Graphic by Audrey Kim
Nick Gilo and Miles Pearlman
Sports Reporters
Week four brought us fantasy owners many surprises, both good and bad. Player’s stocks are starting to rise and fall very quickly. We’re making it our responsibility to keep you, our readers, in the loop, so here is our week four fantasy football breakdown.
Booms:
Miles’s Pick: D.J. Moore
Going into week four, fantasy owners had high expectations for Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore. He did not disappoint. Moore amassed 31.9 points this week with eight catches on twelve targets while putting up 113 receiving yards. Many were able to predict this fantastic outing due to the weak Cowboys defense. Star running back Christian McCaffrey was out of the game due to injury, which caused Moore to get an even larger target share. Moore is now the WR4 overall, averaging 22.4 points per game and solidifying himself as the obvious WR1 on the Panthers. His week-to-week consistency and large target share give me a reason to believe that he could finish as a top wide receiver this season.
Nick’s Pick: Tyreek Hill
As the highest scorer of the week, Tyreek Hill was a pretty obvious choice as my boom of the week. Hill overpowered the Eagles’ defense all day with three touchdowns and over 180 receiving yards. Hill started the year off with an amazing 37.1 point outing in week one but followed that game with two disappointing performances of 5.9 and 9.7 points, so it’s great to see Hill back to his usual explosive self. The connection between Hill and Mahomes seems to be boom or bust this year, but I don’t see that keeping up all season. It’s pretty safe to say that Tyreek Hill owners should expect a handful more of these ridiculous games.
Busts:
Miles’s Pick: Mike Williams
Mike Williams had to fall back down to Earth at some point, and it happened to be in week four that he did so. Prior to week four, Williams averaged just under 26 points a game. He was nowhere near that number in his week four outing against the Raiders, putting up only 2.1 points with one reception for eleven yards. I do believe that Williams has been overperforming this year. However, I still think that this week was a bit of a fluke, and he may regress this season. He should continue to be a viable option at the wide receiver slot.
Nick’s Pick: Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce is usually one of the very few safe bets at the tight end position. That was not the case this week, as Kelce recorded a mere 6.4 points against the Eagles. You can usually count on Kelce for at the very least points in the double-digits because he’s one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league and is a part of one of the league’s best offenses. Every player has an off week here and there. Part of Kelce’s disappointing outing is likely due to Tyreek Hill’s 3 touchdown game. I wouldn’t worry if you are lucky enough to have Kelce on your team because this week will most likely be an outlier for him.
Buys:
Miles’s Pick: CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee Lamb has disappointed many owners over the past two weeks. I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz outperforming him two weeks in a row, but here we are. Lamb has only had one game with his targets in the double-digits, which is quite concerning. Nevertheless, he only has one touchdown on the season and many more to come. On top of that, Lamb is still the targets and yards leader on the Cowboys. The past two games were very rush-heavy for the Cowboys, so once they start throwing the ball more, we should see more games similar to Lamb’s week one performance of 15 targets and a solid 23.4 points. There is no reason why Lamb won’t bounce back, so I would try to pry him loose from the worried CeeDee owner in your league.
Nick’s Pick: Calvin Ridley
If you have the chance to buy low on Calvin Ridley, I would 100% go for it. He was being drafted around the early to mid-second round in most leagues, so many owners may be frustrated that he hasn’t put up 20 points yet. If you go look at his stats this year, he has gotten at least 10 targets in every game but one. On top of his large target share, he is by far the go-to guy for the Falcons. With the help of an occasional touchdown here and there, his numbers will easily see a big increase. Lots of people may be looking towards Cooper Kupp or Tyreek Hill for elite wide receivers, but I would look towards Ridley, who you would have to give up far less to acquire.
Sells:
Miles’s Pick: Cordarrelle Patterson:
Quite possibly the hottest name in fantasy football right now, Cordarrelle Patterson has a very interesting profile. The RB3 on the year is averaging over 20 points per game and has the most points of any running back apart from Derrick Henry or Austin Ekeler. You are probably wondering, “why would I sell him then?” The answer is that Patterson has been extremely lucky, and his production is completely unsustainable. He is still yet to have a game with at least half of his team’s snaps and has played less than a third of their snaps this season. In addition, he is relying heavily on touchdowns, averaging more than a touchdown a game. Patterson has been such an unexpected breakout this year, so it’s really hard to know what to do with him at this point. My advice would be to sell him to whichever owner in your league is a believer in his outstanding stunt because he is currently the most valuable he will be all season.
Nick’s Pick: Corey Davis
My sell high this week is Jets wide receiver, Corey Davis. Sure Davis has had two great games this year, but he has also had two pretty awful showings. Not only is he very inconsistent, but his quarterback Zach Wilson has had his fair share of struggles this season. It’s hard to see Davis being great if he doesn’t have a good quarterback behind him. Additionally, Davis has struggled against good defenses this year, which is concerning if he is one of your starters. A good starter should be able to perform well no matter the matchup. If you really have your heart set on keeping him, I would start him only when he has an obviously favorable matchup. Otherwise, I recommend shopping him around your league and seeing what you might be able to swap him for.
(All scoring is based on ESPN point per reception leagues)
