One of the things I’ve had to learn over the first quarter of the season is that teams are no longer structured in regards to what kind of fantasy output their positions should have. Going back just a few years ago, it was a rare feat for wide receivers to account for more than 75 percent of the yardage/output. Here in 2018, the Rams wide receivers have accounted for 80 percent of Jared Goff‘s yardage, while the tight ends sit at just five percent. It’s what’s allowing the three wide receivers from Los Angeles produce each and every week. It also doesn’t hurt that Goff is averaging 10.5 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns in four games.
There may be times where I’m hesitant to believe trends like this can take place over a full season, but with the way the game is shifting towards pass attacks, there’s no reason we should expect this to stop, especially when you have play-callers like Sean McVay. At the one-quarter mark, you need to stop to evaluate your process and determine what’s been wrong.
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Denver Broncos at New York Jets
Total: 42.5
Line: NYJ by 1.0
QBs
Case Keenum: Whew boy, if Keenum couldn’t get it done against the Chiefs secondary, it’s going to be nearly impossible to trust him against anyone. Since throwing three touchdowns (and three interceptions) against the Seahawks in Week 1, Keenum has yet to throw another touchdown pass while playing the Raiders, Ravens, and Chiefs defenses. With all the big numbers going up around the league, Keenum has averaged just 6.46 yards per attempt the last three weeks. His 27.96 fantasy points over the last three weeks combined would’ve been the QB9 performance in Week 4 alone. The Jets defense is a young unit and they’ve been a bit hit-or-miss over the first four games, though their Week 4 game against Blake Bortles is what most remember, as he totaled 388 yards and two touchdowns. But before that game, they’d allowed just 688 passing yards and three touchdowns through three games, so we cannot forget about that. Knowing Keenum is also on a short week, it’s tough to say that he’s near the streaming radar this week, though he should really take advantage of Emmanuel Sanders‘ matchup.
Sam Darnold: Another quarterback who had a great Week 1 but has struggled since, totaling just 223.3 yards per game on 6.32 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and four interceptions the last three weeks. We didn’t expect him to do well against the Jaguars though, right? The Broncos pass-rush should find their way to Darnold, as his offensive line isn’t built to withstand much. He’s been sacked 10 times through four games, though it’s really odd to not see him use his legs more, as it’s something he did quite a bit in college. The Broncos secondary isn’t all that good outside of Chris Harris Jr., and it’s the reason they’ve allowed in-between 277 and 304 yards in each game this season. They’ve also allowed at least one passing touchdown in each game this year, putting Darnold on the low-end QB2 radar.
RBs
Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay: These two running backs are phenomenal, but both have been extremely underused with the way Keenum has been playing. Denver currently ranks 14th in rushing attempts per game (26.5), which is not high enough considering they’ve been involved in three one-score games. The Broncos offensive line has been getting some push and they’ll need to against the Jets who have held running backs to just 3.47 yards per carry on the season. But they’ve also allowed their opponent 28.2 rushing attempts per game, which ranks as the fifth-most, and that’s led to four rushing touchdowns over the last three games. It may appear that Freeman has the goal-line job, though both him and Lindsay each have seven carries inside the red zone. This is just a straight-up 50/50 timeshare on the ground, though Lindsay has eight targets to Freeman’s two, which makes Lindsay a bit more gamescript-proof. Lindsay should be played as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3, while Freeman is more of a touchdown-dependent RB3. It’s also worth noting that right tackle Jared Veldheer is unlikely to play for the Broncos.
Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell: I’m pretty sure I heard the Crowell supporters climb into a hole after his four-carry, zero-yard performance last week. In fact, he’s totaled just 69 rushing yards on 32 carries (2.16 yards per carry) since the Week 1 massacre in Detroit. He’s going to be a big-play or bust RB3 option most weeks, though he’ll kill your fantasy team with performances like that. The Broncos did allow Kareem Hunt to have an RB1 performance against them last week, but it likely had to do with their commitment to try and slow down the receivers (which they did for the most part). It was the first time a running back totaled more than 68 rushing yards against them since Week 13 of last year, so don’t expect that to be a trend. They have allowed four rushing touchdowns over the last three weeks, so it’s possible we see another Crowell touchdown, though there won’t be much else with it. Consider him an RB3/4 who will let you down without a touchdown. Powell has touched the ball 26 touches over the last two games while Crowell has 23, so it’s still a near 50/50 timeshare between the two. The Broncos haven’t allowed more than four receptions to any running back, so it’s unlikely Powell finds much value there, making him a low-upside RB4 with less touchdown upside than Crowell.
