EXPECT HOPKINS TO BOUNCE-BACK THIS WEEK

Week 4 fantasy football rankings

Week 4 fantasy football rankings
Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

There were some big injuries in Week 3, so let's take a look at how that impacts this week's ranks. These are my early ranks and I will update them later in the week. Make sure you check the injury report on Sunday for players that have missed practice. Keep in mind, these are PPR rankings, and don't forget to set your lineup for Thursday Night Football. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5FM. We're on every Sunday from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.

@JoshJordan975

@Moneyline975

@JerryBoKnowz

QB

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

1 Patrick Mahomes
2 Lamar Jackson
3 Russell Wilson
4 Dak Prescott
5 Aaron Rodgers
6 Philip Rivers
7 Deshaun Watson
8 Kyler Murray
9 Jared Goff
10 Matt Ryan
11 Carson Wentz
12 Tom Brady
13 Daniel Jones
14 Matthew Stafford
15 Jameis Winston
16 Jacoby Brissett
17 Andy Dalton
18 Baker Mayfield
19 Josh Allen
20 Case Keenum

RB

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images

1 Christian McCaffrey
2 Alvin Kamara
3 Ezekiel Elliott
4 Austin Ekeler
5 Mark Ingram
6 Nick Chubb
7 Dalvin Cook
8 James Conner
9 Marlon Mack
10 David Johnson
11 Derrick Henry
12 Leonard Fournette
13 Joe Mixon
14 Josh Jacobs
15 Todd Gurley
16 Chris Carson
17 LeSean McCoy
18 Kerryon Johnson
19 Phillip Lindsay
20 Devonta Freeman
21 David Montgomery
22 Wayne Gallman
23 Aaron Jones
24 James White
25 Chris Thompson
26 Darrel Williams
27 Justin Jackson Out
28 Adrian Peterson
29 Royce Freeman
30 Carlos Hyde
31 Miles Sanders
32 Rex Burkhead
33 Tarik Cohen
34 Peyton Barber
35 Kenyan Drake
36 Jamaal Williams

WR

Photo via:Dallascowboys.com

1 Julio Jones
2 Keenan Allen
3 Davante Adams
4 DeAndre Hopkins
5 Amari Cooper
6 Sammy Watkins
7 Cooper Kupp
8 Tyler Lockett
9 Michael Thomas
10 Odell Beckham
11 Larry Fitzgerald
12 Brandin Cooks
13 Julian Edelman
14 JuJu Smith-Schuster
15 Mike Evans
16 Tyler Boyd
17 Kenny Golladay
18 Terry McLaurin *Out
19 Marquise Brown
20 Robert Woods
21 Sterling Shepard
22 Adam Thielen
23 Chris Godwin
24 Christian Kirk
25 Calvin Ridley
26 D.J. Moore
27 Marquez Valdes-Scantling
28 Demarcus Robinson
29 Tyrell Williams
30 Mecole Hardman
31 Josh Gordon
32 Emmanuel Sanders
33 Marvin Jones
34 Phillip Dorsett
35 Mike Williams
36 D.J. Chark
37 Allen Robinson
38 Curtis Samuel
39 Alshon Jeffery
40 DK Metcalf

TE

1 Travis Kelce
2 Zach Ertz
3 Evan Engram
4 Greg Olsen
5 Darren Waller
6 Delanie Walker
7 Mark Andrews
8 Austin Hooper
9 T.J. Hockenson
10 Will Dissly
11 O.J. Howard
12 Jason Witten
13 Jared Cook
14 Eric Ebron
15 Jimmy Graham

Defense/Special Teams

1 Chargers
2 Rams
3 Bears
4 Patriots
5 Vikings
6 Jaguars
7 Ravens
8 Packers
9 Texans
10 Cowboys
11 Steelers
12 Colts
13 Seahawks
14 Broncos
15 Bengals

Kicker

1 Justin Tucker
2 Greg Zuerlein
3 Stephen Gostkowski
4 Harrison Butker
5 Ka'imi Fairbairn
6 Joey Slye
7 Will Lutz
8 Mason Crosby
9 Zane Gonzalez
10 Matt Bryant
11 Jason Myers
12 Jake Elliott
13 Matt Prater
14 Brett Maher
15 Dustin Hopkins

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The future is bright! Composite Getty Image.

Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.

Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.

He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.

Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.

Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.

The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.

Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”

And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.

Astros plate discipline

Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.

Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.

Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.

Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.

What is Dana Brown saying privately?

Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!

We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!

The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!


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