Week #4 of the NFL season is over, and it’s time to take a look at our busts and diamonds for the week. Not only will this help you to take a step back and evaluate your own play this week, but get a good feel for what’s going to help and hurt you going into the next few weeks of the season.
The Week of Busts
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans
Hopkins was one of the most expensive wide receivers in the league for Sunday, but he saw almost no action during the Texans game against the Tennessee Titans. Hopkins was on the active roster, but thanks to missing time during the previous week, he wasn’t used heavily. This was a surprise to most fantasy players, and it had a huge negative impact on countless rosters. It’s hard to tell just what is going on with Hopkins and his status with the team going forward, but for now it is best to be observant about his situation before considering drafting him again. Hopkins had 1 reception for 9 yards on Sunday.
Stephen Gostkowski, K, New England Patriots
Gostkowski is normally one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL, and the Patriots are typically in a situation where he has several field goal or extra point attempts per game. On Sunday, Gostkowski only had one field goal attempt, and it was a miss. He had 0 fantasy points in just about every league out there. In some rare instances, he may have had negative points, depending on the point structure. He was also one of the most expensive kickers in the league, making his performance sting all the more.
New England Patriots Defense
The New England Patriots defensive squad had a less than stellar day on Sunday. They gave up 16 points. Although they had 2 sacks against Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, there was nothing else that allowed the defensive team to gain any points. They missed out on a few interception opportunities, too. The team as a whole is really hurting right now. It will be interesting to see if the return of Tom Brady can help turn things around for the team.
Diamonds Were Big
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
This is the game that we’d been expecting from Ryan for a while, and more. Not only did he throw 4 touchdowns, but he had 503 yards in passing. To help boost his stats a bit, he also had 14 yards in rushing. Even with 1 interception, Ryan had one of the most impressive fantasy performances of anyone at any position this weekend. Ryan was priced at a pretty cheap level this weekend, which made him an even nicer diamond. Next week, Ryan isn’t quite as likely to perform at this level, but then again, this was one of those once or twice a season type performances.
Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears
Howard was a big surprise for some, but he was heavily used in many daily fantasy sports leagues which indicates that not everyone was surprised by his results. He has 111 rushing yards and 3 receptions for 21 yards. The ability to catch the ball boosted his fantasy performance to well above average, making him a great choice at RB in most leagues. There were no touchdowns, but even with this factored into his value to your team, he was still strong. If you can get a good price on him moving forward, he will be a strong pick thanks to his versatility at this position.
Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans
With Hopkins playing poorly, Fuller picked up the bulk of the slack. He had a punt return for a touchdown, 7 receptions for 81 yards, and a receiving touchdown. Fuller was priced very cheaply in most leagues, adding a bunch of value to his inclusion on your roster. When Hopkins is at full strength in the future, Fuller is not likely to see so much action, but until that happens, he seems like the Texans go-to guy at wide out. This was a stellar performance, and is likely able to be replicated in the future. Get a good handle on how much Hopkins will be used before you use your resources on Fuller first, though.
