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Here are the top twenty fantasy relevant quarterbacks for week four. Aaron Rodgers will finally make fantasy owners that drafted him with a top four pick extremely happy against the Saints. Joe Flacco will continue his hot start. A couple of tier two quarterbacks that will crack the top twelve this week will be Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Mike Vick’s struggles will continue. It will be interesting to see Andy Reid at the podium following Sunday Night’s game, and Monday afternoon once Vick struggles. Ryan Tannehill bottoms the list of the top twenty but I believe he will lead Miami to a quality victory on the road, to give the Cardinals their first loss of the season.

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Tom Brady
3. Eli Manning
4. Joe Flacco
5. Cam Newton
6. Matt Ryan
7. Robert Griffin III
8. Ryan Fitzpatrick
9. Philip Rivers
10. Andy Dalton
11. Drew Brees
12. Peyton Manning
13. Josh Freeman
14. Tony Romo
15. Mike Vick
16. Matt Schaub
17 Matthew Stafford
18. Jay Cutler
19. Carson Palmer
20. Ryan Tannehill

Questions @Cimini

Bye Week Teams: Pittsburgh and Indianapolis
It’s the first week of bye weeks and injuries are starting to mount up. Do not be an owner that makes a costly error of not reviewing injury notes prior to Thursday or Sunday’s games. Matthew Stafford is looking as if he is going to be a game time decision by the Detroit Lions. Have a backup plan well in advance. Inserting Shaun Hill for this week is even a good option.

Here are some fantasy players of note to consider placing on the bench for week four.

Quarterbacks
Mike Vick
One of the first teams to corral Vick during his surprise comeback and overtaking of Donovan McNabb were the NY Giants. They know how to contain Vick in the pocket and do what every team in football is doing now, and that is lay hits on Vick. All the offensive line issues and poor play calling by Andy Reid has this team on the verge of another media and self team collapse. Sunday night football will only elevate and expose the Eagles even more.

Christian Ponder
Ponder has been a surprise to start the season and is right on the borderline of tier one and tier two fantasy quarterbacks currently. This has been done with the Vikings calling a basic offense and rather mediocre numbers from the skilled position wide receivers. Though the matchup looks favorable against Detroit, I do not expect Ponder to be ranked in the top fifteen this week for fantasy quarterbacks.

Drew Brees
As shocking as this looks, Brees has too many factors that make a foreseeable rough game against the Green Bay Packers. The number one issue is the Saints defense. They have not been able to stop the run or pass, and this is the type of game that Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for. He has faced some of the toughest defenses to start the year in the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco. With the anger of the Packers matched with the offset of the Saints poor play, means this could get ugly quick for the Saints. Frustration is already evident and will only grow for Brees when they’re 0-4

Other Quarterbacks to Sit: Peyton Manning and Kevin Kolb

Running Backs
Ryan Williams
The big news Wednesday was that the Cardinals decided to place Beanie Wells on the injured reserve, assuring that Williams is going to be the primary back for at least eight weeks. Williams may have a couple of solid games intermixed in these eight weeks, but not enough to make him a RB1 or RB2 starter. He can possibly be a flex option, but the Cardinals are not going to improve from being near the bottom of the league in rushing. Miami has been tough against the run and will make Williams full time duty debut a rough go.

Willis McGahee
Peyton Manning is struggling early on in games because teams are able to condense down the secondary for Manning’s quick throws. McGahee is as tough a runner as they come but Manning’s limitations are going to hurt his overall effectiveness. Oakland has not necessarily been a stalwart against the run, but McGahee is not a flashy back anyhow. McGahee is a straight forward runner that the Raiders should be able to boggle down.

Doug Martin
Though Washington ranks near the bottom overall for defense, this game will be more about boosting Josh Freeman’s confidence heading into the Buccaneers bye week. The Redskins secondary has allowed every quarterback to thrash them through the air thus far, and have given up ten passing touchdowns overall. Freeman will finally get into rhythm with new receiver Vincent Jackson, and add to Mike Williams touchdown totals.

Others to Sit: Mike Bush if Matt Forte is declared available Sunday, and Chris Johnson

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Steve Smith (Carolina)
Cam Newton himself has admitted he has to work on his demeanor when adversity lurks. The Panthers have had some extended days off after playing last Thursday in an embarrassing home loss to the Giants. Newton just may need a sophomore slump to look back upon for true growth. Facing the red hot Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta is going to be extremely tough for Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

Miles Austin
Much of the focus with Chicago always surrounds Jay Cutler. Year after year that’s what the media focuses on. Chicago likes it that way, as their defense has been as consistent as any team in the NFL, but for some reason the focus remains off of them. Tony Romo has had below standard performances against the Buccaneers and Seahawks. A home game against the Bears figures to be an opportunity to change things, but I believe the Bears will continue the pattern of frustration of Romo.

