NFL Week 4 Preview
Fantasy Football Start Em’ Sit Em
Quarterback Start: Matt Ryan (vs. CAR), Andy Dalton (vs. MIA), Derek Carr (at BAL)
Quarterback Sit: Russell Wilson (at NYJ), Eli Manning (at MIN), Blake Bortles (vs. IND)
Running Back Start: Tevin Coleman (vs. CAR), Matt Jones (vs. CLE), Melvin Gordon (vs. NO)
Running Back Sit: Jamaal Charles (at PIT), T.J. Weldon (vs. IND), Orleans Darkwa (at MIN)
Wide Receiver Start: Will Fuller (vs. TEN), Golden Tate (at CHI), Tyrell Williams (vs. NO)
Wide Receive Sit: Sterling Shepard (at MIN), Tyler Lockett (at NYJ), Dez Bryant (at SF)
Tight End Start: Jimmy Graham (vs. NYJ), Hunter Henry (vs. NO), Delanie Walker (at Houston)
Tight End Sit: Gary Barnidge (at WSH), Dwayne Allen (at JAX)
Defense/ST Start: New York Giants (at MIN), Washington Redskins (vs. CLE)
Defense/ST Sit: Kansas City Chiefs (vs. PIT)
Week 4 Game Picks
Dolphins vs. Bengals: Although they picked up their first victory against Cleveland last week, the Dolphins have no reason to be happy. Ryan Tannehill leads the team in rushing with a grand total of 54 yards and their defense was lit up by Terrelle Pryor. Now imagine for a second what Andy Dalton and A.J. Green will do to them. The Bengals are 1-2, but that’s only because they faced stiff competition thus far. Beating up on Miami will be a nice way to get back on track. Bengals win.
Colts vs. Jaguars: Can London ever get a good game? Also, did the Colts really win last week, or did the Chargers pull a Charger? I’m not convinced their defense proved anything a week ago and they still cannot protect Andrew Luck. Fortunately for them, the Jaguars aren’t the young up and coming team we thought they were entering the season. They’re just young. Luck and the Colts should be able to score on this defense and win the game despite the fact they’re not that good either. A simple game of bad versus worse.
Bills vs. Patriots: I’m done picking against the Patriots. We could actually see Julian Edelman taking snaps and it wouldn’t matter. I could be taking snaps and it wouldn’t matter. Such is the genius of Bill Belichick. I have to give credit to the Bills for showing up against Arizona a week ago, but even they know the Patriots will find a way to beat them.
Titans vs. Texans: The Texans were embarrassed a week ago against the Patriots and couldn’t get anything going on either side of the ball. Now this blogs favorite player J.J. Watt is out on defense as well. It’s time for Bill O’Brien to put it together with the Texans offense. The Titans always look like a team that’s a few plays short and that shouldn't change. Texans win.
Bears vs. Lions: Brian Hoyer is starting again? Lions win. But don’t worry Bears fans, your team will certainly be getting a new quarterback in the draft next year.
Panthers vs. Falcons: Only three teams have beaten Carolina over the past two seasons: Denver, Minnesota and Atlanta. One thing to point out is how ordinary the Panthers offense looks once they get on the field against a physical defense. It’s something to keep in mind when we get to the crucial points of the season. The Falcons have the offensive firepower to compete, but we already knew that. It’ll be their defense that decides how far they go. Against an angry Panthers team, they won’t be going far this week. Carolina wins.
Seahawks vs. Jets: We all knew Ryan Fitzpatrick could be a liability, but last week was ridiculous. Play like that could keep the Jets out of the postseason. They’ll have the perfect chance to bounce back against an injured Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. I expect the Seahawks to go back to their bread and butter of running the ball and relying on their defense. The bad news is the Jets can defend against the run. If Fitzpatrick can cure his turnover habit, the Jets can win this game. But that’s a very big if. I’ll pick the Seahawks to squeak out a win.
Raiders vs. Ravens: It’s easy to forget that the Ravens are undefeated so far this season. After all, they haven’t really been that impressive. All of their games have been decided by less than a touchdown and they’ve only scored more than 20 points once. The Raiders are a little shaky themselves at 2-1. Who have they really beaten? Their defense stepped up a week ago, but we’ll see how long that last. Still, they should be able to win this game by attacking the Baltimore secondary.
Browns vs. Redskins: The Browns are becoming a circle game for other teams. They see Cleveland on the schedule and they just circle that as a victory. Washington wins.
Broncos vs. Buccaneers: The Jameis Winston bandwagon emptied in a hurry didn’t it? After an impressive performance against Atlanta in Week 1, the Bucs have just been bad. The Rams offense resurrected themselves last week and beat them. Not good at all. To make matters worse, here come the champs. The Bengals locked in on the running game and tried to make Trevor Siemian beat them. Well he actually beat them. We saw what the Cardinals defense did to the Bucs. Expect the same thing here as Denver wins.
Rams vs. Cardinals: Where are the Cardinals? What happened to them? The loss to the Patriots is a little more excusable considering they were up against a genius, but what’s the excuse for getting punched in the mouth by the Bills? All of a sudden pass blocking has become an issue and with the Rams coming to town no less. If the Cardinals can’t win this game it’ll be time to hit he panic button.
Cowboys vs. 49ers: Blaine Gabbert is still starting? Cowboys win.
Saints vs. Chargers: Drew Brees makes his return to San Diego at last (more on that here) and the Saints desperately need a win. They’ll be facing a Charger team that has trouble closing out close games. Philip Rivers will probably torch the Saints defense, but if the game is close you cannot trust him. This is the type of game the Chargers always lose in the Rivers era. Opponent coming off of a short week, 0-3 and an explosive offense led by a Hall of Famer. Look for the Chargers to play down to their competition and blow the game late.
Chiefs vs. Steelers: Pittsburgh should be ashamed of themselves for no-showing against the Eagles last week. The best offense in the league was milk carton status a week ago. I expect them to be better especially with Le’Veon Bell returning this week. Kansas City took advantage of the Jets mishaps to pick up a victory, but I don’t expect them to be able to hang against the Steelers. Marcus Peters is a good corner, but remember that Keenan Allen was schooling him in Week 1 before getting injured. Antonio Brown will have a big day. Steelers win.
Giants vs. Vikings: I said before the season started the Vikings defense would be elite, but even I didn’t think they’d be this good. Just hurts even more that their offense is banged up. This is the type of game Eli Manning finds a way to win. He’ll get beat up and he’ll turn the ball over for sure. But he’ll keep getting up and make just enough plays to win. Also, Sam Bradford will turn into Sam Bradford eventually. With a few o-linemen out, it’ll probably happen this week. The Giants escape the fortress with a victory.
