Game Previews: All Fantasy Relevant Players For Week 4

Buccaneers vs. Bears

Buccaneers

Despite staging what would have been a comeback for the ages, the Bucs are coming off of a tight loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers which saw the viral Fitzmagic lose a bit of its luster. The Bearded Boss™ still managed to sling the rock for 411 yards and 3 TD’s, but the 3 INTs which accompanied his massive production seemingly spelled disaster for the up-and-coming Bucs. The loss, tough as it may have been, didn’t stop his receivers from benefiting statistically, as five of the six primary Buccaneers pass catchers saw 5+ targets. The running game, on the other hand, has continued to be arguably the league’s worst (2nd to Arizona in total rushing yards actually, but under remarkably different circumstances) as “starting” RB Peyton Barber continues to look like a very dull flash in the even duller proverbial pan. What does a week 4 matchup with the Chicago Bears have in store for this surging team? Let’s find out…

Prolonging the Magic?

Everybody loves the band Cake, er, I mean resurgent, 35 year old, journeyman QB’s, especially when they have a catchy nickname like “Fitzmagic”. Yes, I am going to assume Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the man under center come Sunday afternoon, despite Dirk Koetter’s attempts at “secrecy”. Despite simultaneously costing his team the game last week while almost winning it back, Fitzpatrick has been nothing short of amazing these past three weeks, to the tune of over 400 yards (!!!) per game. Will that continue against a stout Bears defense? Well, it just might! In the Bears, Fitzpatrick will be facing a defense eerily similar to the Eagles defense they faced in Week 2: strong defensive line, relatively weak secondary. Although his final line in that week 2 game was buoyed by 150 yards off of two clear mistakes on the part of the Eagles secondary, Fitzpatrick was able to connect on multiple underneath passes as his offensive line continued the (well above their skill level) high-caliber of play and the veteran QB got the ball out of his hands quickly. If he can utilize the same formula on Sunday, and I certainly think he can, he should find success, and coming full circle, prolong the Fitzmagic.

Does That Make the Receptions Magical Too?

Well, I’m inclined to say yes. The Bucs pass catchers certainly seem to be using some sort of magic, as they have routinely found ways to get open and score big plays through the first three games this season. When passing at such a high volume, Fitzpatrick has been able to spread the ball around to all four of his uber-talented fantasy studs: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, DeSean Jackson, and breakout TE O.J Howard. While Evans certainly should continue to see the highest number of looks, it seems Godwin has cemented his place as the #2 pass catcher, receiving the second most looks in each of the past two games. Don’t overlook O.J. Howard or DeSean Jackson though, as both possess the physical capability to break off big gains at any time. Look for Evans and Godwin to get theirs as they have in this one, while Jackson outproduces Howard due to the Bears’ secondary’s struggles with deep coverage.

Not Even Magic Will Help the Run Game

As mentioned before, the Bears rank 31st in total rushing yards through their first three games, a solid 37 yards ahead of Arizona. That being said, it’s miraculous that they aren’t occupying that cellar spot as the Bucs actually rank DEAD LAST in yards per attempt this season at a putrid 3.0 per attempt. Oh, and I almost forgot, the Bears rank 2nd overall in rushing yards allowed and are tied for 4th in yards per attempt allowed. In summary, don’t touch Peyton Barber, or Jacquizz Rodgers with a 10-foot pole in this one. Maybe Jacquizz can generate some yardage in the screen game!

What Do the Run Game and the Defense Have in Common?

Oh, I know this one: they’re both awful! Despite allowing an admirable 3.6 yards per attempt on the ground, good for 7th least in the league, the Bucs defense ranks 29th in total yards allowed with a whopping 1300 allowed through 3 games! What does that mean? If the ball is in the air, it will almost certainly not be defended. That being said, the Bears happen to have a mediocre QB by the name of Mitchell Trubisky under center, so the matchup is tailor-made for this defense. All in all, it wouldn’t be the worst hail mary play, but you know you have better defense options out there.

Predictions! WOOOOO!

Bucs keep winning, and they do it big in this one. Going up early on an 80-yard drive capped off by an O.J. Howard TD, the Bucs never looked back, assaulting the Bears defense with pass after pass while forcing Mitchell Trubisky to do that passing thing that has been pretty tough for him lately.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: 28/41, 390 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT

Mike Evans: 8 rec, 90 yards, 1 TD

Chris Godwin: 6 rec, 85 yards

DeSean Jackson: 3 rec, 80 yards, 1 TD

Adam Humphries: 2 rec, 22 yards

O.J. Howard: 6 rec, 55 yards, 2 TDs

Cameron Brate: 2 rec, 19 yards

Peyton Barber: 10 car, 32 yards, 1 rec, 14 yards

Jacquizz Rodgers: 5 car, 22 yards, 4 rec, 25 yards

FINAL: Bucs win 34-23

– Alex Silverman

Bears

What will the passing game show us this weekend?

It’s been three weeks, and I’m still waiting to see the offensive explosion. I believe in the play calling and Coach Matt Nagy, because I’ve seen open receivers on a number of different plays. However, Mitch Trubisky just hasn’t seemed to click yet. He is averaging less than 200 passing yards per game, and he is having a hard time hitting his deep throws. You could start Allen Robinson, but the ceiling will be low. You could also start Trey Burton if necessary, but the same applies. Mostly, I’d stay away for now if you have other options.

And can we rely on the rushing attack?

The rushing game has been key to the offense, but it’s becoming obvious gameplan-wise. With deep passes a rare feat, it’s easy for the opposing defense to stack the box against the forthcoming short plays. Jordan Howard has 178 rushing yards and 10 receptions for 78 receiving yards along with 2 touchdowns. While he isn’t lighting it up quite yet, I still trust him to have a safe weekly floor. I would stay away from Tarik Cohen, however, until he rediscovers the magic he had at the beginning of last year.

And the defense…can it stop the high-flying Bucs?

This is really the biggest question on our minds, right? Can the amazing defense stop the amazing offense? Well, the Bucs took a while to get going last week, and such a slow start could spell disaster. I think the Bears will need to convert at least one defensive score, as well as seeing some offensive progression, if they want the win. It will probably take more than 21 points for the Bears to feel safe this week, and that is exactly their season average. I expect the defense to be its regular disruptive self, but I do expect them to give up more points than usual. With a few sacks and a pick, it should be enough to continue rolling with them.

-Mike Miklius