Four weeks are behinds us and it’s time to start getting that roster right for a playoff push. With Week 4 history, Doug Moore presents his Week 4 fantasy football bold predictions that will separate you from the competition.
With bye weeks upon us and the weather starting to turn, it is time to separate pretenders from contenders in fantasy football leagues. If you need a big week, here are some bold predictions to help set your lineups.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Eli Manning rebounds after a bad Week 4 with 300+ yards and two touchdowns.
After finishing with 268 yards and an interception against the Vikings, Manning needs a bounce-back week to hold the Giants steady with only one loss. Luckily, he goes up against the Packers, who have given up an average of 330 yards passing and two touchdowns per game to opposing quarterbacks this season. With an Odell Beckham “revenge game” seemingly on the horizon – coupled with Green Bay’s stout run defense – this offense will operate through the passing game. In what could be a shoot-out, Manning will have a great game on Sunday.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Early season MVP Matt Ryan suddenly goes cold in the Mile High City.
Despite starting off with nearly 1,500 yards passing and 11 touchdowns in the first four games of the season, Atlanta’s Ryan finally cools down for a bit against the tough Broncos defense in Denver. The Broncos have surrendered less than 200 yards per game and only two passing touchdowns over the first four weeks of the season. It is Ryan’s biggest challenge of the year and the Broncos will likely game-plan around stopping the 300-yard man: Julio Jones. Without him, Ryan will definitely struggle. This is not to say he can’t keep having a great season, but don’t expect a good week against the Broncos.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Unlike Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman has a great week against Denver.
Believe it or not, the Broncos have given up more than 400 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns to opposing running backs. And with Tevin Coleman probably having limited availability because of his sickle cell trait at the high altitude of Denver, it’ll be up to Atlanta’s Freeman to carry most of the load. Freeman has at least 90 yards rushing or a touchdown in three consecutive games, so he is riding a hot streak. And with how Atlanta’s offense has been doing lately, it would be no surprise to see Freeman have a good game even against a tough opponent like the Broncos. If Jeremy Hill can have 97 yards rushing and two touchdowns against this defense, Freeman can too.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Los Angeles Rams star Todd Gurley finishes as the RB1 in Week 5 against the Bills.
Gurley has been off to a rough start in 2016, averaging only 54 yards rushing and 0.5 touchdowns per game with a 2.6 yards per attempt average. He has surpassed 50 yards rushing only twice (one of them being for 51 yards) and has reached the end zone in only one game so far. But against the Bills, he has a chance at not only a terrific game, but the best game for a running back in fantasy football in Week 5. The Bills have given up 183 yards and five rushing touchdowns to David Johnson and Matt Forte, so it seems just as likely as not that we see another bell-cow running back have a great game against them. The Rams are on a three-game winning streak (Somehow – I don’t know.) and will have a great chance of winning their fourth straight if their run game gets going.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Theo Riddick struggles regardless of Dwayne Washington’s status for Week 5.
After losing Ameer Abdullah to a foot injury, the Lions have relied on the duo of Washington and Riddick to carry the load in the running game. With Washington questionable at best to play in Week 5 with his ankle injury, Riddick may have a full workload against the Eagles. Even if that is the case, Riddick will struggle against Eagles. They have given up 244 yards and two touchdowns over the past three games to running backs. And with Riddick’s 3.1 yards per rushing attempt average, it will be hard for him to have a good game rushing. As for the passing game, the Eagles have only given up 85 yards receiving in the first three games of the season; Riddick will struggle no matter if Washington plays or not.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]DeAndre Hopkins struggles for the second consecutive week against Minnesota.
Hopkins has 14 targets for five receptions and 60 yards the past two games while his starting quarterback, Brock Osweiler, has also struggled. This week, Hopkins and the Texans face the undefeated Vikings in a very tough matchup; the Vikings have given up only one receiving touchdown to wide receivers this season. Along with that, they have given up more than 75 yards to an opposing wide receiver once (Tajae Sharpe with 76 in Week 1). Hopkins and Osweiler are far from being on the same page and have shown no signs of fixing their rocky chemistry and it won’t help to face one of the best defenses in football.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]DeSean Jackson bounces back in a big way against Baltimore.
After finishing with only one reception for five yards against the Browns, Jackson needs a big turn-around – and quickly. Going up against a team that just gave up 15 receptions, 148 yards, and four touchdowns to opposing wide receivers in Week 4, the Ravens are the perfect candidate for Jackson’s big game. The Ravens even gave up three touchdowns to Michael Crabtree and, moreover, are dealing with depth issues in general in their secondary. As a speedy deep-threat, Jackson will give the Ravens a lot of problems. Expect at least 70 yards and a touchdown – if not more – against Baltimore this weekend.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Regardless of who plays quarterback, Emmanuel Sanders has another great week.
Over the past two games, Denver’s Sanders has 26 (Yes, 26!) targets for 17 receptions, 205 yards, and three touchdowns. Needless to say, Sanders is on a tear right now. He showed chemistry with both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, catching a touchdown pass from the latter in the second half against Tampa Bay. Over the past three weeks, the Falcons have given up more than 500 yards and five touchdowns to opposing wide receivers. They have given up at least one touchdown to a wide receiver each time and Sanders is a prime candidate to make it five weeks in a row. He will have a great game against a weak secondary despite being on a run-heavy offense.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Zach Ertz comes back with a bang against the Lions.
After missing the past few weeks with a rib injury, Philadelphia’s Ertz will return in Week 5. He has a terrific matchup against the Lions, who have given up 257 yards and six touchdowns to opposing tight ends in the first four weeks already. With starting linebacker DeAndre Levy likely to miss another game with injury, it makes Ertz’s injury that much better. Not to mention that with Ryan Mathews’s injury, the Eagles may be forced to pass the ball more as well. Ertz will come back and come back big, putting up real stats in his return game.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]Despite his great start, Greg Olsen has a rough game against Tampa Bay.
In the first four games of the season, Olsen is off to a terrific start with 40 targets, 24 receptions, 335 yards, and two touchdowns. He is on pace for 160 targets, 96 receptions, 1,340 yards, and eight touchdowns. And while he has had a terrific start, Carolina’s Olsen faces a very tough matchup in Week 5 against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has given up only 12 receptions and 115 yards to opposing tight ends so far this season. That is an average of three receptions and 28.8 yards. And with Cam Newton out because of a concussion, Olsen’s matchup doesn’t get any easier; he may have the rare – for him – bad game this weekend.
Follow Doug on Twitter @DMooreNFL. Check out Doug’s articles on 2016’s most underdrafted fantasy players and bounce back candidates for the year.
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