| | Thursday, September 30, 2021 | In case you missed it last night, you're starting Jalen Hurts in Week 4. That's what Jamey Eisenberg says, at least, as he selected the Eagles QB as his Start of the Week in his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column Wednesday. But who else needs to be in your lineup this week? | That's the question we're looking to answer today. Dave Richard took the to task in Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Busts column, as he goes through every game on the schedule trying to help you figure out who should be in your lineup. Plus, I answered 10 of the biggest questions facing Fantasy players heading into Week 4 -- and remember, if you want your questions answered, send them to Chris.Towers@CBSi.com with the subject line #AskFFT to be included in Sunday's start/sit mailbag. | | Get ready for Week 4 with our other preview content here: | | Keep an eye out for tomorrow's newsletter, where I'll preview every game this week, including full injury report updates from around the league. Here's what else today's newsletter will cover: | | | | | There are the obvious calls, and then there are the ones you need help with. Dave Richard goes through each game to identify the most interesting matchups and biggest lineup dilemmas for Week 3. Here are some of his top picks for this week. You can find the rest of his advice for Week 4 here: | Starts | - Derek Carr -- "Carr has over 375 yards and two touchdowns in each game this year, and he's posted at least 300 yards and multiple scores in each of the last seven games he's finished including a matchup versus the Chargers last December. No doubt he's been helped by a couple of overtime games in 2021, but last week he managed to accomplish the feat even with a sustainable running game. It remains to be seen if the Raiders can keep their run game effective, but it might not matter since Carr figures to be in position to uncork over 35 passes again in what should be a high-scoring game. Any non-obvious Fantasy quarterback except for Kirk Cousins and Jalen Hurts should be benched in favor of Carr. "
- Marquise Brown -- "Yes, last week's drops were painful to watch. And yes, the Broncos pass defense is spectacular. But Brown still gets plenty of separation from whoever is covering him (3.6 yards on average) and is still drawing plenty of quality targets from Lamar Jackson. Denver allowed the top target-getter from the Giants (Sterling Shepard) and Jaguars (Marvin Jones) to score on them. Brown leads the Ravens with 23 targets and should be counted on for his gaudy Fantasy upside regardless of format."
| Sits | - Damien Harris -- "While I'm certain the Patriots would love to get Harris going, the reality is that their offensive line isn't quite good enough to hang with the Buccaneers front seven. Additionally, the Patriots love to use multiple running backs and even opted to roll out Brandon Bolden as their passing downs back following the injury to James White early in Week 3. If Harris can't take Bolden off the field in passing downs then clearly the coaches don't trust him in passing situations. This feels like a game the Patriots might keep close, but not with their run game. The Bucs are holding opposing backs to 3.2 yards per carry. "
- Corey Davis -- "After yielding four touchdowns in Week 1 and two in Week 2 to wide receivers, the Titans defense rallied to keep Indy's wideouts out of the end zone and combined to 108 yards. They did it by playing a lot of man coverage and harassing Carson Wentz, a plan that should work out against Zach Wilson and the Jets. Gang Green has run a league-low nine plays in the red zone with only two pass attempts (one for a touchdown to Corey Davis in Week 1). Their own futility will make any defense look good and thus cost Davis numbers, but it doesn't help when he loses contested-catch targets 50-plus yards downfield like he did last week. Even though the targets should be there for Davis, the only reason to go with him in a Fantasy lineup is on the hope Wilson has time to find him and that he exacts some revenge against his old team."
| Sleepers | - D.J. Chark -- "Chark is second on the Jaguars in targets (22) but tied for fourth in receptions (seven). He's getting open downfield with his speed and sometimes with crafty footwork, but defenses are pressuring Trevor Lawrence heavily through three games. When that happens, Lawrence melts down (41.7% completion rate, 4.22 yards per attempt). So he's been getting rid of the ball quickly and not having the time or inclination to connect with Chark. That could change here as the Bengals pressure the quarterback at the fifth-lowest rate in the league. He'll be a popular choice in single-game DFS lineups but he could also be worth the risk of starting in deeper three-receiver leagues."
