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

Game Info

Kickoff: Sunday, September 29th at 8:20 pm EST

Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA

Betting Odds: Dal -2.5, 47 Total via Oddsshark

Network: NBC

Sleeper Spotlight:  Devin Smith

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback:

• Dak Prescott (Start/QB1)

 

Dak Prescott is doing everything right when it comes to increasing your value. If he continues this pace, his demand of $40 million/year might not seem so crazy. This week he gets to continue his offensive onslaught against the Saints. The Saints have allowed more than 250 passing yards and a touchdown in each of their first 3 games. More importantly, in each of their games, they have allowed a rushing score to an opposing QB, including 2 last week to Russell Wilson. Dak is known for his ability to use his legs to score TDs when the Cowboys get inside the red zone and the matchup sets up perfectly. Prescott is a locked-in QB1 this week and can be started with extreme confidence. 

 

Running Backs:

• Ezekiel Elliott 
• Tony Pollard

 

2018 Ezekiel Elliott where are you? The Cowboys seemingly paid Zeke just so that they could bring him back and limit his role. He is still seeing the elite volume for the RB position, but not the volume you were expecting when you took him in the 1st round. After setting a career-high in targets and receptions a year ago, Elliott has seen his passing game work go down in flames. Through the first three weeks of the season, Elliott has only received 7 targets. For context, he averaged 6.3 targets/game last year. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has adapted the Cowboys scheme to include more downfield looks and it has worked. The Cowboys are effectively moving the ball with ease passed the sticks and have not needed to check down to Elliott. The Saints do possess the toughest defense the Cowboys will have played up to this point of the season, so maybe it may cause Elliott to get more looks. Elliott is still an RB1 and needs to be started everywhere, let’s hope we see a change in usage. 

 

Tony Pollard was the Cowboys RB that impressed the most in week 3. He racked up over 100 scrimmage yards and a score against the Dolphins. I expect him to come back down to earth this week against the Saints. Last week’s game was a walk in the park for the Cowboys, so they were able to let Zeke take some snaps off and watch his backup dominate. Pollard should stay on your bench this week the game should stay competitive and there should be no reason for him to see extra reps. 

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends:

• Amari Cooper (Start/WR1)
• Randall Cobb (Start/Flex)
• Devin Smith (Start/Flex)
• Jason Witten (Sit)

 

The way Amari Cooper cooks defensive backs with ease on each of his routes is pure art. He is by far one of the most talented WRs in the league and he is showing it to start this year. Cooper leads the league in TDs with 4 and is one of only seven players with a TD in each game. It is not confirmed yet but there is a good chance that Saint CB Marshon Lattimore could shadow Cooper. 2 years ago this would be seen as a problem. This year? It may be the best argument to make for Cooper being a WR1 this week. Lattimore has allowed 341 yards on throws into his coverage through the first 3 weeks, which is the highest mark in the entire league. He has struggled to cover elite WRs such as Brandin Cooks, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Lockett. Cooper appears to be next in line to make Lattimore look bad. The Saints have allowed 905 passing yards against this season and have seemingly made no changes to stop it. Cooper is a WR1 this week and could be in for a big day. 

 

With Michael Gallup out, we assumed that naturally, his targets would go towards Devin Smith and Randall Cobb. However, that was not the case. They still received 5 and 4 targets respectively but were not able to do much with them. This could be because once the game got out of hand against the Dolphins, the team opted to run the ball and try and waste away the clock. This week the game should be more competitive and Dak may be forced to throw the ball more. As I previously mentioned, the Saints have not been able to stop opposing receivers, so in this matchup, I view both as mid-range flexes. 

 

Old-man Jason Witten is still kicking around in this new Cowboys offense. He has compiled a few good fantasy scores to start the season and currently sits as the TE11. When we look a little bit deeper it is clear to see that Witten is on an unsustainable pace. He is averaging 4 targets a game and has an average depth of target of only 4.67 yards, which is 45th among TEs. Witten is clinging to fantasy relevance because of Dak’s affinity to throw to him in the endzone. Witten is a TD dependent TE2 and should not be started. 

