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It was a mixed bag last week as we hit on the quarterbacks, but the tight ends and defenses let us down. As always, time to turn the page and look towards Week 4.
Quarterbacks
Cash Game Option:
Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan ($11,400) – The pricing among the top quarterbacks is close so we can’t use that as a tiebreaker. My lean this week is Ryan as he is coming off two monster performances in which he has scored over 30 FantasyDraft points. The Falcons are also playing at home with a team total projection of 28 which happens to be the second highest this week. The Falcons will take on the Cincinnati Bengals who allowed Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to throw for two touchdowns in Week 3, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to throw for 376 yards in Week 2 and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to throw for 319 yards in Week 1. I think Ryan makes a nice building block for your cash game lineups.
Tournament Option:
Chicago Bears Mitchell Trubisky ($10,500) – The second-year quarterback makes me nervous as he misses wide open throws consistently. However, the upside is always great with the youngster as he has the ability to run and head coach Matt Nagy puts Trubisky in position to make plays, if he can just convert. The Bears take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week who rank 29th in defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders. This is a prime spot for the Bears quarterback to smash and Vegas agrees as Chicago has an implied total of 24.75. I can’t trust Trubisky in cash games and will look to get other offensive players from the Bears, but using the quarterback in tournaments makes sense.
Tight Ends
Cash Game Option:
Indianapolis Colts Eric Ebron ($7,100) – Ebron let us down last week when many thought he would have a great game due to teammate Jack Doyle being out. That wasn’t the case as Ebron only caught five passes for 33 yards. All signs point to Doyle being out again in Week 4 which means Ebron will once again be the main tight end for the Colts. Since he was a bust in Week 3, many will avoid him this week which is great news for us. If we look closer, Ebron led the Colts in targets last week with 11 and played 82 percent of the snaps. The Colts will face the Houston Texans who rank dead last against the tight end position in defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders. We need to have a short memory in DFS and I think Ebron is primed to have a bounce back game.
Tournament Option:
New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski ($13,200) – The tight end is priced as a top 20 player yet has not performed at that level this season. There’s no way I’m paying that kind of money for Gronkowski in a cash game format, but there’s no denying he doesn’t have top 10 scoring potential. Gronkowski has scored three touchdowns in his last three games against the Miami Dolphins including two games with at least eight catches.
Defenses
Cash Game Option:
Cleveland Browns ($5,100) – Don’t look now, but the top ranked defense according to Football Outsiders is the Browns. The Browns are tied for first in the league with 14 sacks and now face Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders who has already thrown five interceptions. I like the Browns a lot this week and at their price point, they can be used in cash games or tournaments.
Tournament Option:
Chicago Bears ($6,700) – The Bears defense has looked impressive through the first three games, but now face a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that can’t be stopped. We know the Bears can get to the quarterback and force turnovers and despite throwing for 400 yards once again in Week 3, Ryan Fitzpatrick did throw three interceptions. We can’t trust the Bears defense in cash games due to the way the Bucs offense is clicking, but we know they have the ability to shut anyone down which makes them a nice tournament play.