X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

Disaster Recovery - Week 4's Studs Turned Duds

In Week 4 of the NFL season, the action on the field took a backseat to the questions and caution off it. Due to positive coronavirus tests, one game was postponed until later in the season, and another was delayed a day. Even separate from all the drastic and dramatic health and safety issues these failed tests pose, the fantasy football season has been thrown for a loop. Having specific players test positive and sit out is one thing. No one can be sure, though, when entire teams will be forced to the sidelines. Bye weeks are in flux and open to change.

Just this week, heavy hitters like Derrick Henry, Jonnu Smith, Ryan Tannehill, James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Ben Roethlisberger were unexpectedly unavailable. We almost lost the high-flying Chiefs offense as well. They failed to live up to expectations anyway, but perhaps that had a great deal to do with not knowing if they would even be able to play this past week. Unlike any season we've had before, every week is in question.

That would normally make the consistency of the stars of fantasy all the more important, but they are not immune to these upheavals. Even the best of players put up dud performances. Not all duds are created equal though. Some disastrous performances are signs of more to come. Here are Week 4's studs turned duds.

 

DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

As the Arizona offense took a tumble, Hopkins was one of the biggest disappointments of the week. He finished with a paltry 4.1 fantasy points in non-PPR leagues. His seven receptions salvaged the day in PPR, but this was easily his worst outing of the young season. Hopkins continues to be Kyler Murray's favorite option; he's received at least nine targets in every game this season, including Week 4. Perhaps missing practice during the week indicated hampered explosiveness would be in store. Everything should be back to normal this week. Facing the New York Jets is a salve to heal all wounds.

Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals

Another failure in the Arizona offense this week was Drake. He finished with 35 rushing yards and nothing through the air for his worst game of the season. But Drake's performances have all been trending in the wrong direction. His breakout last year indicated he could be a stud-in-waiting. That conclusion now feels misguided, or at least premature. He is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry and is almost a non-factor in the passing game. Considering how rarely he's facing eight men in the box, his production has been well under expectation. Drake is seeing 8+ defenders just 7.46 percent of the time, the eighth-lowest mark in the league. And yet, his rushing yards over expected is -36, third-worst in the sport. Just like Hopkins, facing NY could help a bounce back, but Drake is in far greater peril of not returning to stud status again.

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

Speaking of being permanently removed from stud status, Ertz is gone. He was looking like the second-best tight end on his own team when the season got under way. Then, when Dallas Goedert got hurt, Ertz never picked it up. He has one score on the year and is averaging fewer than 35 yards per game despite being a slam-dunk draft pick as the third tight end off the board. Robert Tonyan nearly scored as many fantasy points in one game as Ertz has all season long. And this for a team that has few other playmakers on offense to siphon off targets. Things do not get any easier this week against Pittsburgh. It's official; there are only two stud tight ends in the NFL. Ertz is out.

Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

After three superb performances put Lockett into the upper echelon of the wide receiver position, Week 4 was a real letdown. He saw only four targets, made two catches, and collected 39 yards. Lockett is still in good shape moving forward. He's 10th in the league in targets among wide receivers; his catch percentage is sixth-best among anyone with at least 25 targets. Look no further than comparing him to the studs in Kansas City. Lockett has the same average separation as Tyreek Hill and the same average cushion and total targets as Travis Kelce. He is one of the best.

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

Jones was healthy enough to play this week, but only for one half. He never returned for the second half of Monday night's game. Half a game saw him collect four catches for 32 yards. Even doubled to a full 60 minutes, this would not be what Jones' managers are looking for. Through four weeks, Jones has had one good game, missed a week entirely, and had two partial weeks where he couldn't offer full effort. At what point would Atlanta be better off shutting him down for a while and actually getting him back to full strength, a la what Davante Adams complained about Green Bay doing to him? The back and forth of Jones is doing Matt Ryan no favors, as his performance has plummeted the last two weeks as well.

