In a week full of injuries and heartbreaks, fantasy football had its ups and downs. With notable players like Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb going down, and players like Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon having a career performance, this was a head-turning weekend. Now, let’s take a deep dive into week 4 of the NFL in fantasy football.

 

Best Overall Player:

Adam: Joe Mixon CIN RB

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon hasn’t started off his season the way he wanted to, but showed that he was still a good player this past week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mixon had 25 carries for 151 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, while still being a good receiving back, adding 6 catches for 30 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. He topped out at over 40 fantasy points. I do not believe that Mixon can keep it up for a long time, but it’s worth giving him another shot next week at your running back number 2 or your flex position.

Mac: George Kittle SF TE

George Kittle had a big assignment Sunday night with the very injured 49ers taking on a hungry 0-3 Philadelphia Eagles team. He has not shown us great stats throughout the start of the season while also battling injuries of his own, but Sunday night was different. He racked in 15 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. This earned fantasy owners 40.1 points and mostly likely a win if you started him. 

Louis: Adam Theilen MIN WR

Adam Thielen had an outstanding performance in the Vikings win over the Texans. Thielen racked up 8 catches for 114 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also had 26.2 fantasy points to go along with that. Thielen was a big part in the Vikings getting their first win of the season. Kirk Cousins seems to have a great connection with his wide receiver 1 in Thielen and he won’t slow down either. Expect Thielen to keep performing at a high level.

 

Best Underrated Player:

Adam: George Kittle SF TE

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle came into this week’s game against the Eagles after missing the last 3 weeks due to an injury. Kittle was not expected to have a big night, but he did and showed impact right away. Kittle had 15 catches for 183 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown as well as 1 carry for 8 rushing yards. Overall, Kittle had just over 40 fantasy points, and isn’t looking back.

Mac: Dak Prescott DAL QB :

You would think Jerry Jones is sick of offering this guy max contracts. I think not. He needs one. Dak has thrown for 450+ yards in the past three games. That includes this week’s performance of 502 yards 4 tds and one interception. Dak earned fantasy owners a 37.28 fantasy points in a losing effort to the Cleveland Browns. 

Louis: Robby Anderson CAR WR

Nobody really knows much about Panthers wide receiver Robby Anderson, but he is one of the most underrated players in the league. In the Panthers win against the Cardinals, Anderson had 17.9 fantasy points and is currently the number 9 receiver for fantasy football. Him and Teddy Bridgewater seem to be clicking, which is a nightmare for opposing secondaries.

 

Booms of the Week:

Adam: Odell Beckham Jr. CLE WR

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has started off slow this season, as he usually does, but came out strong in week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys. Beckham Jr. had 5 catches for 81 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns, even one thrown to him by his other wide receiver Jarvis Landry. He also added 2 carries for 73 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown. If I were a fantasy owner who had Beckham Jr., I would start him, but if he gets into a slump again, I would put him back on the bench.

Mac: Dalvin Cook MIN RB

It was a big week for the star of the Minnesota Vikings offense. The former all-pro running back had another breakout week after rushing for a season high a week ago. Cook ran for 130 yards on 27 carries and also had two touchdowns. Cook also connected with Kirk Cousins for 2 catches for 16 receiving yards. The Vikings pulled out their first win of the season because of Cook’s 28.6 point fantasy game. 

Louis: Tom Brady TB QB

Tom Brady rallied Tampa Bay back in a win against the Chargers. Brady had 5 touchdowns and 369 yards to go along with 32.46 fantasy points, and it looks like Brady finally found his groove. He is the 7th QB for fantasy football so far, averaging 21.4 points. Brady has been great this season and one of his best receivers, Chris Godwin, hasn’t played a game yet.

 

Busts of the Week:

Adam: Tyler Lockett SEA WR

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler lockett had an unsurpassed performance last week, but did not follow up well this week against the Miami Dolphins. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was taking more and more passes away from him, and giving more opportunities to his teammates. Lockett only had 2 catches for 39 receiving yards and no touchdowns compared to 3 last week. I would keep Lockett in your starting rotation, but do not count on him to have more than 25 points a week. 

Mac: A.J Green CIN WR:

A.J Green seems to be a shell of his former self. His career has gone in the gutter after a couple of injury-plagued seasons. This week, I expected him to have a bounce back week against a mediocre Jacksonville Jaguars defense. Green connected once with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow for 3 yards earning him 1.3 fantasy points. I really do not like watching a player’s career fall to nothing like this.

Louis: Nick Chubb CLE RB

Nick Chubb and the Browns faced off against the Cowboys on Sunday and the Browns dominated. Although they got the win, they also had an injury to one of their best players in Chubb. He only had 4.3 fantasy points and probably upset a lot of fantasy owners on Sunday. Hopefully Chubb can fully recover and return back very healthy.

 

Players to Start:

Adam: Terry McLaurin WSH WR

Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin had a great game this past week against the Baltimore Ravens. He had 10 receptions for 118 receiving yards and no touchdowns, but he did produce enough to have just over 21 fantasy points. If McLaurin can keep this up, he will be a sleeper on most fantasy teams.

Mac: D.J Chark JAX:

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver and quarterback Gardner Minshew are now emerging as the best young dynamic duo in the NFL. Last year, Chark became a breakout fantasy star as a rookie and continues to roll in his sophomore season. Chark caught 8 out of his 9 passes thrown at him for 95 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Chark scored 29.5 points which brings up his season average to 17.8 points per game. 

Louis: Justin Jefferson MIN WR

Jefferson has been on fire the last 2 weeks putting up amazing numbers and people still aren’t starting him. The Vikings play the Seahawks this Sunday and I expect Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense to shred the Seahawks secondary. Seattle has the worst pass defense in the whole league. I expect Jefferson to have a big day in a statement win for the Vikings. 

 

Players to Move to the Bench:

Adam: Rob Gronkowski TB TE

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski has had a not so stellar season so far, but part of it is because of the offense that Tampa Bay runs. His best performance is 6 catches for 48 receiving yards. Gronkowski’s performance last week is now a reminder that he is not one of the best tight ends in the game anymore. He had 1 reception for 29 receiving yards and no touchdowns. If I were a fantasy owner who had him, I would not start him, but put him on the bench instead.

Mac: Kenyan Drake ARI RB

Kenyan Drake’s stats each week have declined more and more. Drake only had 3.5 points this week against a young Carolina Panthers defense. Drake scored these points by rushing for 35 yards on 13 carries. He is now averaging 9.6 points per game on the season and for someone who was put as a top 10 fantasy running back for the season, Drake is not living up to the hype. 

Louis: Miles Sanders PHI RB

This upcoming Sunday, the Eagles will go against the Steelers in a very gritty game. The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the best defenses in the NFL and have an amazing run defense also. Pittsburgh has the number 2 overall defense in the NFL and has absolutely shut down the teams that they have played so far. Miles Sanders is a great back, but he has not been off to a great start this season, only being the number 30 RB in fantasy football so far.