Antonio Gates
Gates has continued to shake off injuries year after year but it appears that has began to take its toll on him. Fantasy owners that drafted him in the same relative rounds as Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, and Rob Gronkowski are cursing up a storm like Chris Johnson owners. Especially with how elder tight end Tony Gonzalez is performing. In years past Gates has shaken off the injury bug to put on strong games. It just does not seem like his high catches and yardage games are going to happen as frequently anymore. He is now more in the mid to bottom range of a tier one tight end. That is only if the Chargers can solve their scoring woes. Kansas City is always tough for Philip Rivers and divisional opponents, and will give Rivers enough fits this week to hurt Gates’s production.
Others to Sit: Eric Decker and Marques Colston

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Lets not base the first three games as an entirety to the season. If that were the case Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady would not even be first tier quarterbacks right now. Brady is ranked 15th and Rodgers 21st currently. Just like with true NFL teams, early season hype for a scattered amount of teams will fade and be evaporated to near .500 seasons by December.

We know which big time players are going to turn around their season because of their history. But where is a quarterback like Josh Freeman headed?

Freeman’s 2010 stellar season seems like a year distant to a veteran winding down his quarterback years. That’s what makes Freeman’s downward spiral and lateral stagnancy so puzzling. Last years lockout appeared to have hurt Freeman more than any quarterback in football. Rapid changes are also an issue that is likely a main factor in Freeman not coming out with better performances.

A new coach, running back, and adjustment to Vincent Jackson all takes time. The early season rust by Josh Freeman should not be over examined. Even though the stats do not jump out on paper from his first three games, Freeman and the Buccaneers have been in every game.

In fact they should be 2-1 if it were not for a colossal collapse by their defense in the fourth quarter against the Giants.

This next month will be a high indicator if Freeman is ever going to move past last season. The Buccaneers have an early bye week, week five, which can do wonders for a quarterback. His one game before the bye week and two after the bye week are three of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

Washington currently ranks second to last in pass defense, and we all know how poor the Saints have been defensively as a whole. Kansas City’s defense would be ranked worse if it were not for the Bills and Falcons letting up in the second half with huge leads.

So the opportunity for a fantasy quarterback to turn their year around and become relevant, can’t be better than Josh Freeman’s position. His season statistically could not have started off worse. With Freeman as low as he could possibly be from a fantasy perspective, now is the time to snag him.

You’d have to expect Freeman to start connecting with Vincent Jackson more, and target Mike Williams at a higher rate. This next month will be key, but the plus/minus differential for where Freeman is and where he can go currently as a fantasy quarterback is in the double digits range for improvement. Currently he is twenty ninth in passing yards and right in the middle for touchdowns thrown. A couple of three hundred yard games and he should gain the confidence to finish the year off as a solid fantasy backup quarterback.

Twitter Questions @Cimini

It was a catch by Golden Tate, just watch the replay.

What a way to lose a game, lets hope that you’re not a fantasy owner that is challenging the extra nine points Golden Tate received because of that. Dive in to this weeks waiver wire selections.

Quarterbacks

Andy Dalton-
There is no ignoring Dalton’s accuracy. Last year the Bengals ran the football a heavy amount and Dalton’s play was more about wins than flash of stats. Cincinnati realizes they have a dynamic duo in Dalton and AJ Green. Until teams figure out how to stop AJ Green, Dalton’s fantasy value as a quarterback hovers around the mid teens.

Running Backs

Tashard Choice-
The Bills injury woes continue at least temporarily. After a rough first week, the Bills have turned things around to go 2-1. In large part to each of their three running backs being able to step in without a problem. Choice has been able to fill in as a Cowboy in years past, and will likely get the next game or two of a higher amount of carries. Fred Jackson is expected to get some snaps this week, and Spiller may only miss one game.

Andre Brown-
Tom Coughlin is not one to shy away from making a decision when necessary. Andre Brown has proven to be a back that deserves to get a fair share of carries. Even when Ahmad Bradshaw returns, Brown figures to have an impact role in the Giants backfield. The fact that Brown was available in over 35 percent of Yahoo leagues before week three is shocking.

