Welcome to Week 4 (kind of since Thursday’s game already happened) and hopefully you’re sitting pretty at 3-0 or 2-1. In either case, the season is just flying by and for every lineup mistake that is made, it could prove costly. On the same note, for every right decision you make, that could easily be the deciding factor by the end of Monday night.
With the injuries and poor performances from some studs to start the season, it would be no surprise if there are again some disappointments from the higher ranked players. On the flip side, this is football and outcomes like Marcedes Lewis’ three touchdown day can just as likely happen. For that reason, we’re asking our featured experts below who they feel could go boom or bust this week.
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Q1. Give us a player outside of our top 100 Flex that represents a deep sleeper start and tell us why you think he has upside this week.
Jaron Brown (WR – ARI): vs. SF
“With both John Brown and J.J. Nelson not quite 100% and the Niners likely focusing on stopping Larry Fitzgerald, I can see Brown exceeding expectations this week. He’s worked out nicely the past two weeks and against a 49ers defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league against wide receivers, I can see him having a strong outing.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)
Rashard Higgins (WR – CLE): vs. CIN
“Just one week after everyone stuck him in their lineups and was let down, Rashard Higgins may come back to life this week. The way the game is expected to go dictates a lot of pass attempts, and while Kenny Britt deals with a combination of Adam Jones and Dre Kirkpatrick, Higgins will see the cornerback that most expected to get cut this offseason, Darqueze Dennard. Higgins plays a majority of his routes from the slot, which is where Dennard plays when opponents go three-wide. He could see eight-plus targets in this contest.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE – NYJ): vs. JAC
“Seferian-Jenkins has been a disappointment since being drafted, but he could make some noise this year. There are plenty of targets up for grabs in New York and with two elite cornerbacks on the outside in A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey, I think targets funnel to ASJ.”
– Adam Pfeifer (RotoCurve)
Danny Amendola (WR – NE): vs. CAR
“Amendola is someone I’m using in daily fantasy this week. The Panthers are down cornerback Daryl Worley, so I like all New England receivers. It seems like they could all go off any given week, and Amendola already did so in Week 1, catching six passes for 100 yards. There’s no reason to think he couldn’t post similar stats in this contest. His floor is low, but any Tom Brady receiver also has a high ceiling.”
– Walter Cherepinsky (WalterFootball)
Q2. On the flip side, what player inside the top 40 Flex is likely to disappoint fantasy owners this week?
Devante Parker (WR – MIA): vs. NO
“Parker went from someone who was expected to take a leap this season, to being ranked as someone who has already taken the leap. Look, I don’t think Parker is a bad play by any means, but ranked as a top-15 receiver? That’s a bit bullish, considering Marshon Lattimore appears ready to suit up for this game. If he shadows Parker, Cutler can go back to target Jarvis Landry a whole lot, and succeed while doing so. If Parker doesn’t score, he won’t come close to living up to his ranking.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)
DeMarco Murray (RB – TEN): at HOU
“Murray seems to be over his hamstring issue, but that could always pop back up and I’m not enamored with his role or matchup this week. Take away a long score last week, and Murray just hasn’t had the monster role many were hoping for. Derrick Henry complicates how we see his value, while he’ll also be on the road against a talented Houston run defense that currently ranks 5th in fantasy points allowed to running backs. I won’t be using him in daily leagues and I won’t be shocked to see him struggle.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)
Mike Gillislee (RB – NE): vs. CAR
“This could backfire because he could easily score three one-yard touchdowns, but I think Gillislee could disappoint. The Panthers allow the fourth-most receptions per game to running backs this season, which makes me think it could be a James White game.”
– Adam Pfeifer (RotoCurve)
Chris Carson (RB – SEA): vs. IND
“Carson has a nice opportunity to have a big game this week because C.J. Prosise is injured. However, the Colts have a solid run defense because of Johnathan Hankins, ranking eighth in yards per carry (3.3). The Seahawks have a terrible offensive line that will once again struggle to open running lanes for Carson. Carson could always score a touchdown, but if he doesn’t find the end zone, he’ll certainly post lackluster numbers.”
– Walter Cherepinsky (WalterFootball)
Thank you to the experts for naming their sleeper starts and sits. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.
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