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Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 4

Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 4

Here’s a look at the studs and duds of Week 4. We’ll look at one stud and one dud from each of the quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end positions. The purpose of this exercise is not simply to identify the best and worst at each position but to find players who had over- or underwhelming performances that warrant discussion.

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Quarterback

Stud: Andrew Luck (IND)
40/62; 464 Yards; Four Touchdowns

Don’t dismiss Luck’s performance just because his game went into overtime — he did almost all of his damage in regulation. Also encouraging: The team almost seemed to go out of their way to prove how healthy Luck is at this point. They left him in for a hail mary instead of subbing in Jacoby Brissett like last time (not that Luck really changed any minds with his throw). More relevant, the Colts showed no fear in letting Luck throw all game long, eventually allowing him to rack up 62 pass attempts. The ball was spread around generously as well, with six different players finishing with no fewer than four receptions and 40 yards. There will be games against tougher defenses where Luck makes some bad decisions that hurt his owners, but the important thing to take away now is the knowledge that his upside from years past is still there, and it’s too good to ignore.

Dud: Drew Brees (NO)
18/32; 217 Yards

Drew Brees’s 23 touchdown passes last year was his lowest total as a member of the Saints. What made this regression concerning was the fact that New Orleans was a good team and succeeding without his heroics. Their defense has come crashing back down to earth, suggesting last year was more the exception than the rule, which has allowed Brees to rack up stats through the first three weeks. Week 4’s matchup against the Giants served as a flashback to 2017, where the defense played well enough and the running game completely dominated the offense. Now that Mark Ingram’s suspension has ended, the team could be looking at an even bigger emphasis on taking the ball out of the quarterback’s hands. At this point, it’s far too early to panic, and even if the team does go for a run-heavy approach the Saints defense is bad enough that Brees should be pretty much bulletproof for most of his matchups going forward.

Running Back

Stud: Tarik Cohen (CHI)
13 Carries for 53 Yards; Seven Receptions for 121 Yards

Cohen exploded onto the scene early in the 2017 season, but he slowly faded into obscurity as the season progressed. Among other things, former coach John Fox began to feature Jordan Howard more prominently in the offense, and the two backs haven’t really found a way to coexist, even so far in this season. Howard is extremely talented, but his abilities in the passing game leave much to be desired. Second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky exploded in Week 4, and new head coach Matt Nagy wisely chose to let him keep throwing as the Bears demolished the Bucs. Part of this support plan involved Tarik Cohen getting a lot more work than Jordan Howard and Cohen made the most of his opportunity to say the least. If the Bears are going to utilize Cohen this heavily in a game that would seemingly not flow in his favor, then it’s probably safe to say that he’ll be a major part of this offense going forward. Of all the flex-worthy change-of-pace backs (i.e. Austin Ekeler; Tevin Coleman when Devonta Freeman is healthy) Cohen should be considered as one of if not the best.

Dud: LeSean McCoy (BUF)
Five Carries for 24 Yards; Three Receptions for 13 Yards

Most analysts pegged Buffalo’s Week 3 performance as nothing more than an aberration, and justifiably so. But as obvious as it was, even the most hardened NFL viewers probably couldn’t help but wonder if maybe there was something more to Josh Allen. Thanks to Week 4 those lingering doubts can be put to rest, as it has once again been made painfully clear just how bad this Bills offense really is. McCoy, by the way, hasn’t done his team any favors either and is now averaging under four yards per carry in three games this season. Between his regression and the Bills’, well, everything, McCoy has no business in starting lineups.

Wide Receiver

Stud: Golden Tate (DET)
8 Receptions for 132 Yards; Two Touchdowns

Tate was fighting against the odds going into this week. He was a late addition to the injury report on Friday listed with a hip ailment, and the Lions’ opponents this week, the Cowboys, play a very slow-paced game that leaves few opportunities for guys like Tate. Furthermore, Marvin Jones Jr. began working his way into the offense last week, and this receiving corps was beginning to look like a three-headed monster.

But it turns out that Tate has a few things going his way making him immune to these factors. For starters, his elusiveness remains unmatched across the league, and every time he has the ball in his hands he’s a threat to break free towards the end zone, as he showcased today. Tate also plays on a team that, for whatever reason, has fourth-quarter comeback attempts in its DNA. Matthew Stafford has been one of the NFL’s comeback kings for years, and this trend has continued into the 2018 season — not that Tate’s owners are complaining. He’s frankly just too talented to consider benching, even when banged up.

Dud: Mike Williams (LAC)
One Reception for 15 Yards

This has been the issue with Chargers fantasy weapons for years now: Phillip Rivers is just too good at spreading the ball around. In fact, when it comes to red zone opportunities, if there’s anyone Rivers likes looking for it’s Melvin Gordon out in the flat. The end zone is supposed to be Williams’ specialty, and if he can’t consistently get looks there then it’ll be difficult for him to be consistent at all. That’s not to say that he shouldn’t be owned or even started, especially with bye weeks gearing up, but between him, Gordon, Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and even Antonio Gates, Williams will be hard pressed to see consistent usage even if he’s technically the most talented pass-catcher on the team.

Tight End

Stud: Jared Cook (OAK)
Eight Receptions for 110 Yards; Two Touchdowns

Jared Cook has not been a historically reliable producer. The Oakland Raiders have not been a team that historically features tight ends in any consistent fashion. But what we have here would appear to be a case of two wrongs making a right, as this match made in hell has somehow produced one of fantasy’s best choices at the position. We’re only four weeks into the season, and Cook has led the Raiders in targets twice now. Carr just has eyes for him, and you better believe that Jon Gruden is playing a big part in designing these game plans that feature Cook so extensively. Remember how Cook’s two big games were against the Rams and Browns? The Rams were 11th most generous to fantasy tight ends in 2017, while the Browns were 5th. Of course, given how decimated by injury tight end is this year, it’s not as though you’ll be able to sit him even when the matchup isn’t so juicy. He’s done enough to be an every-week starter by now.

Dud: Benjamin Watson (NO)
One Reception for 23 Yards

Watson’s return to New Orleans hasn’t been as smooth as everyone had hoped. For whatever reason, he and Drew Brees just aren’t connecting despite three years of tenure as a Saint a couple of years back. Earlier in the season, Brees missed Watson badly when the tight end was wide open in the end zone, and this week Brees delivered a perfect throw that Watson let hit him right in the hands before dropping to the turf. We just got finished discussing how shallow the position is right now, so Watson is still worth starting in most leagues, but it’s probably time to value him as more of a last resort than a premier streaming option.

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Shane McCormack is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Shane, check out his archive and follow him @ShaneMcCormack_.

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