We’re four weeks into the fantasy football season, and DAMN (as the title of this article stated) that flew by fast.
So how is everyone doing?!
Dominating your league either at 4-0 or 3-1?
Break-even at 2-2?
Struggling at 1-3?
Getting your butt kicked at 0-4?
Regardless of your record, are you actually having fun managing your rosters, making trades, and cheering on your team’s players each week? I should hope so because that’s pretty much what makes this time of year so enjoyable. Sure we get competitive and want to be the best but you have to enjoy the ride to success. And success has many forms.
That being said, if you’re 1-3 or 0-4 it’s time to get your butt in gear because you have a #4EYEDtitle to win and playoffs to qualify for. There is NO. TIME. TO. WASTE.
Speaking of no time to waste, let’s get down to my 4-EYED PREVIEWS for Week 5. These will be players that I believe will bring you fantasy football success in their respective matchups this week.
**DISCLAIMER**
- As always when discussing fantasy point production we’re referring to 0.5 PPR scoring.
- All statistics provided by the good people over at FantasyData.com, ProFootball Focus, and NFL Next Gen Stats.
LET’S GO!
Quarterback: Jimmy G is back and he’ll be ready for PRIME TIME!
- 3rd in deep-ball completion % on
- 4th in protection rate
- 5th in yards per attempt with 8.8
- 6th in 3rd down completion % among starting QBs
- 7th in pressured completion %
- 8th in adjusted completion % (doesn’t take into account dropped passes, throwaways, spiked balls, batted passes, and passes attempted as they were hit…aka it’s a metric to describe one’s accuracy throwing the ball)
Look I’m not going to blow smoke up your rear and say Jimmy Garoppolo is the second coming of Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but one thing is for certain based on the stats I rattled off to you: Given the matchup, Jimmy G will know how to move the sticks and “matriculate the ball down the field”. He had a great game against a Bengals team that’s the 18th best pass-rushing unit in the NFL. The Browns are actually worse in that department ranking 21st in the league.
The 49ers rank 7th in the NFL in pass blocking and are going up a Browns team on Monday night that will more than likely be without their two starting cornerbacks and starting strong safety. So you’re telling me that Garoppolo will be squaring off against a team that’s average at best at rushing the passer, missing a chunk of their starters in the secondary, and will be protected by the 7th best pass-blocking unit in the NFL? Sign. Me. Up. He has plenty of playmakers in the backfield, wide receiver, and tight end to take advantage of this banged-up Browns defense. I’m actually predicting this to be kind of a shoot out so make like Kiara Mia and grab all the Jimmy G that you can get!
Running Back: Sony Michel will have a bounce-back game in our Nations’s Capital.
I mean it had to happen eventually, right?! When given the opportunity playing against an equally horrible team this season Sony Michel posted the following stats:
- 21 attempts for 83 rushing yards
- 4.0 Yards Per Att
- 1 TD
- 12.3 fantasy points
Despite facing a Redskins (HAIL) defense that ranks 7th best against the run, that very same defense has given up with 5th most 1st downs in the league with 92, the 4th most rushing yards in the league with 590, and the 11th most yards per attempt with 4.7. While the Pats run-blocking unit ranks 22nd in the league, the volume that Michel gets in terms of touches each week matches up perfectly with what the Redskins are bad at. Expect lots of goal-line work and easy TDs for Sony in week 5.
Receiver (WR and/or TE): George “MF’ing” Kittle is ready to lay the smackDOWN against the Browns on Monday Night Football
It’s simple… the Browns are 22nd in the league in pass coverage, replacement strong safety Jermaine Whitehead has only had ONE good game this season and has otherwise been lackluster, and George Kittle on the season is 4th among starting tight ends in yards per routes ran, 5th in yards after the catch, and ranks 1st as the best receiving tight end in the league. Like I said in my quarterback section of this article I believe this game will be a shootout and I fully expect George Kittle to be a huge part of the scoring output for the 49ers!
IDP-Linebacker: Cole Holcomb is in line for a big game on Sunday
Despite not being the team leader in total tackles, the stat that jumps out to me about Cole Holcomb is his ratio of solo to assisted tackles. He’s got a team-leading 17 solo to 11 assisted on the season and is the IDP linebacker I want to start, if I had to, from the Redskins. As predicted in my running back segment I see the Patriots running the football at will all over the Skins and Holcomb should be the primary beneficiary of solo tackle opportunities in that game considering Sony Michel ranks 37th among running backs in evaded tackles.
That wraps up my 4-EYED PREVIEWS for WEEK 5!
Be sure to read our 4-EYED ASSESSMENT on Thursday and our HEROES & VILLAINS article on Friday!
ALSO, our Week 5 preview podcast will be dropping this Friday morning as well!
Make sure to follow us Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram as well as reach out to us to get your personalized fantasy football questions answered!
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