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Marcas Grant: In a world where the running back position has gotten thinner than an anorexic ostrich, Tevin Coleman is currently a borderline RB2. While the split in Atlanta isn't quite even (Coleman has played 46 percent of snaps), the distribution pretty much is. The diffence between Coleman (14 touches/game) and Freeman (17 touches/game) isn't that distinct and Coleman has surprisingly been a big-play guy in the passing game. But ... (you knew there was a "but" coming) the rest of the schedule isn't very forgiving. Atlanta's next three games are versus Carolina, then trips to Denver and Seattle, not to mention dates with the Eagles, Cardinals, Chiefs and Rams. This could be a frustrating month if you don't have much depth beyond Coleman.
M.G.: First, why not both? The Colts have a plus matchup against the Jaguars this week and Hilton should be in line for a quality stat line agains the Jaguars defense. The matchup against Carolina doesn't look particularly great at first glance, but there will be some chances for Julio Jones to win. Jones will play out wide on each side of the formation which could bring him in contact with the smaller Bene' Benwikere. If the Falcons can take advantage the physical mismatch, Jones should be able to get back on track.
M.G.: It's a fair question considering Howard has been a hot waiver-wire name for the past few days. But really, it's hard to imagine him having a major fantasy impact any time soon. Unless the Bears find a defense that can get off the field consistently, Howard might not see too many favorable game scripts. There's also the matter of an offensive line that didn't offer many running lanes on Monday night. While Howard's highlight was a 36-yard run, his next eight carries went for nine yards. He's a nice stash for when you're in a pinch, but he's a far cry from being a fantasy rotation back.
M.G.: I understand you're thinking about selling high on Jones, but I'd advise against that. Not only are the Lions a high-volume pass attack, throwing 65 percent of the time, Matthew Stafford has been about as efficient as anyone with a 67.5 completion percentage (sixth-best in the NFL). Jones is clearly the No. 1 target in the offense with nary a threat posed by Golden Tate in the first three weeks. Beware a few rough patches in the schedule but the volume of opportunity should be there. By the way, if you do decide to sell high on Jones ... aim a little higher. Think Isaiah Crowell or Melvin Gordon.
M.G.: At this point, I wouldn't want to trade either of them away unless I had a pressing need somewhere else. If I had to choose (which I guess for the sake of the column, I do), I'd probably deal Lacy at this point. Seeing the big man's big game in Week 3 was encouraging but ... The Awakening was fully realized on Sunday in Seattle. By the eye test alone Christine Michael was the better back and with Thomas Rawls possibly out for a month, Michael will own nearly all of the backfield touches.
M.G.: It certainly appears that the veteran has no intention of giving his job up any time soon. Murray has put 300 scrimmage yards on the board in the past two weeks with a surprising amount of it through the air. For the season, Murray has 132 receiving yards -- the same number as Randall Cobb. Derrick Henry will still get his snaps and touches but the backfield takeover that many of us were expecting appears to be on hold for the time being.
M.G.: Of those three, White is the most expendable. He's played just 68 snaps and had 16 total touches. A lot of that owes to New England's quarterback situation. Without Tom Brady, the Patriots have been severely run-heavy. As a result, LeGarrette Blount is currently the NFL's leading rusher. But you might want to keep a close eye on White on the waiver wire. When Brady gets back, New England will revert to being a more pass-heavy attack. That bodes well for the pass-catching back. White's value is currently down but it might not be that way much longer.
M.G.: This one cuts to the core, Neil. All offseason I believed that Cobb was going to be a top-15 wide receiver, saying that it if he didn't reach that plateau then something had "gone horribly wrong." Welp, something's going wrong. Namely that the Packers offense hasn't quite been in sync the way we expected. Hopefully last Sunday's win was the start of better things, even if Cobb wasn't fully involved. If there's reason for optimism, it's that the Packers have two weeks to figure things out before a visit from the New York Giants, who have struggled to slow down slot receivers this year. If it doesn't happen in Week 5, it might be time to cut bait.
M.G.: Tight ends have been a nightmare this season and while I want with all my heart to believe that Antonio Gates will have a season for the ages (and the aged), it's getting harder to hold onto that hope. The veteran seems all but certain to miss the Week 4 game against the Saints while rookie Hunter Henry is attracting notice in the offense. With Dennis Pitta currently sitting as Baltimore's most productive pass-catcher, he's a definite fantasy thumbs-up. By default, that leaves Coby Fleener as your other option. That being said ...
M.G.: No. I just can't believe that after being a ghost in the first couple of games that he's suddenly the tight end hero New Orleans needs. Part of Fleener's big game on Monday night could be credited to the absence of Willie Snead. That's not to say that Fleener won't have another big day somewhere during the season but let's not take this to suggest that he's suddenly going to be a plug-and-play option in your lineup.
Bonus question:
M.G.: I promise nothing. Except that I can get you to click this link.
In the latest episode of the NFL Fantasy LIVE podcast, the crew recaps Week 3, tells if you should be worried about the biggest disappointments of the week and dives into the Week 4 waiver-wire. Don't forget to subscribe to the show or download each episode HERE!
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man who probably shouldn't have eaten all that ice cream last night. But it was 100 degrees in Culver City. Could you blame him? Send him fantasy football questions or tales of gluttony on Twitter @MarcasG or Snapchat at marcasg9.
