The famous saying “good things come in threes” remained true this weekend when Oakland Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree and New Orleans Saints fullback John Kuhn both scored three times, and Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones abused the young Carolina Panthers secondary for 300 yards. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was also a part of that clinic passing for 503 yards and four touchdowns. This performance proves fantasy owners were wrong about Ryan who was only drafted in 41.5 percent of ESPN leagues, and after four weeks of the fantasy season he is the highest scoring fantasy player. Other top performers last week were Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who threw five touchdowns and 300 passing yards, and Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed who had 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Below is advice that can potentially make or break your team and win you this week.

Sleepers:

Rookie quarterbacks usually don’t get much attention in their first season but Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has been ripping apart opposing defenses. He is not your average rookie quarterback after playing in a pro-style offense in college for four seasons. This has allowed him to change the protection and identify blitzes. Coming off a bye week and two weeks of preparation, Wentz will travel to Detroit where he will face a Lions team that has allowed the 25th most passing yards to opposing quarterbacks this season. They have also allowed the second most receiving touchdowns to opposing offenses. Wentz is owned in only 34 percent of leagues and is a good pickup for this upcoming Sunday.  

The Baltimore Ravens appeared to have found their running game again. In a decision made by the teams head coaches, 30-year-old running back Justin Forsett was benched and replaced by 25-year-old running back Terrance West. West had 21 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown. Forsett was later cut on Tuesday and West took advantage of his opportunity and would have had an even better game if quarterback Joe Flacco didn’t vulture one of his touchdowns near the goal line. West and the Ravens have a home game next week against a Redskins team who has allowed the most rushing touchdowns this season. Additionally, they have allowed the third most rushing yards per game (133.0) and the second highest average yards per carry (4.9). Consider West a viable option at running back in all formats next week against Washington.

Players that can make or break your week in fantasy deserve a shot in making your fantasy lineup. Steelers receiver Sammy Coates has had great reviews from coaches and teammates this offseason and is now working his way into the offense as one of the primary deep threats. He faces a New York Jets team that has allowed the most 40+ yard plays to receivers this season with seven. With Darrius Heyward-Bey questionable and the lack of consistency out of any other receiver on his team, Coats shows promise this week as a flex play against a Darrelle Revis-less Jets at home.

Busts:

It’s finally time to admit that drafting Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley may have been a mistake. He is not producing the way he did last year and should be moved to the bench after week one. Originally owners thought that it was just because the San Francisco 49ers were blowing them out that Gurley wasn’t getting the production we’re accustomed to seeing. The Rams are 3-1, and if those are the numbers he’s putting up in wins, then what happens when they begin to lose? Opposing teams are daring quarterback Case Keenum to beat them rather than Gurley by stacking the box with up to 9 players each time he lines up in the back field. Now they play a home game against the Buffalo Bills who held LeGarrette Blount, the league leader in rushing yards heading into week 4, to a mere 54 rushing yards. The Bills have allowed only 3.6 yards per carry to running backs this year and with Gurley’s yards per carry sitting at 2.6, he should be in store for a long afternoon.

It was a nice stretch, but now it’s time to slow down for Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell. Crowell has surpassed critics’ expectations this year ranking second in the league in rushing and first in yards per carry among running backs with 20 or more carries, but now he faces maybe his toughest task: The New England Patriots. The Patriots have only allowed two rushing touchdowns this season to opposing backfields, and the reason they are always a top team is because of head coach Bill Belichick who knows how to stop opposing team’s star talents. They will be sending major pressure and loading the box to shut down Crowell and put heat on rookie quarterback Cody Kessler. The Patriots will be on their ‘A’ game with quarterback Tom Brady making his homecoming and will dominate early. This will cause the Browns to lean away from the run and more towards the pass. Keep Crowell on your bench to avoid a worse nightmare than what the Browns will face on Sunday.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is on a hot streak this season tossing 1,198 yards, but this hasn’t helped the team’s success. The Lions started off with a win but then lost three games in a row making their record 1-3 which puts them at the bottom of their division. Things won’t get any easier facing an undefeated Eagles team fresh off of a bye week. The Eagles haven’t allowed a passing touchdown this season to opposing quarterbacks and rank first in the league against the pass in terms of yardage. A reason for the success of the Eagles is that the offense ranks first in the league in time of possession with an average time of 33:47. As a result, this keeps the defense fresh and off of the field. Stafford won’t be on the field much and when he is, he’ll struggle to produce against this stout Eagles defense.