Before this season, in his three year career, the most receptions and yards Brian Hartline had in a game was five for 98. He had shown some promise off and on, but never more than a fleeting glimpse on fantasy waiver wire articles and then back to obscurity. That is until Week 2 of this season when he caught nine passes on 12 targets for 111 yards against the Raiders. Of course, that was at home against a Raiders defense that has been the perfect picture of an awful defense.
So when Hartline caught one pass for 41 yards against a Revis led, Jets defense, the thoughts of his previous mediocrity flooded our fantasy football minds and shot Hartline right back into the free agency field. But even when he just had one catch against the Jets, he still had nine targets from Ryan Tannehill. The precedent had been set. No matter what, Hartline would get his targets.
But this Arizona Cardinals pass defense has been strong. They had only given up 156 yards a game to wide receivers and one touchdown coming into Sunday. That is until Hartline caught 12 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown!
Those 253 yards broke the previous Dolphins record of 238 yards receiving by Chris Chambers and tied for 17th best all time. The big question of course is, can he continue to put up week in and week out WR1 or 2 numbers? Well, that will depend on Ryan Tannehill, who made some very nice throws in setting the Dolphins rookie record for most passing yards in a game with 431, besting Dan Marino’s old record of 322.
Tannehill made plenty of great throws and a few boneheaded plays as well, but with an average of 12 targets a game, it is going to be tough to keep Hartline from putting up startable numbers. Of course if you can get a legitimate top-tier receiver for him, I’d make the trade, but I don’t see this game as a fluke.
Game Balls
Tom Brady – As far as fantasy football goes, it’s good to get the, destroy and humiliate the opponent Patriots, back. Brady’s 340 yards was his third 300-plus yard game of the season, but his three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown, put him into the realm of great fantasy day.
Even with the Patriots running at will, he still had two receivers top 100 yards. The extra dimension of a running game might hurt his overall touchdown numbers, but we knew the Patriots’ offense wasn’t going to be held down for long.
Peyton Manning – This was the game where we all knew the old Peyton Manning (i.e. the young Peyton Manning) would have put up elite numbers in his sleep. So it was nice to see him do just that.
Manning went a remarkable 30 of 38 for 338 yards and three touchdowns (love those round numbers) and easily could have kept on scoring if they weren’t already destroying the hapless Raiders defense.
He’s not going to consistently dismantle teams, but he’ll put up big numbers on bad teams and good enough numbers on good teams.
Roddy White – Mr. White outdueled Mr. Jones by a wide fantasy margin this week and the old man has now taken the lead in fantasy points after Jones only had one reception for 30 yards, while White had eight receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The extra coverage on Jones is helping White out a ton this season and should continue against teams with middle of the road pass defenses.
Andre Roberts – If I would have told you that Roberts would lead all wide receivers in touchdown catches after Week 4 you might have punched me in the gut, or not, but you wouldn’t have believed me.
Roberts’ two touchdowns and 118 yards put him in elite company on the season, but he’s still not getting the number of targets per game you’ll want for a top fantasy player. His 15 receptions put him tied for 50th overall. He’s worth an add to see if he can keep getting into the end zone with the right matchups, but I’m still wary.
Michael Turner – Well, I’ve referred to him as fat and pug-like and recommended you sell him about every week possible and he of course goes off for 171 total yards and a touchdown.
According to Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, I may be insane, but I just didn’t see much in all those yards to be hopeful.
He went 60 yards on an inside screen pass for his first receiving touchdown ever. He had more targets than he’s ever had in his career, with five. Of course these are good things, but has his game all of a sudden changed? Jacquizz Rodgers looked much more comfortable in the hurry-up offense catching passes than Turner.
The Panthers defense and Falcons’ offensive line also teamed up to give Turner, Moses meets the Red Sea running lanes, and well, he still looked similar to a roly-poly.
Stevan Ridley/Brandon Bolden – The Bills gave up 243 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 38 carries, split between Bolden and Ridley. Before this week they had given up a total of 265 yard rushing and two touchdowns.
Ridley won the fantasy battle with two of the three touchdowns, but Bolden had a higher yards per carry, with 8.5 to 4.8. Knowing Bill Belichick as I do, which is not at all, they both could get three carries next week. But there is no doubt, that both Bolden and Ridley have ability. Just be ready for their playing time to be all over the map.
Marshawn Lynch – The leader in rushing yards through four weeks is none other than Beast Mode Skittle Shoes. Is that what we are calling him now? Well, whatever his name, he’s kicking some arse week in and week out.
This week he totaled 155 yards with four receptions and a touchdown. It’s good to see him used in the passing game a little more. If that keeps up, he will be extremely difficult to hold him down, even if the Seahawks get behind.
Willis McGahee – Old man McGahee is still kicking and kicking hard. He had 112 yards on 19 carries and six receptions for an additional 23 yards. Those six receptions are the most he’s had since 2007.
In his last 18 games he has nine 100 yard rushing performances. That number is the best in the NFL during that stretch. And Peyton Manning is going to continue to get him into good running and scoring positions. So as long as he can go without the aid of a walker, he’ll help your team.
Scott Chandler – Chandler has a whopping 12 receptions on the season, but is tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns with four.
His 8 targets are his high for the season, and since he scored two touchdowns on Sunday, maybe he’ll continue to be the number two target on the team. If so, he could hit TE1 status.
Greg Zuerlein – He has been the Rams MVP so far this season, especially in their win over the Seahawks. He hit field goals of 24, 48, 58 and 60 yards, the latter two both setting Rams ‘ records.
He has yet to miss a field goal and as long as he’s hitting from 50 yards out with consistency, even the Rams poor offense shouldn’t keep him from getting his fantasy points.
Before this season, in his three year career, the most receptions and yards Brian Hartline had in a game was five for 98. He had shown some promise off and on, but never more than a fleeting glimpse on fantasy waiver wire articles and then back to obscurity. That is until Week 2 of this season when he caught nine passes on 12 targets for 111 yards against the Raiders. Of course, that was at home against a Raiders defense that has been the perfect picture of an awful defense.
So when Hartline caught one pass for 41 yards against a Revis led, Jets defense, the thoughts of his previous mediocrity flooded our fantasy football minds and shot Hartline right back into the free agency field. But even when he just had one catch against the Jets, he still had nine targets from Ryan Tannehill. The precedent had been set. No matter what, Hartline would get his targets.
But this Arizona Cardinals pass defense has been strong. They had only given up 156 yards a game to wide receivers and one touchdown coming into Sunday. That is until Hartline caught 12 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown!
Those 253 yards broke the previous Dolphins record of 238 yards receiving by Chris Chambers and tied for 17th best all time. The big question of course is, can he continue to put up week in and week out WR1 or 2 numbers? Well, that will depend on Ryan Tannehill, who made some very nice throws in setting the Dolphins rookie record for most passing yards in a game with 431, besting Dan Marino’s old record of 322.
Tannehill made plenty of great throws and a few boneheaded plays as well, but with an average of 12 targets a game, it is going to be tough to keep Hartline from putting up startable numbers. Of course if you can get a legitimate top-tier receiver for him, I’d make the trade, but I don’t see this game as a fluke.
Game Balls
Tom Brady – As far as fantasy football goes, it’s good to get the, destroy and humiliate the opponent Patriots, back. Brady’s 340 yards was his third 300-plus yard game of the season, but his three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown, put him into the realm of great fantasy day.
Even with the Patriots running at will, he still had two receivers top 100 yards. The extra dimension of a running game might hurt his overall touchdown numbers, but we knew the Patriots’ offense wasn’t going to be held down for long.
Peyton Manning – This was the game where we all knew the old Peyton Manning (i.e. the young Peyton Manning) would have put up elite numbers in his sleep. So it was nice to see him do just that.
Manning went a remarkable 30 of 38 for 338 yards and three touchdowns (love those round numbers) and easily could have kept on scoring if they weren’t already destroying the hapless Raiders defense.
He’s not going to consistently dismantle teams, but he’ll put up big numbers on bad teams and good enough numbers on good teams.
Roddy White – Mr. White outdueled Mr. Jones by a wide fantasy margin this week and the old man has now taken the lead in fantasy points after Jones only had one reception for 30 yards, while White had eight receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The extra coverage on Jones is helping White out a ton this season and should continue against teams with middle of the road pass defenses.
Andre Roberts – If I would have told you that Roberts would lead all wide receivers in touchdown catches after Week 4 you might have punched me in the gut, or not, but you wouldn’t have believed me.
Roberts’ two touchdowns and 118 yards put him in elite company on the season, but he’s still not getting the number of targets per game you’ll want for a top fantasy player. His 15 receptions put him tied for 50th overall. He’s worth an add to see if he can keep getting into the end zone with the right matchups, but I’m still wary.
Michael Turner – Well, I’ve referred to him as fat and pug-like and recommended you sell him about every week possible and he of course goes off for 171 total yards and a touchdown.
According to Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, I may be insane, but I just didn’t see much in all those yards to be hopeful.
He went 60 yards on an inside screen pass for his first receiving touchdown ever. He had more targets than he’s ever had in his career, with five. Of course these are good things, but has his game all of a sudden changed? Jacquizz Rodgers looked much more comfortable in the hurry-up offense catching passes than Turner.
The Panthers defense and Falcons’ offensive line also teamed up to give Turner, Moses meets the Red Sea running lanes, and well, he still looked similar to a roly-poly.
Stevan Ridley/Brandon Bolden – The Bills gave up 243 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 38 carries, split between Bolden and Ridley. Before this week they had given up a total of 265 yard rushing and two touchdowns.
Ridley won the fantasy battle with two of the three touchdowns, but Bolden had a higher yards per carry, with 8.5 to 4.8. Knowing Bill Belichick as I do, which is not at all, they both could get three carries next week. But there is no doubt, that both Bolden and Ridley have ability. Just be ready for their playing time to be all over the map.
Marshawn Lynch – The leader in rushing yards through four weeks is none other than Beast Mode Skittle Shoes. Is that what we are calling him now? Well, whatever his name, he’s kicking some arse week in and week out.
This week he totaled 155 yards with four receptions and a touchdown. It’s good to see him used in the passing game a little more. If that keeps up, he will be extremely difficult to hold him down, even if the Seahawks get behind.
Willis McGahee – Old man McGahee is still kicking and kicking hard. He had 112 yards on 19 carries and six receptions for an additional 23 yards. Those six receptions are the most he’s had since 2007.
In his last 18 games he has nine 100 yard rushing performances. That number is the best in the NFL during that stretch. And Peyton Manning is going to continue to get him into good running and scoring positions. So as long as he can go without the aid of a walker, he’ll help your team.
Scott Chandler – Chandler has a whopping 12 receptions on the season, but is tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns with four.
His 8 targets are his high for the season, and since he scored two touchdowns on Sunday, maybe he’ll continue to be the number two target on the team. If so, he could hit TE1 status.
Greg Zuerlein – He has been the Rams MVP so far this season, especially in their win over the Seahawks. He hit field goals of 24, 48, 58 and 60 yards, the latter two both setting Rams ‘ records.
He has yet to miss a field goal and as long as he’s hitting from 50 yards out with consistency, even the Rams poor offense shouldn’t keep him from getting his fantasy points.
Sell High
Chris Johnson – I didn’t give Johnson a game ball this week because how often do you see running backs get 25 carries when their team loses by 24 points? The Texans let the Titans run and waited for Hasselbeck to throw them some gift-wrapped interceptions.
Johnson has some tough matchups coming up, sell him while the selling is good.
Jackie Battle – Sell him to the Ryan Mathews owner in your league. He has no real long-term value.
Scott Chandler: I don’t hate Chandler and think he could be a decent player with the right opportunities, but once Jackson and Spiller get to 100% and Stevie Johnson isn’t traded away, I think Chandler will have trouble being consistent.
And I always like to sell guys right after multi-touchdown games unless they are elite players.
Andre Roberts: Much like Chandler, I don’t see Roberts being able to be consistent with the amount of targets he’ll get, especially if the defense steps up like it had been before the Dolphins game.
Michael Turner – See my earlier rant.
Buy Low
Percy Harvin – His 105 yard kickoff return probably didn’t help your team too much, but got you really excited for a huge letdown and Harvin had three receptions for 22 yards on six targets. This is a perfect time to get him.
Ryan Mathews – Mathews was in the dog house after fumbling a couple times on his first game back last week. He was called out by the GM and then Battle got the start and of course ran straight forward and was tackled all day long.
Mathews will be back and soon. Yes, you have to worry about him getting benched if he fumbles again, but he’s so far above the other options on the team that it’s not even a question that he is going to be their feature back this season. Oh, and they play the Saints next week.
Darren McFadden – The Raiders are a hot mess and they are dragging McFadden down with them. Is it their zone blocking scheme that’s hurting him? Probably, but the offense as a whole just can’t get into any type of rhythm. It may take a little time, but the Raiders’ schedule is good for the rushing attack and I believe one of the best runners in the league will turn things around.
