Week 3 has given us a ton of glimpses of players coming out of nowhere to register surprising fantasy numbers. We got some of them here in our list, which includes three rookies, a quarterback that should be among the hottest commodities in the waiver wires, and one defense that we are expecting to haul in bucket of points next week. Read on to see which players/defense have made our list of five high-value fantasy pick-ups for Week 4.
You can also click here to read our preview of Giants vs. Redskins, the first game of Week 4.
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Five High-Value Fantasy Football Pick-Ups for NFL Week 4
1. Kirk Cousins (QB, Washington Redskins)
[sc:NFL240banner ]Didn’t we tell you last week to pick up Kirk Cousins? If you listened and started him in Week 3, well, you must have had a pretty good day when RG3’s reliever passed for a colossal 427 yards with three touchdowns against Philadelphia Sunday. If by any chance Cousins is still floating around the waiver wire, then go ahead and take home the gold mine that he is. Expect another huge game from our boy Cousins next week as the Redskins take on the New York Giants who are 22nd-ranked in passing yards defense with 258.3 per game allowed.
2. Isaiah Crowell (RB, Cleveland Browns)
The former Alabama State standout impressed in Week 1 when he scored two touchdowns on 32 yards rushing for a cool 15 points in standard formats. However, experts weren’t all too convinced that Isaiah Crowell would maintain that form as Terrance West (36 yards, 1 TD in Week 3) remains as the no. 1 back while starter Ben Tate is out. Crowell rushed for 54 yards the following week with no TDs, but came roaring back in Week 3 with a 55-yard game on 11 carries.
ESPN’s Pat McManamon, though, noted that Tate might return in Week 5, which is after the Browns’ bye week, meaning Crowell might slide down to his third-string role again. But then again, Steven Cook of Bleacher Report believes that it would be “awfully hard for Browns coaches to stomach disbanding this suddenly dynamic duo (Crowell and West) of backs after their performances Sunday”.
3. Jordan Matthews (WR, Philadelphia Eagles)
Jeremy Maclin had a badass game in Week 3, but there was another Eagle in Nick Foles’ receiving corps that also had a head-turning performance. We’re talking about rookie Jordan Matthews out of Vanderbilt. Matthews definitely warranted fantasy team owners’ attentions after catching eight targets for 59 yards and two TDs.
You can expect the rookie to thrive moving forward under Chip Kelly’s fast-paced offense. Sean ODonnell of Bleacher Report could not have been any less subtle when he advised that owners must be “rushing to the waiver wire to grab Matthews after his great showing.”
A candidate for surprise-of-the-week honors is Ravens’ rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro. Bernard Pierce’s absence was supposed to be good news for Justin Forsett, who was expected to take over the Ravens’ rushing attack against Cleveland. But lo and behold, here comes the rookie out of Coastal Carolina swooping into action, leading the Ravens with 91 yards and a touchdown. Taliaferro even had three more carries (18) than Forsett. Scott Pianowski of Yahoo! Sports opines that it would be hard to picture Taliaferro “pinned to the sideline when Pierce returns.”
5. San Diego Chargers (Defense)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are developing a habit of making seemingly ordinary defenses look mythical. In Week 1, the Eagles’ D harvested 21 fantasy points against Jacksonville. Philadelphia’s defense then proceeded to score just five total fantasy points in two games since that game. In Week 2, it was the Redskins’ turn to be ministers of defense when they came away with 31 points. Washington has a combined six-point output in the other two games it has played.
Then in Week 3, the Jags giftwrapped the Colts’ defense, one that had a -6 aggregate score, with 25 fantasy points. We’ll leave it to your imagination as to what kind of horror is about to engulf Jacksonville when they pay the San Diego Chargers a visit next week. Take note that the Chargers are fourth in the NFL in scoring defense with 16.3 points per game surrendered.
