Sneaky Starts: Week 4

Oct 01, 2015

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough – a waiver wire or bench player who is capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

Last week’s Sneaky Starts featured Andy Dalton (QB2), Tyrod Taylor (QB4), Derek Carr (QB8), Marcus Mariota (QB12), Alex Smith (QB14), Blake Bortles (QB16), Devonta Freeman (RB1), LeGarrette Blount (RB3), Dion Lewis (RB15), Bilal Powell (RB29), Rishard Matthews (WR7), James Jones (WR9), Allen Hurns (WR17), Kenny Britt (WR22), Ted Ginn (WR28), Donte Moncrief (WR31), Charles Clay (TE4), Eric Ebron (TE12) and Coby Fleener (TE13), who all posted starter- or flex-caliber numbers in Week 3.

Let’s take a look at the sneakiest of starts in Week 4:

Quarterbacks

I have Carson Palmer, Tyrod Taylor and Andy Dalton ranked in the top 10, so I’m obviously feeling good about their chances to produce this week.

Derek Carr, Raiders (@ CHI)
Through three weeks, Carr is the #10 QB in fantasy football, and that includes an injury-shortened Week 1 performance (61 yards, 0 TD) against the Bengals. He should produce against a bad Bears defense that is yielding 7.9 YPA.

Joe Flacco, Ravens (@ PIT)
It’s a short week, but the Ravens are in must-win mode and the Steelers’ pass defense has been shaky for a couple of years now. After a rough Week 1, Flacco has bounced back with two games with at least 360 yards and two touchdowns.

Colin Kaepernick, 49ers (vs. GB)
The 49ers are struggling, but Kaepernick has typically played well against the Packers. He had 444 total yards and four touchdowns in the 2012 playoffs, 412 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 of 2013, and 325 total yards and a score in the 2013 playoffs. Kaepernick must haunt the dreams of Packers DC Dom Capers.