Lamar Miller-
The Dolphins dodged a bullet with Reggie Bush’s knee injury not being as serious as it looked. Either way both Bush and Daniel Thomas have shown that they are injury prone. Miller has quietly been getting a few carries each game. Miami plans on keeping Tannehill as comfortable as possible. Running the football is the best way to make that happen.

Alex Green-
Cedric Benson just is not getting it done for Green Bay. The offense is suffering because of it, and a move will need to be done soon to get the running game boosted. Green Bay is beginning to see why many teams passed on Benson originally. Green could be the fantasy running back pickup similar to James Starks was for Green Bay a few years back.

Mikel LeShoure-
LeShoure came in right off the bat and had twenty six carries for 100 yards. It was a bit of a surprise to see LeShoure get that much action, as Kevin Smith was doing a suitable job. Most anticipated a split load as the best scenario for LeShoure. Based on Sunday, it’s clear that Detroit believes LeShoure is their guy to handle the load 100 percent.

Wide Receivers

TY Hilton
With Austin Collie officially declared out with a knee injury, Hilton gets the full opportunity to get much more on field snaps. Reggie Wayne has shown zero signs of declining, but Donnie Avery is a questionable number two. Hilton had a big week last week, and as a young emerging talent could mesh very well with rookie Andrew Luck

Chaz Schilens
It’s been quite awhile since Schilens has done much of anything on the football field, as injuries have threatened his career. New York has stuck with him and they’re in dire need of a receiver to step up besides Santonio Holmes. Stephen Hill is not ready to take on that type of role. With Schilens now getting some reps on the field, he’ll have a chance to be the tall speed receiver Sanchez can target. Sunday versus Miami he should have had a touchdown catch, that was thrown off a tad by Sanchez.

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Week three was not as eventful as the first two weeks. That can be good or bad depending on your wins and losses in your fantasy leagues. Three weeks ia good feel for how your team is. It may be time to think about trading, but do not over react to the following players solid weeks.

Quarterbacks

Andrew Luck-
The more and more the Colts running game suffers, the more you have to worry about Luck’s progression this season. Right now he has only faced one quality defense in the Chicago Bears. Once teams amp up the pressure on Luck and drop more men back in coverage, a huge spark in interceptions will likely occur.

Jake Locker
Locker’s time is coming in the near future, but the offensive outpour by the Titans will obviously be there high point of the year. You have to credit Locker though for how he has performed since taking over the job from Matt Hasselbeck. Some young quarterbacks fold in these situations, but Locker has done well even with Chris Johnson struggling

Running Backs

Michael Turner-
In the first half Turner was at the pace of his first two games of the season, with basic numbers. In the second half he did the most of his damage. San Diego’s defense began to realize their offense just didn’t have anything for the day. Turner is just resting on fantasy roster benches until a successive sequence of solid outings occurs.

Ryan Williams-
The Arizona Cardinals running game is likely going to be one of the worst in the league this season. Ryan Williams and Beanie Wells have been banged up thus far this year, and neither has had proper expectations with carries. Williams has already fumbled the football twice, so those expecting him to bypass Beanie Wells better think again. Another fumble and Williams carries per game may have a max.

Wide Receivers

Davone Bess-
Bess went into the season as a solid option in deeper leagues at the third receiver spot. That can’t be said anymore as Ryan Tannehill seeks him as his third or fourth option. As the season goes on maybe more chemistry will develop between the two. For now I’m going to consider his game against the Jets as a one week wonder.

Kyle Rudolph-
There is no doubting that Christian Ponder likes to target Rudolph. For a season though, Rudolph is not going to continue his pace for touchdowns. He’ll taper off and be in the range of six to eight touchdowns. He’d be a justifiable fantasy starting tight end if you could depend on better yardage numbers. Rudolph is of the old mold of fantasy tight ends, where you would just hope for a touchdown.

Damaris Johnson-
Speed is what the Eagles love to have, and they have that with former Tulsa wideout Damaris Johnson. With injury prone receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, the possibilities of Johnson having an impact for a handful of games is there. Until an injury is relevant for a period beyond two games than Johnson is classified as a one week wonder.

T. Y. Hilton-
With Austin Collie back in the fold, Hilton’s plays offensively are only going to fall back a bit more. As long as Collie can stay healthy, Hilton is going to be an option only for spread formations. With the Colts poor running game they may be in it more than most teams, but not enough to make Hilton a sleeper.

