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The Week 4 matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears should be dominated by lots of action through the air. We've got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford and the Lions may only possess a 1-2 record, but fantasy owners have to be impressed by his early-season production. Stafford has at least 340 passing yards and three touchdowns in two of the team’s three games this season. He went off for 385 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. The team fell behind early but Stafford was rewarded for his valiant effort. Detroit as a team isn’t going to be a threat in the NFC North this year, but that doesn’t mean Stafford isn’t a good fantasy option. He should be all over the Chicago Bears in Week 4.
Believe it or not, more than half of Stafford’s passing yards last week fell into the hands of wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. Jones was a popular breakout candidate in 2015 with the Cincinnati Bengals, but it looks like this season is shaping up to be his banner year. Jones posted a career-high 205 receiving yards on six catches and found the end zone twice in Week 3. The Bears have been solid against wide receivers this year, but with turmoil at the quarterback position and running back Jeremy Langford out for at least a month, Detroit’s offense should wear down Chicago’s defense at Soldier Field in Week 4.
Chicago Bears
Running back Jeremy Langford is set to miss four to six weeks with a high-ankle sprain. His ailment along with the fact he has just 116 rushing yards through three games has made teammate Jordan Howard a popular waiver wire pickup heading into Week 4. Howard rushed nine times for 45 yards and caught four passes for an additional 47 yards in Week 3. With Ka’Deem Carey still working his way back from a hamstring injury, Howard could put himself in a position to quickly become Chicago’s top running back with a strong performance against Detroit.
Regardless of the team’s backfield situation, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is still the team’s No. 1 option on offense. Jeffery was limited in practice on Wednesday but will play against Detroit. He has yet to find the end zone this year but it’s only a matter of time before he sneaks behind the opposing defense and scores. Whether he’ll have an easier time doing that with Brian Hoyer under center as opposed to Jay Cutler remains to be seen. It’s hard to envision Chicago winning the game this week, but if the game turns out to be a shootout, Jeffery owners will be happy with his output in Week 4.