One more official week to factor in before a month is in the books. Keep firing with those under the radar starters that can give you that needed edge to pull out a fantasy football victory. Go the contrarian route and insert these guys for week four.

Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick-
Fitzpatrick seems to bounce back for weeks at a time and then tail off opposite like a perfect graph chart. One team that Fitzpatrick seems to have confidence against is the New England Patriots. Last year he led a tremendous early season comeback victory against the Patriots. This game figures to be a high scoring affair, as Brady will come out gunning early to try and knock the Bills out early. Fitz looks like he will have maybe both Fred Jackson and Spiller back. It’ll be interesting to see how dynamic Buffalo can be with both of those backs healthy. Look for another three touchdown throws from Fitz.

Matt Cassel-
Division rivals usually lead to tight games and a deciding home field edge that can anchor a team past the opponent. San Diego and Kansas City have typically had close battles no matter the teams records. This is an important division game that the Chiefs will be able to use their running game to open up the passing game. San Diego had trouble last week with tall targets in Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jon Baldwin and Dwayne Bowe are not the same caliber tandem, but they’ll pose the same type of issues for the Chargers secondary.

Alex Smith-
The apparent transition of the New York Jets in their secondary without Darrelle Revis has even their head coach trying running back Joe McKnight at cornerback. That points out two things. The Jets do not believe they have the depth at cornerback, and that they used the bulk of their money on their secondary solely on Revis and Cromartie. The 49ers defense is already going to be rowdy and aggressive to get after Mark Sanchez after last weeks loss to the Vikings. Expect Smith to put up around 250 yards and a few scores.

Running Backs
Michael Turner-
The bashing of Michael Turner by fantasy owners has been worse than a six year old hitting a piñata on his birthday. Turner use to be the main cog of the Falcons offense. The shift has completely turned to Matt Ryan and his triple threat options of Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, and Julio Jones. Even backup running back Jacquizz Rodgers is getting more and more attention from the Falcons. As a fantasy owner dealing with roster talent underperforming you have to be able to know when to get him in the lineup for high scoring games. Atlanta’s offense is as prolific as they come, especially at home. This game has a few plunge touchdowns from Turner written all over it, along with near 100 yards.

Cedric Benson-
We all saw what New Orleans defense allowed with the Kansas City Chiefs last week. With a huge lead, and the Chiefs just trying to get one successful drive going, the Chiefs found they could run the football all over the Saints the entire second half. Green Bay has had its struggles to start the season, but have no other option at running back but Benson. The offensive woes will subside for a week as the Packers launch a full out assault rushing and throwing attack to get their team back on track

Ben Tate-
The Titans are one of the bottom teams in football in terms of stopping the run. Houston has been doing whatever they want against opponents. Running the football with Tate/Foster or allowing Matt Schaub to pick his spots for big plays. When Tate can get around twelve carries his fantasy numbers can be as impactful as an RB1. That’s how potent the Texans ground attack currently is. This will be a week where Tate thrives even with Foster having a big day.

Wide Receivers

Vincent Jackson-
This should be the week that the Buccaneers get the air attack launched. Josh Freeman had a decent outing against the New York Giants, so his two mediocre performances against the Cowboys and Panthers should not hold him down entirely. He is not a guy that’s going to light it up every week and be a top twelve fantasy quarterback. There will be around six to eight games where he can crack the top twelve, and this week is definitely a favorable matchup against the Washington Redskins

Jon Baldwin-
Kansas City finally balanced their poor defense with an offensive attack that was enough for a come from behind victory against New Orleans. Jon Baldwin is a receiver by mid-season that will be considered as a fantasy starter or flex option on a weekly basis. It starts with big games out of nowhere. Cassel obviously loves Dwayne Bowe exponentially better than Baldwin, but Bowe may not be 100 percent Sunday with his thigh aggravating him. Look for Baldwin to get a touchdown catch with around sixty yards receiving this weekend against the San Diego Chargers.

