Minnesota Vikings vs Houston Texans

Date/Time: October 4, 1:00 pm ET
Odds: Texans -200
Over/Under: 54.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Texans 29.5, Vikings 25

Minnesota Vikings

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Houston Texans

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Quarterback

Minnesota: Cousins bounced back in week three from an atrocious performance the week prior and was able to hit the 250 passing yard mark and three touchdowns. While he still did throw two interceptions, the Vikings offense bounced back as a whole and ran significantly more plays than they had the first two weeks of the season. If Cousins is going to be considered a streamer moving forward, the Vikings need to keep their foot on the gas pedal. With that being said, this is a decent matchup for Cousins against the Texans defense. If you’re in need of a streaming option, there are a few other options I’d prefer above Cousins, but he’s a fine pivot option. He’s a high-end QB2 this week.

Houston: Watson has struggled immensely to start the season, but when you look at his schedule it’s easy to understand why that’s the case. Watson and the Texans went through a gauntlet of top-tier defenses and now they get a matchup against the reeling Vikings. This Vikings defense isn’t anywhere close to what it’s been in the past, which means that Watson should be back in play as a QB1 option like he’s been viewed previously. Watson’s a solid start this week.

Running Backs

Minnesota: Cook has been on fire to start the season and that shouldn’t stop in this matchup. The Texans are currently allowing the 4th most fantasy points to opposing RBs and Cook should have a field day. Cook’s a locked-and-loaded top-5 option at the RB position this week.

Houston: David Johnson’s had a tough schedule, along with the rest of the Texans offense, but he’s still managed to stay somewhat in the RB2 conversation by finding the end zone a couple of times. This is a matchup that Johnson should succeed in and return RB2 value against a defense that is currently allowing 23.8 fantasy points on average to opposing RBs. Johnson can be fired up as a middling RB2 this week.

Wide Receivers

Minnesota: Thielen hasn’t exactly been putting up the yardage totals that we’ve grown to expect from him, but he’s finding the end zone consistently. This is saving his fantasy output, but it’s concerning to bet on moving forward. While this is a good matchup for Thielen, he should be viewed as a WR2 with upside every single week due to the lack of receiving production. Jefferson broke out in a big way last week against Tennessee and there’s no reason to doubt that he won’t be an integral part of this Vikings offense moving forward. Minnesota needs someone else to step up outside of Thielen and Cook, so Jefferson’s going to be fed targets consistently from here on out. He’s worth looking at as a solid WR4 option this week that has upside in a good matchup for opposing fantasy wideouts.

Houston: Fuller has been inconsistent this season, but that’s not necessarily anything new to fantasy managers. Fuller can easily go off in this matchup and score multiple times or he could miss time again with an injury and spend the game on the sidelines. The potential range of outcomes with Fuller is ridiculous, but he’s still worth rolling out every single week as a WR3 due to his upside. In this matchup, he could explode against a secondary that is currently allowing 31.9 fantasy points on average to opposing wide receivers. However, it’s hard to trust him as anything more than that. Cooks has been banged up so far this season, but he’s now in a prime spot to showcase his talent and developing chemistry with Watson. Against this Vikings secondary, Cooks could be in line for a big day. He can be viewed as a solid WR3 option this week. Cobb was able to find the end zone last week, but he’s still not seeing enough targets to be a trustworthy fantasy option. Cobb can be viewed as a FLEX play in Full PPR leagues, but nothing more.

Tight Ends

Minnesota: Rudolph was able to find the end zone last week, but he still only saw three targets and reeled in two of them for 11 yards. He’s not worth considering in redraft formats this week.

Houston: The TE situation in Houston is too volatile week in and week out to know when you can safely start either Fells or Akins. It’s probably best to avoid these options.

FantasyProjection Buster: Fuller is the answer here every single week. You simply never know what you’re going to get out of him even in a plus matchup.

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Seattle Seahawks vs Miami Dolphins

Date/Time: October 4, 1:00 pm ET
Odds: Seahawks -275
Over/Under: 53 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Seahawks 29.75, Dolphins 23.25

Seattle Seahawks

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Miami Dolphins

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Quarterback

Seattle: Wilson has been unstoppable so far this season and all signs point to him having another monstrous day against Miami. The Dolphins are currently the 4th easiest matchup for opposing fantasy QBs and Wilson should be viewed as a top-tier option yet again in this matchup.

Miami: Fitzpatrick turned out to be a fine streaming option last week for fantasy managers and this might be another game that you can plug him into your lineup if you need a QB. The Seahawks are going to go up big in this one, which should force Fitzpatrick to throw the ball a ton. Fitzpatrick could easily finish in the top-12 this week based on pure volume. He’s worth looking at in 1QB leagues.

Running Backs

Seattle: With Carson most likely out of the lineup for this game with an injury, the Seahawks will turn to Hyde as their lead option. Hyde hasn’t exactly been one of the league’s best running backs during his time in the NFL, but he’s been able to get the job done for several teams. As a 1,000 yard rusher last season, Hyde can step in and help move the chains on the ground. The matchup though is what makes Hyde an extremely enticing play this week. Many fantasy rosters are hurting right now and desperately need a fill-in option. If you were able to pick up Hyde off of waivers, or if he’s still there for some reason, he’s worth rolling into your starting lineup this week. The Seahawks should put up points on this Miami defense with the way that this offense is looking, which means that Hyde’s going to have plenty of scoring opportunities. Update: That’s only if Carson is completely out with an injury, which it looks like he might be aiming to play this week. If Carson plays, Hyde is a borderline RB3 option. If Carson plays, he can be viewed as a solid RB2 with upside in this matchup.

Miami: Gaskin has turned into a solid contributor for fantasy purposes over the last few weeks, but he has a capped ceiling if he’s not going to get the goal line work. Right now, Howard is achieving new levels of inefficiency on the ground, but he’s finding the end zone and performing well in the role that he’s asked to fill on this team. Gaskin’s a low-end RB3 in this matchup, but there’s not necessarily a path for him to finish much higher than that.

Wide Receivers

Seattle: Lockett was dominant last week against the Cowboys with a 9-100-3 stat line on 13 targets. With Wilson playing lights out right now, Lockett’s an every week must-start option in this offense. Against the Dolphins corners, Lockett has overall WR1 upside yet again. Metcalf was the WR19 last week with 17.0 Half PPR points, but he should have had much more than that. Metcalf had the ball punched out of his hand inches away from crossing the end zone on a big play, which would have vaulted him up into top-5 for the week. He’s an every week must-start play with Wilson lighting up the NFL and should be viewed as a low-end WR1 in this matchup.

Miami: Parker’s been battling through a hamstring injury, but he’s still been able to produce. In a matchup that the Dolphins are going to have to throw the ball quite a bit, Parker figures to be in line for a huge day from a target perspective. Not only that, but the Seahawks are currently the easiest matchup in the league for opposing fantasy WRs. They’re allowing 47.9 fantasy points on average to opposing wideouts, which is the most by quite a bit. Parker should be viewed as a solid WR2 this week with massive upside due to the matchup. Williams has not been heavily involved in this offense, but he was able to save his fantasy day last week with a score. He’s typically not someone that you could trust in your lineup, but in this matchup he can be viewed as a boom-or-bust FLEX option.

Tight Ends

Seattle: Olsen got involved in the offense last week, but he’s not necessarily someone that you can trust just yet. He’s a fine option if you need to pivot away from your starting option, but he’s a middling TE2 this week.

Miami: Gesicki didn’t need to do too much last week with the Dolphins playing with the lead, but he was still able to produce by finding the end zone on his three targets. This week, Gesicki’s going to be needed more than he was against Jacksonville, which puts him back into the low-end TE1 conversation.

FantasyProjection Buster: The ball needs to go somewhere in Miami and the Seahawks are currently bleeding fantasy points to opposing WRs. However, my projections for Parker are still certainly very aggressive.

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Pittsburgh Steelers vs Tennessee Titans

Date/Time: Postponed

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Cleveland Browns vs Dallas Cowboys

Date/Time: October 4, 1:00 pm ET
Odds: Cowboys -225
Over/Under: 56 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Cowboys 30.25, Browns 25.75

Cleveland Browns

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Dallas Cowboys

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Quarterback

Cleveland: Mayfield has only thrown the ball 23 times each of the past two weeks, which is in line with what the Browns want to have happen. They want to rely on their dominant ground game and have Baker be efficient with his throws. However, that was against Cincinnati and Washington. Now, Cleveland has to visit Dallas and take on the Cowboys offense that promises to put points up on the board. Baker is going to have to throw the ball more in this one, which makes him an intriguing start in 2QB leagues, but he’s too volatile to trust as a streaming option in this one. He’s a middling QB2 this week.

Dallas: Prescott is the QB4 on the season through three weeks and he’s done it (mostly ) on the back of crazy passing volume. Prescott is currently on pace for 768 pass attempts on the season, which is ridiculous. I don’t expect that pace to continue as the season progresses, but he’s still a top-tier fantasy option every single week. Don’t overthink it and plug in Prescott into your lineup as a mid-range QB1 this week.

Running Backs

Cleveland: Chubb continues to showcase his top-tier talent through the first few weeks of the season and he’s solidified himself as a solid high-end RB2 every week with upside. His continued lack of involvement in the receiving game limits his overall upside, but he’s still a solid start every single week due to his scoring potential. The Cowboys currently rank as one of the most difficult matchups for RBs, but that number is slightly skewed. Teams simply haven’t needed to run the ball with how easy Dallas can be beat through the air. Chubb’s a fantastic option this week and he always has the potential to find the end zone. Hunt is still seeing enough work this season to be viewed as a low-end RB2 in Half PPR leagues. He’s the pass-catching back in this backfield and, with the assumption that Cleveland is going to have to throw the ball a bit more than they have recently, he should see significant work in that department this week. He’s a steady RB2 for your lineup and can be started with confidence.

Dallas: Zeke hasn’t been insanely efficient this year, but he’s finding the end zone. As long as that continues, he’ll continue to be a top-tier option every single week. The Browns run defense is a solid unit, but Zeke will simply see too much work to not return value. He’s a top-5 option at the RB position every single week despite his struggles on the ground this season.

Wide Receivers

Cleveland: OBJ is seeing his consistent targets each week, but he’s only going to return WR2 numbers if he’s able to find the end zone. With the assumption that Cleveland is going to have to throw the ball a little bit more in this one, OBJ’s a fantastic WR2 start with upside. Landry hasn’t exactly been dominant this year, but the Browns haven’t needed him much with the running game performing as well as it has been. The Browns should be throwing the ball in this matchup, which means that Landry could be in line for enough work to return WR3 value. He can be rolled out with confidence in these projected game-scripts.

Dallas: Cooper has been soaking up targets from Dak this season and he’s currently tied for third in the league for targets at the WR position. As long as he’s seeing these high target totals, he’s worth viewing as a consistent high-end WR2 each and every week. While the matchup against Denzel Ward – assuming he plays –  doesn’t exactly look great on paper, Cooper’s been able to produce against good corners already this year. If he starts finding the end zone, Cooper could vault up into top-5 status. Gallup finally burst onto the scene last week and put up some outstanding numbers. With this offense throwing the ball as much as it is, Gallup’s worth viewing as a low-end WR2 in this matchup and moving forward. He always has the potential to find the end zone on a big play and push himself into top-15 status on the week. Start him with confidence this week. Lamb put up pedestrian numbers last week, but he did miss some of the game after getting tackled awkwardly. He’s still seeing enough work each week to be viewed as a safe WR3 option, but he gets a favorable matchup this week against Tavierre Thomas in the slot. Thomas allowed Tyler Boyd to go for 7-72-0 against him in week two and Lamb could be in line for a big day. He’s a solid WR3 start with upside.

Tight Ends

Cleveland: Hooper has the talent to be a nice fantasy option, but he’s simply not seeing enough targets to be considered reliable. He’s a touchdown-or-bust TE2 option.

Dallas: Schultz is involved in an extremely powerful passing attack and he’s seeing enough targets to be considered relevant. However, he’s a middling TE2 each week. He has upside due to the Cowboys offense that he plays in, but there are most likely better options available to you.

FantasyProjection Buster: Hunt’s an absolute wild card right now with his current injury status. It doesn’t sound like it’s major, but I had to hedge my enthusiasm for him this week in my projections. If he’s fully healthy, he could easily find the end zone and blow my projections out of the water.