Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Well, every week can’t be perfect!

Last week proved to be quite the unpredictable week. Luckily though, if you went with our picks, you may have still scored enough points to pull off the win. Now we are getting into the bye weeks. This means that the highest number lines are unavailable (no 16 point line this week).

This makes every game in this stretch of the season critical, especially if you are looking to do some climbing in your season pool. We have been doing pretty well so far this year, let’s just keep it rolling!

Week 4 – HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

15 – NEW ENGLAND over Buffalo – Everything that the Patriots have done so far this season has been without Tom Brady…just think about that.

14 – CINCINNATI over Miami – The Bengals look like they will be keeping us on our toes all season. A primetime home game against the Dolphins shouldn’t need too much second guessing…right?

13 – HOUSTON over Tennessee – No JJ Watt? No problem. The Titans defense would be able to contain the Texans offense enough here.

12 – WASHINGTON over Cleveland – The ‘Skins finally showed some signs of life last week. Even in defeat, my BOLD PREDICTION is that TERRELLE PRYOR WILL ECLIPSE THE 100 YARD RECEIVING MARK.

11 – ARIZONA over Los Angeles – Seriously Cardinals? Seriously?

10 – MINNESOTA over New York Giants – The Vikings seem to be pretty resilient this season. Hard to see them losing at home to an up and down team like the Giants.

9 – Dallas over SAN FRANCISCO – If Dez doesn’t play, Dallas should still win, but drop them down a few lines.

8 – PITTSBURGH over Kansas City – I expect a very angry Steeler team to let out some aggression this week after such an embarrassing inter-state loss.

7 – Detroit over CHICAGO – Do you realize that the Bears have only won one game at Soldier Field in the last calendar year?

6 – NEW YORK JETS over Seattle – Look for the Jets to be more careful with the ball this week.

5 – Carolina over ATLANTA – The Falcons are the only team that I have not predicted a game correctly yet this season…so take this pick for what its worth.

4 – BALTIMORE over Oakland – The Raiders have proven to be too unpredictable this season to feel confident in them winning in Baltimore.

3 – JACKSONVILLE over Indianapolis – The Colts needed a 4^th quarter comeback to win a home game against the Chargers … … … the CHARGERS!

2 – SAN DIEGO over New Orleans – Seems like just yesterday this game would seem more important.

1 – TAMPA BAY over Denver – Maybe its because it’s a cross country game, maybe it’s because the mighty Broncos have been traveling a lot lately. But let’s just call it like it is…this is just a hunch.

The start of week 5 means we are nearly a third of the way through the fantasy regular season for most leagues. Hopefully, your team is sitting in a good position, but if it's not that just means you have higher priority on the waiver wire to use my advice try and turn things around! Four teams are on bye this week; Saints, Seahawks, Jaguars and Chiefs.

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Carson Wentz (PHI) - 38% owned - Coming off a bye-week Wentz gets an amazing matchup against a Detroit defense giving up the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. He's a great fill-in if your QB is on bye and even if your QB isn't you should still consider him as a plus streaming option.

Honorable mention: Joe Flacco (BAL) - 34% owned

Running Back

Terrance West (BAL) - 29% owned - West ended up being named the starting running back for the Ravens in week 4 after they surprisingly announced Justin Forsett as a healthy scratch. He made the most of the opportunity by putting up 113 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. He will have some competition for the starting position coming with Kenneth Dixon returning from injury, but has the first opportunity to separate himself in week 5 against a Redskins defense giving up an awful 133 rushing yards per game.

James White (NE) - 28% owned - White has thus far underwhelmed after taking over for the injured Dion Lewis but he's definitely worth a speculative add this week to see if the return of Tom Brady impacts his fantasy value.

Honorable mention: Kenneth Dixon (BAL) - 25% owned

Wide Receiver

Robert Woods (BUF) - 23% owned - With Sammy Watkins being placed on injured reserve Woods is now the number 1 receiver in Buffalo. While I don't see him as a great talent, I do consider him to be great depth and for your team as an every-week WR3 strictly based on the volume of targets.

Eddie Royal (CHI) - 13% owned - Royal has a long time history of being fantasy fool's gold, but it did look as though he and Hoyer had a connection last week against the Lions after he caught 7 of 7 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown. There are talks of Hoyer keeping the starting QB position in Chicago long term if he continues to play well which might mean more upside for the speedy Royal.

Honorable mention: Quincy Enunwa (NYJ) - 37% owned

Tight End

Cameron Brate (MIN) - 10% owned - Brate has looked to take on a big role in the Bucs offense since Austin Seferian-Jenkins was cut, catching 10 of 18 targets for 113 yards and two touchdowns. The volume of targets should make him a high floor play if you need a TE fill in.

