It was supposed to be a “down” week. Six teams on bye…several of which have elite NFL offenses. Starting lineups with obscure names in them to compensate for the missing regulars. It was supposed to be a predictable theme. Instead, we got the highest scoring week of the season to date with plenty of quarterbacks and wide receivers putting up big numbers and leading teams to fantasy glory. The Buzz likes surprises and it’s our pleasure to look at what those surprises were along with some disappointments as we recap the weekend that was in fantasy football. Let’s get to it!

Eli Manning had his best game since Week 1 of 2013 (450 yds, 4 TDs). ATL, PHI and DAL are up next.

NY Giants @ Washington
In the real world, this was another Thursday night stinker, but in the fantasy football world, it was a case of two quarterbacks changing places. Kirk Cousins was coming off a huge Week 3 performance and Eli Manning was coming off three weeks of lackluster fantasy output. All of that flipped on Thursday with Manning netting 300 yards and 4 TDs and Cousins throwing four second half interceptions. One of the most surprising/shocking elements to this fantasy season continues to be the out-of-nowhere story of Larry Donnell. The former Grambling State tight end was on nobody’s radar in August and suddenly he’s emerging as a red zone superstar (3 TDs in this game alone). The Giants’ offense is trending up. As for Cousins? Gotta wait and see…

Tennessee @ Indianapolis
I will mention this again later in the article, but there are only two legitimate choices for Player of the Month in September in fantasy football. Andrew Luck is one of those two. Luck is clearly fantasy elite at this point and he took two WRs (Wayne, Hilton) along for the ride Sunday as each had 100+ yards receiving. He also threw touchdowns to both tight ends (Allen, Fleener) and to running back Ahmad Bradshaw. If you are fortunate enough to have Luck on your team, chances are you’re 3-1 or better at this point unless the rest of your team stinks. In Tennessee, we told you last week to keep an eye on Bishop Sankey and his role did indeed expand as predicted. If you drafted him, your patience is about to pay off. In the tradition of Larry Donnell, it’s also worth noting what a surprising season Delanie Walker is having so far.

Detroit @ NY Jets
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had Calvin Johnson on your fantasy roster. If you raised your hand, then you’ve seen yesterday (2 rec., 12 yards) happen before. When Johnson is less than 100%, the Lions still march him out there so that he can draw coverage away from healthier players. That may work for Detroit, but it’s a killer for fantasy teams everywhere. You can probably count on one hand the number of people that started Jeremy Ross or Eric Ebron yesterday, so the production that did happen in this game benefited no one. Also of note is that Eric Decker’s return made Jeremy Kerley invisible again while Chris Ivory out-touched Chris Johnson 19-8. If Ivory can stay healthy, he looks like a rock solid RB2 moving forward.

Tampa Bay @ Pittsburgh
There’s a place in the universe where the real world and the fantasy world collide and the differences are stark. If you have Pittsburgh players on your fantasy team for example, you were rewarded in this game as Roethlisberger put up big numbers (314 yards, 3 TDs), Antonio Brown ran circles around another secondary (7 rec. 131 yards, 2 TDs), and Heath Miller caught ten balls and scored a touchdown. If you’re an actual/real world Pittsburgh fan, however, this game disgusted you to no end. There’s no reason to be any more excited about Tampa’s offense with Mike Glennon at the helm as he completed only 50% of his passes. Doug Martin ran for less than 3 yards a carry and Vincent Jackson was virtually invisible until the final play of the game. Keep starting Steelers. Their skill position players are among the league’s very best.

Miami vs. Oakland
It’s a shame we can’t send better games/teams oversees than these two, but from a fantasy standpoint, the Brits got to see Ryan Tannehill complete passes to nine different players en route to a performance that made his coach look silly for wanting to replace him with Matt Moore. I continue to be shocked by how well Miami is running the ball given how awful they ran it last year - 157 yards on the ground is good in today’s NFL. What’s not good is the Oakland offense and if you’re looking for a situational defense to play from week-to-week, pick whoever’s lining up across from the Raiders. Derek Carr is going to be out for a while and Schaub or McGloin throw interceptions as often as someone finds oil in Oklahoma.

Green Bay @ Chicago
Another week on the rollercoaster we call Aaron Rodgers and just like the last time we rode, a bad game gets followed up by a very good one. Rodgers throws to his wide receivers more than any quarterback in the game today which is why most regarded Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb top ten receivers prior to the start of the season. Nelson and Cobb combined for 221 yards and 4 TDs on Sunday making their owners very, very happy. With Eddie Lacy continuing his sophomore slump, expect Nelson and Cobb to continue producing like elite WR1s. As far as Chicago goes, Alshon Jeffery dropped all sorts of TD opportunities Sunday…Cutler is leaning on him more with Mashall dinged up, so a true breakout game is coming very soon. That’s what Matt Forte had in this game and his owners are now breathing a sigh of relief knowing the burst is still there.

