Fridays are for Five Lists of 5! I’ll be doing this for every week of the season. Think of these as byte-sized, two-minutes-to-yourself lists to scan during your weekend as you foam at the mouth for any competitive fantasy edge. As much relevant analysis as I can fit into, like, 250 words per player (notice how that number has already ballooned since the first list?).
Kicking it off this week with five players to stream.
Follow along at my handle @dansby_edits for stat threads with minimal emojis all week long. The minimal emojis thing is how I differentiate myself in the market, you see.
Also available:
- Five players to stash for Week 4
- Five buy-low targets
- Five sell-high targets
- Five wide receivers due for breakout games
Justin Fields, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
I’m all-in on Justin Fields now that he’s out of that absolute trashfire in Chicago and operating under the tutelage of Mike Tomlin &co. I wrote as much in my column last night, titled with such mystique: Justin Fields is on his way to a fantasy football breakout season. Here’s an excerpt:
His accuracy stats across the first three games are wild. Right now, Fields is first in the league in completion percentage against pressure, at 83.3%; he also ranks first in the league in catchable pass percentage (86.7%). He’s fifth-best in the league in accuracy against zone coverages (makes sense; linebackers are probably terrified he’s going to take off), and fourth in red-zone accuracy rating, with a completion rate of 75% there.
So: he’s getting more time, and he’s accurate with it even in high-stakes situations. And he can run! He’s got solid weapons in Pickens, Freiermuth, a carousel of running backs, and super-utility man Cordarrelle Patterson. It’s a mystery why he’s not breaking the game.
Najee Harris should be back this week. The Steelers offensive line gives Fields an above-average 3.26 seconds before pressure sets in.
The Colts defense is good. I’m starting them this week against this Steelers offense, but I bet whatever turnovers they generate will be offset by Fields’s rushing, when it comes to his QB fantasy points.
Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Similar to the above. I know Najee is trending upward, but Warren isn’t. Arthur Smith loves Cordarrelle Patterson. This is all about feel. The Steelers found something last week, and a lot of it revolved around Fields, Freiermuth, and Patterson. I expect them to return to the well this week, and for Patterson to be involved in the passing game.
Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears
It’s not D’Andre Swift’s fault. I just want to start there. This Bears offensive line is atrocious. Borderline egregious.
But, still—no two ways about it. Swift isn’t getting great touches in this offense right now. I called him a league-winner back in August, and am feeling terrifically bamboozled about what ever made me think the Bears would just eliminate all coaching dysfunction.
Roschon Johnson’s a hot name for this week. You’re probably not even starting Swift if you drafted him, so maybe you don’t need Johnson for a spot start this week. But I’d pick him up, and wouldn’t be surprised if he returned you 11-13 FPTs in your flex.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
My boldest prediction of the week may be that Kareem Hunt scores a touchdown. The Chiefs are 3-0. Kareem Hunt still showed he had decent juice with the Browns last year. But he is, undeniably, no younger nor more explosive than rookie Carson Steele.
The Chiefs will want to take some pressure off Mahomes soon enough. Maybe even this week. Kareem Hunt will see his fair share of touches in the rotation in Week 4. I’m just banking on one of them happening close enough to the end-/red-zone that Hunt manages to rip off a touchdown.
I’d be surprised if he got any goal-to-go carries just yet. But, hey—I won’t complain if it happens.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Told you I didn’t really like the sound of Doug Peterson’s “one more game” estimate about Evan Engram’s injury last week. That’s why I picked up Strange season-long.
This offense stinks, but in the article linked here, I offer plenty of insight as to why Trevor Lawrence’s explicit trust in Strange has led to some incredibly valuable targets.
He caught a TD last week. I like him for paydirt again on Sunday against the Texans. My colleague and fellow DKN analyst, Zach Thompson, wrote about Strange’s Week 4 fantasy outlook here.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
