SEC in Fantasy, Week 4: Jarrett Stidham has entered the chat
With Cam Newton now out, Auburn fans got to see another former quarterback take the field in what was a wild Week 4 across the league.
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So the jinx on Cam Newton, if you believe in such, went next level in Week 4.
Newton tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Fortunately, the former Auburn quarterback is asymptomatic, and it doesn’t appear that he transmitted the coronavirus to any of his teammates. His Patriots were able to play their game against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Monday night.
In that game, New England went with Brian Hoyer as a starting quarterback. And, when Hoyer woefully mismanaged the end of the first half, New England put in another former JUCO transfer from Texas who played well at Auburn to take over — Jarrett Stidham.
Early in his appearance, Stidham was able to find the end zone for the first time in his career.
It wasn’t all positive for Stidham, as the Patriots lost the game following a Chiefs pick-six that wasn’t his fault at all. (Catch the ball, Julian Edelman.) His last pick was a “gotta try something” throw, so while the fantasy numbers didn’t look great, they didn’t tell the whole story.
Meanwhile in Week 4, Stidham’s friend and former Auburn teammate Chandler Cox caught a pass for the Dolphins — giving him some fantasy football points for the first time this season.
Auburn’s hot start to the year has cooled down with the recent events for Newton. However, the Tigers are still clinging to a spot in one of the top tiers of SEC fantasy football, where there is a new No. 1.
In alphabetical order, here are the half-point PPR fantasy best ball scores for each SEC school during Week 4 of the NFL season, along with the updated standings and this week’s All-SEC squad:
Alabama
QB: Jalen Hurts (Eagles) - 1.8
RB: Mark Ingram II (Ravens) - 10.2
RB: Damien Harris (Patriots) - 10
WR: Amari Cooper (Cowboys) - 27.4
WR: Jerry Jeudy (Broncos) - 13.1
TE: O.J. Howard (Buccaneers) - 12.5
FLEX: Josh Jacobs (Raiders) - 8.8
TOTAL = 83.8
Amari Cooper went off as Dak Prescott’s No. 1 target in another monster game from the Cowboys’ offense, and Jeudy got a big highlight on Thursday Night Football with his long touchdown. But the No. 1 receiver in fantasy football, Calvin Ridley, was nowhere to be found on Monday Night Football — zero catches on only a handful of targets. On the other side in that game, Damien Harris made his 2020 debut for the Patriots, and the newly activated running back broke the century mark on the ground. In injury news, O.J. Howard is the latest SEC tight end to have his season cut short due to an Achilles rupture, so the Tide will have to rely solely on Irv Smith Jr. to get points in the TE spot going forward.
Arkansas
TE: Hunter Henry (Chargers) - 4.9
FLEX: Jeremy Sprinkle (Redskins) - 0.0
TOTAL = 4.9
Henry picked up a pair of catches on just three targets for the Chargers, who seem to have an offensive weapon in their hands in quarterback Justin Herbert.
Auburn
QB: Jarrett Stidham (Patriots) - 4.7
RB: Kerryon Johnson (Lions) - 1.7
RB: Chandler Cox (Dolphins) - 0.8
WR: Darius Slayton (Giants) - 6.3
TE: C.J. Uzomah (Bengals) - INJ
FLEX: Peyton Barber (Football Team) - 0.5
K: Daniel Carlson (Raiders) - 13
TOTAL = 27
If Auburn could flex a kicker, that would be helpful. Johnson and Barber’s roles have greatly diminished in their respective offenses, but Carlson is still banging his kicks through for the Raiders. Slayton caught three of his seven targets, yet they only went for 48 yards as the Giants offense continues to struggle mightily.
Florida
QB: Jeff Driskel (Broncos) - 0.9
RB: La’Mical Perine (Jets) - 1.5
WR: Freddie Swain (Seahawks) - 4.2
WR: Van Jefferson (Rams) - 0.0
TE: Trey Burton (Colts) - 2.6
FLEX: Demarcus Robinson (Chiefs) - 0.0
TOTAL = 9.2
As one tight end went to the IR, another returned for the Gators. Trey Burton will try to replace at least some of the points left from the Jordan Reed void. Going forward, the Florida fantasy haul will mostly be a slot machine of depth wide receivers breaking out at random times. No such luck this week.
