Game Previews: All Fantasy Relevant Players For Week 4

Seahawks vs. Cardinals

Seahawks

Seattle got off the schneid on Sunday, defeating the Cowboys to move to 1-2 on the season. They finally committed to Chris Carson as their lead running back, and he rewarded them with a 100-yard rushing game. Now, a date with the Cardinals and a potential return of Doug Baldwin makes them an interesting, yet hard to read team for fantasy owners.

Will Doug Baldwin play?

Presently, it’s not clear. I’ll give you advice for either scenario though. Baldwin is the same low-end WR1 he’s always been, although coming off a knee injury and with Seattle’s potential to take a big lead in this game, I’d downgrade him to WR2 in this one. His return pushes Tyler Lockett into the WR3/FLEX territory. I wouldn’t start him in 10-teamers, although he’s still worth considering in deeper formats. Seattle’s other wide receivers are not worth playing, with or without Baldwin on the field.

Similar situation with the tight ends. I know Will Dissly is a bit of a darling TE option, but he was used very sparingly last week and I wouldn’t be rolling with either him or Nick Vannett this week.

Is Chris Carson a bell-cow?

You must be new here if you think Pete Carroll will have a consistent run game. Since Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks have rarely committed to a running back. In fact, Carroll has repeatedly, repeatedly indicated that getting Carson 30 touches is unlikely to happen again. I’d still consider Carson a potential FLEX play, particularly in PPR leagues. But trust me, you don’t want to get burned by Carroll again.

Rookie Rashaad Penny is not worth playing in any formats at this point. He has yet to take a big step forward, and honestly may not have much fantasy value at all this season if Carson keeps playing this well.

Russell Wilson is DangeRuss

Wilson completed 16 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. While Seattle turned to the run game more than usual, Wilson still performed like the top-tier quarterback that he is. Don’t overthink this, Russ should absolutely be started against the Cardinals.

Legion of Boom?

The Seahawks defense has three of the absolute best at their position in Bradley McDougald, Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner. Adding to that are two up-and-coming elite players in cornerback Shaquill Griffin and defensive end Frank Clark, as well as a host of other talented dudes. Even without K.J. Wright, this is a top-ten defense and should be started as such – especially against a rookie quarterback.

-Andy Patton

Cardinals

It took less than a month for the Arizona offense to hit a brick wall and for head coach Steve Wilks plus fans to ask more from Mike McCoy. David Johnson has been underutilized. The $20 million man Sam Bradford posted a 62.5 rating before being benched for rookie Josh Rosen a week after leading the team to a blistering 14 points. Taking on the division rival Seahawks this time around, there are a lot of questions to be answered.

IT’S TIME FOR THE STARTING DEBUT OF ROOKIE QUARTERBACK…JOSH ROSEN?

So, maaayyybe Baker Mayfield deserves a little bit more attention this week than the Cardinal’s Rosen. That said, Rosen entered the off-season with a lot of hype (and questions) regarding his career at UCLA. Arguably slipping to the 10th pick in the draft, Arizona moved up to draft the 21-year-old.

A brief look at last week’s game.

• First Drive: 6 passes, 4 receivers, 3 completions (one nullified), and 1 interception.
• Second Drive: 2 passes, 2 receivers, 1 completion, 1 pick six called off by a penalty.

Rosen offers zero value in fantasy leagues this week. Given the offensive showing through three weeks, only dynasty owners should be watching his performance all that closely. A key point of note will be seeing how the rookie distributes the ball. Fellow rookie Christian Kirk was targeted three times over the final two drives last week with Chad Williams given two opportunities.

Will Mike McCoy finally use David Johnson?

In simplest terms, David Johnson has been a touchdown-reliant given limited opportunity in an offense lacking weapons. Johnson posted a season low 2.6 yards per carry on a dozen carries against a stout Chicago front a week ago. Taking on the Seahawks this week, there have been ups and downs for a formerly elite unit. Denver found success in Week One, the Bears struggled in Week 2, then Ezekiel Elliott ran for 127 yards on just 16 carries on the road.

Similar to the passing game, this will be a very telling week in regards to the offense. Johnson remains a potential RB1 option that should find opportunity. Still a must play, fantasy owners can start to form a complete outlook whether they drafted Johnson in the top five or are looking to buy low on the presumed star.

-Paul Ghiglieri