Fantasy Football: Titans-Steelers to be re-scheduled — what it means, who to start for Derrick Henry, the rest
4 years ago
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Watch Now: Fantasy Reaction: Titans vs. Steelers Postponed Due To More Positive Covid Tests (4:34)
The Titans had two more people test positive for COVID-19 Thursday morning, and the NFL has reportedly decided to postpone their Week 4 game against the Steelers to another week. Initially, the hope was that they could play the game either Monday or Tuesday, but with the virus continuing to spread through the team despite shutting down facilities Tuesday, the decision was made to play at a later date.
This actually simplifies things quite a bit for Fantasy players. Week 4 will be treated like a normal bye for both teams, while the Titans Week 7 bye and the Steelers in Week 8 will be filled by another matchup. What the rest of the season’s schedule will look like for both teams remains to be determined, since they can’t just play each other on their bye weeks. There will likely be multiple teams impact by this, though what that means isn’t clear yet.
The Titans Week 3 opponent, the Vikings, also suspended in-person team activities earlier in the week after learning of the outbreak, but they have so far had no positive tests, so their Week 4 game against the Texans seems likely to continue as scheduled.
You’ll obviously need to get all of your Titans and Steelers players out of your lineup this week, but at least we got plenty of advanced notice on this one rather than having to wait for a scheduled Monday or Tuesday game. Let’s look for some replacement options to consider for each position if you have a lineup hole to fill, with the Fantasy Football Today emergency podcast on the game postponement offering some advice, too. Subscribe at Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts:
These players are all rostered in no more than 65% of CBS Fantasy leagues as of Thursday morning:
QB to replace Ryan Tannehill, Ben Roethlisberger
Ryan Fitzpatrick (34%) vs. SEA — If you need a starter, stop what you’re doing and go get Fitzpatrick. He’s coming off consecutive two-touchdown games and the Seahawks secondary has been a mess. Miami will be chasing points, too. He’s a top-12 QB option this week.
Teddy Bridgewater (36%) vs. ARI — The Cardinals defense has been solid this season, and Bridgewater hasn’t put up big Fantasy numbers yet — mostly because has just two touchdowns, because the yardage has been solid. He’s got a bunch of weapons, all of whom can break big plays at any time, so Bridgewater could be a good play chasing points against Kyler Murray.
Baker Mayfield (57%) vs. DAL — Don’t love Mayfield as a Fantasy option these days, but the volume should be there in a game against the fast-paced, high-powered Cowboys offense.
RB to replace Derrick Henry, James Conner
Rex Burkhead (51%) vs. KC — Burkhead’s outlook is complicated by James White’s return from a personal matter, but there’s still plenty of room in this Patriots backfield for three backs to thrive. Burkhead is sort of the middle ground between White and Sony Michel, so he can play in pretty much any game script, but with a likely shootout against the Chiefs on the schedule, the hope here is he splits passing game work with White. Burkhead was Cam Newton’s favorite target in camp, and we’ve seen why the last two games, with 11 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Nyheim Hines (65%) vs. CHI — The Colts made a point to get Hines more involved in Week 3, and he finished with double figures in PPR points. As a pass-catching back in a Phillip Rivers offense, there’s always upside if the Colts get into a shootout, and while that may not happen against the Bears, hopefully they can keep it competitive enough to keep Hines out there. You’re hoping for 4-6 catches and a few opportunities near the goal line, but he could give you 15-plus points in the right situation.
Kalen Ballage vs. DEN (0%) — Don’t laugh. OK, fine, take a minute to laugh, collect yourself, and then return. Ballage emerged as the pass-catching back for the Jets in Week 3, playing 30% of the team’s snaps and getting to double digits in PPR points. Does he have upside? No. Is he particularly good? Probably not! But Adam Gase likes him, and you’re desperate. Hope for five catches.
WR to replace Corey Davis, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, etc.
Preston Williams (60%) vs. SEA — It’s been a tough start to the season for Williams, who hasn’t come close to pushing DeVante Parker for the No. 1 job. However, this matchup is good enough that Williams should be viewed as a sleeper with significant boom potential.
Laviska Shenault Jr. (64%) vs. CIN — Week 3 did not go as the Fantasy community had hoped, but Shenault is still in a great spot. He’s been a consistent part of the game plan, and the return of D.J. Chark should make life a lot easier for Shenault in the underneath and intermediate game, where he makes most of his damage after the catch. There’s a huge breakout coming, why not in what could be a shootout?
Alshon Jeffery (21%) vs. SF — You’d probably rather see Jeffery on the field before throwing him in your lineup, but if he gets a full practice in Thursday or Friday and is cleared to play, he’ll be worth a look. You might remember Jeffery as a bust in 2019, but he was actually on pace for 86 catches, 980 yards, and eight touchdowns in the eight games he was able to finish without injury. In Week 4 as a desperation play, you’ll settle for a few red zone targets.
TE to replace Jonnu Smith and Eric Ebron
Dalton Schultz (60%) vs. CLE — Schultz should probably universally rostered at this point, so consider yourself lucky if he’s still out there. The Cowboys have an awful lot of mouths to feed, but they also play at the fastest pace in the league, so volume hasn’t been an issue. He’s a top-12 TE.
Jimmy Graham (50%) vs. IND — The Bears were awful near the goal line in 2019, and the addition of Graham was a big part of their plan to improve. So far, so good. They’ve looked his way often in the red zone, and he has at least seven targets in two of three games. He might be a top-12 tight end moving forward if Nick Foles keeps looking his way.
O.J. Howard (28%) vs. LAC — Howard hasn’t been a huge part of the offense, but Tom Brady is looking his way enough to be relevant every week. With Chris Godwin out and Mike Evans potentially facing off against Casey Hayward, the Bucs may ned to involve the tight ends in the middle of the field more often, and Howard is the better pass catcher at this point.
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 4 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
