The fourth week of the NFL season is officially behind us. The long-awaited Sunday has come and gone in a blink of an eye. After countless hours of only moving from the couch to use the bathroom, we look ahead to week four. With everyone scrambling to the waiver wire, this article will look beyond that.
This is the fourth installment of the weekly series, One Week Ahead. We will use our fantasy football crystal ball to look ahead to future weeks and try to predict players who will emerge with fantasy relevance. We will try to get a leg up on our opponents by picking up potential fantasy assets before they become a major waiver wire pick-up.
Freddie Swain – WR Seattle Seahawks
Only playing on about 45% of the offensive snaps in week four, Freddie Swain remains an under-the-radar player. Running just 12 routes, he still managed to draw four targets from quarterback Russell Wilson. This was good for the third-most on the team, behind Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf.
I don’t expect Swain to ever be a priority over the aforementioned receivers, however, we have seen him flash before. Not only did he secure a touchdown in week four, but in week two, he had a monster game, hauling in five catches for 95 yards and a score. Swain has already matched his touchdown total from a year ago.
In an offense that can put up points, especially if Russ is cooking, Swain could see some solid opportunities. Furthermore, if Lockett or Metcalf were to go down, he may have to step into a larger role. At just 23 years old and in his second season, Swain is still growing as a player. It is an encouraging sign to see him on the field and catching passes from Wilson. This rapport should continue to grow and because of this, I am stashing Swain on my bench in any deep leagues.
Chester Rogers – WR Tennessee Titans
After averaging a 42% snap share the last two weeks, Chester Rogers saw his snap share shoot up to 64% in week four. This could be a product of the game going into overtime, combined with Julio Jones and A.J. Brown both being out with hamstring injuries. Either way, Rogers is someone I am looking to stash in deep leagues.
While his stat line this week was not off the charts, recording five catches for 63 yards, I still have some reason to believe in him. To start, Rogers has seen at least five targets in three of the four games this season. Additionally, in this week alone, he was third on his team in routes run with 41. This was only five less than the team leader.
Seeing this usage and keeping in mind that both star receivers for the Titans are nursing hamstring injuries that could end up lingering, Rogers may be here to stay. If either were to miss an extended period, Rogers could be the guy to step in. The ball must go somewhere. Why not take a risk-free flier on this wide receiver?
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