Fantasy Footnotes: Luck shreds another bad defense; Megatron hobbled; Vikings RBs feast
Every gameday during the regular season, theScore's fantasy editors recap the most important news and notes from around the league.
Luck shreds another AFC South foe
It's time to abandon the notion that Andrew Luck is on his way to becoming the next great fantasy quarterback. He's already there.
For a second consecutive week, Luck led all fantasy quarterbacks in scoring (pending the results from the Sunday and Monday night games) by throwing for over 350 yards and four touchdowns.
Luck shredded the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and made the Tennessee Titans his victims Sunday. He spread the ball around both weeks, throwing touchdowns to four different receivers. The Jaguars and Titans aren't good defenses by any measure, but Luck made them look downright minor-league. Even behind one of the NFL's worst offensive lines, Luck is standing tall in the pocket and picking teams apart with his superior vision, processing speed and arm strength.
After four weeks, Luck is on pace to throw for over 5,000 yards and 52 touchdowns. He's no longer an ascending talent, he's now firmly entrenched in the elite tier of fantasy quarterbacks alongside Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.
Soon enough, Luck could reside in a tier all his own.
Megatron hobbled
Calvin Johnson didn't look like Megatron on Sunday; he looked decidedly human.
Playing on what quickly became apparent to be a very sore ankle, Johnson limped around the field as little more than a decoy. Matthew Stafford made an attempt to get his big receiving threat involved, but the pair failed to click on a few occasions and Johnson finished the day with just 12 yards on two catches.
Johnson has proven over the years that he's one of the NFL's toughest players. Knee injuries haven't kept him off the field, nor have hand injuries.
But as commendable as his toughness is, it sometimes hurts his fantasy owners. You can't ever leave Johnson on your bench when he's active – he's a threat to score three goal-line touchdowns on only one leg – but it would probably be better for his long-term prospects to sit out a week or two and get fully healthy, rather than hobble through a four- to six-week stretch where he's always hurt and not himself.
That's the situation we're in again now. Johnson might play next week and he might score multiple touchdowns. There's a better chance he turns in another dud, though.
No Peterson, no problem
The Minnesota Vikings' rushing attack is surely dead in the water with star Adrian Peterson away from the team indefinitely as he sorts out child-abuse allegations, right?
Nope.
With Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon splitting carries and Teddy Bridgewater tucking and running at opportunistic times, the Vikings rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons.
Third-round pick McKinnon accounted for 132 yards on 18 carries (7.5 yards per carry) and looked like the most dangerous weapon. It was Asiata who stole the fantasy glory, however, scoring three short touchdowns and producing 78 yards on 20 carries (3.9 yards per carry).
It's a muddy situation for fantasy owners, though one seemingly packed with opportunity. Asiata seems like the safest start for now because he's getting goal-line carries, but McKinnon could (and probably should) start out-touching him.
And, of course, there's still the question of what to do with Peterson. You can't drop him (at least not until we have a clearer picture of his legal situation – a plea deal is still a possibility), but you can't expect to get any value from him this season.
Notable Fantasy Lines
Andrew Luck, QB, Colts
393 yards passing, 4 TDs
Luck ripped apart a bad defense for a second consecutive week. He's fantasy football's top scoring player through four weeks.
Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers
377 yards passing, 3 TDs
The Jaguars can't stop anyone, especially not a quarterback operating at the top of his game like Rivers is.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
302 yards passing, 4 TDs
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb caught two touchdowns apiece.
Steve Smith, WR, Ravens
139 yards receiving, 2 TDs
No one should be surprised to see Smith punish his former team.
Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers
131 yards receiving, 2 TDs
Brown doesn't fit the physical mold of an elite WR1 because he's a small, shifty player, but he produces like Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green.
Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions
12 yards receiving
Johnson is clearly hurting.
Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Vikings
38 yards receiving
So much for the idea that Patterson can be offensive coordinator Norv Turner's next Josh Gordon. Would it kill the Vikings to give him a few rushing attempts?
DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys
149 yards rushing, 6 yards receiving, 2 TDs
The Cowboys have made Murray the centerpiece of their offense.
Matt Asiata, RB, Vikings
78 yards rushing, 22 yards receiving, 3 TDs
Asiata has quite the nose for the end zone.
Lamar Miller, RB, Dolphins
64 yards rushing 2 TDs
Even mediocre running backs can produce big points against the Raiders.
LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles
17 yards rushing
Another very poor week from the consensus top-two draft pick. Injuries to the offensive line are part of the problem, but is there more going on?
Donald Brown, RB, Chargers
19 yards rushing, 35 yards receiving
Brown was supposed to feast on a weak Jaguars defense in a featured role. Instead, he left his owners hungry for more.
Injury Ward
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Vikings
Bridgewater left on a cart late in the game after appearing to injure his ankle. The severity of his injury is unknown.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers
Williams left the game in the first half after suffering an ankle injury and didn't return. After the game, he was spotted wearing a walking cast.
Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions
Johnson was active Sunday, but he was clearly hobbled by a sore ankle. The Lions limited Megatron's snaps and he finished the game with just two catches for 12 yards. It might be better for his long-term fantasy outlook if he takes a week or two off and gets healthy.
Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers
Just as Evans seemed to be on the verge of a breakout, he suffered what looked like a potentially serious groin injury. It will be a surprise if he plays in Week 5.
Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers
Davis took a shot to the back and left the game in the third quarter. His prognosis is unknown.
Waiver Wire Targets
Mike Glennon, QB, Buccaneers
Glennon passed for over 300 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, including a game winner in the dying seconds. Even when Josh McCown gets healthy, Glennon should remain the starter.
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Vikings
McKinnon far outproduced starter Matt Asiata and looked like the superior rusher, but it was Asiata who got the goal-line carries. Stash McKinnon and hope he gets a bigger piece of the pie in the future.
Darrin Reaves, RB, Panthers
DeAngelo Williams is nursing an ankle injury, Jonathan Stewart has a knee injury and Mike Tolbert is on IR-recall. Undrafted rookie Reaves could be the new starter by default.
Branden Oliver, RB, Chargers
Donald Brown disappointed in his first game as the clear feature back and Ryan Mathews won't be back for a while, so Oliver could see a big uptick in his touches.
Davante Adams, WR, Packers
Jarrett Boykin is hurt and the Packers offense is clicking. Adams didn't score Sunday, but he's a threat to cross the stripe any given week if teams decide to take away Jordy Nelson or Randall Cobb.
Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars
Cecil Shorts got hurt (again) and Robinson looked good. He didn't produce big numbers Sunday, but he might be the best receiver on this roster. Blake Bortles proved he can sling it, so Robinson's value should increase.