Marching out of week four with a strong win on strategy and a little risk thrown in there, I am now at 1-2 and very confident with my team going into week five. As I’ve pointed out before, consistency can only get you so far, but it’s the risks you take which will set you apart. Yes, I did have some busts in week four that blew up in my face, but I also had some breakout performances based on research and a little risk.

My biggest risk of all came at my quarterback position. Russell Wilson of the Seahawks was out on a bye week, so I decided to gamble with Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. The two weeks prior to week four, Cousins combined for 677 total passing yards and 5 touchdowns, easily replacing injured Robert Griffin III.  My prediction seemed great on paper, but with a young player like Cousins, he shined bright in a small sample and then died down to get hammered by the New York Giants in week four. Cousins looked lost against the Giants, losing 45-14, throwing four interceptions and fumbling once for a wimpy five fantasy points.

Another one of my few disappointments of my celebratory win, was the downfall of the Panthers defense. The Panthers defense is continually hyped, especially after being the best of last year. After having what seemed like a bad week against the Steelers, they were embarrassed 38-10 at the Ravens. The last two weeks the Panthers defense has had zero takeaways and will most definitely be benched for week five against the Bears.

My first win finally came when a mixture of strategy, research, and luck came together. My strategy was to exploit the Jaguars, who have the worst defense in the NFL. I picked up San Diego Chargers wide receiver Eddie Royal for many reasons. Royal has been targeted the most out of any receiver on San Diego, the week before he had a positive two touchdown game against the Bills, and the Chargers running game is horrible and is mostly injured causing Philip Rivers to throw nearly every down. Eddie Royal stomped the Jaguars secondary for 105 yards, two touchdowns, for 22 fantasy points. Next week the Chargers play the Jets who have allowed the most touchdowns to wideouts, making Royal a must play. 

While Adrian Peterson has been out, Vikings backup running back, Matt Asiata, has been essential to the Vikings offense. Last week Asiata and the Vikings faced a weak Falcons rush defense, allowing Asiata to earn 3 touchdowns on 78 rushing yards, as well as 22 receiving yards for 27 fantasy points. I recommend picking up Asiata if someone else hasn’t already gotten him. He has proved to be a great goal line running back, picking up easy points off of his versatility in the ground game and in the air.

Jordy Nelson, leading the league with 459 receiving yards, ravished the Chicago Bears defense with 10 receptions, 108 yards, two touchdowns, equalling 22 fantasy points. The Packers matchup this week against the Vikings, who rank 14th in most points allowed to wideouts, guarantees a solid output by Nelson. Smith Jr. didn’t hold back playing his old team last weekend. Proving that he could still produce at his age and that the Carolina Panthers made a mistake by releasing him, Smith went on to get 25 fantasy points on 2 touchdowns and 139 receiving yards.

Heading into week five, I’m relying on the Chargers receiving core who will be almost the entire offense against a poor Jets secondary. Eddie Royal and tight end Antonio Gates will be players to look out for. I’m also riding on the Chiefs two game smackdown, and am starting the Chiefs defense, expecting them to continue their reign against the 49ers.

ABC, Easy as RG3 is a weekly fantasy football column written and created by Avery Dorsey.