Honorable mention: Jacob Tamme (ATL) - 45% owned

Defense/Special Teams

Buffalo Bills (BUF) - 44% owned - The Buffalo defense is quietly is tied for the second most fantasy points through four weeks and they have a plus matchup against the LA Rams this week. They are my streaming defense of the week.

Week 5 was kind in regards to not many fantasy relevant injuries occurring which is usually the life blood of waiver wire action. Despite the lack of injuries there are still some players out on the wire you should consider picking up to play in week 6 and others that are worth a bench stash. Two teams are on bye this week; Buccaneers and Vikings. Good luck!

Note: all waiver picks listed here will have only been owned in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues at the time of publication.

Quarterback

Alex Smith (KC) - 18% owned - The Chiefs are coming off a bye-week and return to action against a Raiders defense giving up a league-worst 331 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. This means Smith should be a great streaming option if you're in need.

Running Back

James White (NE) - 46% owned - White has made the list two weeks in a row which means you're missing out if you haven't added him yet. With Brady returning White put up his best fantasy performance of the season with 26 yards on 5 carries and added another 63 yards on 4 catches. Most of his damage came in the first half so It's reasonable to assume his numbers would've been higher if the Patriots hadn't been dominating the entire game.

Devontae Booker (DEN) - 9% owned - The fourth round rookie ended up receiving only 4 fewer touches than the recently underperforming C.J. Anderson in week 5 which indicates the Denver backfield could be headed into a timeshare if Anderson continues to struggle. If you have the bench space available, Booker is worth an add and stash for a couple weeks to see how the situation shakes out.

Honorable mention: Kenneth Dixon (BAL) - 38% owned

Wide Receiver

Cameron Meredith (CHI) - 4% owned - Last week I thought Eddie Royal would see an uptick in production but instead it was the second year Meredith that exploded for 130 yards and a touchdown catching 9 of 12 targets. He should be locked in as the number 2 receiver behind Alshon Jeffery after this performance.

Jeremy Kerley (SF) - 9% owned - Kerley has put up back to back big games now catching 14 of 22 targets for 190 yards and two touchdowns over that span. What's most interesting is he is averaging 9 targets per game throughout the season which means he should have a decent floor week to week.

Honorable mention: Robert Woods (BUF) - 29% owned

Tight End

Jesse James (PIT) - 23% owned - James has now found the end zone in 3 of the last 4 games after scoring in week 5 on top of catching 6 of 8 for 43 yards. If you need a fill in for tight end this week look to James for a decent chance for a touchdown.

Honorable mention: Cameron Brate (TB) - 41% owned

Defense/Special Teams

Tennessee Titans (TEN) - 6% owned - The Titans defense has been consistently average for fantasy purposes all season, but I knock them up a few pegs this week since they play against Cleveland.

Taking a look at the player trends over the past few weeks can reveal some surprising things - it's important, though, to temper expectations in some cases and realize that some great (and some awful) performances can be the product of gameflow as much as the talent and/or rising production of a player. But since each player can only be owned by one team at a time in most standard fantasy leagues, you've got to scoop them up before anyone else and make smart decisions as far as when to play a rising (or falling) star. What do you think about these scenarios? Will the players listed below live up to expectations based on recent weeks? Make sure to check out the podcast to find out which side we take on each player.

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson (SEA)

Week 2 @ LA - 22/35, 254 yds, 0 TD, 11.56pts

Week 3 vs SF - 15/23, 243 yds, 1 TD, 14.02pts

Week 4 @ NYJ - 23/32, 309 yds, 3 TD, 23.86pts

Perhaps Russell Wilson is inhuman, after all. Ankle injuries, a knee injury, and who cares, he's still trending upward. With zero interceptions over these three games, he's playing efficient football, which is exactly when he and his team are at its best. Wilson is on bye week 5, so we'll delay our prediction on him by one week. He has upcoming matchups against Atlanta, Arizona and New Orleans, so you should be able to confidently start him from now on. We'll set the line and predict next week.

Cam Newton (CAR)

Week 2 vs SF - 24/40, 353 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT, 30.82pts

Week 3 vs MIN - 21/35, 262 yds, 0 TD, 3 INT, 16.08 pts

Week 4 @ ATL - 14/25, 165 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 15.60pts

Cam Newton exited the week 4 game with a concussion and is currently in the concussion protocol. We know that if he's healthy, he will play. Newton has struggled in recent weeks, though against Minnesota we'd expect that. Last week against Atlanta was more alarming, as the Panthers fell behind and struggled to keep up. Coming up are matchups against Tampa and then New Orleans, a couple of defenses that are giving up lots of points to opposing QB's. We'll start Cam's line at 21 points.

