Jaguars 30 Colts 27
Blake Bortles scored three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) to lead the Jaguars over the Colts in London. Bortles only threw for 207 yards but didn’t turn the ball over in what was his best game of the season.
Extra Points: Allen Robinson owners are still waiting for that huge fantasy day but he managed to put up a 5/55/1 line on 10 targets Sunday. Robinson hasn’t gone over 72 yards but he’s scored three touchdowns and has been targeted at least 10 times in three of four games this season…Chris Ivory continues to be a non-factor. Ivory rushed eight times for 29 yards, while T.J. Yeldon gained 117 total yards on 18 touches. Even worse, the Jaguars had the ball inside the 5-yard line twice and Ivory didn’t get a carry…Andrew Luck had an average game throwing for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Luck was once again under pressure all game long…Because of the pressure, Luck had to dump off a lot of passes to his running backs. Frank Gore and Josh Ferguson combined for 12 receptions on 16 targets. Gore put up 95 total yards and a touchdown on the day.
Raiders 28 Ravens 27
The Ravens came into Sunday’s game with impressive numbers against the pass but Derek Carr put a dent in them by throwing for 199 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those scores went to Michael Crabtree. Crabtree finished with seven catches for 88 yards on 12 targets.
Extra Points: Amari Cooper took a back seat to Crabtree. Cooper hauled in five catches for 48 yards on six targets. He’s yet to score through four games this season…Joe Flacco put up his usual average fantasy day despite a favorable matchup against the Raiders defense. Flacco threw for 298 yards and one score…Terrance West got the start over Justin Forsett and delivered with 113 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. West should now be the Ravens starter moving forward…Steve Smith is looking healthier every week. Smith caught 8-of-11 targets for 111 yards and a touchdown…Dennis Pitts put up a dud for fantasy owners. Pitta wasn’t involved much in the offense with only five targets. He caught three balls for 17 yards. Pitta will have better fantasy days in the future.
Texans 27 Titans 20
A Texans receiver had a big game on Sunday but it wasn’t DeAndre Hopkins. While Hopkins was held to just one catch for four yards, rookie Will Fuller continued his hot start to the season by catching seven balls for 81 yards and a touchdown on a team-high nine targets.
Extra Points: Quarterback play wasn’t a thing of beauty in this game. Marcus Mariota completed just 13-of-29 passes for 202 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Mariota simply doesn’t look comfortable in the Titans offense…Brock Osweiler was better but that’s not saying much. He completed 25-of-37 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Osweiler looks good on one throw then looks bad on the next…DeMarco Murray has been the Titans biggest fantasy bright spot through four games. Murray gained 119 total yards on 27 touchdowns and scored twice on Sunday.
Bills 16 Patriots 0
The Bills defense dominated for the second week in a row. Buffalo’s defense recorded sacks, recovered a fumble and shut out the Patriots at home for the first time since 1993. Luckily for New England, Tom Brady returns next week.
Extra Points: LeSean McCoy piled up 108 total yards and a touchdown to lead the Bills offense on Sunday…With Sammy Watkins on IR, Robert Woods stepped up and caught seven passes for 89 yards on a team-high 10 targets…The Patriots couldn’t get anything going on offense with third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman each caught just one pass. Both players will obviously see their fantasy stock go up with Brady back next week…Martellus Bennett was the only Patriot who posted strong fantasy numbers. Bennett caught five balls for 109 yards on six targets.
Redskins 31 Browns 20
Jordan Reed had been quiet in his first three games but he woke up on Sunday. Reed caught nine passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns on a team-high 10 targets against the Browns.
Extra Points: Kirk Cousins didn’t have a big yardage day (183) but he did reward fantasy owners with three touchdown passes…Jay Gruden is always preaching that he wants to run the ball more and he was able to accomplish that goal on Sunday. Matt Jones ran it 22 times for 117 yards (5.3 YPC) and a touchdown…Isaiah Crowell continues to anchor the Browns ground game. Crowell went over the century mark (112) again and scored a touchdown on 15 carries…Terrelle Pryor didn’t have the massive fantasy day he did last week but still managed to catch five passes for 46 yards and a touchdown on a team-high nine targets.
Falcons 48 Panthers 33
The Falcons red-hot offense blew the roof off the Georgia Dome Sunday. Matt Ryan threw for 503 yards and four touchdowns. One week after sinking fantasy owners with a two-catch game against the Saints, Julio Jones hauled in 12 passes for 300 yards and a score. The Panthers defense had no answers for Ryan and Jones.
Extra Points: Cam Newton has taken a lot of hits early in the year and he looked beaten up on Sunday. A hobbled Newton completed 14-of-25 passes for just 165 yards and one touchdown before leaving in the fourth quarter with a concussion…The Panthers can’t run the football at all without Jonathan Stewart. Carolina ran it 15 times for 49 yards (3.3 YPC) against the Falcons…Kelvin Benjamin didn’t get shut out again this week but it was far from a big fantasy day. Benjamin caught three balls for 39 yards and a touchdown on seven targets…Ryan spread the ball around to 10 different receivers and four different players caught a touchdown….Devonta Freeman ran for 57 yards and a score on 13 carries.
Bears 17 Lions 14
The Lions were expected to produce big fantasy numbers on Sunday but it wasn’t the case. Matthew Stafford struggled, throwing for just 213 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, as Detroit’s offense stalled all game long.
