Takeaways from Week 4 as told through @MarcasG's tweets.
This is for all of the people (of which there are many) sending me nervous tweets asking if they should bench Julio in favor of insert non-Julio receiver. My answer has been and will continue to be ... hell no. Yes, we would all like Julio to catch a lot of touchdowns. That would be wonderful. But we also have to accept that he's just not going to be an end zone monster. He has one double-digit touchdown season in his career -- and it was in 2012. It's hard to imagine that he gets shutout this season but you have to accept that the number could be less than five. But he's also on pace for 116 catches and 2,008 yards. Exhale, y'all. It'll be alright.
Last week, the Patriots run defense was manhandled by the Lions. It seemed plausible that the Dolphins would lean on their running backs in a hostile situation. Instead they ... well, I'm not really sure what they did. Miami didn't seem to have much of an offensive gameplan and what little strategy they had went out the window once New England ran out to a big lead. When the dust settled, Kenyan Drake had just four touches for 16 yards. In the past two weeks, Drake has 11 touches for 26 yards. In an offense without a lot of big time playmakers, his usage is baffling.
Speaking of usage ... I know the Bills weren't supposed to be good but what on Earth are they doing with Shady McCoy? Maybe Buffalo can't run it effectively but we've seen a number of teams throw dump-offs to get their talented running backs in space. Maybe they figure that out. Or maybe they continue to have an offense that continues to put up fewer than 150 yards as they did on Sunday. Your call, Brian Daboll. In the meantime, fantasy managers are in a situation where they can't start him until he shows something.
I know, I know. Aaron Jones has looked like the better back. He's been the more productive back. But it's time to face facts, we have 14 games of evidence and this is just how Mike McCarthy is choosing to use these running backs. It's frustrating but it's time to start planning accordingly.
Luck threw the ball 62 (!) times on Sunday, which was impressive on its own. But the bigger news with Luck's big day was that he pushed the ball down the field. After averaging around five air yards per attempt in his first three games, Luck pushed that number up over eight yards per attempt in Week 4. If that turns out to be the norm, it would put to rest a lot of fears about Luck's fantasy potential. The next test will be how the shoulder snaps back on a short week with a trip to New England on tap.
I knew a Corey Davis breakout game was coming. I just didn't think it would happen against the Eagles. But here we are. On Sunday, Davis turned his 15 targets into nine catches for 161 yards and his first career touchdown. Next week the Titans take a trip up to Buffalo to take on the Bills. You can bet that plenty of fantasy analysts will be hyping the Titans top receiver this week. If you were trying to make a deal for him, the price tag has certainly gone up.
The Eagles re-signed Matthews two weeks ago to shore up a receiving corps that was riddled with injuries. Since his return from an exile in Buffalo, Matthews has accounted for 76 receiving yards and a touchdown. The once and former Eagle isn't going to supplant Alshon Jeffery or Zach Ertz as the top target in the passing game but he's familiar with the offense and has some connection with Carson Wentz (the two played together in 2016). With Nelson Agholor being relegated to extended handoffs recently, Matthews could be worth a stash in deep leagues.
Coutee led the Texans in targets (15) and receptions (11) while tallying 109 yards. More importantly, he served as the type of outlet receiver Deshaun Watson needs to be successful. Watching Watson hold the ball and throw long passes does hold some entertainment value, it's not a sustainable game plan. If the Texans are going to win some games, Watson is going to need to get the ball out quickly. That's where Coutee could come in. Running 63 percent of his snaps from the slot today, there's a role for him to be a nice alternative to DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller.
A lot of people -- especially in and around Seattle -- wanted Rashaad Penny to be a thing. Right now, he's not a thing and you're better off not waiting for him to become a thing. Last week, Penny was relegated to the sidelines while Chris Carson saw 32 carries. This week, Carson was a surprise inactive which led many to believe this would be Penny's breakout week. Instead, Mike Davis came off the bench, out-snapped Penny 43-16 and had 25 touches for 124 yards and two touchdowns. If it wasn't clear already, the Seahawks are fading Rashaad Penny and so should you.
Look, we all know the history of Jared Cook and there is certainly a chance he fades into oblivion before the year is over. But for now, you'd be hard-pressed to find 10 tight ends who have been more consistent than Cook this year. Gronk included. I know he's probably burned some of you in the past, you'll just need to get out of your feelings, accept the reality and start Jared Cook every week. I never thought I'd write those words.
Wait...what?
Mitchell Trubisky has as many rushing yards (53) as Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber combined.
Rob Gronkowski had 123 receiving yards in Week 1. He has 110 total in the three games since.