WRs
Emmanuel Sanders: It’s been a mess for the entire Broncos passing-game over the last three weeks, but Sanders has managed to hang in there as the WR19 through one-quarter of the season. He’s seen at least seven targets in 3-of-4 games and he’s been the most efficient receiver, so there’s little reason to think that ends. His matchup this week doesn’t get any better, as he’ll see Buster Skrine in coverage, potentially the league’s worst slot cornerback. He’s been targeted 21 times this year, allowing 16/206/1 in the process. And no, this isn’t a one-year type thing, as he’s allowed at least a 94.7 QB Rating in his coverage in each of the last four seasons. You know how Dede Westbrook went off for nine catches and 130 yards last week? Mmhmm. Sanders needs to be in lineups as a high-end WR2 despite Keenum’s struggles.
Demaryius Thomas: Warning: you may want to vomit while looking at Thomas’ stats over the last three weeks. He’s seen 23 targets (24th), caught 14 passes (33rd) for 105 yards (65th) and no touchdowns. He should’ve had a game-winning touchdown against the Chiefs but Keenum overthrew him by five yards when there was no defender near him. It’s clear that he’s suffering the most by Keenum’s struggles, and it’s unlikely that it’s fixed in Week 5, as he’ll see a mixture of Morris Claiborne and Trumaine Johnson in coverage, two cornerbacks who don’t have much problems with bigger receivers (it’s the speed that’ll eat Claiborne up). On the year, the duo has allowed 20-of-38 passing for 269 yards and one touchdown while intercepting two passes. If the Broncos can do simple homework, it’s Sanders’ week to shine. It’s highly unlikely that he can support two fantasy wide receivers right now, making Thomas just a low-end WR3. The reason to hold out hope? Thomas has seen four red zone targets while Sanders and Sutton have none. Update: Trumaine Johnson has been ruled out for this game, which does upgrade Thomas’ matchup, though he’ll only see his replacement Darryl Roberts about 25 percent of the time.
Courtland Sutton: You can see the Broncos trying to involve him a bit more in the offense, though nothing has materialized just yet. He’s seen at least five targets in 3-of-4 games, so once we see Keenum start to get out of his slump, Sutton may become an option. In this matchup, he was supposed to see a lot of Trumaine Johnson, who has been ruled out with a quad injury. Instead, he’ll face 2015 seventh-round pick Darryl Roberts who is a career backup. Sutton may have a better matchup than originally anticipated, but how much can we trust a No. 3 receiver for a team whose quarterback hasn’t thrown a touchdown since Week 1?
Quincy Enunwa: The targets have started to even out over the last few weeks, but Enunwa has still seen at least eight targets in each of the first four games. As a reference, Sammy Watkins saw seven or more targets in just four games all of last season. His 37 targets are still good for a 29.1 percent target share, which is among the league leaders. Whenever a player sees that many targets, they’re almost always a weekly start. This week puts that to the test, though, as Chris Harris Jr. is the one who mans the slot for the Broncos, and he’s likely the best in the game. Even as the Broncos secondary struggles, he’s allowed just 98 yards on 22 targets in coverage this year (4.45 yards per target). This is a week where I’m sliding Enunwa down to WR4 territory despite his targets because they may not matter against Harris.
Robby Anderson: Now that his legal issues are behind him, hopefully Anderson can start to produce like the WR3/4 he was drafted as in most leagues. Him and Darnold haven’t been on the same page to this point, though we have to see Darnold start to take shots down the field at some point. He’s thrown 17 passes that have traveled at least 20 yards, though he’s completed just three of them for 86 yards and a touchdown, which was to Anderson back in Week 1. But let’s cut Anderson a little bit of slack, as these are the cornerbacks he’s faced through four games: Darius Slay, Xavien Howard, Denzel Ward, Jalen Ramsey. It’s quite possible that those are all top-10 cornerbacks in the NFL. He’ll see Bradley Roby and Adam Jones this week, two cornerbacks who’ve somewhat struggled based on what was expected out of them coming into the year. There have been seven wide receivers who have been able to score at least 13 PPR points against them with just one of them being a slot receiver. Anderson could be a good buy-low, though it’s possible that Darnold and him just aren’t on the same page just yet. I’d consider him a better WR4/5 option than most in his range, though he obviously has some risk.