Wide Receivers

John Brown (ARI)

Week 2 vs TB - 1/3, 14 yds, 1.40pts

Week 3 @ BUF - 6/11, 70 yds, 7.00pts

Week 4 vs LA - 10/16, 144 yds, 14.40pts

John Brown exploded back into the fantasy scene this week with an awesome 16 targets. Though he hasn't reached the end zone yet, his re-introduction to the Cardinals offense was a relief for fantasy owners. Coming up are some tougher defenses, but first he gets a crack at the 49ers. Will he be able to remain in Palmer's crosshairs? We'll start his line at 7.5 points.

DeAndre Hopkins (HOU)

Week 2 vs KC - 7/11, 113 yds, 1 TD, 17.30pts

Week 3 @ NE - 4/8, 56 yds, 0 TD, 5.60pts

Week 4 vs TEN - 1/6, 4 yds, 0 TD, 0.40pts

Where oh where has our DeAndre Hopkins gone? Last week's 4 yard performance was really rough to take, especially against Will Fuller's 20 point performance. So, it's tough to tell right now, but is Osweiler favoring Fuller a lot more than anyone thought he might? Is Hopkins just going through a rough patch and will rebound? He has Minnesota and Denver in the next three weeks, so it's going to be tough to get back to where we expect him as a WR1. We'll start his line at 8 points.

Alshon Jeffery (CHI)

Week 2 vs PHI - 5/7, 96 yds, 9.60pts

Week 3 @ DAL - 5/7, 70 yds, 7.00pts

Week 4 vs DET - 3/5, 46yds, 4.60pts

With no touchdowns this season, Alshon Jeffery has his fantasy owners worried. He's declined in yardage each week this year, and it seems like he's not really a favorite target of Brian Hoyer, who seems like he may keep playing QB as long as he plays well. This week, the Bears play the receiver-friendly Colts, so he could be in good shape for a rebound week. We'll start our line for Jeffery at 7 points.

Running Backs

Jordan Howard (CHI)

Week 2 vs PHI - 3/22yds, 2/2 rec, 9 yds, 3.10pts

Week 3 @ DAL - 9/45yds, 6/4 rec, 47 yds, 9.20pts

Week 4 vs DET - 23/111yds, 4/3 rec, 21 yds, 13.20pts

Jordan Howard has confirmed that for now, he's the starting back for the Bears. While Langford is out, Howard is carrying the load all by himself. With Howard's 5.1 yards per carry, compared to Langford's 3.7 - they will be splitting carries once Langford comes back. This week, Howard faces the Colts, who have given up the second most points to opposing running backs. We'll start his line at 9 points.

Matt Forte

Week 2 @ BUF - 30/100yds, 3 TD, 3/2 rec, 9 yds, 28.90pts

Week 3 @ KC - 15/65yds, 0 TD, 4/2 rec, -1 yds, 6.40pts

Week 4 vs SEA - 14/27yds, 0 TD, 3/2 rec, 16 yds, 4.30pts

Matt Forte is the victim of a terrible Jets offense, and his numbers show it. The Jets have totally fallen apart the last two weeks, with 9 picks from Ryan Fitzpatrick over that time. No backs are going to put up good numbers when their offense turns over the ball that often. The bad matchups continue for the Jets, this week against Pitt and next week against Arizona, both on the road. Forte is a sit consideration for me, until the Jets get their offense back on track. We'll start Forte's line out at 11 points.

Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham

Week 2 @ LA – 3/4, 42 yds, 0 TD, 4.20pts

Week 3 vs SF – 6/9, 100 yds, 1 TD, 14.00pts

Week 4 @ NYJ, 6/8, 113 yds, 0 TD, 11.30pts

Jimmy Graham finally looks like the guy who left New Orleans all those years ago (fantasy football years are much longer than regular human years). He’s finally gotten into a good rhythm with Russell Wilson, and 17 targets in the last two weeks is a great sign. The 12 receptions is even better, but the yardage totals going up and up are best yet. Graham should wind up being the best red zone threat on the team, and ought to look very good going forward. With Graham on bye, we’ll set our line on him next week.

Jason Witten

Week 2 @ WAS – 3/4, 51 yds, 5.10pts

Week 3 vs CHI – 2/2, 25 yds, 2.50pts

Week 4 @ SF – 7/9, 47 yds, 4.70pts

To start the season, it looked like Jason Witten would have a huge role in the Cowboys’ offense, but as Dak Prescott has gotten more and more comfortable, he’s looked Witten’s way less. 14 targets in Week 1 have been followed up by just 15 targets across the last three games. Is Witten’s time of fantasy relevance at an end? Does he need Tony Romo to be worthy of starting? Witten plays the Bengals this week, we’ll start the line at 5 points.