Heading into Week 4 it doesn't appear either Joe Burrow or Ryan Tannehill will have their full complement of weapons. The Bengals have already ruled Tee Higgins out for Thursday night, while A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are both dealing with leg injuries that could sideline them.
The difference is in the depth of weapons. Even without Higgins, Burrow still has rookie sensation Ja'Marr Chase and slot extraordinaire Tyler Boyd. If both Brown and Jones are out for the Titans, Tannehill's top three receivers will be Chester Rogers, Nick Westbrook, and Josh Reynolds. Furthermore, he may not have his top tight end, Anthony Firkser. It's quite possible Burrow's third and fourth receivers, Mike Thomas and Auden Tate, would be the No. 1 in Tennessee this week.
Other than weapons, there are some similarities for Burrow and Tannehill this week. They both face matchups that should lead to a run-heavy game script. The difference in the matchups is that the Jets have allowed 652 yards and one touchdown through the air this year. The Jaguars have surrendered 904 yards and four scores in the passing game as well as an atrocious 8.6 NY/A.
The fact that Burrow has better weapons and faces a secondary so deficient is enough reason to boost him above Tannehill in the rankings, and into your lineup if Tannehill is your other quarterback. But it's not enough for me to start Trevor Lawrence over Tannehill. Lawrence has much to prove before we're starting him on Thursday night against what looks to be an above average Bengals offense.
Let's get to the rest of the preview:
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9 -- Justin Fields was sacked nine times in his NFL debut.
23.3 -- Kyler Murray rushing yards per game, less than half his 51.2 in 2020.
29.5 -- Kirk Cousins is averaging nearly 30 Fantasy points per game and he's currently QB5.
7 -- Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson have each thrown seven interceptions in their first three NFL games. They've also combined to throw seven touchdown passes.
5 -- Five teams have attempted fewer passes than the Ravens through three games. The Seahawks, Bears, Bengals, Browns, and Saints.
It's a revenge game! All narratives aside, the Colts have been awful against the pass and Brissett was not terrible in his first start against the Raiders. He'll run enough to give him a decent floor and he has very good weapons to make plays after the catch. At the very least, he's a solid start in a two-QB league.
I wonder if we're shortchanging Heinicke because Daniel Jones just failed to deliver against this defense. The truth is, the Falcons did little to stop Jones outside of the red zone. I still think it's a fantastic matchup, and while Heinicke hasn't necessarily played well, he's produced in Fantasy with 48.4 Fantasy points in two starts.
Fields isn't someone you can add and stash...yet. I just want to be on record saying I'm not ready to drop him after one start and I'm picking him where he's dropped. One game against the Lions could change everyone's perception.
With a lot of quarterbacks you'd have to worry about them pulling back on the reigns in a mismatch like this one. That is not what the Buffalo Bills do. Allen has thrown 76 passes the past two weeks in games his team has won by a combined 57 points. They may score 57 this week against the Texans.
It's a good matchup, Brissett will have a low roster rate and he's dirt cheap. Waddle would be my favorite Dolphin to pair him with, but Fuller probably has more upside this week.
