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Marcas Grant: There's no denying that Cousins has been outstanding in his two appearances this season. He also has a pretty favorable matchup with Washington hosting the Giants on Thursday night. But Kaepernick might have an even better matchup with the Eagles on Sunday. The upside is that San Francisco is also at home in what could be a high-scoring contest ... without having to play on a short week. Not to mentiont that Kaepernick is more likely to pick up fantasy points running the football. Cousins is a quality start in Week 4, but Kaepernick looks just a little bit better.
M.G.: I know a lot of people are concerned about Aaron Rodgers after a subpar start to the season, but I'll hit you with Rodgers' own words. R-E-L-A-X. There's a reason he was one of the first quarterbacks off the board. And this week he faces a Bears secondary that has been riddled with injuries in the past couple of games. If there's ever a week for Rodgers to put up big fantasy numbers this is the one. Cousins is the flavor of the week, but I'd rather go with the player who's done it time and time again.
M.G.: Only if you plan on moving one of the quarterbacks already on your roster. Fantasy quarterbacks aren't like Pokemon, you don't need to catch 'em all. At a time when injuries have decimated the depth at the running back and tight end positions, you're better off hording players at one of those two spots. There's also the issue of making a trade just to make a trade -- don't do it. Unless you have another potential move in mind after this deal, it seems unnecessary.
M.G.: No. Nuh-uh. Neauxp. Foster's injury concerns are certainly real, but he'll eventually be back in the lineup and he's sure to see plenty of carries. Even after missing all of Week 3 because of a balky hamstring, Foster is still tied for fifth among all NFL running backs with 55 carries. Meanwhile, Allen is finding that his nice rookie season means he's drawing more attention from opposing secondaries. As a result, a lot more targets are heading in the direction of Eddie Royal while Malcom Floyd has resumed his role as San Diego's deep threat. If Allen can't get it going this week against Jacksonville, fantasy owners can begin freaking out. Even if he does produce, Foster for Allen is a lopsided trade.
M.G.: Of that duo, the player to cut ties with is Richardson. The Colts are trying to give T-Rich every chance to succeed ... and in fairness, he has performed better so far this season. But Ahmad Bradshaw is easily the better of the backs in Indianapolis and the veteran is an increasing threat to become the rusher of record for Chuck Pagano's team. Gore, on the other hand, is still the lead back in San Francisco and is the more productive -- when he's getting carries.
M.G.: If you can swing that deal, go for it. When Charles returns, he'll see touches in volume. Just look at the number of carries Knile Davis has seen in Charles' absence. There's no reason to think Andy Reid won't be equally as aggressive with his lead back. And even if Bennett doesn't have his normal post-September fade, he won't be able to match the production of a workhorse back like Charles.
M.G.: I've been unabashed in my fantasy love for this year's class of rookie wide receivers. Matthews showed what he can do with his two touchdowns against Washington in Week 3. Heading into what could be a Week 4 track meet with the 49ers, Matthews is tied for second on the team with 17 targets and considering how much more productive he's been than Riley Cooper, he could start to move up the pecking order. Wheaton has a similarly tasty matchup against an injury-riddled Buccaneers defense, but the fact that the Eagles are likely to run more plays with their up-tempo offense means more chances for Matthews.
M.G.: I've seen how this Eddie Royal movie ends and I'm not a fan. Last year, Royal set a career high with eight touchdowns but five of them came in the first two games. During his NFL tenure, Royal has been right around 600-700 receiving yards with 3-5 touchdowns. Floyd's average yardage totals are slightly better, but his upside comes from being a deep threat. In his career, Floyd is averaging 17.5 yards per reception. If the numbers are going to be similarly mediocre, I'd rather have the guy with the big play threat attached to him.
M.G.: You want to talk about sweating out inactives. This decision will be based heavily on what happens with Jamaal Charles this week. If Charles plays, obviously Davis' value is diminished. The problem is that with the Chiefs playing on Monday you'll have to make that call ahead of time. Adding to your conundrum is that the Ravens backfield has been as tough to solve as a Rubik's Cube (a Rubik's Kubiak, perhaps?). Check the Saturday injury reports and be ready to roll with Lorenzo Taliaferro in Week 4 if necessary.
M.G.: This might sound like I'm picking on the Jaguars, but you should pick on the Jaguars. Blake Bortles might be a better option than Chad Henne longterm, but he's making his first career start. On the road. Behind an awful offensive line. With no running game. None of these things are positives. That bodes well for the Chargers defensively. The Bills have some offensive issues, but at least they can spread the ball around to Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller to try and slow down that J.J. Watt pass rush. There aren't a lot of redeeming qualities to Jacksonville's offense at the moment.
Bonus question:
M.G.: I might just repurpose this tweet for the next eight weeks. Sigh.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com and a man who still wonders what is the deal with Pikachu. Tweet him your explanations or fantasy football questions @MarcasG.