TEs
Jeff Heuerman: Once Jake Butt went to IR with another torn ACL, we needed to watch and see how many snaps/routes we got out of Heuerman, who has played well in a limited role the last two years. Well, he played 53-of-60 snaps and ran 31 pass routes after running just 15 routes in Week 3 and 13 routes in Week 2. He’s the primary option for them now, which carries some value considering he and Butt were splitting reps and totaled 27 targets over the first four weeks. This may not be the week to give him a go though, as the Jets have yet to allow a tight end to finish with more than two receptions or 36 yards. There isn’t a team in the NFL who’s allowed less yards to the tight end position and we know Keenum hasn’t thrown a touchdown since Week 1. The math is pretty easy on this one.
Chris Herndon: It was Jordan Leggett who got more targets in Week 4, but it was still Herndon leading the team in snaps and routes run. Still, it’s difficult to trust any of them, as Herndon ran 24 routes, Leggett 18 routes, and Eric Tomlinson 4 routes. All three of them have combined to total 17 targets on the season, though none of them have more than seven targets. The Broncos can be exposed against tight ends, too, though the Jets offense just doesn’t allow us to use one confidently.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Total: 51.0
Line: GB by 1.0
QBs
Aaron Rodgers: We started to see signs of improvement with Rodgers last week, as he practiced on Thursday (hadn’t practiced until Saturday the previous two weeks), and then he rushed for a season-high 31 yards against the Bills. He’ll now head out to Detroit to play against a team that will look a lot different than years past. Under Matt Patricia, the Lions defense has played respectably, holding each of the four quarterbacks they’ve played to 255 yards or less, though that doesn’t tell the whole story. They have allowed two passing touchdowns in 3-of-4 games which included Sam Darnold and Dak Prescott. They have also yet to play against a quarterback who’s thrown the ball more than 27 times. Part of that is because their offense is playing a ball-control style offense and it’s held their opponents to just 57.8 plays per game, the second-lowest in the NFL. With the run-game struggling to get anything going (just one rushing score through four games), Rodgers will be relied upon more than the quarterbacks they’ve played to this point. Rodgers only played against Matt Patricia’s defense once in his career (2014) and in that game he totaled 368 yards and two touchdowns. The matchup is a bit trickier than most think, but Rodgers should be considered a mid-to-high-end-QB1, though the status of his receivers may negatively affect his outlook.
Matthew Stafford: Returning home typically does Stafford very well, as he averages over 2.5 more fantasy points per game at home than he does on the road over the course of his career. Playing inside a dome is a different feeling, not only as a fan, but as a player. Since his rough start in Week 1 where everyone overreacted, he’s now thrown seven touchdowns and one interception over the last three weeks. The Packers lost Muhammad Wilkerson two weeks ago, and though you couldn’t tell last week against the Bills, it’ll affect their pass-rush. Against Josh Allen and Mitch Trubisky, the Packers allowed just 4.8 yards per attempt with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Against Kirk Cousins and Alex Smith, they allowed 9.5 yards per attempt with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Stafford is clearly part of the better group and should be able to take advantage of the Packers inexperience at cornerback. Knowing that the Lions are unwilling to commit to their ground-game, consider Stafford a must-play QB1 who should have a great game. He’s worth considering in cash games, as well as tournaments.
