This article should probably start and end with Julio Jones.
Wow. That’s all that needs to be said about Jones’ 300-yard performance against Carolina Sunday. He was by far the stud of the week and Jones’ outing might be the performance of the season by any player.
Of course, the entire Pittsburgh Steelers offense was beastly and nobody can hide from the dreaded “dud” label.
We’re through the first quarter of the 2016 season, here are the studs and duds from Week 4:
Points listed are from standard scoring leagues
Studs
Julio Jones – 36 points
If you had Julio in a PPR league I hope you won your game this week. Jones was phenomenal and the explosion came out of thin air. He caught 12 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown in one of the most unstoppable performances of all-time. So much for Jones being injured, huh?
Matt Ryan – 35 points
A great performance by a wide receiver usually involves an excellent day from the quarterback. Ryan threw for 503 yards and four touchdowns and has been the best quarterback in fantasy thus far. Ryan’s resurgence is simply astonishing and the Falcons are now in the driver’s seat in the NFC South thanks to him.
Ben Roethlisberger – 34 points
Roethlisberger and the Steelers clearly took last week’s dud performance seriously. They went off on Kansas City out of the gates and Roethlisberger put up stellar production Sunday night. He threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns and threw as many incompletions as he did touchdowns. Yeah, that’s a sign of a stud.
Michael Crabtree– 26 points
Without Crabtree, the Raiders might have lost to Baltimore Sunday. Crabtree has surpassed Amari Cooper has the best receiver in Oakland’s offense and proved it with 88 yards and three touchdowns against Baltimore.
Blake Bortles – 25 points
If you stuck with Bortles through a rocky three weeks you were rewarded handsomely early Sunday morning. Bortles carved up the Colts for 207 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score in London. 25 points might be Bortles’ peak performance, but perhaps it’s a sign of steadying from the third-year quarterback.
Mike Nugent – 19 points
There are plenty of honorable mentions this week, but our final stud is a kicker who might have swayed fantasy matchups Thursday night. Nugent was a benefactor of Cincinnati’s red zone ineptitude, booting five field goals during a 22-7 victory over the Dolphins.
Duds
Matthew Stafford – 7 points
Stafford squandered an ideal matchup against an injury-battered Bears defense, throwing for only 213 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Stafford was emerging as a weekly must-start, but took a gigantic step back last week.
Marvin Jones – 7 points
Jones squandered the same matchup and probably could have done better than five catches for 74 yards. After carving up the Packers last week, Jones’ performance was discouraging.
Todd Gurley – 7 points
The Rams are somehow 3-1, but Gurley hasn’t been much of a factor. He struggled once again in Arizona, rushing for 33 yards. If not for his 49 receiving yards, Gurley would have been an even bigger dud in a winning effort for Los Angeles.
Alshon Jeffery – 4 points
Only three catches for 46 yards seems a bit underwhelming for a player of Jeffery’s caliber. Jeffery remains shutout in the touchdown department.
Amari Cooper – 4 points
After putting up 15 fantasy points in the season opener, Cooper has put up only 17 total points in his last three games combined. Cooper hasn’t paid back owners who invested a high draft pick in him.
Brandin Cooks – 3 points
Another receiver who has been underwhelming since Week 1, Cooks’ production was lackluster once again. He caught only three passes for 31 yards while New Orleans rallied for a 35-34 victory against San Diego. Cooks has only five catches for 44 yards the past two weeks combined.
Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski – 1 point each
Ouch. New England’s passing game was stymied by Rex Ryan and the Bills. Edelman and Gronkowski only caught one pass apiece. That’s not a recipe for success for the Patriots or your fantasy teams.
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Who were your studs and duds from the first week of the season? Reach out on to Matt on Twitter @RealMattBarbato.