The Cleveland Browns’ trade of supposed franchise running back Trent Richardson last week to the Colts rocked the NFL world and swallowed up many of the headlines from Week 3’s games.
The blockbuster overshadowed a breakout game from Brian Hoyer, the continued self-destruction of the once-proud Steelers and Giants and the closest thing the NFL has to a minor league team facing the best the league has to offer (spoiler alert: it didn’t go well for Jacksonville). That’s on top of being the biggest trade since Carrie Underwood replaced Faith Hill on Sunday Night Football.
With all of the debate concerning the swap, as well as preparation for the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad, it’s entirely possible some fantasy players might have slacked a little on their research this week. Fortunately, I can help with that. Here…we…go on Week 4 preparation.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Week 4 Who's Up Who's Down
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Brandon Marshall WR - Chicago
Ok, I admit, I’m a Bears fan so I’m a little biased here, but Marshall’s performance through three games certainly merits inclusion on this list. He has posted 269 yards in three games and reeled in two touchdowns from quarterback Jay Cutler. Even better, he’s on pace for over 100 receptions for the second straight year and currently ranks seventh in the league in catches.
ESPN ranks him as its current No. 2 wide receiver in all of football, but it’s likely that the guy who owns him in your league doesn’t see him that way because the Chicago defense always overshadows the offense. At the very least, offer your No. 1 receiver (unless it’s Calvin “Diddy” Johnson) in a trade for him and see what happens. Bottom-line, you want this guy on your team.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Eli Manning QB - New York Giants
Forecasts are looking very poor in New York and it’s not because of the impending Winter. The Giants are 0-3 for the first time since 1996 and at least part of the blame has to fall on Manning. He leads the league in interceptions with eight through just three games (two more than the next closest passer) and he was sacked 11 times in those games, the third highest mark in the league.
It’s never a good idea to trade a player after the worst game of their career (which Sunday’s 119-yard, zero TD, one-pick performance was for Eli), but if the Giants can’t fix their leaky offensive line, there won’t be much he can do. There are any number of reasons why the two-time Super Bowl champion is struggling so badly, but he definitely does not deserve to be owned in 99.9 percent of leagues as he is on ESPN.
Arrow Pointing: DOWN
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Jordan Cameron TE - Cleveland
There is always a risk putting a Browns receiver or tight end on this list... because they’re the Browns and are therefore subject to abysmal quarterback play at all times. However, Cameron has put up incredible stats in the first three weeks with Brandon Weeden (he of the 55 completion percentage) and an admittedly overachieving Brian Hoyer throwing passes his way.
Cameron is second in the league with four TD receptions and has the exact same amount of catches and yards as Brandon Marshall. He’s still only owned in 75 percent of ESPN leagues but he could upgrade any team at TE. Still, make sure you have a backup plan in case Hoyer becomes the latest Cleveland QB to disappoint fans.
Arrow Pointing: UP (with a Cleveland-sized asterisk).
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Maurice Jones-Drew RB - Jacksonville
It is well documented that running backs decline precipitously at age 30. MJD is only 28, but he has accumulated seven seasons and counting of wear in the NFL because he declared for the draft at 21. Is it possible that we are seeing the beginning of the end for the Jaguars’ back?
The former UCLA star has only averaged 38.3 yards per game this season and has failed to break 50 yards in any of the Jaguars first three games. He has had double-digit carries in each game but has averaged an anemic 2.6 yards on those carries.
Regardless of whether he’s just in a rough stretch or full decline, he won’t score many touchdowns this season as long as he’s paired with the Chad Henne/Blaine Gabbert quarterback platoon that’s 28th in the league in passing yards per game. Trade MJD now while he still has some value.
Arrow Pointing: DOWN
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Ryan Tannehill QB - Miami
Last week I wrote about how I was a believer in Tannehill and his performance against Atlanta this week did nothing to change my mind. He’s not an elite quarterback yet, but I believe he has the potential to be the franchise passer the Dolphins have been searching for since Dan Marino retired.
The former college wide receiver passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3, while completing 68.6 percent of his passes. His stats on the season aren’t Peyton Manning-esque but they aren’t Eli Manning-esque either. Considering that he’s only owned in 9.6 percent of ESPN leagues, he could be an instant upgrade at QB for teams that drafted Eli or Joe Flacco. At worst he’s a solid QB2 and will improve as he develops chemistry with star receiver Mike Wallace.
Arrow Pointing: UP