RBs
Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, and Ty Montgomery: If you missed it, Aaron Rodgers went to bat for Jones last week in an interview saying, “he brings something different to the offense that they haven’t had in a while.” Over the last two weeks, we’ve now seen him total 107 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while Williams has plodded along totaling just 56 scoreless yards on 16 carries. In fact, Williams has now totaled 47 rushing attempts without a touchdown this year. The NFL average last year was one touchdown for every 38.3 carries. It’s going to remain a timeshare due to Williams’ ability to pass-block, but Jones will start to see more of the 1-2 down work, especially when they’re leading a game. This may not be a game where we can clearly say they’ll lead, so Jones becomes a bit riskier, though there’s reason for optimism. The Lions run defense has been brutal, allowing more than 175 rushing yards to three of the first four teams they played, with the only exception being the Patriots, a team who Patricia had great knowledge of. Outside of that Patriots game, they’ve allowed at least one running back hit 22 PPR points in each game. If there was one I’d say had that chance, it’s Jones. He should be considered a somewhat risky RB3 who comes with plenty of upside, while Williams becomes a low-end RB3 who lacks upside. Montgomery will have more of a role in the offense with Cobb held out again, and it’s likely they’ve gameplanned that into effect with more notice. The Lions have allowed a receiving touchdown to a running back in each of their last two games, so pay attention. Montgomery is shaping up to be an upside RB4/flex option.
Kerryon Johnson, LeGarrette Blount, and Theo Riddick: Similar to the Packers backfield, the Lions need to wake up and smell the production sooner or later. Over the last two weeks, Johnson has totaled 156 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, while Blount has just 95 yards on 35 carries the entire season. Blount was never a fit for this offense, so it’d be nice to see Patricia let go and give Johnson the reigns of the backfield. Due to the increase in playing time for Johnson, we’ve seen Riddick dip down below 30 snaps in each of the last three games, though we haven’t seen Johnson properly utilized in the passing-game quite yet. There have been two different Packers defenses when it comes to the run, as they stuffed Dalvin Cook and LeSean McCoy, who both have what in common? Bad offensive lines. They struggled against Jordan Howard and Adrian Peterson, who both have what? Good offensive lines. The Lions line-play has been solid through four games and it should allow Johnson to continue his success. If the Lions hold him below 10 carries in another game this year, I’d be surprised. Consider him a low-end RB2 for now. Riddick is still on the RB4 radar in PPR formats, though him losing snaps isn’t ideal.
WRs
Davante Adams: We knew that it’d be a somewhat quiet week for Adams against Tre’Davious White in Week 4, though eight catches for 81 yards is still very respectable. If all holds true to what Patricia wants to do on defense, it may be another tough week for Adams. There have been multiple Lions players who’ve said they’ll take away the team’s best receiving threat, which is why we saw Rob Gronkowski double- and triple-teamed a few weeks ago. The Lions will surely have Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay on him this week, but they may even give him help over the top. Through four games, Slay has allowed just a 50 percent catch-rate in his coverage and has allowed a piddly 4.57 yards per target in coverage. Adams is extremely talented as well and can win one-on-one matchups, so he’s not going to be shut-out, but there’s reasons to fade him in DFS this week. The Packers put him in the slot for just nine routes last week, but he was targeted on three of them, so maybe we see more of that this week to avoid Slay in coverage? He’s more of a high-end WR2 this week.
Geronimo Allison: If you missed it, Allison suffered a concussion towards the end of the Week 4 game, so his Week 5 status is in doubt, though I’ll update the article as we near game-time. It’s not necessarily a great matchup, as the Lions secondary duo of Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson has been solid through four games. While Slay will be glued to Adams, Lawson has been able to hold his own to this point. He’s allowed just 7-of-13 passes to be completed, though those completions did go for 116 yards and a touchdown, so he’s far from unbeatable. Lawson is the definition of an average cornerback who benefits from seeing No. 2 receivers all the time but know that Rodgers is one who will take advantage of that. Allison’s 16-game pace is now 118 targets, 76 receptions, 1,156 yards, and 8 touchdowns. That would have been the No. 7 wide receiver in 2017, so why aren’t we considering him a must-play WR3 most weeks? Update: Allison may clear the concussion protocol, but he’s also listed with a hamstring injury on the official injury report, which makes him unlikely to play. Even if he does suit-up, he comes with additional risk this week.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: It’s unknown if Randall Cobb will play this game, but knowing how easily hamstrings are re-injured, the Packers are likely to play it safe with him. In his absence, the Packers had fifth-round pick Valdes-Scantling fill the slot role, though he caught just one ball for 38 yards against the Bills. The Lions deploy Jamal Agnew out of the slot, and he’s been the one to attack in coverage. While Slay has allowed just 4.57 yards per target and Lawson has allowed 8.92 yards per target, Agnew has allowed a massive 11.75 yards per target in his coverage, which is really high for a slot cornerback. He’s yet to allow a touchdown, but those will come. Knowing that Valdes-Scantling ran 70 percent of his routes out of the slot, he’s got sleeper appeal. Update: Cobb has been ruled out. It will be Valdez-Scantling in the slot, who can be played as a WR4 with diminishing options for Rodgers.
