The Week 4 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers features two intriguing plays at the running back position. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 4: Broncos-Buccaneers featuring C.J. Anderson, Charles Sims, Mike Evans, more
We break down the Week 4 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Denver Broncos
C.J. Anderson managed just 41 yards on 15 total touches against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. The effort represented the least productive outing of Anderson’s season. Fortunately for him, the Buccaneers rank near the bottom the NFL in terms of points allowed at the running back position.
All in all, fantasy owners need not worry, as Anderson had put together an impressive start of the season prior to Week 3. The team as a whole is doing better than most people expected. Expect Anderson to challenge the 100-yard mark in Tampa Bay and put a smile on the faces of his fantasy owners in the process.
Fantasy owners will likely hold wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the same standard on Sunday. He had his first touchdown and 100-yard game of the season against Cincinnati, catching six passes for exactly 100 yards. As mediocre as Tampa Bay is against the run, they have been even worse at covering wide receivers. Now that he has developed trust with his quarterback, Thomas will be a threat for six catches and 100 yards on any given Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fantasy owners of Doug Martin were disappointed to learn that he would miss a few games with a hamstring injury back in Week 2. Those that nabbed his backup Charles Sims had to walk away from Week 3 happy anyway. That’s because Sims totaled 124 yards on 19 touches and he found the end zone on the ground. Six of his touches were receptions meaning that he should have some value in PPR formats as long as Martin is out.
The Denver Broncos are one of the top three defenses in the NFL. That may actually work to Sims’ advantage. Quarterback Jameis Winston may be forced to look underneath a lot, which will benefit the de facto starting running back.
If Sims can’t get it going early for Tampa Bay, wide receiver Mike Evans will be counted on to help the Buccaneers pick up the pace. Evans is the second most targeted receiver in the NFL behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown. His size and athleticism allow him to create separation the way few other receivers in the NFL came.
Add that to the fact teammate Vincent Jackson has fallen off the face of the earth and the team cut tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins last week, and Evans should get plenty of looks in the Buccaneers offense going forward.
