Week 4 is almost officially in the books, but the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks still need to square off on Monday Night Football. The Seahawks will be without Marshawn Lynch, so what does that mean for your fantasy lineup? Find out in our player-by-player preview below.
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks, 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Lions:
Stafford has struggled this season, averaging less than 14 fantasy points per game. He has not stable running game to rely on (see below), and has been injured behind a leaky offensive line. On the road, against the Seahawks, Stafford is a clear candidate for the bench this week.
This is the most frustrating fantasy backfield that shouldn't be frustrating at all. Joique Bell continues to see plenty of touches and snaps, despite a 1.1 YPC carry average, though he's officially been ruled out for this contest. Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick are proving their worth, but with limited touches both are hard to start in fantasy. Hopefully we get some clarity soon, but until we do the latter RBs are flex plays at best, but probably not this week against the staunch Seattle defense. Could this be the week we see more from Zach Zenner? The preseason superstar could go a long way to stopping this Joique Bell madness with a decent showing on Monday night.
Johnson has received 30 targets the past two weeks -- 13 more than the next closest receiver, Golden Tate -- but has only been able to turn them into 18 receptions, 160 yards and a touchdown. He'll be tough to sit given the investment owners made in him on draft day, but he's in a less-than-ideal situation this week. We feel better about him as a WR2 or flex given the Lions' issues on offense.
With Megatron commanding a high target volume, Tate has found his weekly fantasy ceiling as low as the roof of a Hobbit hole. Given the tough matchup this week, owners should look elsewhere for wide receiver help than Tate.
With Brandon Pettigrew still likely sidelined with a hamstring injury, Ebron will continue to see a healthy amount of looks in the offense (he's had 20 targets through three weeks). The Seahawks secondary is more sound now with Chancellor back, which could lead to a quiet outing from Ebron, but they've been beaten by tight ends plenty recently. He's on the fringe of the TE1 discussion this week.
Seahawks:
Wilson has been doing the best he can behind a patchwork offensive line, but he's only scored more than 17 fantasy points once this season (Week 2 at Green Bay). The Lions secondary can be beaten though, as Philip Rivers threw for 404 yards against them in Week 1. Wilson is on the edge of the QB1 tier this week as his offense searches for an identity.
The Beast will be in rest mode on Monday night, as the Seahawks have already ruled Lynch out. Make sure he's on your bench and you have another option. Speaking of ...
With Lynch riding the pine to heal this week, Rawls immediately enters the RB2 discussion. He proved capable of handling a full workload last week, totalling 104 yards on just 16 totes. Lynch owners would be wise to pick up Rawls if they haven't already, and DFS players will want to give him a look as well. If you were hoping Lynch would play and are now stuch without another option, see if Fred Jackson or Theo Riddick are available on waivers. Some points are better than no points.
One week after reports surfaced that Graham was "frustrated" with his role in the Seahawks offense, the tight end was targeted a team-high eight times, bringing in seven for 83 yards and a touchdown. Whether or not that volume keeps up remains to be seen, but Graham is the most talented pass catcher on this offense and is a TE1 moving forward.
It's tough to consider starting any pass catcher not named Jimmy Graham in this offense. Tyler Lockett can be a nice DFS play, or flex start in leagues where you get points for return touchdowns. Other than that, Doug Baldwin can be deployed in desperation scenarios.
The Seahawks D/ST came back with a bang last week after Kam Chancellor returned to the starting lineup. This week they get the Lions dysfunctional offense coming into Seattle in a prime-time game. Unless the Lions have made MASSIVE corrections to their game plan and offensive line (unlikely), this defensive unit is set to soar once again.