Week 4 of the NFL season is quickly approaching and we have an exciting weekend of fantasy football ahead of us. I hope you all got a chance to check out Week 4's QB post which was released earlier this morning. I apologize, due to some of the ongoing issue with posts on Steemit, I haven't been able to release all the position specific articles on normal schedule. In any case, lets focus up and review some of our top plays at the RB position for this week.
Last week we landed on some of the best RBs. Kamara, Hunt, McCaffrey, Bernard, and even the crazy pick David Johnson all played out very well. Unfortunately some of the chalk plays such as Murray and Clement didn't fare so well, which is why I tend to avoid playing chalk. But it didn't kill us considering they were so heavily owned. Let's retune our approach when considering chalk and keep finding those great plays at RB in Week 4.
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We have some elite running backs in great spots this weekend as well as a couple mid-tier plays that are taking advantage of increased opportunities. As always, if you enjoy these articles please upvote, share, and comment on your weekly outlook. That being said, here are my top plays at the running back position for Week 4.
$8,300 / vs. SF / LA - 10.5
I'm not entirely sure where the spread started for this game but it is currently sitting with the Chargers being heavy 10.5 point favorites over the 49ers. San Francisco lost their starting QB Jimmy Garrapollo last week to an season ending knee injury and intend to start C.J. Beathard who likely won't play very well. In any case, the game is setting up to be a blowout and the Chargers should have no problem on either side of the ball. I expect the Chargers the go up big pretty quickly which will likely keep the ball on the ground with Melvin Gordon. Gordon has actually been really good this year both as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. He is averaging a very healthy 4.4 yards per carry and has 2 rushing TDs. Although the 49ers defense has been above average against the run to start 2018, this pick has more to do with how the game should play out and favor the Chargers running game. Gordon is an elite back in a great situation and should have no problem carrying the ball 20+ times this game. He is my overall top RB play for Week 4.
$8,100 / vs. NO / NO - 3.5
The Giants spent a high 1st round draft pick on Barkley this offseason and he has delivered everything they could have hoped for. He is an explosive, playmaking back that has superior talent both as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. Although the Giants are underdogs here at home vs. the Saints, I am more intrigued by Barkley's receiving abilities and usage in the passing game Week 4. So far for 2018, Barkley has averaged no less than 22 DraftKings points in any game and that includes games that the Giants offense struggled mightily in. He has also received at least 5 targets in every game. More importantly, he received a massive 16 targets in Week 2, showcasing just how much of a receiving threat he can be and the degree of usage he can occupy of the Giants passing attack. I have no doubt Barkley will finish 2nd on the team in targets and receptions this year. That being said, I wrote Eli Manning as one of my QB targets for Week 4 due to the New Orleans ineffectiveness to stop any ball that is thrown in the air. I believe Barkley can easily work into any Eli Manning stack with OBJ due to his crazy usage in the passing game. We may not get 16 targets this week, but I believe the Giants will trail at home and have to put the ball in the air a lot. With PPR, Barkley shouldn't disappoint and falls squarely in as one of my top backs for Week 4.
$6,300 / at ATL / ATL - 4
Gio Bernard was mentioned in our post last week as he has risen to the starting RB role for the Bengals due to Joe Mixon's injury. Bernard has been in the league for a few years now and although he has never been able to handle a full bell-cow roll with the Bengals, he has always been one of the more elite receiving backs in the NFL. Last week as the lead back he carried the ball for 61 yards on a 5.1 yards per carry average with a rushing TD added. He also was targeted 9x in the passing game, catching 5 for 25 yards in the air. His price has jumped up $400 since last week but he has even more upside vs. the Flacons in Atlanta this weekend. The Falcons have notoriously been known for their inability to stop receiving running backs. I mean, just last week Alvin Kamara had an astonishing 15 catches on 20 targets for 124 yards receiving out of the backfield. The week prior, Christian McCaffrey, another receiving back, had 14 catches on 15 targets for 102 yards receiving against the same Atlanta defense. Gio Bernard might not be the same elite back as those two but they reaffirmed the notion that backs can do major damage in the receiving game against the Falcons. This is Bernard's best asset as a running back and I have no doubt he can approach double digit targets out of the backfield this week in Atlanta. He is one of my favorite backs for Week 4 and will be landing across a number of my PPR lineups.
Tevin Coleman - $5,900 - Falcons
Sony Michel - $4,500 - Patriots
Thats about it for Week 4. Similar to QB, I am pretty narrow with the RB position and likely will be spending up on a guy like Gordon and looking towards one of the mid-tier priced backs. I hope you enjoyed and please let me know your thoughts. Good luck out there and lets win some money!
Sourced: Boston Herald / PaparCity Maginzine / Sporting News