- Jamaal Williams -- "Williams has had at least 10 touches per game with 14-plus in two of three. He also has one more red-zone rushing score than D'Andre Swift . The Lions are doing a good job of running the ball, currently ranked fifth in the league at 2.33 yards before contact per carry. That obviously benefits both backs but Williams is averaging 3.0 yards after contact per carry (14th best among running backs). Detroit won't back down even against a Chicago defense that will undoubtedly sell out to stop the run after getting gashed last week. Even if it happens, Williams is a candidate to snare some passes. He's probably more of a low-end No. 2 rusher for desperate Fantasy managers than a flex, but there is some appeal."
| Bust Candidate | - Myles Gaskin -- "Through three games, Gaskin has played one snap inside the 10 yard line. Malcolm Brown has played six of a possible seven with three direct-snap carries and zero touchdowns. Gaskin is also sharing the passing downs work, including the 2:00 offense, with Brown and Salvon Ahmed . In total, he's played just 56% of the snaps when it was expected he would have a much bigger share. By any metric, Gaskin is superior to his teammates as a rusher and is competitive as a receiver. You would think the Dolphins coaches would notice, but they appear to be deep-rooted in using multiple backs to keep everyone fresh. No one should start Gaskin hoping for a role change to happen unless there's a report that says it's coming, or after it actually happens. It's too bad because the Colts rank in the bottom-12 in rush yards allowed before contact and after contact and also rank tied for fourth in missed tackles on runs with 19. If we were sure Gaskin would dominate touches and sniff the goal line, he'd be a must-start. Until that day comes, Gaskin is a high-floor flex play at best. Maybe he'll get you 11 PPR points."
| | | You've got questions, I've got answers. Remember to email me at Chris.Towers@CBSi.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" to get included in Sunday's mailbag column! | Justin: Should I still trust Julio Jones? | At the moment, I'm thinking more about how you can't really trust Mike Vrabel when it comes to injuries. After Sunday's game, he said Jones sat out the fourth quarter for vague game-plan reasons; Tuesday, he said Jones was dealing with "tightness" and they were managing his workload; Wednesday, Jones missed practice with a hamstring injury. Not sure why he couldn't just be forthcoming about that, but now you have to be legitimately concerned about his status for Week 4, at the very least. Beyond that, I'm not too concerned about Jones moving forward, assuming he can get healthy. I still have too much faith in Jones' skills and Ryan Tannehill's abilities to write him off. But, obviously, this has been a much less than ideal start for Jones. I had him as a top-15 WR coming into the season, and while my optimism has been dimmed somewhat by this start, I think he's still looked pretty good -- 11.3 yards per target, 2.24 yards per target -- and I view him as a definite buy-low candidate. See if you flip someone like Christian Kirk for him. | Barrett: Can I trust Zach Moss as my RB2 rest of season? | The Bills have been the worst offense for running backs over the last three seasons in Fantasy and Moss wasn't even active for Week 1 despite being healthy. He was largely a non-factor for much of Week 2 before scoring a couple of late touchdowns, so Week 3 was the first time he's really been used in a significant role. Will that continue? Perhaps, but you probably can't count on him to be a consistent part of the passing game like he was Sunday, so he'll probably be pretty touchdown-dependent. It's hard to count on him being dependable from that perspective given how much the Bills throw and how often Josh Allen tends to run near the goal line. Moss is outside of the top 36 for me this week and unless we think Devin Singletary is just going away, that's where he'll likely stay for me. | Daniel: Would you trade George Kittle for Mike Williams and Kyle Pitts? | This is a fascinating trade. George Kittle isn't quite a buy low, but he's been a bit disappointing this season, and I'm sure some are concerned about his chances of living up to his lofty draft status with the emergence of Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk still around. On the other side, you have one of the best draft values in Mike Williams and one of the biggest disappointments to date in Kyle Pitts. | I still believe in Kittle -- I just moved Ja'Marr Chase for him in one of my leagues, and I'm happy about it. Part of that is that the tight end position looks as bad as it always does, so Kittle figures to give you must-start wide receiver production from that spot in your lineup, which is incredibly valuable. Pitts can still give you that kind of production, of course, but it's a lot less likely. Like I said earlier, I'm mostly bought in on Williams, but you can't just look at this trade as "Williams plus Pitts for Kittle" -- you always have to think about who is coming out of your lineup when making a 2-for-1 trade. How much of an upgrade on that spot in your lineup is Williams? | If you're looking to make this trade, I assume your depth isn't great, so it's worth considering how likely you think it is that both Pitts and Williams will be difference makers moving forward. If Williams is a top-12 WR, it probably won't matter, but if you're upgrading from, say, WR30 to WR 20, the downgrade from Kittle probably isn't worth it. | Cory: What is Cooper Kupp's Dynasty value right now? | There's a very good chance that Kupp's value in a Dynasty league will never be higher than it is right now, prior to Week 4. He's 28, the age when most wide receivers typically peak. That doesn't mean he's going to immediately fall off in 2020 because he's 29, but generally speaking, you should expect his production to fall off in the next couple of years. His current production has him on pace for nearly 2,100 yards and 28 touchdowns in 17 games, and I don't think I'm telling any tales out of school when I say he's unlikely to sustain that. Even if you think Kupp is locked in as top-12 WR rest of season, this is still the right time to sell him. If the return is a potentially elite wide receiver like Jerry Jeudy and a first-round pick, I would at least have to consider it, especially if I don't feel confident in my chances to win in 2021. | 🆚TNF Preview: Jaguars at Bengals | | All lines from Caesars Sportsbook | - Line: Bengals -7.5; 45.5 O/U
