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| Wednesday, October 6, 2021 |
| Leonard Fournette! |
| And, much to my surprise, I find myself agreeing with Jamey Eisenberg on this one. Not because I don't trust Jamey, but because I had basically no interest in the Buccaneers backfield for Fantasy coming into the season. The Buccaneers just seemed intent on dividing work in the backfield, and Bruce Arians' history gave us little reason to think that was going to change. But, at least in Week 4, it certainly did. |
| Giovani Bernard's injury helped, of course, as he suffered a slight sprain in his MCL in Week 3, clearing the way for Fournette to play 82% of the snaps in Week 4 -- a high for any running back since Arians arrived in Tampa. However, Fournette also rendered Ronald Jones largely irrelevant in the win over the Patriots, rushing 20 times compared to just six for Jones. And Jones doesn't have more than six carries in any game this year, as he seems stuck in Arians' doghouse yet again. |
| Which all leads to Fournette looking like a very, very strong starting option against the Dolphins. The Buccaneers are 10-point favorites vs. Miami, which sets up very nicely for Fournette to get some extended run with a big lead. I have Fournette ranked 14th at running back for Week 5, but when I first did my projections for the week, based on his expected usage and the implied total for the Bucs in this game he was RB9. That made me uncomfortable, but having him as a top-15 RB still feels like the right move. Surprisingly. |
| Let's just hope Fournette doesn't wind up on Arians' bad side for missing a blitz protection or, I don't know, wearing the wrong colored socks, or something. |
| In this evening's newsletter we're highlighting the rest of Jamey's top picks for the week at each position, and you can read his thoughts on why he chose Fournette in his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column right here, along with the rest of his picks. |
| Tomorrow morning, you'll get your typical Fantasy Football Today newsletter, featuring Dave Richard's Start/Sit picks, updates on all the injuries you need to know about for Week 5, and a preview of Thursday's game between the Seahawks and Rams -- with some real questions about whether Chris Carson is going to play leading the way. |
| But for now, here's who Jamey is starting and sitting this week: |
| Quarterback Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins |
| "Cousins had his first bad game of the season in Week 4 against Cleveland with 12 Fantasy points, which ended his three-game run of scoring at least 26 points to open the year. He should get back on track this week against the Lions, who he has demolished in his career. In his past five meetings with Detroit, Cousins has 1,458 passing yards, 15 total touchdowns and no interceptions. He averaged 33.0 Fantasy points against the Lions in two games last year, and he should once again have another standout outing against them this week." |
| Sit 'Em: Baker Mayfield and Matt Ryan |
| "Ryan just scored a season-high 36 Fantasy points against Washington in Week 4, and he has six touchdowns and no interceptions in his past two outings against the Giants and the Football Team. You would think the matchup against the Jets is favorable, but they have actually done well against opposing quarterbacks. They have yet to allow multiple passing touchdowns in a game this season, and their pass rush just beat up on Tannehill for seven sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Ryan is the best passer the Jets have faced since the other opponents were Darnold, Mac Jones, Teddy Bridgewater and Ryan Tannehill, but I don't see Ryan having a huge outing this week in London. He's only worth starting in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues." |
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| Running Back Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Darrell Henderson and Damien Harris |
| "Henderson returned from his one-game absence in Week 4 against Arizona and was back as the lead backfield option for the Rams. He had 14 carries for 89 yards, along with five catches for 27 yards on six targets. He's now scored at least 15 PPR points in all three of the games he's played, and he should be in that range again this week at Seattle. The Seahawks have already allowed four running backs to score at least 14 PPR points this season, and Henderson scored against Seattle in Week 10 last year." |
| Sit 'Em: Miles Sanders and Samaje Perine |
| "Perine is expected to start for the injured Joe Mixon (ankle), but I would only consider Perine a flex option at best this week. While he should get the bulk of Mixon's workload -- which works out to 22.5 total touches per game this year -- we'll see how much Perine could share with Chris Evans in the passing game. Last year, Perine had three games with at least 10 carries, and he scored 10 PPR points or less in two of them. The Packers run defense has also been tough, and Perine will likely need to score to salvage a good Fantasy outing this week." |
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| Wide Receiver Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Cordarrelle Patterson and Marquise Brown |
| "I'll put Patterson in the wide receiver section, but he can also be started as a running back where allowed. He's not going to keep up this torrid pace, but he's scored at least 16 PPR points in three games in a row, which has been fun to watch. In the passing game, the Jets have only allowed two touchdowns to receivers this year, although five receivers have scored at least 11 PPR points. On the ground, the Jets have given up five rushing touchdowns, and we'll see if Patterson can score there while playing in tandem with Mike Davis. Whatever position you can use Patterson this week, get him active because he's playing well and producing for the Falcons this year." |
| Sit 'Em: Courtland Sutton and Michael Pittman |
| "Pittman is clearly the No. 1 receiver for the Colts right now, and he comes into Week 5 at Baltimore with at least eight targets in three games in a row and 32 targets over that span. He had a tremendous game in Week 3 against the Rams with 20 PPR points, but he combined for just 23 PPR points in his past two outings against the Titans and Dolphins. The Ravens should be able to make things tough on Pittman, and No. 1 receivers against Baltimore this season have struggled. Henry Ruggs III (six PPR points), Tyreek Hill (four PPR points) and Courland Sutton (seven PPR points) were all held in check by the Ravens, and Pittman could easily be next. He's a No. 3 Fantasy receiver at best this week, with his value higher in PPR." |
| Tight End Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Dalton Schultz |
| "Schultz should be considered a must-start tight end right now since he has at least 17 PPR points in two consecutive games, and he has three games this season with at least six targets and six catches. He has 15 targets in his past two outings, and it's nice to see Dak Prescott leaning on him. The Giants have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends this season, and a tight end has scored against them in every game this year. Blake Jarwin is even worth using as a sleeper this week in deeper leagues, and he scored for the Cowboys last week against Carolina." |
| Sit 'Em: Jared Cook |
| "Cook was excellent last week against the Raiders with six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. It was his first touchdown this year, although he had a touchdown called back due to a penalty in Week 2 against Dallas. He has two games this season with at least seven targets and has been a nice weapon for Justin Herbert, but this isn't a good week to trust him as a must-start option. Since getting abused by Travis Kelce in Week 1, the Browns have held opposing tight ends to a combined seven catches for 49 yards and no touchdowns in three games. Granted, that was against Houston, Chicago and Minnesota, but I expect the Chargers receivers and Austin Ekeler to lead the way in this matchup, not Cook. He's a low-end starter at best in most leagues." |
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| DST Start 'Em & Sit 'Em |
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| Start 'Em: Broncos @PIT |
| "Ben Roethlisberger (hip) is playing hurt, and the Steelers aren't scoring many points. They've been at 17 points or less in three games in a row, and the 23 points they scored in Week 1 at Buffalo is a season high. Roethlisberger has been sacked at least twice in every game, and he has four interceptions in his past three outings. The Broncos defense has eight sacks in the past two games and has held three teams to 13 points or less." |
| Sit 'Em: Bills @KC |
| "The Bills DST is No. 1 this year by far, but this is a good week to find an alternative option. Buffalo has shut out two of its past three opponents with Miami in Week 2 and Houston in Week 4, but Kansas City is scoring an average of 33.5 points per game. While Patrick Mahomes does have four interceptions on the season, he's only been sacked five times. While the Bills defense might slow down the Chiefs offense, the Bills DST is not worth starting in most leagues this week." |
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