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Joseph Hutchins | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


The Shot Caller's Report - Wide Receivers
Your Guide To Fantasy Lineups: Week 4
9/27/18
QBs | RBs | WRs

Bye Weeks: Carolina, Washington

Even if A.J. Green plays, Tyler Boyd makes for a good play in a game with a 52 over/under.


Grab a Helmet

Tyler Boyd @ ATL: A.J. Green says he’s playing this weekend and while that may sound like lousy news for those counting on Boyd (6 catches, 132 yards, and a score v. Carolina last week), I think it’s actually terrific news. It’s fun to think a WR2 sliding into the WR1 role will instantly see an uptick in production, but it’s not that simple. WR1s attract more attention and that attention, especially in the form of a shutdown corner, can effectively counteract the expected benefit of more involvement in the offense. Boyd’s doing just fine as the WR2 for Cincy and only slightly lags behind Green from a production standpoint. He’s garnered just four fewer targets in three games and has posted 1.78 fantasy points/target to Green’s 1.83. Put another way, he’s playing like a Top 10 receiver and you probably got him off the waiver wire a week ago.

Michael Crabtree or John Brown @ PIT: Word out of Ravens training camp in August was that Joe Flacco looked like a new man, energized by the Ravens’ daring decision to draft an eventual/possible replacement so highly (Lamar Jackson at the end of Round 1) but also by a retooled receiving corps that offered a higher ceiling than the one he struggled to make points with in 2017. Fast-forward a month or so and Flacco, not at all in danger of losing snaps to Jackson, is sitting 13th overall at QB and making consistently good connections with his new pass-grabbers, Crabtree and Brown. The former is still a reliable chain-mover while the latter can blow the roof off the sucker at any given moment. Expect lots of fireworks Sunday night when a typically rugged divisional battle features (my guess) a whole bunch of points. Maybe even consider Willie Snead IV.

Will Fuller @ IND: Make that two games and two successive 100-yard outings for the Texans’ other game-breaking wideout, Mr. Fuller. A balky hamstring kept him out of action in Week 1, which possibly caused him to fall off some fantasy radars, but he’s definitely back on them now and, barring any other setbacks, could be well on his way to joining DeAndre Hopkins in the WR Top 10 come year’s end. The Texans are running the ball fairly well, but have been playing from behind almost all season, so it’s reasonable to expect the pigskins to keep flying around. This may be even more true as Deshaun Watson gains his sea legs (already happening) and finds the groove that made him a rookie sensation in 2017. Watson, Hopkins, and Fuller are the best things the Texans having going on offense, so don’t overthink it. He’s in your lineup always.

Grab Some Wood

Corey Davis v. PHI: I love my boy Mariota (@#$%, DUCKS!), but he’s playing with a wounded wing (the one that counts) and would probably be sitting down still if the Titans had another viable option to run the offense. It’s debatable whether they had one, anyway, with a healthy Blaine Gabbert taking snaps, but now Austin Davis appears to be Marcus’ safety net. If Tennessee beats the defending Super Bowl champs with Austin Davis playing meaningful minutes this Sunday, they may as well just cancel Coach of the Year voting and send the trophy to Music City c/o Mike Vrabel. Davis’ target share is healthy already, but the quality of said targets is likely to improve the further away Mariota gets from that Week 1 injury. Until we see this duo turn the corner, it’s advisable to sit them down, especially with an angry/focused Eagles team coming to town.

Marquise Goodwin @ LAC: Remember when Goodwin was shooting up draft boards just a couple short months ago? Through three weeks—and two games of action for him—he has three receptions and one rushing attempt totaling 28 yards. Had he not scored a TD at Arrowhead last weekend, he’d be sitting on exactly 2.8 fantasy points for the season. There’s one other receiver with that many points and his name is Vyncint Smith. Yes, I had to look him up too. Goodwin’s had some bad injury luck of his own, of course, but it’s his QB’s bad injury luck that could ultimately cause the most long-term damage to his value. I don’t think you can cut him yet as there’s always a chance C.J. Beathard is the second coming of Kurt Warner. You definitely can’t start him, however, until you see how it’s all gonna shake down in SF.

Larry Fitzgerald v. SEA: Ya’ think Fitz ever wakes up and legitimately wonders why the heck he’s still bothering to put himself through the NFL wringer at age 35? I’m almost 47 and can barely summon the energy to sit at a desk all day. That might say more about me than Fitz, true, but I guess my point is this: Getting old sucks and getting old playing wide receiver for Arizona seems like it would suck exponentially more. The Cards turn to Josh Rosen this Sunday after the predictable collapse of the Sam Bradford era, but I don’t see that changing Fitz’s fantasy fortunes a lick. Rosen doesn’t possess great arm talent or athleticism and didn’t win a lot at UCLA. Right or wrong, I’m always dubious of QBs who don’t win a lot at the college level (looking at you too, Josh Allen). Sit Fitz down against Seattle.

Good luck, folks!

Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers