Thursday Night Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em: Jeremy Hill (Start), DeVante Parker (Borderline) & More

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

Thursday games are often tricky, because there isn’t necessarily a reason to take any undue risks with questionable options (which could set you back and spoil your week).  Who are the borderline players that should be in lineups?  Who should be sat down?  Let’s take a look at the skill players taking the field tonight and try to answer those questions:

Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill – Quarterback
He’s thrived over the past two weeks, despite 4 INT, as he’s thrown for 319+ yards and 5 TD.  Given the questions swirling around the running game (he’s actually the team’s leading rusher), it’s easy to imagine the Dolphins again putting the ball in Tannehill’s hands and asking him to carry the offense.  With the Bengals having allowed 9 passing TD, the opportunities should be there.  While it’s hard to consider him a must start in single-quarterback formats, given the depth that there is at the position, in two-quarterbacks leagues he’s an easy must start.

Verdict – Borderline in single-quarterback leagues, must start in two-quarterback formats

DeVante Parker – Wide Receiver
After missing Week 1 Parker has come on strong, with 11 receptions, 157 yards and 1 TD over the team’s last two games.  The Bengals have allowed 4 passing plays of 40+ yards and Parker does bring big play potential (he’s averaged 17.6 yards per reception over his first 16 career games).  With that in mind he could be a bit of a boom or bust play, which makes him tougher to trust this early in the week (but not impossible depending on your alternatives.

Verdict – Solid WR3/Playable WR2 if desperate

Kenny Stills – Wide Receiver
He’s the third receiver, which is going to make him a tough play despite his solid Week 3 performance (5 receptions for 76 yards).  It’s just not a certainty he gets enough opportunities to be productive.

Verdict – Too risky

Jay Ajayi/Kenyon Drake – Running Back
With Arian Foster sidelined we’d want to believe that someone would emerge, but the fact of the matter is that this is a tough matchup (the Bengals have yet to allow a rushing touchdown to a RB) and that it’s going to be a pure committee.  Just look at how the carries were split in Week 3:

• Ajayi – 7 carries for 28 yards and 1 TD
• Drake – 9 carries for 37 yards

In other words, it’s a situation to avoid.

Verdict – Neither can be trusted

Must Start Options:

• Jarvis Landry – Wide Receiver

Cincinnati Bengals

Andy Dalton – Quarterback
After throwing for 366 yards in each of the first two games, Dalton drew a tough Broncos’ defense in Week 3 and disappointed (206 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT).  Despite the gaudy yardage numbers early on, he’s actually thrown just 2 TD vs. 2 INT over the first three weeks, and it’s not like the Dolphins are going to be an easy matchup (they currently rank 20th in points allowed to opposing QB).  There’s simply far too much risk involved.

Verdict – Nothing more than a QB2

Jeremy Hill – Running Back
He’s coming off his best game of the season, which also was the first time he picked up more than 14 touches, as he took 17 carries for 97 yards and 2 TD.  The 393 rushing yards to RB that the Dolphins have allowed are second most in the league (New Orleans has allowed 413) and it’s not like Miami has been getting torched by “elite” runners:

• Week 1 – Christine Michael – 15 carries for 66 yards
• Week 2 – LeGarrette Blount – 29 carries for 123 yards and 1 TD
• Week 3 – Isaiah Crowell – 15 carries for 79 yards

Those three running backs have averaged 4.5 yards per carry.  Given the struggles of the passing game, Hill needs to be fired up as a must play option in all formats.

Verdict – Must play

Giovani Bernard – Running Back
He does have 14 catches for 136 yards over the past two weeks, so for those in PPR formats he’s going to be a viable option.  At the same time he hasn’t had more than 5 carries in any game and the Dolphins have done a good job at stopping opposing RB from racking up the receiving numbers (15 catches for 71 yards).  This early in the week, this type of matchup screams of too much risk.

Verdict – Risky FLEX in PPR formats

Must Start Options

• A.J. Green – Wide Receiver

Sources – ESPN, NFL.com

Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 rankings:

• Quarterbacks
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends