With Jimmy G once again hobbled with a lower
leg injury, and playing injury spy games in the media, I think
Trey Lance makes the start. Although the offense had become stagnant
the last few weeks, Lance is in no way ready to lead this team,
but offers elusiveness and playmaking ability especially on the
road against arguably the best team in the NFL. Fortunately Lance’s
rushing upside (41 yards in a half last week) and scoring ability
(four accounted for touchdowns in incredibly limited work) could
be a fantasy bonanza in a desert shootout in Week 5.
A mediocre defense, and a trio of dangerous pass catchers has
made Cousins a fantasy surprise to start the year. The offense
failed to get much going last week against the Browns, but the
passing game cooks against porous defenses, and that’s what
awaits the Vikes in Week 5. Detroit has been far more competitive
than I thought they would be, but moxy and attitude only gets
you so far when the talent gap is that wide. With 625 yards and
6 touchdowns in two meetings against the Lions last year, look
for Cousins to be a solid start.
Coming off his best game of a season last Thursday night, it’s
clear that Burrow has shaken off the rust. He was dominant in
the 2nd half in their comeback win, and gets a Green Bay defense
at home that looks to be without All-Pro corner Jaire Alexander.
While Burrow should get Tee Higgins back, the loss of workhorse
Joe Mixon means the Bengals could revert back to the pass happy
scheme that saw Burrow chuck it up 40+ times a game in 2020. With
a 49.5 over/under for the game, there is plenty of room for production.
Broken different parts on a weekly basis, Wentz and the Colts
hit the road to take on a Raven defense that has begun to settle
in. There simply isn’t any pop and sizzle in the Indy passing
game, and their best offensive lineman is out on IR. Wentz is
near the bottom of the rankings in yards per attempt, and has
only five touchdowns in the first four games. With bye weeks not
yet a concern, Wentz should be on fantasy benches for the foreseeable
future.
Following the blueprint that was so successful last year, Cleveland
continues to tailor their offense to a two-headed running game,
and limit the passing game to safe comfortable throws. While an
effective way to win in real life, especially with a banged up
WR room, it’s certainly not great for fantasy football. Mayfield
also hasn’t been very efficient recently; completing only 34 of
his last 64 (53%) throws. With as many passing touchdowns as Davis
Mills (2) over the first four weeks, Mayfield is far from fantasy
relevant.
Bridgewater is in concussion protocol, and Lock just stinks.
I know this Pittsburgh defense is a shell of its former self,
but this storied franchise is backed into a corner and should
be fired up for this long-time conference rivalry. Denver’s
3-0 start quickly faded against a quality opponent, and the receiver
corps has lost too much downfield threat with the injuries to
Jeudy and Hamler, meaning Pitt can take some chances to create
pressure. There might not be a Denver starter named until the
end of the week, but it really shouldn’t matter.
