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I'm not gonna lie; a majority of games this past week were a snooze-fest. We saw some pretty subpar football, especially in the 1PM slate, where teams were over-penalized, offenses were making simple mistakes, and games just weren't competitive. Despite this, we did see some great performances and had a pair of night games come down to the wire.
Week 4 Power Rankings
Teams to Note
Minnesota Vikings (Rose 12 spots)
The Vikings are legit. Sam Darnold is playing at a high level, this defense looks unstoppable, and they took down two strong teams in a row with relative ease. As long as Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones stay consistently involved, the Vikings may climb their way to the top 5 within a few weeks.
Las Vegas Raiders (Dropped 5 spots)
That was an ugly loss. Yes, game-planning for a backup QB can cause some wrinkles for your defense, especially when that backup comes out slinging, but that was a winnable game. It was 14-7, 4th down with less than 7 minutes left in the 1st half. The Raiders had the ball in Panthers territory, and they just crumbled after failing to convert. Antonio Pierce is making some changes after he accused some players of making "business decisions".
Week 3 Awards
Awards | AFC | NFC |
Offensive MVP | Derrick Henry | Andy Dalton |
Defensive MVP | Jaylon Jones | Jalen Carter |
Special Teams MVP | JK Scott | Brandon Aubrey |
Trench Tyrant | James Daniels | Tyler Steen |
Relentless Rookie | Laiatu Latu | Jayden Daniels |
Winners to Note
Andy Dalton
He's not the sexy choice for this award, but Andy has given the Panthers life they didn't know they had. The Raiders defense has been solid for the past 10 regular season games dating back to 2023, and he picked them apart like it was nothing. He's earned the start for Week 4, and may not lose it if he continues to play like this.
Tyler Steen
Steen stepped up in a big way after Mekhi Becton and Lane Johnson went down early in the game. Not having the experience of Lane Johnson next to you in your first true game action since Week 9 of last year is less than ideal, but Tyler was dominant despite that. He allowed 0 pressures against 35 pass rushes, and opened up plenty of running lanes for Saquon Barkley.
Jayden Daniels
Not to overload on offensive players this week, but Jayden was damn near perfect against the Bengals. Cam Taylor-Britt was absolutely right before this game that the Commanders didn't ask Daniels to do much, and none of us expected Jayden to have the game he did given how short and quick their passing attack has been. He was lights out, and really only missed two throws that would've been touchdowns if he was on target. It was the best QB performance so far this season, and I would love to be proven wrong if he continues to play like this.
Photo: Katie Startman/Imagn Images
Fantasy Football
Week 3 Recap
Points | QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex |
Player | Gardner Minshew II | Jaylen Warren | Quentin Johnston | Colby Parkinson | Ja'Lynn Polk |
Projected | 14.4 | 8.6 | 9.3 | 7.7 | 6.0 |
Actual | 13.9 | 1.1 | 12.4 | 5.1 | 3.3 |
Difference | -0.5 | -7.5 | +3.1 | -2.6 | -2.7 |
Result | Push | Bust | Push | Push | Push |
Season Totals: 1 Booms / 9 Pushes / 5 Busts
Week 4 Prediction
QB: Andy Dalton vs Cincinnati Bengals (proj. 14.2 points)
Andy's revenge game. Dalton cut up a good defense last week, and the Bengals defense looks bad through three games. This should be another stout performance from the Red Rifle.
RB: Bucky Irving vs Philadelphia Eagles (proj. 7.8 points)
I try not to double dip, especially within a three week window, but I'm even more confident this week than I was in Week 2. Through three games, Bucky has more yards after contact per carry than Rachaad White has per touch...I'm not kidding. Irving has exactly 4.00 yards after contact per carry, and Rachaad has 3.81 yards per touch. Todd Bowles also said that Bucky has earned more reps, meaning he's in for a breakout week.
WR: Darnell Mooney vs New Orleans Saints (proj. 9.4 points)
Darnell is earning himself more and more targets every game, and Kirk finally looks comfortable in the pocket. He targeted Mooney a ton against a tenacious Chiefs secondary, and he was able to put up a solid performance. Expect more of the same this week.
TE: Cole Kmet vs Los Angeles Rams (proj. 7.6 points)
Shane Waldron finally figured out how to get Kmet involved, and this offense stopped being one-dimensional once he did. Now he'll play against the Rams, who have given up the 4th most points to TEs through three games.
Flex: Greg Dortch vs Washington Commanders (proj. 7.6 points)
The Commanders have allowed 44.7 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, with a large chunk of that coming from the slot thanks to Mike Sainristil's inexperience and poor play to start his career. Dortch should help continue that trend and have a big game against the Commies.
Week 4 Game Predictions
AFC Games
Broncos vs Jets
Jaguars vs Texans
Steelers vs Colts
Chiefs vs Chargers
Bills vs Ravens (SNF)
Titans vs Dolphins (MNF)
NFC Games
Cowboys vs Giants (TNF)
Vikings vs Packers
Saints vs Falcons
Eagles vs Buccaneers
Rams vs Bears
Commanders vs Cardinals
Seahawks vs Lions (MNF)
Cross Over Games
Bengals vs Panthers
Patriots vs 49ers
Record from Week 3: 7-9
Season Record: 24-24
Photo: Michael Conroy/Associated Press
Final Notes
For some teams, things are looking grim already with no hope to look forward to. For others, they are gaining significant momentum and are performing above expectations. Week 4 will make or break this season for a few franchises.
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