Miami Dolphins v. New Orleans Saints
On Monday, the Saints slaughtered the then-undefeated Dolphins in a win of 38 over 17. The Saints have won their past nine Monday night football games, all under the leadership of quarterback Drew Brees.
This time, Brees passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns. Fantasy owners saw the bounty of Brees’s killer performance, and they will see it again next week against the Chicago Bears when he is expected to deliver approximately 30 fantasy points.
Two of the touchdowns unleashed in Week 4 went to University of Miami’s former star, tight end Jimmy Graham, who went for 27 and 43 yards for each touchdown, respectively.
Over the course of the entire game, Graham received for 100 yards. And, over the course of the season, he has produced six touchdowns in just four games. With those numbers, Graham is coveted by fantasy owners near and far. Expect 16 fantasy points out of him in Week 5.
In addition to Graham, Benjamin Watson received for a four-yard touchdown, which was the Saints first of the night. The tight end, who was brought in to replace David Thomas, is a veteran with on-the-field skills that are not as transferrable into fantasy point. Watson is not expected to post any points next week against Chicago, and has not been delivering much altogether this season. It may be a good time to consider alternatives.
The final touchdown was brought in by no one other than running back Darren Sporles. This 5’6” assassin moved with the quickness against the Dolphins, receiving for 114 yards.
Although he had his first lost fumble in 33 games, Sporles’s performance was astonishing, to say the least. He caught seven of the eight targets and has scored two touchdowns this season. Sporles will average 12.2 points against Chicago and continue to dazzle fantasy owners over the course of the season.
Now, on to the Saints’ victims...
The Dolphins second year quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked four times in the second half, struck by three interceptions, and faced four turnovers on a fumble. In short, Tannehill got jacked. The only highlight of the Saints’ brazen assault was that the young QB passed for 249 yards and completed 1 touchdown to tight end Charles Clay in the fourth quarter.
In addition to that 3-yard touchdown pass, Clay received for 42 yards. He now has two touchdowns this season after rushing for his first in Week 2. Clay also has quite the reputation for catching his targets as he is up to 20 catches this season. He is one to hold onto; and is expected to produce 6.8 fantasy points on average in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Miami’s running back Lamar Miller rushed for 62 yards on 11 carries, and produced one touchdown. In the previous game against the Atlanta Falcons, he ran for 49 yards but also dropped what would have been a 33-yard touchdown.
Whether Miller will blossom into a fantasy point favorite is still questionable. Although he is expected to put up an average of 9.6 points against Baltimore, fantasy owners may want to have a substitute running back on standby.
Wide receiver Brandon Gibson, who was coming off of a knee injury, led the Dolphins with 6 catches for 71 yards. Gibson has 14 catches for 137 yards this season, but likely will provide owners with just four points in Sunday’s game against Baltimore. If you are looking for more yardage, it maybe time to talk trade.
New England Patriots v. Atlanta Falcons
No one expected New England to overpower Atlanta to the extent it did, especially with the defense it had and the offense it missed.
Tom Brady threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns without interception. His owners racked up over 20 fantasy points, although the quarterback threw just nine times in the first half of the game and closed it out with 20 for 31. Brady is expected to provide a repeat fantasy performance in next week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Throughout the Falcons’ game, Brady targeted wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins, who was responsible for one, 18-yard touchdown and caught six passes for 127 yards. Wide receiver Julian Edelman was looking Welker-esque at times as he had seven catches for 118 yards. As a combined total, the wide receivers had 13 catches and 245 receiving yards.
LaGarrette Blount pulled through with 64 rushing yards, rushing on nine carries. While he had two fewer carries than Stevan Ridley, Blount is expected to average 4 fantasy points in Week 5.
Still no sign of Rob Gronkowsky or Danny Amendola who are inactive. Hopefully, wide receiver Aaron Dobson will not be joining them on the injured list as he left Sunday’s game with a neck injury.
Dodson is currently coping with soreness but is expected to return. Defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, however, will not be returning this season as he underwent surgery following a torn right achilles.
Despite losing Sunday, quarterback Matt Ryan threw for a career high of 421 yards against the Patriots. He ranks fifth among Fantasy quarterbacks, and will lead the Falcons into Week 5 against the New York Jets when Ryan is expected to produce 22.8 fantasy points.
Tight end Tony Gonzalez made many fantasy owners quiet content on Sunday. He set a career high in receiving yards, making 12 catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns against the Pats. Gonzalez is expected to dole out 11 fantasy points in Game 5.
Julio Jones, who leads with 481 receiving yards and ranks third in the NFL with 33 catches, fumbled out of bounds a 17-yard pass in the fourth quarter against the Pats. But after being targeted for 13 passes, he finished with six catches for 108 yards. We expect a whopping 18 fantasy points out of him against Geno’s Jets.
Fullback Jason Snelling, however, does not appear as solid. He has disappointed Fantasy owners for sometime, and on Sunday he ran for just 26 yards on eight carries and caught an 8-yard pass. Prepare to see him give only seven fantasy points against the Jets next week. Fantasy owners, if you have Snelling, you have a problem.
Finally, running back Steven Jackson is out with a hamstring injury and now on the inactive list for Week 4.
Week 5. Here. We. Come.
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