Georgia
QB: Matthew Stafford (Lions) - 23.3
RB: Todd Gurley II (Falcons) - 18.8
RB: D’Andre Swift (Lions) - 13.2
WR: Mecole Hardman (Chiefs) - 10.7
WR: Chris Conley (Jaguars) - 5.9
TE: Charlie Woerner (49ers) - 0.0
FLEX: Nick Chubb (Browns) - 4.3
K: Rodrigo Blankenship (Colts) - 14.0
TOTAL = 90.2
A pair of touchdowns for Gurley led the way for Georgia, and Swift found the end zone on a receiving score — something he could’ve used a few weeks back. Hardman has carved out a nice role for the Chiefs, while Blankenship has turned into an excellent kicker early in Indy. Bad news, though: Chubb and Sony Michel are now headed to the IR.
Kentucky
RB: Benny Snell Jr. (Steelers) - BYE
WR: Randall Cobb (Texans) - 4.6
WR: Lynn Bowden Jr. (Dolphins) - 0.5
TOTAL = 5.1
In a favorable fantasy matchup, Cobb was unable to follow up a great breakout performance a week earlier. Meanwhile, Bowden got a single carry for 5 yards.
LSU
QB: Joe Burrow (Bengals) - 16.1
RB: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Chiefs) - 10.6
RB: Darrel Williams (Chiefs) - 0.2
WR: Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns) - 35.9
WR: D.J. Chark Jr. (Jaguars) - 25.5
TE: Foster Moreau (Raiders) - 1.3
FLEX: Jarvis Landry (Browns) - 12.8
TOTAL = 102.4
Bow down to OBJ, who was an absolute fantasy godsend for owners this past weekend as the Browns offense put up major numbers. (He even got a touchdown catch from fellow LSUer Landry.) Chark looked great again for the Jaguars, so the competition for wide receiver spots will continue to be tough. With Burrow putting up yet another 300-yard game, there’s a new No. 1 in the league.
Mississippi State
QB: Dak Prescott (Cowboys) - 38.3
WR: Isaiah Zuber (Patriots) - 0.8
TE: Jordan Thomas (Cardinals) - 6.8
TOTAL = 45.9
Prescott can't do it all by himself for the Cowboys, but he’s trying his hardest with some absurd passing performances in losses. Thomas scored a touchdown in his first significant action of the season, which helped State jump a decent bit in the standings.
Missouri
QB: Drew Lock (Broncos) - INJ
TE: Albert Okwuegbunam (Broncos) - INJ
TOTAL = 0.0
Everybody’s still hurt. That’s still sad.
Ole Miss
RB: Jordan Wilkins (Colts) - 3.6
WR: D.K. Metcalf (Seahawks) - 12.6
WR: A.J. Brown (Titans) - BYE
TE: Evan Engram (Giants) - 6.5
FLEX: Dawson Knox (Bills) - 2.6
TOTAL = 25.3
Metcalf didn’t have quite the regular level of games he’s had with Russell Wilson as the Dolphins secondary put up a great fight. Ole Miss is counting the moments until Brown is cleared again.
South Carolina
RB: Mike Davis (Panthers) - 19.6
RB: Rico Dowdle (Cowboys) - 0.0
WR: Damiere Byrd (Patriots) - 10.5
WR: Deebo Samuel (49ers) - 6.0
TE: Hayden Hurst (Falcons) - 7.1
FLEX: Jared Cook (Saints) - INJ
K: Ryan Succop (Buccaneers) - 8.0
TOTAL = 51.2
Davis is a legitimate replacement for Christian McCaffrey right now for the Panthers, who picked up another victory this week. Byrd popped back up again for the Patriots, and Hurst continues to put up a relatively decent floor for the Falcons. Deebo’s back, but the Gamecocks need to get healthy here.
