10 fantasy football busts from NFL Week 4
These fantasy football players came out flat this Sunday leading to a bad fantasy football week. Find out who made the walk of shame this week and claimed a slot in our top 10 Week 4 fantasy football busts.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (10) is one of the fantasy football busts from Week 4 to be concerned about for fantasy football going forward. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Every week in fantasy football, there are players who come through and carry their team to victory. Unfortunately, there are also fantasy football players who carry their team to the bottom of the fantasy football pool like an extremely heavy stone. If you owned any of these fantasy football busts in Week 4, you know how debilitating their horrible week was for your fantasy team.
This isn’t place you want to read about your players since all these options had rough outings. If you had some of these these high scorers, you may have been able to overcome these letdowns, but many owners will end up taking an “L” this week if they were relying on the top ten fantasy football busts which you can find on the following slides.
Each week in our top 10 fantasy football busts, you can find the most disappointing options at each of the main fantasy positions. I highlight the players that had high expectations coming into the week but failed to live up to them. Whether due to injury or ineffectiveness, these players burned their owners badly.
You definitely want to avoid using players that end up on this list for your fantasy team. If you’ve got a great story about how someone let you down this week, let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Make sure to check back later today for our fantasy football sleepers who emerged during Week 3 if these fantasy football busts have left you looking for replacement options. For our full fantasy football weekly coverage make sure to drop a bookmark on our fantasy football hub. You can also check out our new start/sit tool and follow @FansidedFantasy on Twitter to help you avoid next week’s fantasy football busts from sinking your team in Week 5.
There were plenty of letdowns this week, so let’s start our list of fantasy football busts this week with a quarterback whose early departure cost his fantasy owners.
Oct 2, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian (13) reacts on the ground after being sacked by Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Clinton McDonald (98) during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Siemian-QB-Denver Broncos
Most of the players on this list of fantasy football busts are here because they failed to deliver, but Siemian is here through no fault of his own. He fell and hurt his non-throwing shoulder and was diagnosed with an AC joint sprain. His availability going forward is still in question, but his early exit ended many owners’ fantasy games.
Siemian only threw for 68 yards and a touchdown before departing from the Broncos’ win in Tampa. He was a hot name that owners were after following last week’s performance, but he was the least productive of all the starting QBs in the NFL this week.
While it isn’t fair to hate on Siemian for getting hurt, he left his owners hanging earning him a spot on the fantasy football busts of the week. He could return next week in time for the Broncos’ home game against the Falcons or he could be forced to miss a little bit of time. If you are a Siemian owner who got burnt this week, monitor the situation closely all week and leading up to his Week 5 matchup.
Oct 2, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (left) and wide receiver Willie Snead (83) get hyped up before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Willie Snead-WR-New Orleans Saints
The Saints got a big road win in San Diego and avoided falling to 0-4. In Drew Brees’ furious comeback he didn’t use his no. 2 receiver, though, even though he did have Willie Snead back on the field with him. Snead missed last week’s Monday Night Football loss to Atlanta, but he was active this week.
Snead hauled in his only target on Sunday going for 23 yards, but he was on the field about his normal amount. Snead’s value will fluctuate based on the Saints gameplan and how Brees distributes the ball.
Moving forward, Snead is a WR3 with plenty of upside to get onto our fantasy football scoring leaders list. This week, though, he’s on the fantasy football busts list after a almost-invisible week.
Oct 2, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Shane Ray (56) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Charles Sims (34) during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Charles Sims-RB-Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs lost Doug Martin to a hamstring injury two-and-a-half games ago, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be ready to return week 5. In his absence, regular change-of-pace option Charles Sims has taken over the full-time starting job.
So far, the results have been mixed. Sims had 124 total yards against the Rams in Week 3, but this week he hit a much tougher opponent and struggled against the Broncos vaunted defense. Sims ran 15 times in Tampa’s loss on Sunday and managed just 28 yards. He added seven yards on his two catches, but even as s a receiver Sims found yards hard to come by.
Next week, Sims and the Bucs’ face the Panthers. It’s a bad matchup for Sims again, but he should draw ast least one more week as the primary starter. If he does get another start, he’s a low-RB2 or a high-RB3 next week. After the Panthers, though, there are some great matchups which would give Sims’ value a serious boost if he’s still starting
Oct 2, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman (26) runs for yards against Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) in the first quarter of their game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Tevin Coleman-RB-Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have been platooning Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman so far this season, and Coleman looked great until this week when he struggled badly against the Panthers run defense. Coleman came into the game with four touchdowns in his last three games and a total of 160 yards rushing and receiving.
He didn’t get anything going this week, though, despite Matt Ryan throwing the ball all over the place for over 500 yards. Coleman only caught three passes for Ryan today for a total of 14 yards. He added just 19 yards on his eight carries and gave up the touchdown to Freeman this week.
While it looks like this game is more of an outlier than the more successful contests, Coleman does remain high-risk since he’s sharing the job. He makes a decent flex play especially in PPR leagues, but he could have games like this when things get tough like they do next week as he and the Falcons head to Denver.
