Welcome to Razzball’s dedicated gambling column-Teasers and Pleasers! Each Thursday during the NFL season, at 11:00 am EST, TnP will post our top bets for the upcoming week. Just sit back and win some money with us in 2020.

Last week we were 8-3 against the spread. As the teams become more focused, I hope to find the gems each week in this best bet article. There are plenty of resources used to make these selections, but many of the key ones can be found right here at Razzball.

Whether you play fantasy football or are in the business of making player prop bets, Rudy Gamble’s Razzball Membership Tools are a must-have. He is giving away a FREE 7-day trial of all the tools you need to cash this week!

Now let’s get to it! Week 4 picks for your betting pleasure.

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It was only a matter of time before Covid appeared in the NFL. Thankfully, everybody is ok and it appears that no games will be cancelled and week 4 will have its regularly scheduled number of games. As of the time of this writing, the Steelers/Titans game is looking like it will be moved back to Monday or Tuesday, but not cancelled. We have dealt with a flurry of injuries and have moved players up our fantasy depth charts into starting positions. With these moves, it is especially important to find productive players to put in your flex spots.

As you know, every Thursday here on Razzball, I will be posting the weeks “Sexy Flexies” to give you a couple of players to consider starting in your flex spot. The objective isn’t to point out the obvious guys you’re starting in your RB or WR slots, but to take a look at a couple of players who are a bit more under the radar. These will likely be guys that you won’t start every week but will be good rotational pieces in the flex spot of your lineup based on matchup and opportunity.

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I just snuck out of a court ordered gambling rehab facility to write this post, so I’ll have to be brief. After I was arrested for stealing old ladies’ purses from the retirement home down the block to fund my string of Arizona Cardinals’ Super Bowl wagers (a 50:1 lock!), the judge sentenced me to 6 month’s of in-patient rehab. Since I’ll be releasing my weekly fantasy football rankings each Thursday morning for the duration of the season, I’ve decided to throw in some bonus bold Thursday Night Football predictions along with my expertly handicapped pick for the contest:

Denver Broncos (-3) at New York Jets

Forecast: I didn’t think primetime could get much more exciting coming off the Chiefs at Ravens Monday night slugfest to cap off week 3, but the NFL has a real treat in store for us to begin week 4. Broncos at Jets is objectively the most anticipated game of the 2020 season. The story of the first half will be superstar QB Jeff Driskell leading the Broncos to a seemingly insurmountable halftime lead of 7-0. But in a move that surprises absolutely no one, Adam Gase will be fired at halftime, injecting new life into the hapless Jets squad. With Gase out of the picture, Frank Gore will be named player/coach for the remainder of the season. Coach Gore will call his own number 30 times in the second half as he tramples the Von Miller-less Broncos defense for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jets 17, Broncos 7

Wager: Jets +3 (0.5 Units)

2020 Season: 0-3 (-3.3 Units) 

 

Anyway, here’s my fantasy football rankings for week 4 which will be frequently updated until Sunday kickoff:

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B_Don and Donkey Teeth are after week 3. They start with some injuries and reactions, and how some of those situations may change.

Then, it’s on to some Buy, Sell, Hold as we approach the quarter mark of the season and see where we’re valuing some of the more controversial players. We talk about a few top players from each position including D.J. Moore, Odell Beckham Jr., Joe Mixon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, James Robinson, Cam Newton, Drew Brees, Jonnu Smith, Mark Andrews, and many more. 

We wrap up with some quick waiver wire talk with a less than scintillating set of pickups for the week. Finally, we bring back everyone’s favorite part of the show, A**hole of the Week! 

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Just north of Chicago, Fermilab was one of the most important sites in the Manhattan Project, which resulted in the development of the first atomic bombs during World War II. Throughout the Cold War, the particle accelerator at Fermilab crashed protons together at speeds nearing that of light, and scientists investigated their interactions to learn the deepest secrets of the universe. With research budgets under attack, the scientists at Fermilab brought in the top minds from Japan to work with the local businesses — namely the Chicago Bears — to study the deepest secrets of quarterbacks. With some of the nuances of English lost in translation, many of the Japanese scientists said they had unlocked the energy that would bring success to the Bears’ franchise quarterback. The report they drew up was titled, “Big Mitch Power.” 

But there was a group of dissenting scientists who argued that “Big Nick Power” was the secret to the Bears’ success in 2020. They kept pointing to the salary of the Bears’ backup quarterback, Nick Foles, as the proof that the incumbent Trubisky was indeed a “Little Mitch.” Meanwhile, Big Nick Power had the arm and the salary to justify his stature as the Bears starting quarterback going forward. 

