Matchups Start/Sit

Well, five weeks into 2022, those QBs, Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan, have not been upgrades at all. On Thursday they combined for zero touchdowns and four interceptions. Between them, they’ve tossed more picks than scores on the season.

While everyone in Indianapolis wanted to run Carson Wentz out of town after 2021’s stunning season-ending loss to the Jags, so far in 2022, Matt Ryan has put up fewer Fantasy Points per Game and a lower True Passer Rating and QBR than Carson did last year.

Week 5’s Monday Night game between the Raiders and Chiefs boasts a week-high 51.5 game total. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are 7.5 point home favorites while hosting the road-dog Raiders.

Mike Williams has not faced a cornerback ranked inside the top-30 though. Last season, Williams played against six top-30 CBs. He failed to finish inside the top-40 WRs in each of those six weeks.

Noah Brown has been sneaky good this season. He’s top-25 in Yards Per Route Run, Yards Per Target, and Yards Per Reception. Because of injuries, he’s seen a 21.3-percent (No. 32) Target Share. Fading Marquise Brown last week was not a good call, but it’s hard to bet against Darius Slay this season. Slay is No. 3 in Coverage Rating (+45.8) and No. 3 in Catch Rate Allowed (28.6-percent).

Three seasons, three mediocre quarterbacks. Matt Ryan completes Indianapolis’s Knights of the Mediocre Roundtable. His above-average accuracy metrics are dulled by his inability to push the ball past the sticks. Ryan’s 2.5 (No. 26 of qualified quarterbacks) Deep Ball Attempts per Game and 6.4 (No. 29) Air Yards per Attempt are both worse than Phillip Rivers in the final season of his career. With nine (No. 1) fumbles and five (No. 2) interceptions, Ryan is rapidly approaching a 2020 Drew Brees-level of bad.

The Texans have allowed over 100 yards rushing to opponents in three out of four games this season. They have also allowed at least 9 RB receptions in two of those games and yielded 6 total touchdowns to RBs. Etienne is the pass-catching back in Jacksonville, seeing 11 targets to Robinson’s 7 so far this season. The matchup against Houston in Week 5 is the spot for Etienne to finally come through for fantasy owners.

While Sanders dominates RB touches now, his overall Snap Share is still less than 60-percent and Hurts is a continuous threat to take rushing touchdown opportunities. Expect the Cardinals and Eagles to play to their respective strengths in a shootout through the passing game this week. Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown are in for big weeks, but Sanders is in line to be left behind against a solid run defense in what will be a high scoring, passing-dominated affair.

This week was the revenge of the Running Backs in a couple of ways. First of all, they simply scored more points. For the first time this season, the top 12 running backs of the week outscored the top 12 wide receivers of the week. As for who scored those points, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Only three of the top 12 RBs were drafted as top 12 RBs, while six of the top 12 WRs were drafted as such. That being said, seven of the top 12 RBs were drafted top 24 at the position, and only Jamaal Williams qualified as a “streamer” among the top 12 finishers. This was by far the worst streaming week of the year.

With three of Detroit’s top offensive weapons out – Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark and D’Andre Swift, their 21 weekly targets had to go somewhere. In Week 4, they went to T.J. Hockenson who put up a tight end week for the ages. On a career-high 12 targets, he posted 179 yards and two scores. Even WR Josh Reynolds, former Rams buddy of Jared Goff, carried a share of the load with seven catches for 81 yards and a score. Of course, PlayerProfiler’s weekly projections told you beforehand that both would shine.

Perhaps you have Kyle Pitts and had to suffer through an Arthur Smith galaxy-brained game plan of him being out-snapped by Parker Hesse (87-percent to 62-percent). Maybe you drafted Javonte Williams in the second round and were so excited about his upside next to new QB Russell Wilson only to suffer through a largely forgettable first four weeks and now a season-ending torn ACL. Or perhaps you drafted Jonathan Taylor with a top-two pick only to suffer through three straight fantasy duds including this week’s 42 yards rushing on 20 carries. Now Taylor is dealing with an ankle injury. 

With Jimmy Garoppolo back under center, the 49ers will host the Rams in a NFC West MNF Showdown in Week 4. The game sets up as a defensive scrum with no love lost on either side. A notable injury that will affect the game include the loss of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams. I like an alt-under here as a safe bet. The two teams have combined to average 43 points per game in their last 3 meetings. Touchdown hunting is also on the table with superstars like Deebo Samuel and Cooper Kupp on the field. Without further ado, let’s break down this Monday Night Showdown!

Dalvin Cook sustained yet another injury to his shoulder that has bothered him for years. Backup Alexander Mattison has risen to the occasion in Cook’s absence in the last three seasons. In the five full games Cook has missed since 2020, Mattison has averaged 21.4 carries, 90.2 yards, and 0.6 touchdowns per game while adding five targets per game and 0.4 touchdowns through the air. The Saints’ run defense has not been as stout this season as we’ve been accustomed to them being. They stifled Leonard Fournette (24 carries-65 yards), but Cordarrelle Patterson (22 carries-120 yards-1 touchdown) and Christian McCaffrey (25 carries-108 yards) had their share of success. The Saints’ defense skews closer to the Tampa matchup than the other two, but we’ll see. Mattison is a fine RB2 this week if Dalvin misses.