- Implied totals: Bengals 26.5-Jaguars 19
| What to expect: The Bengals seem to have taken a step forward this season, and that's with their offense still seemingly finding itself. They've played surprisingly conservatively on offense, and that may not change this week, with the Jaguars looking no more competitive this season than last. Trevor Lawrence will have better days ahead, but it's been a rough start so far. | Key injuries: Tee Higgins (shoulder) -- Higgins is going to miss his second game in a row as a result of this injury, which isn't much of a surprise given the short week. He'll probably be back in Week 5 against the Packers. Tyler Boyd and Ja'Marr Chase are safe starting options against this matchup. | What to watch for: The way the first three games have gone for these teams, the Bengals shouldn't have any trouble handling this one. The biggest thing for Fantasy will be whether they continue to lean as heavily on the pass as they have been to date, or if this might be an opportunity for Joe Burrow to open things up. I'm expecting a ton of Joe Mixon yet again in this one. On the Jaguars side, we'd like to see last week's trend of heavy James Robinson usage continue -- he had 15 carries and six targets despite a season-low snap share. I'm starting him as a top-16 running back. It's harder to trust the passing game options here -- Marvin Jones is the highest ranked of the Jags' WR, and he's just 39 in Week 4. | Notable player props | - Joe Burrow: OVER 1.5 passing touchdowns -- With the exception of a stretch where he threw interceptions on three straight drives against the Bears in Week 2, Burrow has actually played quite well in his return from knee surgery. He hasn't had a ton of volume, however, and the Bengals probably won't feel much need to change that game plan in a game they should win pretty easily. Of course, if they do win pretty easily, Burrow is going to be a pretty big part of that -- seven of their eight touchdowns on offense have been thrown by Burrow.
- Marvin Jones: UNDER 67.5 receiving yards -- This is actually a stunningly high number for Jones, who has topped it just once this season. Now, it is worth noting that he has at least eight targets in each, so with that kind of workload, it wouldn't be too difficult to get there. However, Jones has been a notoriously hit-or-miss player in his career and he's playing with a quarterback who is doing a lot more missing than hitting right now.
- Joe Mixon: UNDER 20.5 rush attempts -- Mixon has only gone over 20.5 once in three games and that was in an overtime win in Week 1, which is actually pretty surprising. They won fairly easily in Week 3 against the Steelers and he had just 18, so is he really all that likely to get to 21 coming off a short week in a game they should have fairly wrapped up? I'm not convinced, even though the over feels obvious for a guy averaging 22.3 carries right now.
| | 🚑Week 4 Injury Watch | | I'll have a full breakdown of the injury report in Friday's newsletter along with my preview of each game, but here's a look at some notables from the first practice participation reports of the week. | Injuries to watch for Week 4 | It's not clear what these injuries mean quite yet. | - Lamar Jackson (back) -- Did not practice. We don't really have many details on this one, other than that it happened. Whether Wednesday's absence was just a precaution or something to be concerned about remains to be seen, but obviously we'll have to watch this one very closely in the coming days. Tyler Huntley took snaps with the first team Wednesday with Jackson out.
- Andy Dalton (knee) -- Limited practice. Justin Fields (thumb) practiced in full, so if Dalton doesn't play, the expectation should be that Fields will start. However, Matt Nagy did mention Nick Foles as a possible starter earlier in the week -- we'll see in the coming days whether he meant that just in case Fields couldn't go or if he's actually willing to start the journeyman vet over the prized rookie.
- A.J. Brown (hamstring)/Julio Jones (hamstring) -- Did not practice. It seems like Brown's injury might be the bigger concern at this point, and I'm not expecting him to play. But my hopes aren't high for Jones either. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine scored a touchdown late in Week 3 and would probably be my choice for the best Titans receiver, but I wouldn't trust him even in a choice matchup against the Jets.
- Aaron Jones (ankle) -- Limited practice. This is a new injury for Jones, and as far as we know right now, nothing to be too concerned about. We'll see what Thursday holds.
- Jonathan Taylor (knee) -- Limited practice. This is a new injury for Taylor, so we'll watch it in the coming days. But I'm expecting him to play as of now.
- Elijah Mitchell (shoulder) -- Limited practice. This doesn't guarantee Mitchell will be playing, but this is a good sign. He had a non-contact jersey on Wednesday, so we'll see if he takes some hits by Friday. That would probably be a good barometer for his chances of playing. Trey Sermon would start if Mitchell is out, but I'm viewing him as just a low-end starter at this point.