Kenny Golladay: He saw a season-low four targets last week, though he was still able to produce 74 yards on them. It’s tough not to put him above Marvin Jones for the remainder of the season because he’s not as dependent on the big play and/or touchdowns. Golladay has three more targets on the season, while Jones’ average depth of target is 4.4 yards higher than his. The Packers have been without Kevin King for multiple weeks now and even if he comes back, he may be at less than 100 percent. That’s the side of the field Golladay lines up on the majority of time, so he’d either see King or second-round pick Josh Jackson in coverage. Jackson is a bigger cornerback, but he’s been mediocre in coverage thus far, allowing a 74 percent catch-rate in his coverage. The Packers have been the team Jones has destroyed the last few meetings, but Golladay shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s an every-week WR3 at worst, and this matchup is no different.
Marvin Jones: It’s been one of the most consistent starts to the fantasy season by any wide receiver, though the numbers don’t match what he was posting last season. He’s now had three or four catches, six to nine targets, and 54 to 69 yards in each of the first four games. He’s tossed in two touchdowns, which have kept his overall numbers afloat, but Jones has essentially become a DeSean Jackson-type deep threat in the Lions offense. His average depth of target is 16.4 yards, which ranks seventh-highest of wide receivers with at least 15 targets. He’ll see the most of Tramon Williams in coverage, the Packers most experienced and talented cornerback at this point in time, though he was burned against the Vikings a few weeks back. Jones has been a Packers crusher the last two years, just take a look at his lines from those four games (most recent first): 4/81/1, 7/107/2, 5/76/0, and 6/205/2. He’s taking a bit of a backseat to Golladay this season, but Jones shouldn’t be overlooked as a WR3 himself this week. Update: Jones was added to the injury report with an ankle injury on Friday, which is never a good thing. It appears he’ll play, but there’s some additional risk.
Golden Tate: He’s feasted on an easy early-season schedule, totaling 28 receptions for 389 yards and three touchdowns, though there’s reason to believe he slows down soon. This is Tate’s fifth season with the Lions and he’s finished as a top-20 option twice, but never top-12. He’s currently the WR7 on the season. Does it start this week? The Packers have rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander in the slot and this should be a fun matchup to watch, as both players are extremely mouthy. Alexander has statistically been the best cornerback on the Packers this year, allowing just 150 yards on 22 targets in his coverage, though 71 of those came against the Vikings in Week 2. Outside of them, he’s had to cover Anthony Miller, Jamison Crowder, and Zay Jones, so the competition has been somewhat light. With the way Tate is being used and how Golladay/Jones have cleared things out, he needs to be plugged-in as a WR2 once again.
TEs
Jimmy Graham: I mentioned last week that Graham should’ve gotten his first touchdown of the year against the Bills, and it was good to see him capitalize in a good matchup. Well, he’s got another one this week. The Lions have allowed a tight end touchdown in two of their four games, which were to Garrett Celek and Geoff Swaim. In fact, Swaim should’ve had a second one last week. The Lions did shut down Rob Gronkowski a few weeks back which may scare some off Graham, but believe me when I say that the Lions will not use the resources to defend Graham the way they did Gronkowski. Even going back to last year with a lot of the same personnel, the Lions defense allowed eight touchdowns to tight ends, which tied for the sixth-most in the NFL. Graham is a rock-solid TE1 play this week, especially when we know that Adams will get Slay and that Cobb may be out.
Luke Willson: We’ve now seen just 14 targets directed at the tight end position as a whole for the Lions through four games. Willson has seen half of them (7), but let’s not pretend that we’d be excited about using a tight end who’d seen 14 targets on the season, let alone an entire team of tight ends. The Lions are using the Rams approach where they’re using their third wide receiver instead of the tight end, and they’ve even limited their attempts to running back in comparison to years past. The Packers have allowed 247 yards to tight ends over the last three weeks, but it’s still not enough for me to consider Willson as a streamer.
