Hard To Say Bye – Week 4 Fantasy 911

And so it begins. The bye weeks are upon us and owners must make those difficult decisions about which back-ups or waiver options they will start in place of their regulars. With this fantasy dilemma starting in week 4 along with regular injuries and fantasy match-ups, there will be a lot of questions and concerns for owners this week.  This fantasy 911 edition will look at the bye week options and the injury updates for some of the top fantasy options, as well as take a heavy look at the wide receivers since there will be a couple of top starters out this week.

Having the Packers on bye means there will be a couple of top receivers not available, but having the bye this early means that these top receivers will be available the rest of the year.  Taking look around the league, there are some options for the owners of Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and even Jermichael Finley.  If you don’t have a reliable back-up that you can trust this week, I’d be looking at Santonio Holmes, who is still available in a lot of leagues.  Josh Gordon would be a great play if you need someone this week.   Even Emmanuel Sanders could be a sleep play this week as they travel to London. Steelers will not doubt throw the ball and Sanders is their deep threat.  All of these guys have a shot at getting into the end-zone this weekend.

Week 4 Fantasy 911 Wide Receiver Injury Updates

  •  Andre Johnson – If he suits up then he should be in the fantasy lineup. It looks like he has been cleared to start and had a good practice on Friday, despite being limited all week. He was going to be considered a game-time decision, but he’s gotten confirmation that he will start on Sunday.  He does have a tough match-up facing a Seahawks defense that ranks number 1 against the pass.  With this in mind, he would be dropped to a WR2 in deeper leagues and flex for smaller leagues.
  • TY Hilton – He did not practice, but looks like he should be able to play on Sunday.  It might be wise to look at other options on Sunday if he is a late game-time decision, but if he is cleared, he could be a good flex in deeper leagues.
  • Vincent Jackson & Mike Williams – Both top receivers on the same team are listed as questionable on a week when they bench their starter and will be playing a rookie quarterback.  This doesn’t even sound right.  I’m sure at least one, if not both will play on Sunday.  If I had to guess, I’d say that Jackson will be suiting up on Sunday and should be able to produce some decent fantasy points.  Williams, who is a real deep league play anyway, probably won’t have much impact.  However, this is a rookie QB so there is not telling what he will do.
  • Miles Austin – Will be out for week 4 so make sure to get him out of the lineup now and put in a backup.
  • Santonio Holmes – Limited in practice and listed as probable. Will most likely play and see a good amount of targets. Play in as a backup if you need one.
  • Malcom Floyd – Did not practice and will not play in week 4. Get him out of your lineup.
  • Danny Amendola – Limited in practice and looks like he could play in week 4. This will be a game-time decision so owners will want to check to make sure, but if playing, he would be a definite start as WR2.
  • Julio Jones – Limited in practice, but should play on Sunday.

There are some other notable injuries in week 4 that are helpful for fantasy owners.

  • Brandon Weeden is still out so Brian Hoyer will be starting again. Hoyer threw for over 300 yards last week. He is facing a tough team this week, but will be playing at home. Not sure about taking a chance on this, but there is plenty of upside.
  • Nate Burleson is out for several weeks after breaking his arm in a car crash early in the week. He will miss significant time.
  • Ahmad Bradshaw is out this week.  This means that it will be the Trent Richardson show going against the worst ranked defense. The stars have aligned for TR this week and will be listed as a RB1.
  • Chris Ivory is out this week. Bilal Powell will continue to be the workhorse and should be in the lineup as a RB1.
  • Steven Jackson is out again this week. It will continue to be the two headed-beast of Snelling and Rogers.

Bye week QB options in week 4

  • Ben Roethlisberger – Threw for over 400 passing yards last week. Getting his familiar targets back. Playing against a team that can give up a lot of passing yards, which will equal fantasy points.
  • Tony Romo – He has a great match-up this week so if he is available I would start him for sure.
  • Ryan Tannehill – Doesn’t have a great match-up, but should be behind in score and need to throw the ball a lot. He does have a QB rating over 90 on the season and has 4 touchdowns with 2 picks on the year. He has thrown over 300 yards once already this season and is averaging just over 250 passing yards per game. Not bad for a one week play and should be able to get you some decent points.