- Melvin Gordon (ribs) -- Limited practice. This is a new one for Gordon, though the fact that he was limited means it doesn't seem to be much of a concern right now. If he doesn't end up playing, Javonte Williams would obviously be a viable starting option in Week 4 even with a tough matchup against the Ravens.
- Odell Beckham Jr. (shoulder) -- This is a new injury for Beckham, but the fact that he was able to practice indicates it isn't much to be concerned about. I imagine the Browns wouldn't mind limiting Beckham's practice reps early in the week anyway.
- George Kittle (calf) -- Did not practice. Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism about Kittle's chances of playing this week, but acknowledged he was "sorer than we expected" Wednesday. This one bears close watching ahead of Week 4 against the Packers.
- Rob Gronkowski (ribs) -- Did not practice. It doesn't sound like the Bucs are too concerned about this injury, and Gronk typically gets a day off during the week anyway, but we'll keep an eye on this one before locking him in our lineups.
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) -- Did not practice. This is a new one for MVS, so we'll monitor it, but he's just a boom-or-bust starter in deeper leagues.
- Will Fuller (chest/elbow) -- Did not practice. When Fuller left Sunday's game late, it looked like they were checking out his calf, so this is a surprise. We'll see if he can get on the practice field Thursday and Friday, but you probably shouldn't be planning on relying on him anyway.
| Trending up for Week 4 | This doesn't mean they will play, but we got good news about them Wednesday. | - Dalvin Cook (ankle) -- Limited practice. Cook was considered a game-time decision for Week 3 but ultimately doesn't sound like he was close to playing. Now that he's practicing, however, it looks like there's a real chance. That would be bad news for Alexander Mattison's value, obviously.
- Darrell Henderson (ribs) -- Limited practice. A good sign for Henderson's chances of returning in Week 4 against the Cardinals and a bad sign for Sony Michel's chances to be an RB2.
- Diontae Johnson (knee) -- Limited practice. This is a good sign for Johnson's chances of playing in Week 4 against the Packers, but I'd like to see him get a full practice in before I lock him back in my lineup.
- Carson Wentz (ankles) -- Limited practice. Wentz told reporters he feels much better than he did this time last week, so expect him to play. Hopefully he'll look more comfortable than he did last week, when he really had no chance to evade the pass rush and ended up giving up on several plays early as a result.
- Ben Roethlisberger (pectoral) -- Did not practice. I'd be surprised if we see Roethlisberger practice on Wednesday anytime soon as the Steelers try to keep him healthy. As of now, I still expect him to play through the injury Sunday against the Packers like he did in Week 3. Hopefully he plays better than he did against the Bengals, but I'm not holding my breath.
| Trending down for Week 4 | This doesn't mean they won't play, but they aren't moving in the right direction yet. | - Giovani Bernard (knee) -- Did not practice. At this point, I'm not expecting Bernard to play against the Patriots, which would likely mean a bigger passing game role for Leonard Fournette. My preference would be to avoid this backfield, but if Bernard is out, Fournette will likely end up a top-30 RB for me in the rankings.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster (ribs) -- did not practice. Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he expects Smith-Schuster to practice at some point this week, but for now I am proceeding as if he won't play.
- Rashaad Penny (calf) -- Did not practice. Penny won't be back in Week 4, though Pete Carroll did say he could play if needed. However, given the recurring nature of this injury, they prefer to give it an extra week.
- James White (hip) -- White's hip injury is likely to be a season ender, and we're just waiting for the Patriots to put him on IR. Brandon Bolden took on a bigger role after White exited Sunday's game, but I wouldn't want to trust any of the Patriots backs against the Buccaneers.
- Sterling Shepard (hamstring)/Darius Slayton (hamstring) -- Did not practice. At this point, I'm not expecting either Shepard or Slayton to play in Week 4 against the Saints. Evan Engram and Collin Johnson figure to see larger roles in the passing game, as does Saquon Barkley.
- Russell Gage (ankle) -- Did not practice. Gage missed last week with this injury as well.
- Tyler Conklin (elbow/glute) -- Did not practice. These are new injuries for Conklin, so this is obviously a bit of a concern. If Conklin is healthy, he's an interesting streaming option, but right now I wouldn't plan on using him unless we get better news tomorrow.
- Jack Doyle (back) -- Did not practice. This certainly puts Doyle at risk of missing Week 4. Not that you were going to use him.
| | | | | | | | This Friday, catch all the action as the #13 BYU Cougars take on the Utah State Aggies at 9 PM ET on CBS Sports Network. This is a matchup you don't want to miss! Watch Live | | Matchday 7 is here! Juventus look to continue their winning streak as they visit city rivals Torino in the Derby della Mole on Saturday. While Scudetto favorites AC Milan visit Atalanta on Sunday. Watch Live |
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