New York Giants at Carolina Panthers
Total: 44.5
Line: CAR by 6.5
QBs
Eli Manning: Who would’ve thought it’d be the Giants offense costing them games with all the weapons they have? The defense has held 3-of-4 opponents to 22 points or less, yet the Giants have just one win to their name. Manning has been the definition of mediocre, playing a game-manager type role, throwing for four touchdowns with just one interception. He’s completed 74.2 percent of his passes which is behind only Drew Brees, but he’s not converting when they need him to. The Panthers are coming off their bye week, though they’ve had mixed reviews on the season. They allowed both Matt Ryan and Andy Dalton to throw two touchdowns, but they also intercepted them five times. They’ve allowed 5.35 yards per carry, but they’ve also played stellar competition. We still don’t know who the Panthers are, but if we know one thing, it’s best to attack them through the air. With Odell Beckham starting to pout on the sidelines (he’s right to be upset, but don’t pout on the sidelines), the Giants are likely to get their best playmaker involved, and when that happens, better things will happen for Manning. In Carolina, you don’t want to use Manning as anything outside of a low-owned tournament option who can have a good game because the Panthers don’t have someone to cover Beckham.
Cam Newton: He might be having his best season yet now that he’s completing 67.4 percent of his passes with a 5 to 1 QB:INT ratio through three games. While it’s still early and he’s played some pitiful defenses, Newton is someone who relies on confidence and he’s got plenty of it right now. The Giants have been much better than most expected, as Janoris Jenkins has turned back into the cornerback he was pre-ankle surgery last year. They’ve been without Eli Apple the last two weeks and it should have been an area that was exploited heavily (Deshaun Watson did, Drew Brees didn’t). While I don’t expect Newton to have another 300-yard game here, he should rack up the rushing yards. Through four weeks, the Giants have already allowed three quarterbacks rush for more than 35 yards. Newton is a middling QB1 this week, and one you should start.
RBs
Saquon Barkley: We knew that the Giants offensive line would be less-than-ideal, though we also thought that Pat Shurmur would be able to scheme around it. Barkley ranks ninth in carries through four games and second in targets (behind only Kamara), so the volume will continue to carry him through. If this offense starts scoring more points, Barkley will reach new heights. The Panthers haven’t been their usual selves against the run this year, allowing 5.35 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns through three games, though their opponents have been pretty good (Ezekiel Elliott, Tevin Coleman, Gio Bernard). In their two home games, they haven’t allowed a running back to eclipse 69 yards on the ground (Elliott included), so it’s tough to say Barkley is an elite RB1 play this week. On top of that, the Panthers have allowed just 13 receptions for 68 scoreless yards through the air. You’re still playing Barkley as an RB1 in redraft leagues, but this is a week to limit exposure in DFS.
Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson: Now that we’ve had a week to digest the McCaffrey 28-carry game from two weeks ago, we must remember that it was one game. We cannot change our opinions that quickly and though it was a great game, the Bengals were down two defensive tackles and their best linebacker. McCaffrey failing to score is always a concern we’re going to have, as Newton might be the best goal-line back in the game. The Giants defense badly missed linebacker Olivier Vernon last week against the Saints, as Alvin Kamara tagged them for 134 yards and three touchdowns. The truth is that the Giants had three new players on their front-seven this year and it was going to take some time to mesh together. Prior to Week 4, they’d played rather well, not allowing more than 78 rushing yards to any one player, which included Ezekiel Elliott. The reason for optimism, though, is that the Giants have now allowed each of the last three starting running backs to rack up five catches against them, which included a touchdown to Lamar Miller. McCaffrey needs to be in season-long lineups as a borderline RB1 who gets a solid bump if Vernon is out again. Update: Vernon is out for this game, so McCaffrey is about as safe as they come this week.
WRs
Odell Beckham: Look, he’s got a right to be upset with the way the offense has played through the first four weeks, but do not stand there screaming on the sidelines like my soon-to-be two-year-old. It’s not the targets, though, as Beckham’s 45 targets through four games ranks sixth-most among wide receivers. It’s where the targets are at, as Beckham’s average depth of target is just 9.6 yards down the field, the same as 34-year-old Brandon Marshall. That number was almost two full yards higher the last time he played a full season. I fully expect Beckham to bounce-back, but they need to design plays to get him down the field. The Panthers will undoubtedly have James Bradberry shadow him this week, though it shouldn’t scare you too much. A.J. Green should’ve had a touchdown against him in Week 3, though he bounced so hard off the turf it popped out, and then left the game with a hip injury. Any time you get an elite receiver like Beckham who is going to be in man-coverage most of the day, you need to exploit that matchup. It’s not so good that you need to use him in cash lineups, but Beckham should be on your tournament radar.