Oct 2, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) runs for yardage against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Latavius Murray-RB-Oakland Raiders
The Raiders were able to get enough passing touchdowns to get them a win on the road in Baltimore, but their running game never got in gear. Murray led the way with eight carries but only totaled 19 yards and made his way into our fantasy football busts. He hauled in a pair of passes for five more yards, but didn’t get into the end zone again this week.
In fact, Murray was held without a touchdown for the first time this season. Another troubling factor for Murray is that his number of touches has also gone down the last few weeks. Murray remains the leader of the running-back-by-committee, but it makes him a very risky option to rely on.
Next week, Murray and the other Raiders RBs will face a good matchup against the Chargers. There are enough favorable mashups to make Murray a RB2 if he can hold onto his playing time and not lose too much to Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington.
Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a pass during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Matthew Stafford-QB-Detroit Lions
The Lions took a bad loss to the Bears this week dropping their third straight to fall to 1-3. The Lions couldn’t get anything going on the ground, and their passing game misfired as well. Stafford had to throw the ball 36 times and completed 23 passes for 213 yards.
He wasn’t able to get any of his receivers into the end zone and threw a pair of interceptions. Stafford now has seven touchdowns and four picks this season. Stafford led the team to a big win in Week 1 over Andrew Luck and helped them make a comeback last week, but he still isn’t a locked-in fantasy starter every week.
I see Stafford in the 8-15 range most weeks in the QB rankings. Detroit will need him to play much better next week when the face the rising Philadelphia Eagles and their surging offense.
Oct 2, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Tony McDaniel (93) tackles New York Jets running back Matt Forte (22) in the second half at MetLife Stadium. Seattle Seahawks defeat the New York Jets 27-17. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Forte-RB-New York Jets
After a red-hot first two weeks of the season , Forte has cooled considerably in Week 3 and Week 4. He isn’t quite eligible for our fantasy football busts of the season, yet based on his good weeks, but he did make our list for this week after a bad game in a tough matchup against Seattle.
Forte ran the ball 14 times but only managed 27 yards and hauled in two passes for 16 more yards. Forte has been hurt by the bad play of Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he is also looking more his age (30) than he was at the beginning of the year.
This week the Jets continue their tough road trop by heading to Pittsburgh. The Steelers have been playing from ahead most of the season and are usually good at protecting against the run. Forte could find more tough-sledding ahead, and as a result I see him more as an RB2 than an RB1.
Oct 2, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers free safety Dwight Lowery (20) deflects a pass intended for New Orleans Saints tight end Coby Fleener (82) during the fourth quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Coby Fleener-TE-New Orleans Saints
The Saints were able to stage a huge comeback and get a win on the road in San Diego in a revenge home-coming game for Drew Brees. It was unexpected players who got the fantasy points in their comeback, though, leaving Snead and Coby Fleener on our list of fantasy football busts.
In week 3, Fleener went off for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Things were looking good for him as he was coming into a matchup with the Chargers who struggle defending opposing TE. However, the matchup didn’t translate and Fleener finished with just three catches for 19 yards and no touchdowns.
Fleener is a fringe TE1, but his connection with Brees gives him more upside later this season as they become more consistent. New Orleans will have the bye week to work on things before returning in Week 6. Fleener owners should hold if they can, but he still isn’t a locked-in starter.
Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) is held by Cleveland Browns defensive back Joe Haden (23) while attempting to catch a pass in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 31-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
DeSean Jackson-WR-Washington
Washington was able to move the ball against the Browns offense, but DeSean Jackson was a major option in our fantasy football busts with Jordan Reed and other checkdown options getting most of the looks over the middle. Jackson had posted two nice games in the first three of the season, but he was a letdown Sunday.
Jackson only had one catch for five yards on his two targets. However, his lack of involvement is probably due more to game situation than the fact that Washington is moving on. Jackson is still of the most dynamic playmakers, so look for them to get him more involved going forward.
While this matchup looked dreamy on paper, Jackson didn’t step up and deliver. He’s still off to a solid start overall and can be used as a WR3 or flex play. Jackson is on pace for just under 1,000 miles right now, and he’ll look to get back on track next week against the Ravens who Michael Crabtree lit up last week.
Oct 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Perrish Cox (20) intercepts a pass intended for Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
DeAndre Hopkins-WR-Houston Texans
Hopkins struggled for the second straight week as the Texans took on the Titans. All of the Houston offense sputtered in New England, but Hopkins’ lack of involvement this week is even more startling and troubling for his owners.
Even though the Texans eventually won the game, Hopkins only hauled in one pass for four years. He was targeted six times, but none of them came early leaving him uninvolved as the game went on.
Hopkins is still a WR1 and has the potential to bounce back with a Julio-like rebounds. However, its hard to have enough confidence top put him in the top 5 fantasy receievers at this point in the season. He’s a lower-end WR1 next week in a brutal matchup against the Vikings. His owners definitely don’t want to keep seeing him in the fantasy football busts posts, and they’d like him to turn on the point production as soon as possible.
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