Brian Hartline-
Possession receivers are the type that can get catches against the Arizona Cardinals. Miami will do what they have been doing, and pound the football with their stable of running backs. The air attack will feature quick throws to sustain drives. Hartline should rack plenty of PPR points with around six catches. Arizona has been thriving against teams because they have attacked and blitzed at one of the highest rates in the league. Miami’s offensive line will be up for the challenge on getting Tannehill extra time to find Hartline and the quick route throw.

By Vidur Malik
notjustagame23@gmail.com

This Sunday’s games could be opportunities for guys who have disappointed so far to have big games. Several of the players on this week’s list have had sub-par seasons, and should have a chance to take advantage of favorable matchups. Others on the list have had surprisingly good seasons so far, and can continue their solid production this weekend.

Quarterbacks

Matt Ryan – The Atlanta Falcons play the winless San Francisco 49ers in Atlanta this weekend, and Ryan should be able to exploit a defense that has been a huge disappointment so far. Ryan has only one interception so far, and should have a great day against a team that gives up 29 points per game, and is last in the league in that category. Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Matt Cassel threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers in week three, and Ryan has the weapons and smarts to record similar numbers.

Sam Bradford – The St. Louis Rams’ rookie quarterback has had a solid season so far. He’s got five interceptions to go along with four touchdowns, but if there’s a defense he can pick apart, it’s that of the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks give up over 300 passing yards a game, and San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers three for 455 yards against them last week.

Chad Henne – After last week’s thriller against the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins play the New England Patriots, another AFC East rival. This should be another nail-biter, and like last week, Henne should have a great game. Henne’s got a great group of wide receivers to throw to, and after Brandon Marshall’s 166 yard, one touchdown game against the Jets, Henne saw what makes him one of the best wideouts in the NFL. Look for Henne to have a big game against a struggling defense.

Wide Receivers

Santana Moss – Moss has become quarterback Donovan McNabb’s favorite target in his first three game as a Washington Redskin. McNabb and the Redskins play the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, and there’s got to be some extra motivation for McNabb to play well against the team that traded him within the division. Moss should get most of McNabb’s production. He’s still got the speed to get big gains, as his 20.4 yards per catch average against St. Louis last week shows.

James Jones – Jones had a key fumble in the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Chicago Bears in week three, and is probably looking for redemption this weekend against the Detroit Lions. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has the talent and weapons to have a huge day against the Lions’ defense, and Jones should have opportunities and good matchups with players like Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and Jermichael Finley who need to be accounted for. This is a weekend where Jones can become a bigger part of the Packers’ offense.

Roscoe Parrish – The Buffalo Bills are in the midst of a tough season, but could get their first win against the New York Jets. New starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the leader, and is going up against a Jets’ defense that has a shaky secondary. The Jets’ cornerbacks have given up big gains, and committed several penalties so far this year.
Parrish should be able to take advantage of that and use his speed to continue leading the Bills in receiving yards.

Running Backs
LaDainian Tomlinson – Tomlinson wasn’t supposed to be the feature back when he got to the New York Jets, but he’s become just that. He leads the team in rushing, and should continue his resurgence against Buffalo. The Bills’ defense gives up 141 rushing yards per game, and Tomlinson should keep up his 5.6 yards per carry average against them.

Ronnie Brown – Brown and the Dolphins should put up a lot of points against the Patriots in week four. Brown may not put up monster rushing numbers, but he can get you a solid amount of yards on the ground and with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s a tough runner with a 5.4 yards per carry average, which means points for fantasy owners.

DeAngelo Williams- The New Orleans Saints had trouble stopping the run in their loss to the Atlanta Falcons in week three, and the Carolina Panthers should put an emphasis on the run when they play the defending champs. With his quickness, Williams has the chance to lead the Panthers, who are playing rookie Jimmy Clausen at quarterback. If the Panthers have a shot against the Saints, Williams needs to be heavily involved.