With the Rams likely playing from behind,
Tavon Austin is worth a play in deeper PPR leagues.
Grab a Helmet
Owen
Daniels @ OAK: Colby and I were recently taken to task
for ignoring tight ends. Duly noted, folks, and we appreciate the
feedback. Here’s the thing, though: Outside of Gronk, Greg Olsen,
and maybe Travis Kelce or Tyler Eifert, who’s really worth talking
about at the position? I mean, aside from whoever’s playing Oakland
that week? The Raiders have given up a staggering SIX touchdowns
to tight ends through four weeks and haven’t held them to fewer
than six receptions and 83 yards in any game. The big guys are averaging
(AVERAGING!) 18.7 points per contest against the Silver and Black
so far. And lest you think they’ve squared off against a positional
who’s who, Oakland has faced Eifert (understandable), Martellus
Bennett (kind of understandable), Gary Barnidge (uhhh), and Crockett
Gilmore (who?). Daniels becomes my first Shot Caller guarantee of
the year: He scores at least 15 points Sunday.
Tavon
Austin @ GB: It’s taken two years and change for the
Rams to figure out how to use the dynamic Austin, but if last week
is any indication, they might’ve finally cracked the code. He tallied
96 yards and two scores on six receptions and added 20 more yards
on the ground against the Cardinals in a key divisional battle.
What took them so long? There’s just no accounting for how unimaginative
some NFL offensive coordinators can be. The Packers, St. Louis’
Week 5 opponent, have already started experimenting with versatile
rookie Ty Montgomery, shuffling him from split end to slot to running
back in an attempt to create mismatches. St. Louis takes two years
to figure these things out. Green Bay takes two games. Hmmm. I’ll
stop editorializing and give it to you straight: Austin is worth
a play in deeper PPR leagues. (Pssst! Montgomery might be too.)
Allen
Robinson or Allen
Hurns @ TB: I never thought we’d see the day two Jacksonville
receivers would be worth starting, but that’s the case as
we head into Week 5. The Allens have been surprisingly productive
for the perennially lousy Jags and are currently sitting 16th and
17th overall at the position. Robinson is the sexy home run threat
currently leading the NFL in yards/catch (22.0). Hurns is more the
move-the-sticks guy who nevertheless exploded for 17 Blake Bortles
targets in the overtime loss to Indy last weekend. If I had to pick
only one for the rest of the season, it would probably be Robinson,
but not by much. Neither is a household name and it’s too
early to tell which one Bortles will ultimately favor when trying
to climb back into games. That happens a lot, BTW, so don’t
think these guys are just a passing fancy.
Grab Some Wood
Any Baltimore Receiver v. CLE:Kamar
Aiken. Marlon
Brown. Darren
Waller. Chris
Givens. Ladies and gentlemen, your new Baltimore Ravens receiving
corps! If Joe Flacco were Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, he could
probably make something happen with this motley crew of journeymen
and castoffs. This just in: Joe Flacco isn’t Aaron Rodgers or
Tom Brady. One of these guys will probably exceed expectations
come Sunday because Baltimore can’t run the ball 60 times (not
with Justin Forsett, at least). I just have no clue who it will
actually be. Could the undrafted FA Aiken show us why he was tagged
the No.2 WR out of training camp? Could the gigantic Brown or
Waller suddenly become a red-zone menace? Could the speedy addition,
Givens, connect with Flacco for a surprise homer? All of these
things COULD happen. It’s just as likely (or more) they won’t,
though. Nothing to see here.
Marvin
Jones v. SEA: Nobody knew what to expect of Jones after
he missed all of 2014 with a broken foot. Would he recapture the
magic of his 2013 campaign, when almost 20% of his 51 total receptions
went for touchdowns? Or, would he struggle to regain his footing
(get it?) in an offense that did plenty of struggling on its own
while he was gone? The answer, of course, is…yes. The Berkeley
product has shown a little of both in his four games back with
the Bengals, tallying 26.5 points combined in Weeks 2 and 3 (he’s
back!) and just 2.9 in Weeks 1 and 4 (just kidding!). I like my
receivers slightly more on the predictable side and when I feel
like rolling the dice, it’s usually when the matchup looks irresistible.
Facing Seattle a week after scoring a single fantasy point doesn’t
sound very irresistible to me.
Eddie
Royal @ KC: I was mindlessly plowing through stats
and discovered a little gem that sent me down an internet rabbit
hole of NFL futility. In Week 3 against Seattle, Jimmy Clausen
connected with a wide receiver (Royal) just three times all day.
Surely, that must be close to a record, right? Nope. There have
been many worse performances -- Ryan Leaf’s 1-for-15 atrocity
in ’98, anyone? – but one in particular caught my
eye. Back in 1974 against the Bills, Joe Namath connected with
a wide receiver just once all day and ended up 2-for-18 for 33
yards and three picks. Crazy, huh? This is crazier: He still had
two more completions than his opponent, Joe Ferguson, who played
all game for the victorious Bills and attempted just two passes.
Maybe it’s a good thing there was no fantasy football back
in 1974, huh? Oh, and sit Eddie Royal.