Sterling Shepard: We loved Shepard last week, so it was good to see him deliver in such a tasty matchup. He’s now caught 16-of-17 targets for 157 yards and two touchdowns the last two weeks, which is largely in-part to Evan Engram being off the field, though Shepard was always going to be a big part of Shurmur’s play-calling. The Panthers will have James Bradberry shadowing Beckham, which means Shepard will see veteran Captain Munnerlyn on the majority of his snaps. Of the three slot receivers who’ve played against him this year, here were their lines: Cole Beasley 7/73/0, Mohamed Sanu 2/19/0, and Tyler Boyd 6/132/1. Safe to say that it’s not a bad matchup and considering how much Manning and him have connected the last two weeks, he should get plenty of opportunities. Shepard should be considered a semi-safe WR3 in this game.
Devin Funchess: After playing well against the Falcons where he posted seven catches for 77 yards, Funchess followed that up with a 67-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Bengals and William Jackson, an up-and-coming cornerback. He’s got the toughest matchup of the young season in Week 5, though, as Janoris Jenkins just got done holding Michael Thomas to just four catches for 47 yards. The week before that it was DeAndre Hopkins who was limited to six catches for 86 yards. It’s possible that Jenkins takes him too lightly, but I’m not going to bank on that, making Funchess just a risky WR4.
Torrey Smith: We don’t know what the bye week brought to the Panthers play-calling, but it’s unlikely they’ll change Smith’s No. 2 role. That means he’ll see either Eli Apple (who has missed the last two weeks) or B.W. Webb, who is someone to target in coverage as he’s allowed a 111.9 QB Rating over his career. It’s tough to like Smith too much though, as he’s totaled just 15 targets and caught just seven of them while Newton has played really good football. He’s someone you can throw into a tournament lineup if you’re one of those doing max-entries, but I wouldn’t trust him in season-long leagues.
D.J. Moore: After playing just 17 snaps in each of the first two weeks, Moore saw his snap-count jump to 33 during their Week 3 win over the Bengals. Was it a sign that he’s going to move into the starting lineup soon? The player who lost snaps was Jarius Wright, who had played 75 snaps over the first two weeks but dipped down to just 26 snaps in Week 3. One important note is that Wright still ran 10 more routes than Moore. With Eli Apple out the last two weeks, the Giants have stuck 2016 undrafted free agent Donte Deayon in the slot and he’s done a solid job holding Cameron Meredith to just 3/32/0 and Bruce Ellington to 1/10/0 prior to leaving with his injury. Moore is someone to keep on your radar, but with so many different factors, it’s best to wait before trusting him in any lineup.
TEs
Rhett Ellison: The Giants said that Ellison would walk into the Evan Engram role and it’s hard to it’s not true now that he’s totaled eight targets in essentially one and a half games. He’s hauled in six of those targets for 68 yards and a touchdown. Prior to their bye week, the Panthers had been gashed by tight ends, allowing Tyler Eifert/C.J. Uzomah combine for 8/93/1, and Austin Hooper to snag 5/59/1 before that. It’s possible that Ellison is the forgotten man in the offense, similar to Eifert and Hooper for their respective teams, as their wide receivers demand so much attention. Ellison should be on the radar as a TE2 streamer this week.
Ian Thomas: We’ve seen his role grow each week that Greg Olsen is out, as he saw a season-high five targets against the Bengals, though they only netted 20 scoreless yards. In fact, his 3.4 yards per target on the season ranks 77th of 80 tight ends who’ve caught at least one pass. Targets almost always lead to production for tight ends, so we don’t want to simply give up on Thomas, but he’s still a rookie, which historically hasn’t worked out for tight ends. The Giants have been really good against tight ends this year, not allowing a single one to total more than three receptions. This comes after they really struggled against them last year, though the new coaching staff has apparently righted that ship. Thomas shouldn’t be on the streaming radar just yet.