Sit/Start Week 4: Reviewing All the Fantasy Relevant Players In Every Single Game

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 29th at 3:25 pm EST

Location: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, CO

Betting Odds: DEN -3, 38 Total via Oddsshark

Network: CBS

Sleeper Spotlight: Chris Conley

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

 

Quarterback:

• Gardner Minshew (Sit)

 

Rookie Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew has been a revelation to the fantasy football community. After losing Nick Foles to a Week 1 injury, Minshew has taken over and performed well. His accuracy has been uncanny, leading all passers in completion percentage. However, he does have a limited ceiling. Opportunity is what we look for and Jacksonville is in the bottom third in pass attempts. Minshew is outperforming expectations, eighth overall in fantasy points over expectation yet he doesn’t look like a player who is going to light up the box score. Jacksonville faces another tough passing defense in as many weeks. Look for a down game from Minshew with a chance to bounce back in the coming weeks. 

 

Running Backs:

• Leonard Fournette (Start / RB1)

 

Leonard Fournette and should be in line for his best game of the season. Fournette is the unquestioned lead back in this offense, and there is some value in that even if he has underperformed. He’s played every snap and received 23 opportunities (carries + targets) last week, his third straight week of 19+. Denver has allowed five rushing touchdowns in three weeks and several backs were inches away from blowing the game up. 85 yards and a score are well within reach for Fournette this week.  

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends:

• D.J Chark (Start / WR2)
• Dede Westbrook (Sit)
• Chris Conley (Sit)
• James O’Shaughnessy (Sit)

 

I like D.J. Chark to continue his hot start this weekend. Sometime soon Chark will come back down to earth, he leads all receivers in points above expectation, but it won’t be this week. Denver has not been able to cover receivers in his profile, giving up six catches for 105 to Tyrell Williams and six catches for 99 yards to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Play him once more then look to flip him for a buy-low receiver. Dede Westbrook continues to lead this team in targets and snaps, he has just struggled to produce. While I don’t expect that to last much longer, this week he needs to be on your bench until he shows up. The remaining pass catchers on the Jags are also in wait and see mode. Chris Conley continues to get the playing time while Marqise Lee is not seeing much playing time. Perhaps that will change but Minshew cannot support any more than two receivers at this time. Look elsewhere at tight end too, Denver has yet to allow a touchdown to the position and that should not change Sunday.     

 

Denver Broncos

 

Quarterback:

• Joe Flacco (Sit)

 

Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco has not performed as a fantasy starter since Week 2 of 2018. Fans in Denver hoped that he could regain his Joe Cool swagger but the results have been worse than could be imagined. Flacco has only attempted two passes of 20+ yards, instead, he’s focusing on the dink and dunk attack. Lamar Jackson, in Baltimore, has already attempted twenty of these passes. He’s leaving points on the field and holding back this offense. He is strictly a low-end QB2 in two QB leagues and even then I cannot give an endorsement.  

 

Running Backs:

• Phillip Lindsay (Start / Flex)
• Royce Freeman (Sit)

 

Last week I listed Phillip Lindsay as a player I was panicked about. Then he went out and had a huge game. I still believe the playing time evaluation holds but I may have forgotten just how good he is. Lindsay is the most talented back on the team but Denver wants this to be a 50/50 committee. Royce Freeman was featured in the first quarter before leaving briefly with an injury. Lindsay took advantage, showing the same explosion and elusiveness that we know him for. However, his value is limited if Denver continues to want to split up this backfield. This week Lindsay is an excellent flex starter with RB2 potential, the Jaguars have given up 80+ yard games to two backs and two rushing touchdowns to two others. Freeman will continue to culture touches but isn’t doing enough with them to warrant a start recommendation.   

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends:

• Emmanuel Sanders (Start / Flex)
• Courtland Sutton (Start / Flex)
• DaeSean Hamilton (Sit)
• Noah Fant (Sit)

 

With the early season struggles of Joe Flacco, it is tough to strongly recommend any Broncos pass catcher. Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton have each had solid games in the early going, with Sanders having the better value because of two passing touchdowns. Each is seeing 22% of the team target share and are almost always on the field together. Jacksonville has not been the imposing pass defense recently, allowing more than 200 yards to receivers in three of their last five matchups. Both Sanders and Sutton are in line for a decent afternoon, with one scoring a touchdown. It’s hard to say which one though, so if you have a better option then look that direction. 

-Marc Salazar (@dingwog)