Quarterback
MVP: Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
A deep early hole dug by The Cowboys pitiful defense and some costly turnovers from himself and Ezekiel Elliott put Prescott in a spot to have a massive fantasy day against the Browns. Prescott more than atoned for his 2 giveaways (an INT and a lost fumble) by using his absurd passing volume to pack the hell out of the rest of the stat sheet (502 YDS, 4 TD, 2 2-Point conversions). Prescott is a fantasy machine regardless of how the Cowboys are playing and has a great chance to feast yet again against the lowly Giants this week.
Honorable Mentions: Tom Brady (Buccaneers), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Josh Allen (Bills)
LVP: Matt Ryan (Falcons)
It was a surprisingly nondescript performance for Ryan (285 YDS/0 giveaways), as he couldn't find the endzone on an evening where the Packers steamrolled his stumbling Falcons from start to finish. A rebound effort may not be in the cards as they square off with a Panthers defense in Week 5 that just held Kyler Murray to 133 YDS.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jared Goff (Rams), Joe Burrow (Bengals), Kirk Cousins (Vikings)
Running Back
MVP: Joe Mixon (Bengals)
This was the explosion Mixon owners where waiting for. The 4th year running back was lights out on Sunday afternoon against the Jaguars, racking up 181 scrimmage YDS and 3 TD's on 31 touches to help power the Bengals to their 1st win of the season. While an awful offensive line and the increased risk of negative gamescript that comes with playing for a bad team will lead to some duds, performances like this paired with his rarefied bellcow status makes him a weekly mid-tier RB1.
Honorable Mentions: Dalvin Cook (Vikings), Melvin Gordon (Broncos), Chris Carson (Seahawks)
LVP: Kenyan Drake (Cardinals)
I'm as ardent of a Kenyan Drake apologist as there is, but his week 4 performance is cause for real concern. He only mustered 35 YDS on 13 carries against a Panthers team that had allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to running backs this season coming into the week and wasn't targeted once in the passing game on a day where Kyler Murray was dumping the ball off nearly every time he dropped back. About the only good news that stemmed from this clunker is that he continues to clearly outtouch Chase Edmonds-despite his backup vulturing a TD on Sunday. Drake has failed to build off his incredible finish to the 2019 season and until his production/passing game involvement increases, he shouldn't appear in most fantasy lineups.
Dishonorable Mentions: Darrell Henderson Jr. (Rams), Myles Gaskin (Dolphins), Josh Jacobs (Raiders)
Wide Receiver
MVP: Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns)
Beckham Jr. needed just 7 touches to pick up 154 scrimmage YDS and 3 TD's (2 receiving, 1 rushing) against the Cowboys pitiful defense on Sunday. While running will continue to be the clear focal point of the Browns offensive attack, Beckham Jr's usage and TD's thus far have been encouraging despite their limited passing attempts indicate that a return to his vintage WR1 form could be on the horizon.
Honorable Mentions: D.J. Chark (Jaguars), Amari Cooper (Cowboys), Adam Thielen (Vikings)
LVP: Calvin Ridley (Falcons)
Ridley's failure to make a reception on his 5 targets against the Packers after posting 3 straight 100+ YD outings to start the season-especially in a game where Julio Jones had to exit early after reaggravating his hamstring injury-was a genuine shock. With Jones almost certainly out and the Panthers middling secondary coming to town in Week 5, I wouldn't expect his woes to last.
Dishonorable Mentions: Michael Gallup (Cowboys), Tyler Lockett (Seahawks), A.J. Green (Bengals)
Tight End
MVP: Robert Tonyan (Packers)
Don't look now, but the Packers might have another viable receiving threat. Tonyan caught 3 of Aaron Rodgers 4 TD passes on Monday night-which ups his total to 5 on the year and finished the game with a team-high 98 YDS on 6 receptions. Any TE-desperate individual who's in a league where Tonyan is still on the waiver wire needs to make him a top waiver priority.
Honorable Mentions: George Kittle (49ers), Mark Andrews (Ravens), Dalton Schultz (Cowboys)
LVP: Mike Gesicki (Dolphins)
While the Seahawks abysmal pass defense has quietly done a good job containing TE's thus far, Geiscki's 1 REC/15 YDS performance still has to go down as a disappointment given that he's the clear #2 passing game option on the Dolphins behind DeVante Parker and this already horrible Seahawks D was without Jamal Adams. Gesicki now only has 2 catches for 30 YDS since his Week 2 blowup against the Bills and will be a boom-or-bust TE1 option against the Cardinals in Week 5.
Dishonorable Mentions: Zach Ertz (Eagles), Hunter Henry (Chargers), Tyler Higbee (Rams)
Defense/Special Teams
MVP: Chiefs
Even with Chris Jones sidelined, the Chiefs defense had no trouble making life miserable for the Patriots backup QB's. Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham combined for 3 INT's (1 of which was returned for a TD), 2 sacks and a lost fumble while only generating 10 points against Steve Spagnuolo's underrated unit on Monday night. Fire them up again with confidence in Week 5 against a Raiders offense that is dealing with a rash of o-line injuries and a severe fumbling problem at the moment.
Honorable Mentions: Eagles, Rams, Colts
LVP: Cardinals
Remember when the Cardinals D were a hot waiver wire target and the subject of many "can they be an elite defense conversations among football pundits? It only took 2 weeks for that buzz to die a brutal death. They've promptly fallen back to their perennially bad form, allowing 31 points against 1 INT and 0 sacks to a Panthers offense that isn't exactly feared around the league. They'll be an obvious start this week against the (likely) Joe Flacco-led Jets, but their owners should start scouring the wire for better options to add after that.
Dishonorable Mentions: Cowboys, Bears, Saints
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