RADIO
After a Week 1 where six teams failed to score double digit points and a Week 2 where the same amount of teams failed to even score a touchdown, Week 3 was the breath of fresh air that fans were waiting for in this young season (on the field). Exactly half of the games played finished within one possession, including a handful of exciting finishes and the highest quality football we've seen played all year. Week 3 also taught fantasy owners a very valuable: play the guys that you draft in the early rounds.
This may seem obvious on the surface, but fantasy owners everywhere (and me included) benched the likes of Jordan Howard, Stefon Diggs, and Larry Fitzgerald coming off of poor performances from Week 2. And look what happened. Howard's 0.7 points on just nine touches turned into a 28-touch, multi-score outburst, Diggs notched 173 yards with Case Keenum at QB, and Fitz looked like the WR2 that fantasy owners everywhere drafted him as.
This isn't to say that there's never a time to optimize towards matchups or that you should continue to play guys no matter what, but specifically this early in the season, go with your big guns. You didn't draft Jordan Howard in the 2nd, Diggs in the 6th, or Fitzgerald in the 5th for them to sit on your bench. Don't overreact to a few bad outings (or even just one) until it turns into a legitimate pattern for concern.
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Week 4 Mailbag - Q&A
Thanks again to everyone who reached out with questions for this week's mailbag! The response has been great and this will continue to be a weekly feature throughout the entirety of the season. Please continue to direct any/all questions by using #RotoBallerMailbag on Twitter or by emailing advice@rotoballer.com.
Should I sell Dez Bryant or hold?
The short answer is hold Dez and see the intro to this article. The long answer is that although he has just two catches in two of his three games played so far this year, I don't think there's much to worry about just yet. He might not offer the consistency of a high-end WR1, but he is sure to have multiple games with multiple scores and WR1 production. He faced Patrick Peterson last week, Aqib Talib in Week 2 and Janoris Jenkins in Week 1. The Cowboys schedule eases up the next few weeks with the Rams, Packers, and Niners - Dez could be a huge benefactor of that. Keep trusting your big gun.
How does Golden Tate matchup against Xavier Rhodes? He basically shut down Mike Evans.
Not only did Rhodes hold Mike Evans to under 70 yards with no scores, but he did the exact same of Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively. That's three of the most talented receivers in football for those of you keeping track at home. So yeah, Rhodes is legit. He's undoubtedly one of the best cornerbacks in football, if not THE best, but Golden Tate comes from the same mold as Antonio Brown – that is a possession receiver on a team that knows how to move the ball. If the last three weeks are any indication, expect something like 6-8 catches and 50-70 yards from Tate, but it might be tough for him to find the end zone this week.
Marshawn Lynch, Lamar Miller, CJ Anderson, and Jay Ajayi, which two would you start this week?
Give me C.J. Anderson and Jay Ajayi here, though all four of these backs are relatively close. Marshawn's touches have gone down each week so far, and he gets a brutal matchup in Denver on Sunday. Miller actually has the most consistent touches of the bunch, but he's averaging just 3.7 yards per carry in a volatile Texas offense. CJA and Ajayi are both coming off of pretty awful weeks, but they're each major parts of their respective offense and have already produced monster games this year. I'll take my chances with the higher ceilings here.
Joe Mixon or Chris Carson rest of season? Standard scoring.
I really like the way that things are heading for Joe Mixon. He drastically out-snapped and out-touched both Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill in the first game of the season where the Bengals offense actually looked capable of moving the ball. He even had more catches than Bernard, who is the assumed passing down back in Cincinnati. I like Chris Carson too and he has the ability/opportunity to be Seattle's lead back for the remainder of the season, but Mixon's ceiling and potential usage could vault him into weekly RB2 status.
I'm looking to make a trade: I have Kirk Cousins or Drew Brees and Sammy Watkins for Julio Jones. Am I wrong for thinking Cousins will have a better year and Brees is better trade bait?
You're half right – Brees is definitely better trade bait, but that's also because he's the better QB. Cousins is a fine, startable option at QB, but his weekly ceiling is not nearly as high as Brees, and he won't reach it as often. That said, I think I would deal Brees and Sammy for Julio if the option is there. The drop off from Brees to Cousins isn't as big as the drop off from Watkins to Julio, who is an elite WR.
Is TY Hilton a weekly starter in PPR now?
Weekly starter? Yes. Weekly WR1 or WR2 as you probably drafted him? No. Jacoby Brissett clearly offers a better opportunity for Hilton to succeed than Scott Tolzien, but I wouldn't expect him to start ripping off 100 yard game after 100 yard game either. I'd consider him a WR3 until Andrew Luck comes back, and at that point it's fine to fire him up as even better.
Stefon Diggs...great receiver or greatest receiver?
This is the same question and I received two weeks ago, and my answer is also the same (and probably always will be). Greatest receiver. Might as well put his plaque in Canton now. Oh and #HeATerp.
Ed. note - I know you're just putting this question in yourself each week, Hammer! Can't say I blame you.
