Thursday Night Football Matchups Analysis - Week 4

The Baker Mayfield era has arrived in Cleveland. Filling in for the concussed Tyrod Taylor near the end of the second quarter in last week's Thursday Night Football game, Mayfield would go on to complete 17 of his 23 passes for 201 yards en route to the Cleveland Browns' first win in 635 days.

Fantasy owners of his teammates Carlos Hyde and Jarvis Landry have to be excited that Mayfield will open up the offense and potentially elevate it to being a top-tier unit in the league. It will be hard to top Mayfield's debut in future installations of Thursday Night Football, but fans are going to get a stellar game between two powerhouses in the NFC for Week 4.

The Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams matchup is a true battle of the titans that features plenty of fantasy-relevant players for fantasy owners to kick off their weeks. For the fourth time this season, let's dive into Thursday Night Football matchup analysis!

Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams

Date and Start Time: Thursday, September 27 at 8:20 PM ET

Notable Injuries and Status:

• Dalvin Cook (RB, MIN) - Hamstring - Questionable
• Marcus Peters (CB, LAR) - Calf - Questionable
• Aqib Talib (CB, LAR) - Ankle - Out (placed on injured reserve)

Offensive and Defensive Rankings:

Must Starts

Top Performers That Have To Be In Your Lineup

Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs (WRs, MIN)

That the prolific duo of Thielen and Diggs won't have to deal with the Los Angeles Rams' cornerback position at full strength make them an easy must-start in Week 4. Thielen has had at least 12 targets in every game this season and Diggs isn't likely to be locked down in a manner similar to how corner Tre'Davious White handled him last week. Start both Vikings wideouts with confidence.

Todd Gurley (RB, LAR)

Gurley is too critical a component of the Los Angeles Rams offense to doubt in a tough matchup, even though the Minnesota Vikings defense allowed just 56 total yards to Gurley on 18 touches in their meeting a year ago and currently ranks as the ninth-best in the league against the run. That being said, the same unit has given up 56 and 55-yard receptions to rushers in two of its first three games, meaning Gurley's improved receiving ability should help to counteract any limitations to his production on the ground.

Consider Sitting

Players To Avoid Putting In Your Lineup If Possible

Jared Goff (QB, LAR)

Telling fantasy owners to consider sitting a quarterback who has thrown for over 350 passing yards in back-to-back games sounds absolutely crazy, but hear me out. Since the start of last season, the Minnesota Vikings defense has been the only unit to hold the Los Angeles Rams offense to single-digit points. It would be easy to adhere to recency bias with the Buffalo Bills having put up 27 points on the Vikings a week ago, but Minnesota still has a defensive crew that gives up the ninth-fewest passing yards on a per game basis. Be wary; don't expect the same upside Goff normally offers when deciding whether to start him.

Dalvin Cook, Latavius Murray (RBs, MIN)

While the Los Angeles Rams have plenty of injury concerns in the secondary, their run-stuffing front four headlined by Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh remains as strong as ever. Counting on a Minnesota Vikings running back in your fantasy lineup would be a risky proposition already, but accounting for Cook's health is perhaps the biggest challenge for determining whether there will be enough volume for anyone in this backfield to have success. Until this team's ground game can find a way to truly get going, fantasy owners should be cautious about starting Cook or Murray in their lineups.

Tyler Higbee (TE, LAR)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has so great an abundance of receiving talent that his tight end group has largely been relegated to situational usage. With only five targets over his last two games, Higbee likely wasn't on anyone's fantasy radar leading into a matchup against one of the league's most solid crew of coverage linebackers. Do yourself a favor, and keep all Rams tight ends on the waiver wire.

Other Notable Sits: Gerald Everett (TE, LAR)

Solid Options/Sleepers

Which Players Will Have Solid Games and Which Could Surprise?

Solid Option: Kirk Cousins (QB, MIN)

The injuries to the Los Angeles Rams' secondary and the possibility of a shootout make Cousins a decent volume play in this one. While he hasn't exactly been stellar so far in 2018, ranking as the QB-8 in standard formats through four games, now is a chance for Cousins to move up the ranks a bit.

Solid Options: Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp (WRs, LAR)

It may seem hypocritical to have the quarterback throwing to Woods, Cooks, and Kupp in the consider sitting column while having the wide receivers listed as solid options. However, the reality is that any one of these wide receivers could put up numbers or disappoint depending on how the game plays out. Woods is tied for the team lead in targets, Cooks has been moved all around the formation to best utilize his skill set, and Kupp is a clear favorite for red zone targets. The value is there for each pass catcher, but the end result for who will finish where in fantasy football is largely unpredictable.

Sleeper: Kyle Rudolph (TE, MIN)

While much of his success has come when the Minnesota Vikings offense has been playing from behind, Rudolph will benefit from facing off against a Los Angeles Rams crew that has been exploited by tight ends so far this season. The potential for a third trip to the end zone for Rudolph this season is certainly a good reason to roll him out for Thursday night.

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