Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Slow down Fantasy Football season! Week 4 is upon us already. Last week, I preached patience on your high draft picks, to hold on the ever-diminishing values of the David Wilsons and Stevan Ridleys of the world and hope they bounce back.
But now it’s Week 4, almost a quarter of the Fantasy Football season is complete, and you can’t have your second and third-round pick dropping three and four points a week anymore. We have a large enough sample size now and things change. Abandon ship and move on. As for these guys, don’t worry about last week’s less than inspiring performances. The best is yet to come.
Knowshon Moreno vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Moreno seized the lead-back duties for the best offense in the NFL after dominating the New York Giants on the ground in Week 2. Coming into Week 3 against the Oakland Raiders, he shot up everyone’s ranks (and rightfully so) going against one of the games worst rush defenses, and consequently put up a stinker on Monday Night Football. However, he still dominated the Denver Broncos’ backfield in touches in the first half before the game got out of hand and Moreno was used sparingly after that. Now going against the high-paced high powered offense of the Eagles, not only will the game be closer and that will keep Moreno on the field, but he’ll also be a mismatch catching the ball out of the backfield against the Eagles sorry group of linebackers. Jamaal Charles caught seven passes for 80 yards against that same core last week, and the work Moreno gets on the ground and through the air will be more than enough to get him back into your Fantasy lineups in Week 4.
Darren Sproles vs. Miami Dolphins
After receiving 14 and 13 touches in the season’s first two weeks, Sproles only touched the ball seven times in Week 3. He’s also failed to reach the end zone yet this season, something he managed to do repeatedly last season as a redone safety valve out of the backfield for Drew Brees. PPR owners never have much to complain about when it comes to Sproles’ production, but I see some standard league appeal for him as well this week against a Dolphins defense that has already given up over 400 total yards against opposing running backs this season. Expect to see Sproles scampering into the end zone on MNF one way or another this week.
Reggie Wayne @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Wayne has been relatively quiet the last two weeks against the Dolphins and 49ers, only accumulating nine catches for 104 yards in those two matchups without a trip to the end zone, but fear not Wayne owners, because now it’s time to play the Jags. Wayne has destroyed them in his career to the tune of over 100 yards per game over his last 13 meetings. I’d be willing to bet most of you north of the Florida border can’t even name Jacksonville’s number one corner, as well. This all lines up for a big game for the soon-to-be 35-year-old wide receiver. Enjoy.
Dwayne Bowe vs. New York Giants
One catch for four yards is enough to make any Fantasy owner sick. That just doesn’t happen to someone as talented as Bowe, and I for sure don’t think it’s 100 percent his fault, either. Alex Smith doesn’t take chances and doesn’t throw the ball deep, an area in which Bowe excels. I get all that, but when a top-tier receiver isn’t utilized correctly one week, he tends to blow up the next (see Antonio Brown and T.Y. Hilton). Expect a boatload of targets and a good chance at a score this Sunday against a Giants defense in disarray.
Last Week’s Bounce-Backs:
Frank Gore —11 car, 82 yards, two rec, 21 yards
Joique Bell —20 car, 63 yards, TD, four rec, 69 yards
Mike Williams —five rec, 65 yards
Vincent Brown —two rec, 11 yards (ugh)
Shawn Ferris is a Boston Red Sox and Fantasy Sports Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealShawnFerris, “like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+