Extra Points: Marvin Jones had been tearing it up the last two weeks but was held to five catches for 74 yards on seven targets…Golden Tate was once again absent from the Lions offense. Tate caught one pass for one yard and was benched after he ran the wrong way on a Stafford interception in the second quarter…Jordan Howard ran for 111 yards on 23 carries in his first career start. He added three catches for 21 yards. Howard will make it difficult for Jeremy Langford to get back on the field when he returns if he keeps producing over the next month…With Alshon Jeffery not 100 percent and Kevin White leaving with an ankle injury, Eddie Royal was the Bears top receiver Sunday. Royal caught all seven targets for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Seahawks 27 Jets 17
Russell Wilson was diagnosed with a sprained MCL after last week’s game but you couldn’t tell versus the Jets. Wilson threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in what in what has become a generous Jets pass defense.
Extra Points: Jimmy Graham had his second big game in a row. Graham caught six balls for 113 yards on eight targets…Christine Michael didn’t have much success on the ground (18 carries 58 yards) but he gained 90 total yards and scored a receiving touchdown on 23 touches. Michael will continue to dominate touches in the coming weeks…Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three more interceptions on Sunday. He’s now thrown nine interceptions in his last two games…Brandon Marshall had a strong fantasy day against a tough Seahawks secondary. Marshall caught four passes for 89 yards and a score on a team-high 12 targets…With Eric Decker (shoulder) inactive, Quincy Enunwa worked as the No. 2 receiver and put up 6/60.
Broncos 27 Buccaneers 7
The Buccaneers defense is so bad any quarterback can have success throwing against it. Trevor Siemian was knocked out with a shoulder injury. No problem. Rookie Paxton Lynch came in and the Broncos offense didn’t miss a beat. The two combined to go 19-of-31 for 238 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Extra Points: The exact opposite of the Buccaneers defense is Denver’s defense. Jameis Winston was harassed all game long by the Broncos front. Winston was sacked five times and threw two interceptions…Mike Evans was targeted a team-high 11 times but was held to five receptions for 59 yards…Cameron Brate had his second strong game since becoming the unquestioned starter at tight end. Brate caught five balls for 67 yards on eight targets…The Buccaneers badly need Doug Martin to return from a hamstring injury. Tampa Bay ran for just 72 yards on 26 carries (2.8 YPC)…Demaryius Thomas (6/94/1) and Emmanuel Sanders (8/88/1) weren’t bothered by Lynch being in the game. The two were targeted a combined 20 times.
Rams 17 Cardinals 13
In one of the most shocking results of the season’s first month, the Rams moved to 3-1 and the Cardinals fell to 1-3. Case Keenum threw for 266 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for the now first place Rams.
Extra Points: The Rams had to rely on Keenum because the Cardinals defense shut down Todd Gurley. Gurley finished with just 33 yards on 19 carries (1.7 YPC). He did add five receptions for 49 yards…Brian Quick only caught two passes but they both went for touchdowns. He now has three touchdown catches in the last two games…Carson Palmer threw for 288 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion…John Brown finally broke out and had a big fantasy game. Brown caught 10 passes for 144 yards on a team-high 16 targets.
Saints 35 Chargers 34
The Saints and Chargers played a wild game as expected but it produced unexpected fantasy stars. John Kuhn scored three touchdowns for the Saints and Dontrelle Inman (7/120/1) was the Chargers leading receiver.
Extra Points: For the second straight week Brandin Cooks let down fantasy owners. After catching one pass against the Falcons, Cooks was a non-factor again on Sunday. He finished with just three catches for 31 yards on six targets…Willie Snead was active against the Chargers but for a fantasy perspective it made little difference. Snead caught his lone target for 23 yards…Philip Rivers posted another 300-yard game (321), two touchdowns and one interception…Rookie TE Hunter Henry had his second productive game in a row filling in for Antonio Gates. Henry caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown on seven targets…Melvin Gordon racked up 79 total yards, caught six balls and scored twice as he continues to dominate touches in San Diego’s backfield.
Cowboys 24 49ers 17
The Cowboys rookie tandem of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott once again led Dallas to victory on Sunday. Prescott completed 23-of-32 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He’s yet to throw an interception in four games. Elliott recorded his second straight 100-yard game. He finished with 138 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries (6.0 YPC).
Extra Points: With Dez Bryant (knee) out, Cole Beasley (3/66), Jason Witten (7/47), Terrance Williams (4/44/1) and Brice Butler (5/41). Prescott hit seven different receivers on the day…Jeremy Kerley (6/88/1) and Garrett Celek (5/79) were the only two San Francisco pass catchers who made an impact. No other 49er caught more than one pass on the day…The Cowboys defense did a good job shutting down the 49ers ground game. Carlos Hyde salvaged his day by scoring but overall the 49ers rushed for 106 yards on 29 carries (3.7 YPC) as a team.
Steelers 43 Chiefs 14
One week after getting smothered by the Eagles defense, Ben Roethlisberger and Co. were on fire Sunday night. Big Ben threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns as the Steelers jumped on the Chiefs early and never looked back.
Extra Points: Le’Veon Bell returned from his three game suspension and made an immediate impact. Bell rushed for 144 yards on 18 carries and added five receptions for 34 yards…Antonio Brown caught 4-of-5 targets for 64 yards and two touchdowns…Sammie Coates led the Steelers with eight targets. He converted them into six catches for 79 yards…Jamaal Charles made his season debut. He wasn’t used much though. Charles carried the ball just twice for seven yards, compared to Spencer Ware’s 13 carries for 82 yards. Expect Charles to continue to be eased back into the offense…Alex Smith completed 30 passes for 287 yards. He averaged 5.7 yards per completion. Business as usual.
