Quarterbacks
Love: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
As a fantasy owner, having a quarterback that is coming off of two games with 40+ pass attempts and two 300 yard performances, there is a lot to look forward to in Week 4. The situation gets even better when you see the Bengals are playing the Jaguars, who have given up the 5th most fantasy points to QBs. The past two weeks for the Jags defense has included Ryan Tannehill throwing for over 230 yards and 4 touchdowns and Ryan Fitzpaterick having a 3 total touchdown performance. With the chemistry of rookie receiver Tee Higgins as well as receiver Tyler Boyd increasing, the upside of Burrow to have an amazing performance is definitely there, and the matchup is nearly perfect for him.
Hate: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert started his NFL career in a rather interesting manner, and he has definitely proven that he should have the starting job. He is someone you want to have on your team, but this matchup against the Buccaneers does not bode well for him. The upside is that Herbert is getting more pass attempts (49 last game); however, he is struggling to throw for touchdowns with just 2 touchdowns in his first two starts. While this itself isn’t a big issue, it is amplified by the team he is playing against. The Bucs have been surprisingly stellar on defense, averaging 4 sacksand more than an interception a game, coming off a game where they only allowed 10 points to be scored. While I can see Herbert playing well, earning a large sum of yards and attempts, for fantasy owners it's a tough matchup and you would likely be better off with another quarterback in week 4.
Running Backs
Love: Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Ordinarily, Aaron Jones would be a solid pick nearly every week, but with the recent performance of Aaron Rodgers and the passing game, there may be worries on how Jones will do fantasy wise. For this Monday's matchup against the Falcons, it's nearly ideal for Aaron Jones. The Packers are thin at the receiver position as of now with receiver Allen Lazard out indefinitely after a career performance and star receiver Davante Adams unsure whether he will play. This makes Aaron Jones the main skill position available for the Packers both on the ground and in the air. The ceiling for Jones has already been set in Week 2, and it's over 40 points. While I cannot say he will deliver to that extent, expect most of the red zone touches to be for Jones. Jones is already averaging 2 touchdowns a game with reasonable yardage, and the usage of the star running back is bound to increase this week. Expect a strong performance from #33 this week.
Hate: Myles Gaskins, Miami Dolphins
If you picked up Gaskins off waivers this week, you made a good decision; however, this might not be the week to play him. But why? The Seahawks are first in total yards allowed per game, 497.3 yds/game, which is promising; however, 430.7 of those total yards per game comes via the pass. The Seahawks are allowing just 66.7 rushing yards per game, which is good for second best in the league, and they are giving up the 4th fewest yards before contact and the 2nd fewest after contact. Last week, the Seahawks held Zeke to just 34 rushing yards on 14 attempts (2.4 yards per attempt), and they are currently ranked by ESPN as the 6th best defense against running backs in fantasy, which should tell you something. The strong rush defense but weak pass defense of the Seahawks have left teams with no choice but to air it out against them, and it should be no different for the Dolphins. Gaskins could be involved in the pass game, but don’t expect too much. He’s a guy that should be kept on the bench or as a fringe flex play this week.
Wide Receivers
Love: Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
We’re in on Burrow this week, so there’s no reason to not also be in on his favorite receiver so far. Last week, Boyd was targeted 13 times by Burrow (A.J. Green only had 6) and has seen 21 targets the past 2 weeks. This week, Boyd faces off against a Jacksonville defense that has allowed a league-leading 4 touchdowns to slot receivers, which is where Boyd usually plays. He won’t have to deal with the Jaguars number one corner C.J. Henderson, who has been impressive through 3 weeks, as Henderson will most likely shadow A.J. Green, giving Boyd the opportunity to torch the rest of the Jaguars lackluster secondary. In an offense that runs 51.4 pass plays per game, most in the NFL, Boyd looks in line to have another big performance Week 4. Consider him a solid WR2 with high touchdown upside.
Hate: D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
Moore is a player that many had high expectations for going into the 2020 season, but so far he’s been pretty disappointing. Moore had just two receptions for 65 yards last week and only has 1 red zone target this season while Robby Anderson has 4. This week the Panthers face a Cardinals defense that has given up the second fewest fantasy points to wide receivers and has given up the fewest deep receptions this season. For a player who averages 17.1 yards per reception, 13th highest in the league, this matchup just doesn’t look great. Moore is slowly starting to fall out of WR1 territory and into WR2 territory, which is not what fantasy managers expected when they took him on draft day. Consider Moore a WR2 this week.
Tight Ends
Love: Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team
If you need a tight end to stream this week, Logan Thomas is someone that is available in 97% of NFL.com leagues. While he hasn’t turned in any big games yet, he did score 9.7 points last week against the Eagles. Through three games, he’s been targeted 24 times, which is tied for 4th most among all tight ends. Additionally, he’s tied for 2nd in red zone targets among tight ends with 5 targets. It’s only a matter of time before he starts turning these targets into TE1 level production. On paper, this Baltimore matchup looks tough, but Baltimore has actually given up the 4th most yards to tight ends this season. They gave up 78 yards to the very mediocre Houston Texans tight end group 2 weeks ago and were burnt by Travis Kelce with 87 yards just a week ago. Given that Logan Thomas is the clear cut starter in Washington and has a high target volume, he is someone you should consider starting this week.
Hate: Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins
I think Gesicki is a great player and he’s going to have at the very least a top-10 fantasy finish this year, but I really don’t like the matchup this week against the Seahawks. The Seahawks have been stingy against tight ends so far. They held Hayden Hurst, who the Falcons traded a second round pick for, to just 38 yards in week 1 and limited Dalton Shultz to 48 yards one week after his breakout performance against the Falcons where he racked up 88 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks have given up barely 100 yards against tight ends all season and haven’t allowed a single tight end touchdown. On the flipside, Seattle is giving up a whopping 378 yards a game to wide receivers as opposing teams have found it far easier to pick on the Seahawks corners rather than their linebackers. I would anticipate the Dolphins game planning around Devante Parker and Preston Williams this week rather than focusing on Gesicki. Another problem with Gesicki is his snap share. He only gets 58% of snaps each week for the Dolphins. While his high redzone target volume offsets that (he’s tied for second with Logan Thomas), it is something to keep in mind for the rest of the year. But for this week, if you have someone like TJ Hockenson or Hunter Henry, I would start them over Gesicki.
Data courtesy of ESPN