BUY / SELL / STEAL FOR WEEK 4
Emptying out the notebook:
— Darren Sproles (ACL and arm) and Cairo Santos are out for the year; Tyler Eifert (back) is expected to miss “multiple weeks”
— Andrew Luck (shoulder) may begin practicing this week but is not expected to play until October.
— Check the injury report before putting these players in your line-up: Sam Bradford, Kelvin Benjamin, Jordan Reed, and Rob Kelley.
— Waiver wire pick-ups for the week: Wendell Smallwood (RB/Phil), Geronimo Allison (WR/GB), Sterling Shepard (WR/NYG), Devin Funchess (WR/Car), Vernon Davis (TE/NYG), Charles Clay (TE/Buf)
— Chicago is at Green Bay on Thursday night.
— There is another London game this week with New Orleans and Miami. Remember this is a 9:30am kick off, make sure your line-ups are set Saturday night.
— Washington at Kansas City closes the week Monday night.
Ravens Fantasy Outlook
With the loss of Brent Urban (foot) for the year and the status of Brandon Williams unknown for this week’s game, I would shy away from the Ravens defense even though they are at home.
Alex Collins: Terrance West looks to have slid down the depth chart and Collins has done more than enough to earn more snaps. He is a hard runner who gets yards after contact and he could wear down the Pittsburgh defense with his aggressive style.
Buck Allen: I like Allen as well mainly has a pass catching option out of the backfield. The Steelers allowed 12 receptions to Bears running backs last week.
Mike Wallace: Last year at home against his former team, Wallace went for 124 yards and a touchdown on four catches. He has been very vocal about wanting the ball more and it happens this week.
Buy
QB: Russell Wilson: The Colts have allowed back-to-back games of 300+ passing yards. The streak extends to three this week after it looks like Wilson got back on track last week.
Carson Palmer: After a horrible first game, Palmer has responded by throwing for 657 yards and three touchdowns.
Other names: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota
RB: Joe Mixon: Mixon totaled over 100 yards last week and now leads the team in rushing. He will have a bigger work load this week against the lowly Browns.
Dalvin Cook: At home this year Cook has rushed for 224 yards and a touchdown to go along with eight catches for 84 yards.
Other names: Kareem Hunt, Jay Ajayi, Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley, Leonard Fournette, Le’Veon Bell, DeMarco Murray, Carlos Hyde, Frank Gore, Chris Thompson
WR: Golden Tate: Tate is averaging 15 points per game in PPR leagues. He is still a starter this week on the road against a tough Vikings secondary.
Antonio Brown: This won’t be popular amongst Raven fans, but last year Brown averaged 21 fantasy points per game against the Ravens.
Other names: Jordy Nelson, DeVante Parker, Michael Thomas, A.J. Green, Stefon Diggs, Brandin Cooks, Larry Fitzgerald, Keenan Allen, Odell Beckham, Jr., Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, Adam Thielen
TE: Charles Clay: Quietly, Clay has scored 15 fantasy points in two of his three games this year.
Delanie Walker: The Texans defense has allowed 30 points to opposing tight ends over the past two games.
Other names: Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce
Def: Green Bay, Atlanta, Minnesota, New England, Seattle
Sell
QB: Matthew Stafford: The Vikings have a tough defense, especially at home, and Stafford does not always play well on the road. That is not a good combination for Stafford owners this week.
Derek Carr: Carr, who is coming off a horrible game last week on the road against the Redskins, now travels to Denver to face the “No Fly Zone” defense.
Other names: Cam Newton, Alex Smith, Ben Roethlisberger, Blake Bortles
RB: C. J. Anderson: Anderson last week was outperformed and out-snapped by Jamaal Charles. With DeVonte Booker coming back, Anderson’s weekly role could shrink.
Mike Gillislee: Gillislee’s only real fantasy value is as a goal line back. He is too boom-or-bust to be considered a weekly starter.
Other names: LeSean McCoy, Isaiah Crowell, Ameer Abdullah, Lamar Miller, Marshawn Lynch
WR: Amari Cooper: On the Raiders first drive of the season, Cooper scored nine points (2 rec, 13 yds. 1 TD). Since then he has scored only 16 points.
Sammy Watkins: Yes, Watkins had a 100-yard game last week and then ended up in the concussion protocol. I have seen this story before; do not buy him until he produces on a regular basis.
Other names: T.Y. Hilton, Terrelle Pryor, Eric Decker, Tavon Austin
TE: Kyle Rudolph: Since Case Keenum has taking over at QB for the Vikings, Rudolph is only averaging 4.5 points per game.
Hunter Henry: Henry has seen zero targets in two of the first three games this season.
Other names: Jesse James, Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron
Def: Washington, New York Giants, Houston, Detroit
Steals
QB: Jared Goff: Goff seems to get better each week and takes on a Dallas defense on a short week after giving up 300+ yards to Carson Palmer.
RB: Wendell Smallwood: The Chargers have allowed 146 yards per game rushing. Smallwood’s role expands this week with Sproles out for the year.
WR: Paul Richardson: With Doug Baldwin dealing with a hamstring issue, Richardson’s role should increase this week and make him a nice sneaky play in DFS.
TE: Jared Cook: Cook is tied for the team lead in catches and is second in yards. The Broncos have allowed a touchdown to opposing tight ends in back to back games.
Def: Cincinnati
