Fantasy managers were treated to some high-scoring matchups in Week 4, and that means fewer busts than usual. But of course, not everyone met expectations, and I’m here to identify those who didn’t. I’ll leave out those whose disappointing performances were to injury, and I’ll assign each player a grade from 0 to 5 that corresponds to my strategy of choice.
| Panic Level | Meaning |
| 0 | No fear. Keep starting this player. |
| 1 | A little worried. Consider benching them if you have a better option. |
| 2 | Wait-and-see. Bench them across the board. |
| 3 | On the block. Bench this player and try to sell. |
| 4 | Sell now. Take whatever you can get, but don’t drop them. |
| 5 | Droppable. Send them to waivers. |
So with the panic meter laid out, let’s get started!
Nick Mullens (SF): 5
Not many quarterbacks had panic-worthy performances this week. Well, Jared Goff did, but I said all you needed to know about him back in Week 1. So for those readers in 2QB leagues, let’s make it official, you can drop Nick Mullens.
Mullens did not play well against the Eagles. But when presented with the opportunity to make up for his mistakes, he failed spectacularly.
Alex Singleton with a 30-yard house call on a Nick Mullens interception to take an 11 point lead for the Eagles (+278 ML) @betthepigskin
— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) October 5, 2020
Kyle Shanahan promptly benched him for C.J. Beathard, who completed 14 of 19 passes for 138 yards. In the ten percent of the game that he played, Beathard threw 43.75% of the completed passes and 40% of the passing yards.
Don’t expect Mullens to keep his job after this one.
Kenyan Drake (ARI): 3.5
Yikes. I’ll come clean — Drake earned a 0 in this column last week while Joe Mixon got a 4.5. While I stand by my assessment that Mixon is a must-sell (he’s just a sell high now — you can read more about him here), I won’t stand by Drake anymore.
I may have been wrong about Drake, but I was following some good process. I knew that Drake was playing the Panthers this week, one of the league’s worst rushing defenses, and I figured that he’d make a good sell-high after a big performance.
Drake ran for just 35 yards on 13 carries, and he did not earn a target. He did this against a defense that had surrendered 321 total yards and seven touchdowns to Josh Jacobs, Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, Austin Ekeler, and Joshua Kelley.
You can either keep holding onto Drake, waiting for a big performance to try to sell high on him, or you can move on from him now. Up to you.
Darrell Henderson (LAR): 2.5
After looking like the workhorse in Week 4, and after head coach Sean McVay said that he thought Henderson would get the start, fantasy analysts were high on Henderson entering Week 4. How did that work out for us?
Rams Week 4 RB usage (PFF, ugh)
Malcolm Brown: 61% snaps, 9 carries, 6 targets
Darrell Henderson: 39% snaps, 8 carries, 1 target— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 5, 2020
Not well. Henderson totaled 38 yards to Brown’s 56 in a game that the Rams controlled from the start. The Rams may have to try harder in future games, but with Cam Akers’ return looming, I would move Henderson before his value depreciates any more. That said, you could wait and see how he does next week to improve your asking price.
Preston Williams (MIA): 4.5
Time’s up, Preston. Through Weeks 1 and 2, Williams was one of the Dolphins’ most-targeted options despite playing against Stephon Gilmore and Tre’Davious White. But since then, he’s totaled just four catches for 24 yards. He has a one-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion as well, but still, there’s just no longer enough volume here.
William’s fall has corresponded with slot receiver Isaiah Ford’s rise. You can read a bit more about him here, but the skinny is that he’s a worthwhile pickup in PPR formats.
Michael Gallup (DAL): 1.5
Gallup has been entirely boom-or-bust this season. A week after catching six of his nine targets for 138 yards and a touchdown, Gallup caught just two of five targets for 29 yards. He was significantly out-targeted by teammates Amari Cooper (16), CeeDee Lamb (7), and Dalton Schultz (8).
That said, the Cowboys are attempting a ton of passes, and they’ll have to keep doing that unless their defense improves. It’s impossible to support all four of these receiving options with Ezekiel Elliott around, and so at least one of them will bust each week.
Leave Gallup on your bench unless you have no better options — or unless you’re confident that he’s due for a “boom” week.
Tyler Lockett (SEA): 0
Remember when Lockett earned 13 targets and turned them into three touchdowns last week? If you don’t, this might help you.
Touchdown, @TDLockett12! ?
Listen in on the Raible Call of the Game for Tyler Lockett's third touchdown of the day.
?: Highlights on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/5fy1M0Y48k
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 28, 2020
Yes, it sucks that he only caught two passes for 39 yards this week. But the Seahawks didn’t need to pass frequently to beat the Dolphins, and so they didn’t. They’re in for what should be more competitive games in Week 5 (Vikings), Week 6 (Cardinals), and Week 7 (49ers), so leave Lockett in your lineup.
T.Y. Hilton (IND): 3
Hilton has been a massive disappointment thus far. Let’s take a quick look at his stat lines.
TY Hilton this year:
4-53-0
3-28-0
3-52-0
3-29-0— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) October 4, 2020
It gets worse. The Colts have lost two of their other wide receivers, Michael Pittman and Parris Campbell, through this span. Hilton should have contributed more than this by now.
While I would recommend benching Hilton, you should give him two more weeks before you give up on him completely. The Colts get the Browns and Bengals in the next two weeks, and both of their defenses have struggled against the pass. If Hilton can’t correct course in soft matchups with less competition around him for targets, then he’s a lost cause for fantasy purposes. If he can, try to sell high on him before Pittman gets back.
A.J. Green (CIN): 3
Green had his worst game of the season this week. He earned five targets, fewer than Tyler Boyd (8), Tee Higgins (7), and Joe Mixon (6), and the same number as Drew Sample.
Green was a solid regression candidate before this week, as he had been getting a ton of targets and air yards. That’s no longer the case — Higgins has broken out, and the Bengals don’t need Green anymore.
I would wait for Green to have another good game before you try to move him. But beware, if you wait too long and he can’t get his act together, then you probably won’t get anything at all.
Zach Ertz (PHI): 2.5
The Eagles don’t have many healthy receiving options, so you’d expect Ertz to, you know, do something. Yet somehow, he hasn’t — Ertz caught just four passes for nine yards against the 49ers. Every other Eagles receiver earned more yards than him, and third-string tight end Richard Rodgers caught three of his four targets for 35 yards.
Oof.
The Eagles don’t have the best matchups over the next few weeks. They’ll play the Steelers and Ravens, and both of those squads should be able to give Carson Wentz headaches. There’s also a chance that Alshon Jeffery can return soon, and his presence would lead to fewer targets for Ertz.
You may not get much for Ertz if you try to sell him now, so I would recommend a wait-and-see approach. That said, tight end is a sparse position, so you may need to leave him in your starting lineup if you can’t make a deal soon.
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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
