Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady seems all but guaranteed to make history in the highlight game of Week 4, and he will do so in a stadium where he has made lots of history previously. Brady, who famously led the New England Patriots to unparalleled success for two decades, makes his road return to Massachusetts on "Sunday Night Football" versus legendary coach Bill Belichick and his former franchise. Brady needs a mere 68 passing yards to break Drew Brees' NFL mark, and he can do so back in New England. We must watch!
For fantasy purposes, however, the quarterbacks are not really the story of this game. After all, Brady is universally rostered, and for Week 3, a tough road game against the Los Angeles Rams, he was active in more than 75% of ESPN standard leagues. That figure should be higher in Week 4. Put simply, after 56.8 PPR points in three games, Brady forces us to play him. Then there is Patriots rookie Mac Jones, rostered in 17% of leagues and barely active in any of them, and that should not change against the challenging Buccaneers defense, either.
No, this matchup -- at least in fantasy -- might be about the running backs.
On the Tampa Bay side, Brady led the team in rushing yards in Sunday's loss to the Rams, as Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II continue to underwhelm. Fournette has a mere 84 rushing yards this season, though he is a factor in the passing game. On Sunday, Giovani Bernard was a bigger factor, scoring 20.1 PPR points. Jones has 5.1 PPR points after three games. Fantasy managers have been moving on from him already. Fournette remains universally rostered, but is not much of a worthy flex option. Bernard is not a pickup yet, but he could be soon, if healthy.
Another Buccaneer to watch returning to New England is wide receiver Antonio Brown, currently on the COVID-19 reserve list. He missed the Rams game but should be available to face the Patriots, with whom he famously played in one game during the 2019 season. Brown, 32, remains talented, though Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and mercurial tight end Rob Gronkowski -- who also has quite the history in New England -- play larger roles in the offense.
Huge NFC West matchup
Speaking of the unbeaten Rams, they host the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals this week, and running backs will again be a focus for fantasy managers. The Rams' Darrell Henderson Jr. missed the Week 3 game with a rib injury, and former Patriot Sony Michel handled a heavy workload, though he barely made it to double-digit PPR points. If Henderson returns, this might be a timeshare situation. On the Arizona side, after an uninspiring start to the season, James Conner scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the win over the beleaguered Jacksonville Jaguars. Chase Edmonds, who catches passes, remains the better fantasy option, but this ongoing timeshare restricts each player from RB2 status.
One more Rams note: While Cooper Kupp looks like a prime Jerry Rice these days, and others, such as DeSean Jackson and Van Jefferson, continue their relevance, Robert Woods investors continue to sigh. Most evaluators regarded Kupp and Woods as similar in the preseason as mid-to-late WR2 types, but Kupp is currently dominating ... while Woods has 31 PPR points so far. Woods should improve, but he is more flex choice than clear fantasy starter moving ahead. It remains a bit too early to give up on numerous wide receivers off to slow starts, such as Woods, Allen Robinson II and Robby Anderson.
Injuries to watch
Running back is also the focus here, and not because of Henderson or Las Vegas Raiders starter Josh Jacobs, who missed the past two games with an ankle injury. Minnesota Vikings star Dalvin Cook was the No. 2 player in ESPN ADP and he missed Sunday's game with a sprained ankle, though fantasy managers did not get clarity until the morning of the game. Alexander Mattison starred in his absence against the Seattle Seahawks, netting 23.1 PPR points, more than Cook had attained in either of the first two games. There is no controversy here; Cook is the starter when healthy, and perhaps in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns, but fantasy managers must roster Mattison just in case. A star lurks.
As for wide receivers to watch, Tennessee Titans star A.J. Brown left Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts in the first half with a hamstring injury, this after catching nary a pass. Brown has 7 catches and fewer than 100 receiving yards after three games, which is not what fantasy managers expected. The Titans play the New York Jets Sunday, a favorable matchup, but the Titans might be cautious knowing they are heavy favorites. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Steelers starter JuJu Smith-Schuster (ribs) left Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals early, while the Bengals' Tee Higgins (shoulder) did not play at all.
Monday night madness
The Raiders play the Los Angeles Chargers and will have to deal not merely with Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen, but with one of the emerging stars of the young season in Mike Williams. It took a few years for him to arrive at proper consistency with health and performance, but Williams boasts four touchdown receptions and 77.5 PPR points already, making him a clear WR2 entering this contest. The Chargers took down the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, but Williams was active in only 50% of ESPN leagues. Fantasy managers must take Williams more seriously.
As for the Raiders, off to a magical 3-0 start including Sunday's overtime win over the Miami Dolphins, we await clarity on whether Jacobs suits up, but given the way Peyton Barber ran on Sunday perhaps they exercise their own caution. Barber, with his third franchise in as many seasons, ran for 111 yards and a touchdown Sunday, and caught three passes. Kenyan Drake continues to earn his fantasy points mainly in the receiving game, but as long as Jacobs is out, Barber might earn RB2 status. It is good to have depth.