The fantasy football season is now moving a qwuaretr of the way through the schedule and with some owners floundering like the NY Giants, some running back options to keep an eye on includes Andre Ellington, Chris Ogbonnaya, Le'Veon Bell, Danny Woodhead and Roy Helu.
This week showed off some solid production from these backs for various reasons, including from Bell, a rookie who was injured and now looks to be the best option for the Steelers. Bell was not held back, rushing for 57 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns in the game and he also added four catches for nearly 30 yards. He could get plenty more touches as time goes on.
Ellington was solid on the day and could get more production going forward after gaining over 50 total yards in the matchup against the Buccaneers and he also was targeted six times by Carson Palmer. Ogbonnaya had five catches and a TD along with 27 rushing yards in the win over the Bengals and he could continue getting touches if he shows he can stay productive.
Danny Woodhead showed why the Chargers signed him, adding 32 rushing yards to go along with five catches for over 50 yards in a win over the Cowboys and he could be very valuable going forward in PPR leagues. Roy Helu stepped up for Alfred Morris, making two catches for 43 yards while rushing for over 40 yards and adding as touchdown and he could also be a solid pickup for the rest of this season as a handcuff for Morris.
Here is a look back on the fantasy football schedule and results from back in Week 3 heading into Week 4. The fantasy football week started with a game between the Chiefs and the Eagles in Week 3 and now things will finish off on Monday night with the Denver Broncos hosting the Oakland Raiders and heading into Week 4 there are a number of players to check out and to keep an eye on, including Jason Snelling, Bilal Powell, James Starks, Daryl Richardson, Jonathan Franklin, Donnie Avery, Andre Johnson and James Starks as well as the new-look Browns with Brian Hoyer, Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon.
Snelling had a nice game with the Falcons filling in for Steven Jackson and Jonathan Franklin got his chance as well against the Bengals after James Starks went down with a knee injury. The Packers are coming up on a bye week, but after that if Starks remains out and Eddie Lacy isn't back from his concussion, expect Franklin to get some carries. Donnie Avery is a smart pickup after the way he played on Thursday, while Powell had a nice game against the Bills and DeMarco Murray finally looks ready to keep going, as he had 175 yards and a score against the Rams.
The Browns trio of Brian Hoyer, Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon could be a productive one for the rest of the season if Sunday is any indication. That might be the toughest game to figure out on the schedule, as the Vikings obviously do not look good at 0-3, but does that mean all Cleveland did against Minnesota should be thrown out? Whether their record is 0-3 or not, the team is still in the NFL, made the playoffs and has talent on defense, so yes, what the Browns did was real.
The team pulled out a bunch of different looks on offense and this is likely what the franchise envisioned when they hired Rob Chudzinski in the first place, as he is known for his offensive game plans. On Sunday the team lined up in some interesting formations and even had a fake kick that went wide to Jordan Cameron for a touchdown. Speaking of Cameron, he has been one of the best tight end options in fantasy and he showed why on Sunday, making three touchdown receptions.
Hoyer more than held his own against the Vikings and passed for three touchdowns and 321 yards and despite being the third stringer, it looks like he will be keeping his job no matter how healthy Brandon Weeden's hand gets. One of the biggest changes to the offense (obviously the loss of Trent Richardson changes a lot) was the presence of Josh Gordon, as the speedster opened up the field for Chud and showed why he is so valuable to the Browns.
Gordon was suspended for two games for violating the substance abuse policy and he returned in big fashion, making 10 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown in the game on Sunday, making fantasy owners that stuck with him very happy. Gordon had 19 targets in the game and that is very promising as well, since it means that both Hoyer and Norv Turner were looking his way Sunday and that could mean even more production later on. Along with that, he also had one carry for 22 yards in the game and he could add more to the surprise play running game as well.