Target Tease
I do the AFC/NFC Target Watch later in the week, but I figured I could give you a little taste before we got there with some interesting numbers from Week 4.
1 – Targets and receptions undrafted rookie Joe Morgan had to go along with his 80 yard touchdown.
2 – Targets Dennis Pitta had for his zero receptions.
3 – Targets Brandon LaFell had for his zero receptions.
4 – Targets Jackie Battle stole from Ryan Mathews.
5 – Targets for Michael Turner, the most he has had in his career.
6 – Targets and receptions Willis McGahee had against Oakland; his most since 2007.
7 – Targets for Greg Olsen, of which he caught six for 89 yards and a touchdown.
8 – Targets Julio Jones had, but only came up with one reception for 30.
9 – Targets Andre Roberts had for his six receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
10 – Targets Stevie Johnson had for just two receptions and 23 yards.
11 – Targets Wes Welker had for his nine receptions and 129 yards.
12 – Targets Davone Bess had for his seven receptions for 123 yards.
13 – Targets Marques Colston had for nine receptions, 153 yards and a touchdown.
14 – Yards rushing Andre Brown had with Ahmad Bradshaw back as the starter.
15 – Targets Lance Moore had for a disappointing seven receptions for 67 yards and no touchdowns.
16 – Rushing attempts Brandon Bolden had in gaining 137 yards rushing.
17 – Yards LeGarrette Blount had on six carries when Doug martin should have had the ball!!
18 – Yards per catch Brian Hartline is averaging this season.
19 – Targets Brian Hartline had against the Cardinals, the most of any player in the league this season.
Early Waiver Look
QB: Ryan Tannehill
RB: Joique Bell, Brandon Bolden, LeGarrette Blount, Ronnie Hillman, Marcel Reece, Jackie Battle
WR: Brian Hartline, James Jones, Andre Roberts, Leonard Hankerson, Chaz Schilens
TE: Scott Chandler
D/ST: Minnesota, Carolina, N.Y. Giants, Arizona
Awards
Fantasy MVP of Week 4: Tom Brady
Fantasy Breakout Player of Week 4: Brian Hartline
Fantasy Rookie of Week 4: Greg Zuerlein
Fantasy Disappointment of Week 1: Darren McFadden
Fantasy Fluke of Week 4: Jackie Battle
Twitter Talk
@greggrosenthal -- Adrian Peterson looks all the way back. Or he's playing the Lions.
@RotoPat -- Why are the Jets delaying the inevitable? Just call Vinny Testaverde already.
@Dexters_Library -- "I like timeouts about as much as I like using LeSean McCoy." Andy Reid
@evansilva -- Shonn Greene's stats since Bills game: 41 carries, 97 yards, 0 TDs. 2.37 YPC.
@CaptainComeback -- Today was the 1st time Mike McCarthy won a game without getting a takeaway.
@Dexters_Library -- Jermichael Finley could catch a pass for negative yards and still celebrate like he won the lottery.
@smartfootball -- Is Harbaugh running spread offense stuff just to show Ryan/Sparano that they don't know what they're doing with Tebow?
@Andy_Benoit -- Lions should put quotes around the "special" of their special teams. Lions "special" teams.
@scott_pianowski -- Has any Mark Ingram play ever worked in the NFL? Sure doesn't seem like it.
Stats and What Not
According to ESPN’s Stats and Info, “The Patriots are the second team in NFL history with a pair of 100-yard rushers and a pair of 100-yard receivers in the same game. The other was the Green Bay Packers against the Detroit Lions in 2008.”
Ryan Tannehill’s 418 passing yards broke Dan Marino's Dolphins rookie record by 96 yards.
The Rams and Vikings already have as many wins as they had last season.
Lions are the first team in NFL history to allow both a punt return TD and kickoff return TD in back-to-back games.
Drew Brees ties Johnny Unitas' NFL record with a touchdown pass in 47 straight games.
Texans are 4-0 for 1st time in franchise history.
Chris Johnson tripled his rushing yards on the season in Week 4.
The Patriots have scored 101 points against the Bills in their last two meetings.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis hadn’t lost a fumble in his career until last week, so of course he lost another one this week.
Christian Ponder is the only starting quarterback to have not thrown an interception this season.
The Redskins have given up 11 passing touchdowns and five separate 100 yard receiving games to wide receivers. They play Atlanta next week.