RADIO
Whether due to their own play, the play of others, or injuries, players' stock increases and decreases on a weekly basis. Perhaps more than any other, the NFL is a league that experiences ups and downs at a rapid pace. With only 16 games, there’s little room for error and seemingly endless opportunities for improvement. The same goes for fantasy football, and managing rosters effectively is key to winning that championship.
Throughout the season, players get hot and see an increased role while others struggle and fight to stay relevant. Experienced fantasy players know this happens every year. In this weekly column, we’ll showcase those who have taken important steps forward and those who have taken steps back.
These are the key fantasy risers and fallers heading into Week 4 of the NFL season. Dynasty owners, check out our separate Dynasty Risers/Fallers segment each week as well.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Week 4 Risers
Offense (All players - NFL)
Yes. "Offense" gets its own spot on this list because finally, teams scored some touchdowns! We had 20 QBs throw for multiple touchdowns in Week 3. 12 WRs and eight RBs eclipsed 20 fantasy points. It was refreshing to see points scored so "Offense" takes its place on the Risers list. Now let's get more specific.
Russell Wilson (QB - SEA)
I am still angry with Russell Wilson. His four-touchdown explosion now puts his single touchdown or less count as 13 of the last 19 games. He still hasn't been good. He did this last year, too. He would be awful for a stretch, have an explosion, and then go back to being awful. He needs to perform multiple weeks in a row to redeem himself. With that being said, the man did finish as the QB2 in Week 3 with 373 yards and four touchdowns. That counts for something. Things are certainly looking better.
T.Y. Hilton (WR - IND)
TY Hilton's track record without Andrew Luck is... poor. The Colts front office has not done many things right since drafting Luck, but at least they made the move to acquire Jacoby Brissett and quickly realized that he has more talent in one finger than Scott Tolzien has ever had in his entire body. Brissett has rejuvenated this offense as much as he can without Luck and although it was against the Browns, he brought Hilton back to life with a vintage Hilton 7-153-1 line. With news surfacing that Luck could return Week 6, fantasy owners have to be delighted at getting at least one elite WR1 performance before then. With the potential of just two more games without Luck, Hilton's arrow is pointing upward.
Joe Mixon (RB - CIN)
He. Has. Arrived. The Joe Mixon takeover is real and it might just be spectacular. One of the first changes new OC Bill Lazor made was to send Jeremy Hill to the bench where he belongs. Mixon posted his first career 100-yard game (62 rushing, 39 receiving) on 21 total touches. Mixon played 34 of the offensive snaps compared to just 14 for Hill and 13 for Giovani Bernard. Mixon looked quick and explosive and although I expect Hill to start every week for the rest of the season, he will quickly be removed from the game and then barely play afterwards. Mixon is officially the feature back and given the immense improvement by the Bengals offense as a whole last week, there is no reason he can't be a reliable RB2.
Chris Thompson (RB - WAS)
With Rob Kelley out due to his rib injury, Chris Thompson split snaps with Samaje Perine. The only difference between Perine and Thompson is that one of them was incredibly effective and efficient and the other one is Samaje Perine. Thompson looked like everything Christian McCaffrey was supposed to be on Sunday night. He was effective on the ground and through the air - a true all purpose back. Thompson still can never be an inside runner, but he now has scored a touchdown in three straight games to start the season and is in on just about every passing down. He is the back to own in Washington. I still worry that game script could take him out of the game, but he was heavily used in a game the Redskins led and dominated to wire to wire. If they ever find themselves trailing, Thompson has legitimate PPR RB1 upside in those games. His arrow is trending upwards.
Week 4 Fallers
Cam Newton (QB - CAR)
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Cam Newton does not even seem to care. The only reason he was ranked as a borderline QB1 in the preseason was because of his 2015 season and the fact that we've seen his ceiling and we know it's overall QB1. Unfortunately, there were virtually no signs of a forthcoming bounce back and the reality is even worse than I thought. Newton has gotten progressively worse in each game this season and finally hit rock bottom in failing to light up the Saints. If you can't torch the Saints, what hope do you really have? 167 yards passing, 16 yards rushing, and three interceptions. Newton is a bad passer that has produced fantasy numbers due to his rushing totals. He didn't run much last year and is running even less this year. Without the rushing totals to pad his stats, all we have is a lower end QB2. He is on pace for career lows in carries and yards. I didn't put Newton on the cut list, but I wouldn't blink if you let him go.
Philip Rivers (QB - LAC)
This was vintage Philip Rivers. Four interceptions. Numerous passes that make you scratch your head. Just a complete meltdown in a game that was actually competitive until the greatest RB in NFL history, Kareem Hunt, iced it with a 70-yard meaningless touchdown scamper that may or may not have cost me a fantasy matchup. Rivers barely scored more fantasy points than you last week. And this is what he does. On any given week, Rivers can just completely faceplant and cost you a week on his own. It's why he cannot be trusted. He is far closer to done than we want to admit.
Terrelle Pryor (WR - WAS)
I was more bullish than not on Terrelle Pryor heading into 2017. I loved the link up with Kirk Cousins and the move to a superior offense. Unfortunately, the connection just hasn't been there. Jay Gurden was literally drawing up plays for Chris Thompson rather than Pryor. After an 11 target Week 1, Pryor has seen exactly four targets in each of the last two games. That's not going to get it done. I thought Pryor had WR1 upside in this offense. This is looking like a big time whiff on my part. Pryor is barely a WR3. While I do expect him to settle in as a WR2, the upside I thought was there simply may not be. The arrow is pointing downward.
Mark Ingram (RB - NO)
The Saints scored a lot of points on Sunday. Mark Ingram was not involved in any of it. In half PPR leagues, Ingram has impressively amassed exactly 9.6 fantasy points in each of his first three contests. While that triplicate is fun to see, it's not fun for your fantasy team. Ingram still looks fine on the field. The problem is that for reasons that I could never begin to understand, Adrian Peterson is still seeing the field. I just don't get it. AP is so clearly done yet he continues to steal valuable snaps away from Ingram. This backfield should be an Ingram-Alvin Kamara 60-40 split. Instead, it's more of a 50-30-20 split. That 10% is the difference between Ingram being a low end RB2 or a high end RB2. Until Sean Payton accepts the reality that Peterson probably should retire, Ingram will suffer. He is not a no brainer start anymore if you have a viable alternative.
Kyle Rudolph (TE - MIN)
I'm not sure if Kyle Rudolph is even a TE1 anymore. He scored a touchdown Week 1 against the Saints and all looked well, but it is not. Rudolph has seen a mere 11 targets in three games. Case Keenum's presence, if anything, should help Rudolph as backup and lesser talented QBs tend to lean on the TE. Not Kyle Rudolph. He is no longer a TE1 nor an every week starter. The alternatives aren't great, but if you own Rudolph, you should start looking.
