RADIO
Dominick Petrillo looks at troubling Week 4 performances, and fantasy football players who have been busts or overvalued. These could be cuts or trade candidates.
What a week it was. Not only did the Browns finally look like the team we expected, there were also numerous upsets all around the league. Don’t worry survivor pool participants - the Dolphins didn’t win. It wasn't that crazy of a week.
But things were for sure crazy. The fact the Raiders, Panthers, Buccaneers, and Titans all pulled off upsets was staggering. Maybe the most improbable feat? The Chiefs scored 34 points in a win and Patrick Mahomes didn’t have a passing touchdown. Add to this the fact my mom actually made it early to the movies and my uncle was early to dinner and I was certain Hell was freezing over.
We have talked about Cam Newton for a few weeks now, so he won’t be mentioned again after this sentence. The Baltimore defense looks to have been exposed in recent weeks, but it is just a defense. Drop them and move on if needed. But there are still some concerning players to talk about after Week 4. So, let’s get at it.
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It's All Kirk Cousins' Fault
I will be the first one to admit I was wrong about Cousins. I thought he would finish as a top-10 quarterback this season and turn out to be a great late-round QB.
With Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs around, having weapons was not going to be an issue. Add to this a healthy Dalvin Cook and all the pieces were there for a great season.
If 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2018 was a disappointment, we can only imagine what will be said after this season. He may not get to 20 touchdowns and 3,000 yards at this rate. Dreadful.
Dalvin Cook has been a revelation in 2019. We knew he was talented, but it now looks like his injuries are in the past as well. And we have seen through the first four weeks the Vikings want to be a run-first team. The leading rusher in the NFL, Cook is special. This is leading to less than anticipated production from the rest of the offensive pieces.
Not only does this make the Vikings look bad for the Cousins contract but also for the Diggs and Thielen contracts as well. Why pay the high prices and not use them? Beats me. But they are using this philosophy to move right to the bottom of the NFC North. Although Kirk Cousins will get the blame, it is not entirely his fault. Coaches make the play calls, after all. But don’t tell that to the fans and disgruntled fantasy owners.
Damien Williams Losing Grip on Job?
You don’t lose a job due to injury. This is often said, but not always followed.
Missing the past two games with a thigh contusion, Damien Williams could be in real jeopardy of losing his role as lead back in the Chiefs backfield. Not only did he look bad in his attempts before the injury, but rejuvenated LeSean McCoy has been looking five years younger. Darrel Williams has filled in adequately as a short-yardage option as well.
Despite playing hurt in Week 3, McCoy managed two touchdowns against the Ravens. In Week 4, he added another rushing touchdown in a close win over the Lions. He had 56 yards on 11 attempts and even pulled down two catches for 33 more yards. He is the true three-down back the Chiefs were hoping for. Just not what fantasy owners were hoping for.
Damien Williams will not fall into irrelevance. But he is not going to be a top-12 or maybe not even top-24 RB we all thought he would. Tables turn quickly in the NFL and the tables in Kansas City have done just this for the duo of Williams and McCoy.
Odell Beckham Jr. Doesn't Rock in Cleveland
Getting away from Eli Manning was going to bring life back to Odell Beckham. He would have a monster season with young talented Baker Mayfield and an exciting Browns team. None of this has happened so far. Baker has looked like hot garbage up until last week and this has led to Beckham playing a disappearing trick.
Even in Sunday’s game against the Ravens in which the Browns put up 40 points and Mayfield threw for over 300 yards, Beckham managed two receptions for 20 yards. Although he did have to fight off the effects of a choke slam... Maybe he could ask The Undertaker or Steve Austin how to take a bump safely.
The only glimmer of home for Beckham? The division. The AFC North looks to be one of the weakest in the league. With no great secondary players, it will only take one big game to get him back on track. The Browns head to San Francisco next Monday night. In the 49ers' last game, we saw them give up two long touchdowns to Mason Rudolph. So, this could be the get-right week. But we will wait and see with nervous anticipation.
The season as a whole has been a bad one for Cleveland. If they can use this game as a platform to build upon, things will get better. But if they revert back to the team and offense they were in previous games, not only will Odell Beckham Jr. sink your fantasy ship but so will Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry and Baker Mayfield. Maybe we should have waited to see what happened for a season or two before crowning the Browns the new darlings of the league. I mean it is the Browns after all. If they didn’t have bad luck, they would have no luck at all.
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