Week 4 Fantasy Football Studs and Duds

Heading into week four of the NFL season, many fantasy football owners at this point in the season are either on cloud nine at 3-0 or desperately looking for the panic button at 0-3. Before you hit accept on the trade that might land you the piece you’re missing, take a look at this week four fantasy football preview, and make sure your team is set to take on any opponent.

QB Studs: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts; Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers; Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles. Look for all three quarterbacks, who have all underachieved so far this season, to bounce back this week. Coming off a week in which the Jaguars defense allowed Tom Brady to pass for 358 yards, Andrew Luck should feast on the lowly AFC South opponent. Both Rivers and Bradford also face defenses that will have a tough time stopping them as the Chargers and Eagles both try and turn their seasons around.

QB Duds: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions; Eli Manning, New York Giants. Both Manning and Stafford will have their hands full this week as both get ready to face some of the stingiest defenses in the league. Stafford draws the Seahawks defense on Monday Night Football, and the Seahawks showed they are looking to hold their title as one of the top defenses in the league with their treatment of the Bears offense last week. Specifically, the return of safety Kam Chancellor brings the Seahawks back to full force. For Manning, his New York Giants head upstate to Buffalo, where he will face one of the great defensive minds in the game today in Rex Ryan.

RB Studs: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears; Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings. Look for both perennial studs to have a great week four, as Forte gets used to team’s loading the box against him and the Bears offense without Cutler. Peterson, who had a monster week three, is just getting his legs back under him as he tries to prove why he is one of the best in the game.

RB Duds: Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons; Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers. Freeman, who has seen success in the Falcons prolific offense this season, runs into the difficult Houston Texans’ front seven this week including all-world defensive end J.J. Watt. While Lacy didn’t show indications of his ankle injury in Green Bay’s win Monday night, his stats weren’t indicative of the star power he normally brings to the table. 

WR Studs: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons; Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys. Julio Jones has played on another level so far this season, catching 34 passes, the most ever in the first three games of a season. Jones and the Falcons draw the Texans defense, but that shouldn’t slow Jones and the passing offense for the Falcons. While Terrance Williams was held without a catch in the Cowboys’ first game without starting quarterback Tony Romo, look for Williams to take advantage of a weak Saints’ secondary, regardless of who is throwing him the ball.

WR Duds: Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions; Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears. For Johnson, it is similar to Stafford- the Seahawks secondary is not to be underestimated. While Jeffery owners can be excited as he returns from injury, this week going up against the Raiders should be a tough return.