RADIO
Welcome to our season-long segment at RotoBaller where we will be targeting players owned in 25% or less of Fleaflicker leagues. The Buffalo Bills are going to be hot commodities (Tyrod Taylor (43%), Karlos Williams (31%) and Charles Clay (33%)) on the waiver wire, but they are too heavily owned for this segment. Plus, if you've been following along, you already own Taylor and Williams!
Week 3 was heavy in the offensive category. The Bills, Patriots, and Cardinals all eclipsed 40 points while the Colts, Packers, Falcons, Titans, Giants, and Vikings reached the 30-point threshold. And that doesn't even include Andy Dalton and A.J. Green's freak-mode showing in Baltimore. Safe to say, you either crushed your opponent this week or got crushed. Hope it was the former!
Same as last week, I'll include a player from every position (including D/ST) each week - as long as the options are worthy of discussion. This week includes a few WR options while we have to dig a bit deeper for owners needing bye-week replacements at QB/RB. Let's get to it.
Digging Deeper - Potential Week 4 Waiver Wire Sleepers
Ty Montgomery (WR, GB) - 10% Owned in Fleaflicker
While Davante Adams owners were disappointed with his MNF dud (2 targets, 0 catches, left after re-aggravating his ankle), WR-needy owners were thrilled to see a potential opening in the high-powered Green Bay offense. The main beneficiary would be Ty Montgomery, who took Adams role last night and was able to secure 2 catches for 18 yards and a score. Nothing special, but the rookie out of Stanford was impressive in week 2 (4-37) and had earned more playing time before Adams injury.
Montgomery isn't a big body (6'0, 216) so he's likely to be a possession receiver, but none of this matters. He has Aaron Rodgers throwing to him. Anyone who steps into Adams role is going to be valuable, so fantasy owners need to make Montgomery a top priority should Adams miss significant time.
FAAB: $30 - Only if Adams is ruled out for 2+ weeks
Rishard Matthews (WR, MIA) - 23% Owned in Fleaflicker
We can't act like the signs weren't there regarding Rishard Matthews. He had an excellent outing in week two at Jacksonville (6-115) and followed it up with a fantastic line this week (6-113-2) in a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. The second score wasn't the prettiest as Ryan Tannehill under-threw Matthews at the goal line on a fourth-down heave. Luckily Matthews was able to roll himself into the end-zone and touchdowns aren't graded on quality. He was the sixth-best WR in standard leagues for week 3 although it's unlikely he was in your lineup if you play in a shallow format.
Matthews now has back-to-back 100 yard games and was useful in week 1 as well (4-34-1). The flaw with Matthews is the cluttered WR position, with Jarvis Landry being the alpha dog and DeVante Parker increasing his workload week-to-week. And that's without including Jordan Cameron. It's hard to envision Matthews being a regular WR3 in shallow leagues but he should be owned in deeper formats as the Dolphins WR situation unfolds.
I can't advocate using Matthews week 4 against the Jets stout pass D. Recent history has shown when these two teams meet it becomes a slug-fest (16-13 Dolphins, 20-7 Jets, 23-3 Dolphins) and I anticipate Miami's ground game being a heavy component for this 9:30 AM game in London. My best advice would be to snag Matthews and include him in a package deal to upgrade at WR/RB. My only request: Do Not Forget About DeVante Parker.
FAAB: $14
Kenny Britt (WR, STL) - 19% Owned in Fleaflicker
If you go on WebMD and search for "migraine symptoms" you'll find Kenny Britt as the fourth-leading factor. A headcase on and off the field, Britt came through for owners willing to roll the dice in week 3 versus a putrid Steelers defense (7-102) in a painful to watch 12-6 loss.
That was only Britt's third game reaching 100 yards as a Ram and he had as many catches in week 3 (7) as targets in the first two weeks combined. It's hard to trust Britt week-in and week-out especially when you factor in that offensive line and Nick Foles throwing him the ball. Toss in the likelihood Todd Gurley sees his workload increase as he gets more comfortable in the offense and Britt becomes a serious gamble.