Tennessee
QB: Joshua Dobbs (Steelers) - BYE
RB: Alvin Kamara (Saints) - 19.4
RB: Jakob Johnson (Patriots) - 0.0
WR: Marquez Callaway (Saints) - 2.1
WR: Cordarrelle Patterson (Bears) - 1
TE: Jason Witten (Raiders) - 8.8
FLEX: Josh Malone (Jets) - 0.0
TOTAL = 31.3
Congratulations to the timeless Witten, who scored his first touchdown of the season. Kamara wasn’t quite as ridiculous as usual but still made the All-SEC team. And shoutout to Callaway for making his first appearance of the season on here.
Texas A&M
QB: Ryan Tannehill (Titans) - BYE
RB: Cullen Gillaspia (Texans) - 0.0
RB: Trayveon Williams (Bengals) - OUT
WR: Mike Evans (Buccaneers) - 21.7
WR: Christian Kirk (Cardinals) - 9.4
TE: Jace Sternberger (Packers) - 0.0
FLEX: Damion Ratley (Giants) - 4.9
K: Randy Bullock (Bengals) - 17.0
TOTAL = 53
Reports of Evans’ demise were greatly exaggerated, as it turns out. Kirk was cleared at the last minute for the Cardinals and turned in a solid day. Bullock continues to make up for that embarrassing miss in Week 1 with some great kicking.
Vanderbilt
RB: Ke’Shawn Vaughn (Buccaneers) - 9.6
RB: Khari Blasingame (Titans) - BYE
WR: Trent Sherfield (Cardinals) - 0.0
TOTAL = 9.6
Ladies and gentlemen, Vanderbilt scored a touchdown this week.
FANTASY STANDINGS THROUGH WEEK 4
LSU: 370.6 (last week - 2)
Alabama: 362.1 (1)
Georgia: 354.6 (3)
Texas A&M: 218.8 (5)
Auburn: 218.7 (4)
South Carolina: 179.1 (6)
Tennessee: 148.9 (7)
Mississippi State: 134.1 (9)
Ole Miss: 113.2 (10)
Florida: 105.9 (8)
Kentucky: 45.7 (11)
Arkansas: 33.5 (12)
Missouri: 11.9 (13)
Vanderbilt: 10.6 (14)
WEEK 4 ALL-SEC FANTASY TEAM
QB: Dak Prescott (Mississippi State/Cowboys) - 38.3
RB: Mike Davis (South Carolina/Panthers) - 19.6
RB: Alvin Kamara (Tennessee/Saints) - 19.4
WR: Odell Beckham Jr. (LSU/Browns) - 35.9
WR: Amari Cooper (Alabama/Cowboys) - 27.4
TE: O.J. Howard (Alabama/Buccaneers) - 12.5
FLEX: D.J. Chark Jr. (LSU/Jaguars) - 25.5
K: Randy Bullock (Texas A&M/Bengals) - 17
TOTAL = 195.6
Auburn will have to get back on track soon with Newton back in the fold after his COVID absence, as Texas A&M has overtaken the top four spot by the slimmest of margins heading into Week 5. At the moment, it’s hard to trust the Tigers’ running backs in their tough depth chart situations.
LSU is on top of the standings after another explosive day, and Alabama could be in danger of dropping to No. 3 with its narrow lead over Georgia. Meanwhile, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are separating themselves from the bottom of the league with their star-led performances.
The All-SEC team put up ridiculous numbers again, thanks in part to the massive offensive stats from the Browns-Cowboys shootout. The competition for the receiver spots, though, will continue to be fierce.
As always, we will continue to track the SEC in Fantasy standings each Tuesday afternoon here, for free, on The Auburn Observer.
Up next on The Auburn Observer: Heading into the Arkansas matchup, we’ll take a look at some issues on both sides of the ball for the Tigers on Wednesday and Thursday, as they look to bounce back quickly from the disastrous loss at Georgia. On Thursday afternoon, it’ll be another premium episode of the podcast, followed by a Mailbag on Friday.