the Buccaneers to target their slot options with Casey Hayward likely to match up with Evans. It hasn't been a smooth transition for Evans into the Tom Brady era, and he's no sure thing even with Godwin out. |
| Consensus Expert Rankings |
| DeAndre Hopkins, ARI Tyler Lockett, SEA Calvin Ridley, ATL Amari Cooper, DAL Allen Robinson, CHI Tyreek Hill, KC DK Metcalf, SEA Stefon Diggs, BUF Keenan Allen, LAC Mike Evans, TB Robert Woods, LAR JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT |
| TE Preview |
| You can always squint and see potential at tight end, which is why every offseason we say this is the year the position won't stink for Fantasy. And then the harsh light of day reveals another group of players with inconsistent roles. You probably can't go more than eight or nine names deep on the rankings before you run out of players you confident starting. Same as always. |
| Matchup that matters: Dalton Schultz vs. CLE — It's not like the Bengals have faced a slew of high-end tight ends to explain why they allow the third-most points to the position. Schultz has a solid role in this high-powered Cowboys offense, with 16 targets in his past two games. |
| Consensus Expert Rankings |
| Travis Kelce, KC George Kittle, SF Mark Andrews, BAL Zach Ertz, PHI Noah Fant, DEN Hunter Henry, LAC Darren Waller, LV Mike Gesicki, MIA Jonnu Smith, TEN Tyler Higbee, LAR Dalton Schultz, DAL T.J. Hockenson, DET |
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| Injuries, news and notes |
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| The NFL intends to play Titans vs. Steelers in Week 4 despite COVID outbreak |
| There are reports that the Titans may not be able to get into their facility until Saturday, which makes it hard to believe this game is going to happen Sunday. It would be an injury risk to have a team play without getting enough practice or treatment time. The game could be pushed to Monday, but the plan for now is to try to play the game this week if at all possible. Personally, I think it's a real long shot, because it would likely require no more players turning up with positive tests and the players traced to the outbreak to be cleared. There's still a real chance this game gets moved back to a different week, and your best bet is probably to approach it as if that's what will happen. Get contingency plans ready for Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Jonnu Smith and Corey Davis, along with Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster and the rest of the Steelers' top options. |
| The Vikings and Texans game is also at risk of being postponed after the Vikings were exposed to the Titans players who tested positive, but there is probably less risk at this time. You should have backup plans ready, but it isn't as much of a concern — yet. We should know more Wednesday, but we may not have any resolution here until the weekend. |
| Injuries, news and notes |
| Chris Godwin could miss multiple games — Hamstring injuries are tough, so this is no surprise. Mike Evans saw a much bigger role in Week 2 when Godwin was out than he did in either Week 1 or 2, so hopefully Tom Brady will continue looking his way — preferably down the field a bit more often, Tom. Diontae Johnson is in the concussion protocol — No surprise. Johnson will have to be cleared by the team's doctors before playing, but the good news is we usually have a pretty good sense of whether a guy will be cleared well before game time. Jamison Crowder (hamstring) was limited in Monday and Tuesday practices – Crowder is probably closer to doubtful for Thursday's game against the Broncos, especially because the early start in Week 4 gives him extra time to heal for Week 5. Phillip Lindsay (toe) was limited in practice — This is an improvement for Lindsay, who is clearly making progress. However, as with Crowder, it might make more sense to hold him out and take advantage of the early start in Week 4 to get extra treatment ahead of a Week 5 return. Dallas Goedert (ankle) was placed on IR — Goedert is dealing with a fractured ankle, but it isn't expected to cost him the rest of the season. Still, it will be tough to stash him given how many other injuries you are likely dealing with. Brett Rypien will start for the Broncos on Thursday — An undrafted player who spent 2019 with the Broncos, Rypien will at least get a soft landing against the Jets. He completed eight of nine passes for 53 yards and a pick in his NFL debut, and will probably just be asked to manage the game. Noah Fant is the only must-start for the Broncos passing game even against the Jets. |
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