Here is the one thing in Britt's favor: The Rams are a barren wasteland at WR until Brian Quick returns, so someone has to get the targets. He's still a deep ball threat and can take the top off a defense. But you have to play the match-ups with a guy like Britt. Starting Britt in week 4 versus Patrick Patterson and the Arizona Cardinals seems like a recipe for a disaster. That said, he's on the FLEX radar for his week 5 outing at Green Bay in a game the Rams will likely be forced to air it out. My advice: Grab a share, but don't blow your WW spot or FAAB load on him.
FAAB: $8
Thomas Rawls (RB, SEA) - 4% Owned in Fleaflicker
Another week, another running back with injury concerns. This time it's Marshawn Lynch, a player we were given fair warning would be limited in week 3. A lot of pundits assumed if he couldn't go it would translate to an increased workload for Fred Jackson. That was far from the case, as undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls saw 16 touches and turned them into 104 yards versus a bad Bears defense. For comparison, FJax ended up with two carries for 13 yards. It's not clear whether Lynch will miss week 4, and there's a strong possibility the Seahawks chose to give him rest considering their weak opponent (No offense, Bears fans. You started Jimmy Clausen).
I'm not overreacting if I don't own Lynch and am set at RB. The Seahawks had that game wrapped up before kick-off so the running game was a heavy component of their game-plan. Non-Lynch owners can save their WW slot. If Lynch does miss week 4, I'm not expecting a huge outing from Rawls again versus a tough Detroit Lions defense that held the Broncos to 41 yards rushing last week. But if you're a Marshawn owner you have to make Rawls a top priority this week in case Lynch sits.
FAAB: $12 - Lynch Owners
Richard Rodgers (TE, GB) - 25% Owned in Fleaflicker
Calling all Rob Gronkowski and Delanie Walker owners. Here's where we enter the bye-week fillers section of our segment. Grabbing a share of the Green Bay offense is never a bad idea, and there's a good chance Richard Rodgers sees an increased role in week 4.
Rodgers platoon partner Andrew Quarless left last night's game with a knee injury, freeing Rodgers as the main beneficiary of TE targets. Combined with the potential loss of Davante Adams, Rodgers has a great chance to see some touches in the Packers week 4 game at San Francisco. He hasn't eclipsed four targets in any game this season which makes him completely TD-dependent to be successful. The issue is the pickings are slim under 25% ownership and he provides the best upside of the group. For the record, if Charles Clay (33%) is sitting in your league, he'd be my bye-week fill in.
FAAB: $2
Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB, NYJ) - 19% Owned in Fleaflicker
Staying on the trend of bye-week replacements, Tom Brady and Marcus Mariota owners are going to need a contingency plan this week. Why not give the Harvard Grad a shot? Fitzpatrick has now thrown at least two touchdowns in each game and attempted a whopping 58 passes on Sunday versus the Eagles in a 24-17 loss.
Fitzpatrick gets a "road" outing versus Miami in London in week 4. Tyrod Taylor, a favorite of this section until he eclipsed 25% ownership, just gashed the Dolphins on 21-for-27 passing and 277 yards with three touchdowns. It would've been worse if the Bills didn't have the game in hand, allowing Taylor to put on a baseball cap for the fourth quarter. The Jets Chris Ivory may not be 100% for the game, forcing Fitzpatrick to air it out again for a second straight week. It's not the ideal play for fantasy owners, but it's better than snagging Mike Vick. For the record, if Tyrod Taylor (43%) or Derek Carr (35%) are sitting in FA, they'd be my first choices.
FAAB: $5
Atlanta Falcons Defense - 8% Owned in Fleaflicker
Warning: This pick has the potential to blow up in my face. The Texans just ran for 186 yards and they're likely adding Arian Foster back into the mix. But that was the Tampa Bay Bucs, and they still have to use Ryan Mallett. I expect the Falcons to build a lead in this game and force the Texans to air it out. Mallett is averaging a paltry 5.84 YPA and has yet to show the ability to take the top off a defense. His longest pass of the year was 48 yard catch and run by Nate Washington. It's likely there are better D/ST options on your waiver, but if your pickings are that slim, the Falcons at home isn't the worst play.
FAAB: $1
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