Week 4 Fantasy Football Hot Pickups:

Matt Hasselbeck (TEN QB)– A very solid backup QB at this point.

Michael Crabtree (SF WR)– If someone cut him then pick him up. He played in a limited role in week 3, but he came up with 8 yards per catch. Crabtree is a big time WR once he stays healthy and finds consistency. Your looking at a future #1 WR. By the end of the year he may be racking up some big games. He had way too much upside to be cut in any leagues.

Danario Alexander (STL WR)– He is huge, he is big, he is strong, he is fast. He Broke through in week 2 with 122 yards and a TD. In week 3 he was shut down by the Ravens defense, but still squeaked out 28 yards. That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that he was targeted 9000 times. He is the #1 WR on that team and is in store for some huge weeks ahead.

Antonio Brown (PIT WR)– I’ve mentioned him every single week. I said to draft him. Then I said to pick him up after week 1 when he got a ton of targets. Then I said to pick him up after week 2 after he had 67 yards. Now I’m telling you to pick him up after week 3 as he has added 4 more catches for 75 yards. Those numbers show me that he is improving week to week.

Torrey Smith (BAL WR)– I know, I know….he peaked for the season. He probably peaked for his career. He will never have another 152 yard 3 TD game again. Normally I would say not to touch him, but this case is different. I liked Smith as a sleeper before the season began. In fact I had him listed in my WR preview article as being a guy to draft. It’s a crowded WR corp in Baltimore, and the Ravens run the ball a lot, but Smith could be fantasy worthy with any sort of consistency.

Donald Jones (BUF WR)– He’s still a little risky, but for now he’s performing. I’m not sure exactly how long Buffalo is going to have a high scoring offense, but while they do guy’s like this have value. It’s kind of like how Meachem and Henderson have value with the Saints. There is always a chance they will do something, whether its yardage or a score. But there is also a chance each week that they get shut down because of how the team has to spread the ball around. Buffalo already has Stevie Johnson, David Nelson, Fred Jackson, Scott Chandler, and CJ Spiller that already catch passes. But Jones has been a good start 2 of 3 weeks this season. Week 1 he caught a TD, and in week 3 he had 101 yards. He’s only an option in a very deep league where your desperate for some WR help.

Andre Caldwell (CIN WR)– As long as Shipley and Simpson are getting hurt and doing drugs, Caldwell has value. AJ Green will continue to be doubled, so Caldwell will get catches. He’s only a deep option to have though.

Victor Cruz (NYG WR)- He only has value if Manningham and/or Nicks is out. Don’t go thinking you’ve found the next big thing from a guy who had 110 yards and 2 TD’s during the best game of Eli Manning’s life.

Jonathan Stewart (CAR RB)- He has been cut in a lot of leagues this year because of his diminished role. That will soon change. Cam Newton is starting to come back to earth, as I said he would, and DeAngelo Williams is showing his age. Stewart was a very high upside guy as he was chosen as the #13 pick overall in 2008. He is also still only 24 years old. Every time he has had the chance to the start over the last few seasons he has produced. He is steadily beginning to get more carries. Plus he gets receptions. In week 3 he ended up with 85 combined yards, and rushed for 41 more yards than Williams did, on the same number of carries. Eventually Williams will lose his starting job or get injured, and Stewart will turn into a good starter with high upside. Stash him now if he’s been cut.

Montario Hardesty (CLE RB)– All young RB’s need is the chance to start. Hardesty got that chance in week 3 with Hillis being out. He put together 86 combined yards with only 14 rushing attempts. That’s a solid starting debut. He has nowhere to go but up from here. Check the status of Hillis. If he misses again then Hardesty could be an option.

Darren Sproles (NO RB)– I know I called him a fluke before, but he is still performing. However, I have said that it is pretty unpredictable to know when to start him. If you feel like rolling the dice each week then start him. He seems to always at least get combined yardage. He has much more value than Pierre Thomas right now.

Bernard Scott (CIN RB)– Eventually Cedric Benson is going to be suspended. So he immediately has value as a starter for a few weeks. If Scott decides to run away with his opportunity he could be the starter by the end of the season. If you need RB’s, especially during bye weeks, stash him now and wait. He’s a guaranteed starter for a month.

Kendall Hunter (SF RB)– 38 combined yards with a TD. Eventually Frank Gore will go down. He always does. When that happens Hunter is a fantasy starter. He is succeeding in his backup role and proving that he can handle the long term RB role.

Brandon Pettigrew (DET TE)– Pick him up already, he’s a worthy starter. He will continue to get a lot of catches on a powerful offense.

Greg Olsen (CAR TE)– Being a former first round pick, Olsen has potential. On certain weeks over the last few years he produced for fantasy teams. Now that he is 26 years old he is starting to find consistency. The standards of a TE are much less than those of other positions. Aside from the upper-tier TE’s a guy that gets your 50-60 yards per game is considered to be a producer. That is what Olsen does. He gets consistent yaradage and scores once in awhile. Now that Carolina’s offense has developed he’s become that same guy again. In week 3 he had 57 yards and a TD. Expect similar numbers with or without the TD each week.

Developing Situations:

Kenny Britt is out for the season. Awful news for Britt owners. He will undergo season ending surgery. Nate Washington will be their main receiving target now (besides Chris Johnson.)

Daniel Thomas is now the starter in Miami. He has been amazing. 122 combined yards with a TD in week 3. And he ran the ball 23 times. Reggie Bush only ran the ball 11 times. If your a Daniel Thomas owner, plug him in each week, he is the real deal. If your a Reggie Bush owner, make sure he is only a backup on your team.

Ryan Mathews is now the premiere back in SD. It was nice to get a few more TD’s from Tolbert back in week 1, but those days may now be over. Mathews is legit and is looking great. Last year he was a first round fantasy pick and this year he’s playing like one.

Calvin Johnson is on pace for 30 TD’s this year. Just wanted to point that out to the naysayers who didn’t like how I had him ranked as my #1 WR overall in my preview articles. He is the best in the world.

Arian Foster has become a good buy low. Check with your resident Foster owner to see if he/she has grown sick of waiting on their high first round pick. This isn’t the same situation as Steven Jackson where it is expected that he will get injured either. Foster is much younger and there is plenty of season left. If Foster is for sale for cheaper than first round value then pounce. He will be back, and they will look to please him.

Michael Vick has a broken hand. The injuries seem to continue to pile up. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vick tries to play through it, but watch this one very closely. Vince Young is still banged up too, but once he’s back he has to be the starter if Vick were to miss any time. Mike Kafka as the starter would be awful for the team, for Michael Vick owner, for Jeremy Maclin owners, and for DeSean Jackson owners.

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