I’m glad to announce that there will be three rookie starting quarterbacks that are not named Johnny Manziel once we start a new week beginning on Thursday. Brian Hoyer has done enough to keep the “writing checks” gesture on the sidelines.
Week four begins the bye week blues and plenty of your stars are taking the week off. These are the teams that will be on vacation and their players of note:
CIN- AJ Green, Giovani Bernard, Andy Dalton
CLE- Terrance West
DEN- Peyton Manning, Demariyus Thomas, Wes Welker, Emmanuel Sanders, Julius Thomas, Montee Ball
STL- Zac Stacy
ARZ- Michael Floyd, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Ellington
SEA- Marshawn Lynch, Percy Harvin, Russell Wilson
This is a pretty hefty list, so hopefully you drafted with this week in mind and followed our previous Tune-up Tuesday segments, but if you didn’t you can patch up the rest of your holes with this week’s waiver wire pickups. Let’s tune-up this Tuesday!
EJ Manuel, BUF QB- Now, this isn’t a full endorsement of EJ Manuel, but through three weeks he has more points than Tony Romo, Jake Locker, and Tom Brady. All of you who are suffering severely in this department, and didn’t pick up Kirk Cousins like I told you too last week, may find stability in the Bills field general. You cannot bank on huge games from Manuel, but you can be rest assured that Manuel will either get it to his playmakers or create his own plays by charging down the field.
Blake Bortles, JAX QB- It’s official. The Jaguars have wiped the mud from their encrusted glasses and have seen the light. Chad Henne is a hack and his only skill is achieving draft day success by way of losing games. The organization is righting the ship by designating rookie Blake Bortles to command the wheel. We all knew it was coming; it was just a matter of time. With the Jaguars drowning by half time, Bortles was able to come in and sling the ball around in true garbage time-like fashion. In two quarters he threw a couple touchdowns, a couple interceptions and 223 yards through the air. The numbers are quite lofty for it being just one half of the game. Was it a fluke? Was it a glimpse into the future? I’d like to believe the latter, but time will tell as the Jaguars figure to be behind most games this season.
Teddy Bridgewater, MIN QB- Not yet Teddy… Not yet.
Brian Quick, STL WR- The Dallas defense has been particularly stingy when it comes to wide receiver production. This explains the underwhelming reception total by Quick (2), but he did manage to get into the end zone for the first time this year. He has been the focus of this offense and should continue that trend after the Rams come back in week five. If there is room on your bench to stash Quick, make the move.
Alfred Blue, HOU RB- If you were dismayed this weekend by not following up with your roster after the inactive tag hit Arian Foster on Sunday, then you may have missed your chance on recruiting Alfred Blue. If the whole league whiffed on the pickup then you’re in luck. I’m not sure why the Texans are unable to learn that they can’t put Foster through the gauntlet given his track record with the injury report, but their loss is your treasure. In Foster’s place, Blue turned fourteen touches into 88 yards. Expect Blue to start if Foster remains absent.
Lorenzo Taliaferro, BAL RB- What a punch in the mouth. Justin Forsett dreamers were dripping with anticipation when the Ravens declared Bernard Pierce out for Sunday’s game. Instead, the rookie, Lorenzo Taliaferro, assumed the bulk of the load and trotted out 91 yards with a touchdown. While Forsett is the speedier back, Lorenzo “Tapioca” Taliaferro has the size to break tackles and plunge in for touchdowns. And that is exactly what we saw. There is no telling what will happen when Pierce returns from injury, or when he will, but this situation is making me curiouser and curiouser…
Jerrick McKinnon, MIN RB- There is absolutely no game day proof that Jerrick McKinnon will unseat current starter Matt Asiata, but as a voyeur of the game, I can tell you that McKinnon is a special talent. Asiata is the plodding type that runs a straight line with power. This is not McKinnon’s game. He has the agility and burst to twist defenders into a pretzel in the blink of an eye. I’m sure you’ve all heard enough of Norv Turner’s wizardry, but it is true that McKinnon is a better fit for the system that he employs. Once he can work out the kinks and the rookie jitters we could be unearthing a gem here. You heard it here first, and if it doesn’t work out I’ll deny I ever said it.
Owen Daniels, BAL TE– With Dennis Pitta succumbing to another dislocated hip injury and being ousted yet again for another year, Owen Daniels should supplant him in a starting role. In week two, Daniels was the beneficiary of two touchdown grabs, but only gathered 28 yards, and in this current week he only had a single grab for eight yards. Not excited about that, but it is enticing to think that Daniels doesn’t have anyone to battle in the TE department. Temper your wild notions in believing that he is the second coming of…well, anyone of note. He’ll pick up the slack, and that will suffice.
Jared Cook, STL TE- In the first three games Jared Cook has been quietly semi-productive. It doesn’t sound like it means much, but with muddled quarterback play there needs to be someone who can be flexible. Cook can be that guy. He missed on a go ahead touchdown grab last week by bouncing the ball between his stony hands and ultimately lending it to the turf. However he gets plenty of looks and should continue to do so in the Rams constant state of flux. You won’t need to rush to the wire to grab him seeing that St. Louis is taking the week off, but he can be a plug and play for tight ends with post week four byes.
Flavors of the Week:
John Brown of the Arizona Cardinals and Jordan Matthews of the Philadelphia Eagles are both rookie wide receivers. Both of these gentlemen answered the call and tallied two touchdowns apiece. Matthews saw more action as he reeled in eight receptions to Brown’s four. Out of the two, Matthews has the greater chance of succeeding as a fantasy prospect since he doesn’t have to battle with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald (who has been MIA) and Michael Floyd. Regardless, Brown should get some attention based on the fact that he is fast with good hands and likely to be open often. They are our flavors of the week.
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