Twitter Questions @Cimini

If you’re a Reggie Wayne owner, than you should be grinning going into your fantasy matchups. Here are some other names to consider that you may be pondering starting for week three.

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler-

Cutler is just one of those athletes media heads can circle and create a story no matter what. The fact of the matter is Cutler has led this Bears team to strong starts the past two seasons. In 2010 he led them to the NFC Championship game, and last year they had seven wins before Cutler went down to injury for the year. This is a talented Bears team that will move past Thursday’s performance and have a big game against St. Louis.

Philip Rivers

Travel affects even the best of teams. Atlanta is coming off a strong Monday Night performance and gets to travel to San Diego. The defense has been unable to hold up for four full quarters in any of the first two games this season. Kansas City had their way in the first half of game one, and Denver had a strong fourth quarter Monday Night. Philip Rivers gets Ryan Matthews back, and has quietly had a solid start to the 2012 season. He’ll have no problem throwing the football around against Atlanta’s secondary.

Kevin Kolb-

This is the game where Kolb can seperate himself from John Skelton for good. The Cardinals play well at home, and their defense is playing as a top five unit in the NFL. This game has extra motivation for Kolb as he was traded away to Arizona in favor of Mike Vick as the successor to McNabb. Who knows if McNabb didn’t push for Vick to get another chance in Philadelphia if this would be Kolb’s team right now. All Kolb has to do is take what the Eagles defense gives him and he should have a strong fantasy day. Fitzgerald’s height against the smaller Eagles defensive backs should favor for his first big game of the season.

Matt Schaub-

Schaub has been non existent practically from a fantasy standpoint, as the Texans pound the football with Ben Tate and Arian Foster. This game the Texans will have to open things up through the air. Schaub and Andre Johnson have been waiting for a game like this. Insert Schaub in in deeper leagues this week.

Running Backs

CJ Spiller-

Spiller is finally paying off for the high draft pick the Bills spent on him. The injury woes of Fred Jackson the past year and a half have led to the emergence of Spiller. That and the Bills offensive line does a great job at creating holes for Spiller to take advantage of. The longer Jackson stays nicked up t more Spiller’s value permanately increases.

Jonathan Dwyer-

Oakland is another poor game away from becoming the NFL’s talked about woeful team on a weekly basis. It’ll happen, and the Steelers will do it in their typical smash mouth style. Lots and lots of runs, with Dwyer sneaking in for a couple short yardage scampers.

Kevin Smith-

A few things to like with Smith is you know the Lions are going to feed him the football. He is a tough runner that also gets opportunities with PPR and receiving yards. Based upon his involvement in the offense, he is almost a sure fire lock to get ten fantasy points a week. This week that should be boosted facing the Titans and likelihood of a rushing touchdown.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Reggie Wayne-

Wayne having a big day against Jacksonville is about as easy as it comes for anticipating a big fantasy day. Since 2007 Wayne has racked up a seasons worth of stats in his ten starts. We are talking massive performances. It’s like the black mamba, Kobe Bryant, knowing he is playing the Phoenix Suns. Something about facing the Jaguars brings out the best in Reggie Wayne.

Scott Chandler-

With Joe Haden out due to suspension the shift of focus is going to drift on more attention to Stevie Johnson. Chandler is already Fitzpatrick’s second favorite target, and he’ll be able to thread the ball plenty of times to Chandler in this week three matchup. Expect a solid five to six PPR points to go along with Chandler’s average of around fifty to sixty yards receiving.

Robert Meachem-

Meachem is likely not even on anyone’s fantasy list for a possible starter this week, after his donut score in the statbox last week. Meachem gets to face off against the Atlanta Falcons this week, who have been susceptible through the air. San Diego will likely design a few pass plays specifically for Meachem to get him involved. He also has a solid history of producing versus the Falcons. Last year as a Saint in two games vs the Falcons he had a mid teen average with touchdowns in both games, and in 2010 he had a ten catch hundred yard game as well.

Michael Crabtree-

With the offense of the 49ers increasing to a level not seen in over five years, everyone has seen the results of this. Vernon Davis has leaped ahead into a top three fantasy tight end, and Michael Crabtree is suddenly a weekly fantasy starter option as a third receiver. Facing Minnesota should continue the trend for the offense flourishing. While the attention is on Randy Moss’s minimal plays on the field, it’s Crabtree that should be garnering more attention with his play.