In other dud-because-of-injury situations, Nick Chubb went on IR after a 43-yard performance resulted in an MCL sprain. We'll have to wait and see whether this returns Kareem Hunt to stud status. Knee and hamstring injuries also brought down Austin Ekeler in the midst of an outing that netted 14 total yards from scrimmage. Rookie Joshua Kelley needs to control his fumbling issues before he can be considered an every-down replacement for Ekeler.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!




Win Big With RotoBaller

Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:

More Fantasy Football Analysis

Advertising

LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

WIN MORE IN 2024

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Alexis Diaz fantasy baseball closers rankings draft sleepers waiver wire pickups

MLB Closers and Saves: Fantasy Baseball Depth Charts

Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball, and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance. In addition to closers and saves, relief... Read More


Do These Prospects Matter for Fantasy Baseball?

The 2023 fantasy baseball season has been highlighted by the promotion of nearly two-dozen top prospects to the major leagues to impact fantasy rosters. This week's edition features one player who was called up as the piece was being written. Will these strong performers join the ranks of those who have moved to the majors... Read More


clayton kershaw fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

articles report test

this is a test


Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome back! It's Week 24 of our fantasy baseball Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups series! There are just two precious weeks left, and every start is becoming more and more important as most of the fantasy baseball world is in playoff matchups. If you've made it this far, there's a good chance you don't really... Read More


Aaron Nola - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Starts & Sits for MLB Week 23 - All Starting Pitcher Matchups for Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back RotoBallers! Big week in fantasy leagues as we approach the end of the season and playoffs! As always, we are here with our starting pitcher starts and sits series to help you set those winning lineups for the week ahead! For those who are not familiar, RotoBaller puts out a weekly grid of... Read More


Gunnar Henderson - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Prospects, Draft Sleepers

Points League Hitters: Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Welcome to Week 24 and our fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters. We'll be doing this roundup of points leagues every week here at RotoBaller, with waiver wire targets and streaming pitchers being evaluated in terms of the different scoring systems of ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, and Fantrax. Player values can vary wildly from platform to platform,... Read More


Brayan Bello - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Two-Start Pitcher Streamers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

Yo, it's Jon Anderson, continuing to run the show here in terms of late-summer fantasy baseball writing. There are just two weeks left of streaming pitchers, so let's make it count! This weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column aims to identify starting pitchers expected to make two starts in the upcoming fantasy baseball week,... Read More


Fantasy Baseball Week 24 Injury News and Updates: Tyler Glasnow, Ozzie Albies, Starling Marte, Anthony Rizzo, Zack Wheeler

September is now more than half over. The baseball season is slowly coming to a close. At this point, fantasy players are pushing for their league titles or just playing for pride. Major League Baseball teams continue to do the same and injuries continue to happen, now with the dreaded term "done for the season"... Read More


Joe Musgrove - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/17/22)

Happy Saturday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/17/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Today's MLB slates are split up as is the norm for September baseball. Half the guys I think will play will not, so you have to be as flexible as Gumby to play MLB DFS in September, but that also means that there is a lot of money out there should you dare to dive... Read More


Max Fried - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, MLB Injury News

Free MLB Betting Picks - Today's Best Bets, Expert Predictions, Odds (9/15/22)

Happy Friday, RotoBallers, we're back for another weekend of MLB betting picks! Make sure you're following my Twitter, as I can't guarantee that I'll always be able to get the added plays written here in the article, but I will typically add whatever else I'm playing throughout the day. The entire RotoBaller team has been... Read More


Robbie Ray - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, MLB Injury News, Draft Sleepers

DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/16/22): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

Fridays are big MLB DFS days and offer a nice respite from the NFL, who command our attention on Thursdays, Sundays, and Mondays. This slate, like most Friday slates, is a big one as all MLB teams are in action today and 28 of those teams are on tonight's 14-game DFS slate. This was a... Read More


kyle farmer fantasy baseball rankings draft sleepers MLB injury news

Top Hitter Streamers and Starts for Fantasy Baseball - Week 24

There are only two weeks left of fantasy baseball! It's going to be very sad when the season comes to an end, but the impending end of the season means that these are the most important, and therefore most fun weeks of the year – for those of you still competing, at least. I have... Read More


TODAY’S MOST VIEWED PLAYERS

rotating JS ad test

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF