Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina Panthers

Date/Time: October 4, 1:00 pm ET
Odds: Cardinals -180
Over/Under: 51.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Cardinals 27.5, Panthers 24

Arizona Cardinals

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Carolina Panthers

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Quarterback

Arizona: Murray’s struggled as a passer so far this season with only four touchdowns to five interceptions, but he’s still a top-tier fantasy asset due to his rushing ability. Murray’s currently leading the NFL in rushing from the QB position and has four rushing touchdowns on the year already. As long as that continues, it doesn’t quite matter what Murray does through the air. He’s still a top-tier QB1 every single week.

Carolina: Bridgewater played well last week, but it wasn’t enough to vault him into the top-20 at the QB position for fantasy football. Even though this is a fine matchup, Bridgewater simply can’t be trusted as anything more than a mid-range QB2 this week.

Running Backs

Arizona: Drake has gotten off to a slow start this season in Arizona, but that could all change with this matchup. The Panthers are currently the second easiest matchup for opposing fantasy RBs and they’re allowing an average of 32.2 fantasy points. This is a “get right” game for Drake and he should be viewed as a mid-range RB1 this week. Fire him up with confidence.

Carolina: Davis was in a tough spot last week against the Chargers defense, but he came through for fantasy and put together a great outing. The Cardinals defense is a much easier matchup for opposing RBs and Davis should continue to see enough work through the passing game to return solid RB2 value.

Wide Receivers

Arizona: Hopkins is currently tied for first in the NFL from a targets standpoint. Murray is locking onto him and he should go off in this matchup again, assuming that he’s fully healthy. At the time of writing, Hopkins has missed practice so far this week with an ankle injury, which is concerning. If Hopkins does play, according to PFF, he will line up across from Donte Jackson, which is a major mismatch for Arizona. Hopkins should be viewed as a top-5 option every single week. Isabella broke onto the scene last week with Christian Kirk being declared inactive, but he still only saw four targets. While he was able to convert two of those into touchdowns, it’s not enough volume to be viewed as a reliable fantasy asset moving forward. Isabella should be viewed in the same light as Mecole Hardman. A player that you can plug into your FLEX in deep leagues that could easily take one to the house or find the end zone, but also someone who could leave you with a 2-30-0 stat line. There’s a wide range of outcomes for Isabella and he’s not someone that you can trust yet. Fitzgerald has now taken a clear back seat role to Hopkins, which puts him into nothing more than WR5 territory.

Carolina: Moore is still towards the top of the league when it comes to targets, but he simply hasn’t been able to do much with them this year. This is a game where Carolina should have to throw the ball quite a bit yet again, which is good for Moore’s fantasy outlook. He should soak up targets yet again and be a safe WR2 option in Full PPR leagues. Anderson will assumedly draw coverage from Patrick Peterson in this matchup, but Peterson hasn’t looked like the player that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing recently. Anderson should be viewed as a high-upside WR3 play in a game where the Panthers are going to be airing the ball out again. Samuel’s seeing enough targets to force people into holding him on their bench, but yet not enough to warrant plugging him into your lineup. He’s a WR4 at best this week.

Tight Ends

Arizona: None of the Arizona TEs should be considered for fantasy football this week.

Carolina: None of the Carolina TEs should be considered for fantasy football this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Hopkins is currently an unknown with his injury status. If he misses, Isabella could move up to seeing significant targets and a fantasy relevant option.

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Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears

Date/Time: October 4, 1:00 pm ET
Odds: Colts -137
Over/Under: 43 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Colts 22.75, Bears 20.25

Indianapolis Colts

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Chicago Bears

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Quarterback

Indianapolis: Rivers was efficient last week, but the Colts game plan is going to revolve around trying to run the ball as much as they can. If they do get forced to throw more, this isn’t a great matchup for Rivers. The Bears defense just held Matt Ryan in check and Rivers has certainly shown signs that he’s towards the end of his career. You can avoid playing Rivers this week against a defense that’s only allowing 12.2 fantasy points on average to opposing QBs.

Chicago: Foles is now named the starter for Chicago and he showed that he can execute this offense after coming in cold last week. He should be more comfortable after a full week of practice as the starter, but he still falls outside streaming consideration this week. There are other good matchups that can be exploited before pivoting to Foles against Indianapolis. He’s a mid-range QB2 this week.

Running Backs

Indianapolis: Taylor wasn’t needed much last game against the Jets, but he saved his fantasy day by finding the end zone. Life is going to be much harder for JT this week against the Bears run defense, but he’s going to see enough volume to be considered a low-end RB1/high-end RB2. He still belongs in your starting lineups.

Chicago: With Cohen out for the season, Montgomery’s fantasy outlook skyrockets. However, it’s not only just because of Cohen’s absence that Montgomery should be viewed as a high-upside RB2 moving forward. Foles is at QB and he’s shown a propensity for taking what’s available to him, which means dumping it off to the running backs if needed. While the stats from week three won’t indicate it, Montgomery has been playing incredible football this year and is showing off the traits on film that made him hyped up coming into the season last year. Cordarrelle Patterson will factor into the backfield rotation slightly, but not enough to hurt Montgomery’s outlook. This is a tough run defense for Montgomery to go up against, but he’ll see enough volume to be a safe option.

Wide Receivers

Indianapolis: Hilton has been a major disappointment so far this season, but he now has more of an opportunity in front of him with Michael Pittman Jr. and Parris Campbell out for an extended period of time. With that being said, this isn’t a great matchup for the Colts passing game. Rivers is unlikely to get much done through the air and the Bears are the eighth most difficult matchup for opposing WRs. Hilton hasn’t shown that he has the necessary juice left to succeed in a tough matchup, so he can be viewed as a low-end WR3 this week. Pascal is the next man up for the Colts after the injuries to their wide receivers, but he’s got a tough matchup against the Bears secondary. Pascal should be viewed as a volume-dependent WR4/FLEX play this week.

Chicago: Robinson appears to be back on the WR1 radar with the change of QB to Nick Foles. This offense looked to have more juice after the QB change and Foles is going to keep this offense on the field moving forward. The Colts defense has been pretty solid, but those numbers are inflated by facing the Jets passing game last week. Robinson is a solid WR1 start this week and should be viewed in that light moving forward. Miller hasn’t exactly been lighting it up in the targets category, but he’s getting the end zone looks that fantasy managers love to see. With the change to Foles at QB, Miller could become a more reliable fantasy option and he always has the opportunity to find the end zone. Miller should be viewed as a high-end WR4 this week with upside if he can find the end zone again.

Tight Ends

Indianapolis: Doyle was back on the field last week, but he is clearly now the backup option to Alie-Cox. His athleticism has been on full display the last couple of weeks and he’s beginning to ascend into a borderline trustworthy fantasy option. While this isn’t a great matchup, the Colts are going to need the athletic tight end, which could push Alie-Cox into high-end TE2 discussion. There are other options that you can trust more, but if you’re in a pinch and need a fill-in, Alie-Cox can be rolled out there into your lineup as a streaming option.

Chicago: It’s hard to ignore the fact that Graham is involved in this offense. He’s seeing targets all over the field, but he’s especially receiving the most valuable ones in the red zone. If you’re looking for a tight end on your waiver wire that could find pay dirt, it’s hard to look at anyone else over Graham. He’s a touchdown-dependent TE2 this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Montgomery should see enough work to hit his projections, but this is a tough defense for opposing RBs. Montgomery could fall short of that mark significantly if he isn’t able to find the end zone.

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Baltimore Ravens vs Washington Football Team

Date/Time: October 4, 1:00 pm ET
Odds: Ravens -770
Over/Under: 45.5 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Ravens 29.25, Washington 16.25

Baltimore Ravens

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Washington Football Team

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Quarterback

Baltimore: Jackson didn’t exactly have the most stellar performance on Monday Night Football. He struggled mightily with accuracy, he held onto the ball way too long in the pocket, and he simply got outplayed by Mahomes. However, this should be a bounce back performance from Jackson against a struggling Washington team. The Ravens will be playing with the lead and Jackson should be viewed as a top-3 option again this week. Plug him back into your lineup with confidence.

Washington: Haskins has not been good this season and that’s putting a positive spin on it. This offense doesn’t have a chance against this Baltimore defense and Haskins should be avoided in every format.

Running Backs

Baltimore: Ingram disappointed fantasy managers immensely in week three. He was in a prime position to finally return fantasy value, but the Ravens simply weren’t able to move the ball on offense. With the other backfield options mixing in, Ingram simply wasn’t able to see enough work to return anywhere close to fantasy value. It’s frustrating because this is an offense that should produce a solid top-15 option every single week, but the rotation and committee approach negates that potential. Ingram is nothing more than a touchdown-or-bust RB3 moving forward. Even in a great matchup, he can’t be trusted as anything more than that.

Washington: Gibson wasn’t able to get much done on the ground last week, but he found the end zone to save his fantasy day. This is a tough matchup for Gibson and he needs to be downgraded because of it. Gibson’s a RB3 in this matchup that will need to find the end zone in order to finish much higher than that.

Wide Receivers

Baltimore: Brown has been a major disappointment the past two weeks in games that he should have exploded. He’s getting open, but Jackson is missing him on some big plays that should be taken for touchdowns. With the low passing volume that this team has, Brown’s a touchdown-dependent WR3 every single week moving forward.

Washington: McLaurin is the only receiver from Washington that you can trust in your starting lineup, but this is a very tough matchup for him. The Ravens are going to be able to double team F1 and force Washington and Haskins to beat them elsewhere. McLaurin should see plenty of targets in this one, but they’re likely to not lead to much. He’s a low-end WR2 at best this week.

Tight Ends

Baltimore: Andrews hasn’t been as productive as usual over the past couple of weeks, but it’s not time to panic with the talented tight end. This offense will bounce back and Andrews will be back to a top-tier fantasy option sooner than later. Against a defense that’s currently allowing the 5th most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, Andrews is a smash start.

Washington: Thomas is continuing to see consistent targets in this offense, which would normally be enough to roll him into your lineup as a low-end TE1 or streaming option. However, this offense is simply terrible with Haskins behind center. In this matchup, Haskins doesn’t stand a chance and Thomas is someone to downgrade because of it. He’s a middling TE2 this week.

FantasyProjection Buster: Brown has certainly been ineffective for Baltimore over the past couple of weeks. Even in great matchups, he hasn’t been able to cash in and be a fantasy relevant weapon. He could disappoint and fall short of my projections yet again.

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New York Giants vs Los Angeles Rams

Date/Time: October 4, 4:05 pm ET
Odds: Rams -590
Over/Under: 48 points
Implied Vegas point totals: Rams 30.5, Giants 17.5

New York Giants

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Los Angeles Rams

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Quarterback

New York: Jones has been bad. There’s simply no way of sugarcoating it. He has two passing touchdowns on the season to four interceptions and two fumbles lost. This Giants offense is directionless right now with Jason Garrett as the OC and injuries have hit them hard this season. Yes, Jones has had a rough start to his schedule, but those stats aren’t going to get it done for fantasy football. While the Rams are allowing the 10th most fantasy points to opposing QBs, Jones still isn’t worth looking at anything more than a low-end QB2 this week. This offense simply isn’t one that you should be investing in.

Los Angeles: Goff struggled last season, but he’s actually looked very good so far in 2020. Goff is on the edge of streaming consideration this week, but with the Rams being heavy favorites in this game, it’s likely that we see the Rams running backs take the majority of the work. Goff should have a fine game, but the ceiling might not be there like it was last week against Buffalo. He’s a high-end QB2 this week.

Running Backs

New York: Freeman was signed halfway through last week and came out onto the field without knowing the playbook essentially. He didn’t look great, which the stats can prove, but there should be better fantasy days moving forward. Wayne Gallman and Dion Lewis simply aren’t a part of this offensive game plan and Freeman should start seeing more work as early this week. The Giants need him and he could see enough volume to return RB3 value. Some teams are going to be forced into playing him this week due to the lack of depth on fantasy rosters and he could see enough dump-offs to provide a safe RB3 floor in PPR leagues. The upside simply isn’t there though in this offense.

Los Angeles: Do you have Henderson on your roster? Play him this week. The Giants are allowing 23.3 fantasy points on average to opposing RBs and the Rams are heavy favorites in this matchup. Henderson should easily see 15+ carries this week and he’s been playing great football recently. He’s a high-end RB2 this week with tremendous upside. Brown is still seeing enough work to be considered for fantasy football, but this is Henderson’s backfield now. Brown can be viewed as a middling RB4 this week with Akers not expected to play.

Wide Receivers

New York: With Jones struggling mightily this season, along with the offense as a whole, Slayton’s upside simply hasn’t been there. Now, Slayton will most likely draw shadow coverage from Jalen Ramsey this week. While the game-script projects the Giants to be playing from behind, which certainly helps Slayton’s target potential, the path for those to turn into anything meaningful simply isn’t really there in this matchup. Slayton can be viewed as a low-end WR3 this week. Tate is simply out on the field as a chain-mover at this point of his career. After the injuries he’s suffered, Tate simply doesn’t have the run-after-catch ability that he was known for for years. He’s only averaging 8.3 YPR on his 10 receptions on the season, which isn’t going to get it done for fantasy football. He can be a borderline FLEX option in Full PPR leagues, but otherwise he can be avoided this week.

Los Angeles: With the Rams playing from behind last week, Woods was able to put together a fantastic fantasy day with 5-74-1 through the air and another 30 yards on the ground. With this matchup, and the assumed game-script, Woods loses his upside potential. With that being said, he’s still a key part of this offense and there are going to be scoring opportunities galore in this one. He can be viewed as a safe WR2 this week. Kupp had a big game last week against the Bills, but the Rams were playing from behind the majority of that game. Kupp jumped from 11 targets total in weeks one and two to 10 targets in week three alone. In a game where the Rams are 13-point favorites over the Giants, the need to pass the ball a ton simply isn’t going to need to be there. Kupp can expect to see his 5-6 targets in this one, which moves him to low-end WR2 territory that always has the opportunity to finish higher than that if he can find the end zone.

Tight Ends

New York: Engram has been a massive disappointment to fantasy managers through three weeks and he simply can’t get anything done for fantasy football. Engram only has 15.1 fantasy points on the season so far, which puts him significantly behind players like Robert Tonyan, Jordan Akins, and Jordan Reed. Even in a matchup where the Giants are going to be forced to throw the ball a ton, Engram’s nothing more than a low-end TE2.

Los Angeles: Higbee’s been riding high on his three touchdown performance in week two, but he disappointed fantasy managers that played him in week three. Higbee only saw two targets in a game that the Rams were playing from behind in, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence moving forward. While Higbee always has the chance to bring in a touchdown, he’s simply not seeing enough work to be considered a reliable option at the tight end position this week. Against a defense that’s only allowing 4.1 fantasy points on average to opposing defenses, it’s hard to see a ceiling here for Higbee in this matchup. He can be viewed as a touchdown-dependent low-end TE1.

FantasyProjection Buster: Slayton has a tough draw against the Rams corners this week, but all it takes is one big play for him to break free and take one to the house.