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10 Takeaways from Week 4 Game Film (Fantasy Football)

10 Takeaways from Week 4 Game Film (Fantasy Football)

This time last week, I was getting my torn achillies tendon repaired so I wasn’t able to publish this article, but I did post my top 10 takeaways on Twitter and have copied those into the bottom of this article for you. This week’s condensed game film session, thanks to NFL Game Pass, provided plenty more takeaways. Here are my top 10 from Week 4’s games.

You can watch condensed games too with a free trial from NFL Game Passpartner-arrow

#10) Dede Westbrook is sensational after the catch
At times last year, Westbrook flashed the ability to be a quality wide receiver, but with Marqise Lee, Keelan Cole‘s breakout and the signing of Donte Moncrief, it seemed as though Westbrook would become an afterthought. Rather, he has taken over the lead in this backfield, thanks primarily to being among the best receivers in the NFL after the catch. He isn’t the biggest or fastest guy, but he made play after play with the ball in his hands this weekend and left the defense looking helpless trying to tackle him.

#9) Don’t get too excited about Mitch Trubisky
This isn’t to bash on Trubisky, who clearly had a career day with a franchise record 6 passing touchdowns, but frankly, there are few starters in the NFL who would have posted fewer against that lack of coverage. Go back yourself if you don’t believe me, but the Bears receivers were wide open on each touchdown, and I don’t mean 2 yards of separation, I mean nobody anywhere close. Trubisky has the skill set to become a QB1 in fantasy within the next few years, but this performance had much more to do with the Bucs’ trainwreck secondary that we ought to be picking on from here on out.

#8) Corey Davis may just be a top 12 fantasy receiver
Tags and I have compared Corey Davis to a young Brandon Marshall in the past, and while it seemed as though it was a longterm comp, Davis appears to be heading that direction quicker than expected. With the 30% target share he is seeing and a suddenly revitalized Marcus Mariota, Davis looked exceptional in the Titans’ come from behind victory. A gauntlet of matchups is coming up in the schedule, but don’t lose sight during that stretch that Davis can produce Mike Evans type of numbers at this stage of his career.

#7) Alshon Jeffery is already back to playoff-Alshon
For much of his career, we looked back on Alshon’s 1,400 yard sophomore season with the Bears and wondered when, if ever, that production would return. It seemed to finally happen to close the season and into the playoffs for the Eagles. Yesterday afternoon, I saw the same exact Alshon, winning jump balls, creating separation and playing with confidence and attitude. If you waited this long for his return, you ought to be doing cartwheels right now because you’ve got yourself a rest of the season high-end WR2.

#6) Alex Collins is going to lose his job sooner than later
I made excuses for him long enough, but the matter of the fact is that Collins just doesn’t look like a starting caliber running back right now. He is running straight up and down and appears to falsely think he’s got the wheels to run east and west away from defenders. His cuts are easy for the defense to anticipate and he is getting absolutely nothing on the ground as a result. Javorious Allen of all people is splitting the workload with him, and Collins’ constant fumbles aren’t helping his cause. When Kenneth Dixon, a real challenger to the starting job, gets back from his injury, it is only a matter of time before Collins finds himself on the bench.

#5) Tyler Boyd may sit out Week 5 versus the Dolphins
On the Bengals’ final drive of the game, they were chasing five points with time quickly running out. On fourth down, Boyd secured a drive-sustaining catch near the sideline and was popped in the head badly enough that he pulled himself out of the game despite being within 13 yards of the go-ahead touchdown. He didn’t go through the concussion protocol and nobody seemed to notice because of the timing of the hit, but from the way he was holding his body, it sure looked like a concussion to me. Don’t be surprised if he misses practice this week or even sits out.

#4) The Bengals are using A.J. Green as a decoy
There is no denying the fact that Green is unbelievably talented, and while he has produced quality numbers to open up the season, I do not expect that to continue at the same rate. Time and time again the past several weeks, Cincinnati has been running routes with Green with the entire purpose of drawing a safety or linebacker out of coverage to open up a hole for Tyler Boyd or John Ross. It is clearly working, which is why the Bengals continue to do it, which tells me that his statistics won’t be the same this year as seasons passed. That is exactly what we have seen thus far, and that in spite of having one of the easiest schedules to date. I’d sell him high before a rough week against Xavien Howard’s shadow coverage.

#3) Phillip Dorsett may stay in the Patriots’ starting lineup
Josh Gordon is obviously going to fall into more and more snaps as he learns the offense and separates himself from the hamstring injury, Julian Edelman is coming back from suspension and Chris Hogan is obviously still around, so most owners are thinking Dorsett is drop-worthy. Hold on just a second, though. From what I am seeing, Hogan is going to be the odd-man out and who knows what we will have in the 32-year-old Edelman who has only once been a WR2 in fantasy football.  Rob Gronkowski is banged up and appears to have hit a wall this season plus Rex Burkhead is on I.R. Dorsett continues to play well enough that he still holds fantasy appeal in this offense, and looks like the better player between he and Hogan.

#2) Aaron Rodgers may be the best buy-low player right now
Rodgers owners are almost certainly feeling disappointed with his apparent lack of production so far, but his 20.3 fantasy points per game pace is directly in line with where he was at this time last year and in 2016. In fact, if you spread it out to a full 16 games, it would have been good for the QB #2 season last year. He may not look comfortable in the pocket, but his passes and decision making are still right on the mark plus Rodgers is still getting it done on the ground. His schedule has been brutal so far but coming into an easy stretch. Don’t hesitate to put in an offer, knowing that he is still the best QB in football and that his owner likely isn’t believing that anymore.

#1) Aaron Jones is reminiscent of a former superstar
Yes, Jamaal Williams was still heavily utilized in the Packers’ blowout versus the Bills, but a large part of that may have been to protect the banged-up Rodgers. As he continues to get healthier, Jones is going to take more and more of the touches in this backfield because he is clearly the superior runner. In fact, Rodgers has called for this himself, as Williams has eluded exactly zero tackles, while Jones has the best rate of 15-yard runs since he entered the NFL. Watching the tape reminded me so much of Ray Rice minus the elite hands. Jones is small, but packs a big punch, has exceptional balance, and runs with patience, waiting for holes to open up. He can be a special player in this offense and it is only a matter of time before the takeover goes down.

Additional Notes

  • This is your weekly reminder than Saquon Barkley is the most talented RB in football
  • The game looks slower for Blake Bortles. He is a different quarterback the past 10 games
  • Sony Michel didn’t look as special as his box score indicated

Week 3 Notes


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