Carolina @ Baltimore
The Buzz isn’t in existence to talk about team defenses, but what has happened to the Panthers-D between the first two weeks and the last two? The Ravens racked up 450+ yards of total offense and Joe Flacco (327 yards, 3 TDs) and Steve Smith (or is it Steve Smith, Sr. now?) was his primary target yet again with a 7-139-2 stat line. Gary Kubiak seems to have breathed new life into this Ravens offense, yes, but the Panthers-D is suddenly vulnerable. Two questions loom for the Panthers on the other side of the ball. One: When will Cam Newton be 100% as he looks like a shadow of himself? Two: Is Kelvin Benjamin now an every week start for fantasy owners everywhere? I’m not a doctor, so I can’t answer the first question…but I can answer the second: Yes. Benjamin had another long TD wiped out yesterday by a penalty. He’s the real deal.

Buffalo @ Houston
Aside from DeAndre Hopkins as a steady WR2, putting Texans in your fantasy lineup right now isn’t the most enticing of propositions. And yet, the team keeps winning games. Arian Foster is the RB equivalent of Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall in terms of playing at less than 100%, which leaves me to wonder if he’s took big of a risk for the time being to be in week-to-week lineups. C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson spent another week in a timeshare and the results were 85 yards for Jackson and 84 for Spiller. Both will remain low end RB2s in the weeks to come with Jackson being the more consistent and Spiller having more upside. EJ Manuel, however, should be on nobody’s radar after another game of completing less than 50% of his passes. Next up for the Bills…Kyle Orton.

Jacksonville @ San Diego
After three weeks of wondering if he had a role in the Chargers offense, Keenan Allen finally broke out on Sunday to the tune of 10 catches for 135 yards. As good as that was, he was eclipsed once again by the production of Eddie Royal who netted 30 less yards, but two more TDs. Royal has earned the nickname “Mr. September” at this point as he has had many a stellar first month of a season from a production standpoint before falling off in the months to follow. In a year of surprises, maybe Royal sets that label on fire this year, but the Buzz suggests curbing the enthusiasm until more can be learned. There wasn’t much fantasy buzz surrounding Blake Bortles’s debut, but give him some time. His ability to run for chunks of yardage is encouraging.

Atlanta @ Minnesota
So, while the buzz surrounding Bortles’s debut was minimal, the same cannot be said for the debut of Teddy Bridgewater. Granted it was against a very porous Falcons defense, but Bridgewater’s 317 passing yards and a rushing TD was part of a Vikings onslaught that included a 135-yard rusher (Jerick McKinnon) and a guy with 3 rushing TDs (Matt Asiata). Concern is growing about how little Cordarrelle Patterson is getting the ball, but if the supporting cast continues to be as formidable as they were Sunday, those opportunities should come. One guy to keep an eye on in Atlanta is RB Antone Smith. He’s in his fifth year in the league and 29 years old, but every time he touches the ball something big happens. The Falcons need to continue finding ways of getting him involved.

Philadelphia @ San Francisco
The Tuesday morning fall-out from this game remains with LeSean McCoy owners now in full panic mode after two miserable weeks from their formerly all-world RB. McCoy has carried the ball 29 times the past two weeks and totaled… 39 yards. Unthinkable. If the Eagles can’t get better blocking along an offensive line decimated by injuries, look for numbers across the board to drop including Jeremy Maclin, Zach Ertz, and yes…Nick Foles. In San Francisco, it’s clear how much better the 49ers are when Frank Gore gets a heavy workload, but how much workload can the timeless Gore endure? It’s a dilemma for the Niners as you’d ultimately like to reduce his carries due to age, but you probably can’t afford to. Look for Gore to continue to get plenty of work in games that stay competitive well into the second half.

New Orleans @ Dallas
In a fantasy world in which everything seems to change from week to week, it is nice to know that a few constants do exist. Dallas can run the ball and no one (seemingly) can prevent it from happening. DeMarco Murray went for over 100 yards and at least one TD for the fourth consecutive game Sunday night while Tony Romo was granted plenty of time to pick apart the Saints defense allowing Terrance Williams to continue his ascent to every-week fantasy relevancy. Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham piled up the garbage points, but looked out of synch most of the game keeping concerns over their long-term prospects this season maintained. Both are still incredible plays at home, but temper expectations when the duo is playing on the road. Meanwhile, the only other legitimate candidate for best fantasy performer in September: It’s Murray- easily.

New England @ Kansas City
With respect to which player performed well for the Chiefs last night, I have three words for you: Take your pick. Alex Smith looked like Joe Montana. Jamaal Charles looked like…well, Jamaal Charles. Knile Davis looked like Jamaal Charles, and Travis Kelce looked like Jimmy Graham. It’s hard to say whether or not to be excited about the Chiefs offense moving forward or whether to simply wonder if the Patriots have much left in the tank on either side of the ball. Brandon LaFell is probably worth a look as a waiver wire pick-up this week based on his showing Monday night, but there’s little else to be excited about fantasy-wise in New England. So, Charles is back to form. Forte is back to form. Is McCoy next? Week Five will tell the tale.

That’s the Buzz for Week Four. Exciting week with lots to ponder moving forward. So, who do you think was September’s fantasy player of the month- Andrew Luck or DeMarco Murray? Shoot me an e-mail and state your case. We’ll be here next Tuesday- Same bat time, same bat channel. Until then…