 

New Orleans Saints

 

Quarterback:

• Teddy Bridgewater (Sit)
• Taysom Hill (Sit)

 

I think we can all agree this would be far and away from the game of the week if Drew Brees was healthy. Instead, we get Teddy Bridgewater leading the high powered Saints offense into battle. Bridgewater was just about bang average in last week’s game against the Seahawks and there is nothing to suggest that will change. He threw for just over 175 yards and managed to get 2 TDs, where his playmakers did all the work. From last week, we can gather that Sean Payton wants the offense to run through Alvin Kamara in Brees’ absence. The Cowboys defense is also one of the better units league so the matchup is also not in Bridgewater’s favor. Keep him on your bench, unless you’re playing in a 2QB league than he could be worth the start. 

 

There was some speculation that Taysom Hill could be the Saints starter, but that was not the case. He still has his role in the offense and is valuable to the saints, but not for fantasy. 

 

Running Backs:

• Alvin Kamara (Start/RB1)
• Latavius Murray (Sit)

 

What a week for Alvin Kamara. I did not expect Kamara to play better without Brees, but I suppose I should have expected the volume spike. He goes into this week against the Cowboys as an RB1. The Cowboys have not had a true test to their run defense since week against Saquon Barkley. They were able to limit Kenyan Drake, Kalen Ballage, Adrian Peterson, and Chris Thompson, but that isn’t saying much. Against Barkley, they gave up 120 yards on the ground on 11 carries. They also allowed Barkley and Wayne Gallman to tally up 7 catches for 43 yards. Even against the Dolphins and Redskins, the Cowboys allowed opposing RBs to rack up over 40 receiving yards against their defense. If the Cowboys continue to struggle to cover receiving backs, then Kamara could be in for a big day. Start Kamara with the same confidence you did before the Brees injury. 

 

Drew Brees’ injury seemed to impact Latavius Murray the most. He only played 12 snaps and only received 2 carries. He was out carried by Tayson Hill. If that is not a big enough red flag for you than I do not know what is. Since we do not know for sure if Murray’s usage will increase this week or if this will be the new norm, he will need to be kept on all benches in all leagues. 

 

Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends:

• Michael Thomas (Start/WR2)
• Ted Ginn Jr. (Sit)
• Tre’Quan Smith (Sit)
• Jared Cook (Sit)

 

With Drew Brees on the shelf, Michael Thomas’ value took a hit. Going from a locked-in WR1 he has now fallen to a high-end WR2. He still valuable, but not as valuable as he was. In his first game with Teddy Bridgewater, he only saw 7 targets. It was the Saints 2nd highest mark behind only Alvin Kamara. Thomas averaged over 9 targets a game a year ago, which made him such a coveted fantasy asset. Of course, it is a small sample and we should not just assume that the low target count will continue. The Saints dominated the Seahawks and Kamara took over the game, so it was not necessary to pepper Thomas with targets. This week, Thomas gets a stout Cowboys’ secondary. They have managed to keep opposing WRs in check through three weeks, but that is not saying much given their level of opposition. Even with the difficult matchup, Saints Head Coach will find ways to get his best WR the ball. Thomas is still a must-start in all leagues, but since Brees won’t be on the field he is a WR2 for me. 

 

Tre’Quan Smith is slated to return for week 4 after missing last week’s tilt against the Saints. He will still split snaps with Ted Ginn Jr. acting as the Saints WR2. Without Drew Brees’ the pair lose their fantasy value. They are at their best when they are taking the top off opposing defenses. Unless Sean Payton opens up the playbook for Bridgewater, it is unlikely that we will see the big plays that we are accustomed to from the Saints offense. Until Brees is back, keep both players on your bench. 

 

Jared Cook only saw 2 targets in last week’s game against the Seahawks. He was pretty much a non-factor before the Brees injury and it looks like it may be the case after. This game will be a good test to see if the Saints try and get their big-ticket signing the ball more. He does have a good history against the Cowboys in recent years (sorry Cowboys fans), but even his miraculous catch is not enough for me to start him. Let’s see if the Saints do something about his volume because if they do not, he is a drop candidate. 

-Matt Perri (@MattPerri91)