Until Week 3, it was unknown whether Bears’ head coach Matt Nagy was concerned about his QB being a “Little Mitch,” but when Trubisky failed to inspire the Bears offense during their matchup against the Falcons, Nagy indeed outed himself as a believer in Big Nick Power. 

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We made it three weeks without any Covid-19 trouble which is far longer than I previously expected. Three players and a couple of other staff members for the Tennessee Titans tested positive and it was reported on Tuesday. The Titans have closed their facilities until Saturday. At the time of writing this, there has not been any word of if the game will be rescheduled until later in the week, played on Sunday, or some bye weeks will be switched around weeks 6 and 7. For now, I will rank the players as if they are playing during the week 4 period. I have also ranked Julio Jones and Davante Adams like they are playing for now. They were both at least close to playing last week so one has to think that there is a good chance that they give it a go this week. I have no idea what to do with Chris Godwin so I left him in the 30’s. Ahh, the difficulty of putting out rankings before the practice week starts. 

As you may know, my rankings are live up until kick off on Sunday morning, so be sure to check back all week and then click the primer post on Sunday morning where I answer all of your questions that you might have. I have had good fortune in the accuracy department through the first 3 weeks and I’m going to try and keep the train rolling as we near the quarter mark of the fantasy season. Here are the early rankings for week 4!

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It is another Victory Tuesday as I awaken in my parents’ basement. I put on my pants (one leg at a time, like everybody else), and this morning I won’t be needing a shower because I smell of success. I’ve been getting rich off of the sweet, sweet capitalism of the fantasy football trade market. That’s right, BUY! SELL! BUY! SELL! Wall Street? How about Waller St.? You know what I mean? I will spend the next 13 hours on various forums and social media platforms telling analysts that they are wrong and the exact reasons why. And of course, ripping off my league mates.  

I will tell tales of trading for Nick Chubb before week 1 during the great Kareem Hunt panic of summer 2020. After weathering the storm in week 1, returns have been nothing but PROFIT! I will brag about dumping my Leonard Fournette shares before Ronald Jones maintained his workload in the Tampa backfield in week 3. If I’ve proposed any bad trades, it has escaped my memory as I chuckle a satisfactory laugh to myself thinking about Cooper Kupp scoring his first touchdown in Buffalo after I bought shares following a disappointing first two weeks. My smile fades because it is time to get to work. Fantasy football success isn’t owned, it is rented, and the trade market is open every day depending on your league settings.

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There’s a very important place that I want to start today’s fantasy football conversation. Imagine getting fined $100K at work, just like Pete Carroll, Vic Fangio, Jon Gruden, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan did this past week. Not by Feds. Not by the IRS. Not by your local county judge. Think about that — just for one second. Fined 100-grand, at work. For me, this would bring up a concerning follow-up meeting: “So, uhh… are you asking me to quit? No? Ok… so the next three years are just pro-bono? Got it. Okay. I’ll be over here pummeling my head into this wall. Forever.” Although I don’t have a vendetta against any of those five head coaches, it’s an absolutely insane concept to even consider. In Green Bay, head coach Matt LaFleur actually has an assistant whose job it is to make sure he’s wearing a mask at all times. That’s literally his job! I don’t know if this is better or worse than Sean McVay’s “Get Back” assistant. I guess better, because this at least helps promote safety. Meanwhile, we’ve got reigning Super Bowl Champion Andy Reid looking one step away from being the next Power Ranger with the face shield he’s donning out there. Can you imagine being the intern that was tasked with finding a face covering that would please Andy Reid? Bet you it took weeks. I’d rather work as Philip Rivers’ governess. It’s just like I always say, if Julie Andrews can do it, so can I!

Shame on me for using the NFL’s current sideline mask fiasco for a lede two weeks in a row, but everything starts to get hazy on these late Monday nights. There’s a lot of movement in the rankings this week and even more question marks with certain running backs going down with injuries for undetermined periods of time, but it’s a job that has to be done nonetheless. Am I a hero in plain man’s cloth? No, I am but a man. Before we get into the rankings, let’s take our weekly trip around the league.

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The sun rises once again, as we survey the wilderness of our fantasy win/loss columns. Week 3 was not as brutal for injuries and in fact, some new players emerged simply because they earned it. There was a rookie renaissance as multiple top draft picks showed off. The fantasy landscape could look very different if these budding stars earn season long roles.

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Did anyone else have a case of the pandemic Mondays this week? Mine was brutal. I slept until around noon before feasting on a bowl of Lucky Charms with chocolate chips and whipped cream—don’t worry I had a nice big glass of cucumber, kale and celery juice too. Then, after the insulin injection, it was off to the couch for my early afternoon nap where I dreamt of a shirtless photo shoot with Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. I woke up just in time to inhale my Monday evening nachos and watch an episode of Game of Thrones before the Chiefs/Ravens game. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the Ravens defense never woke up from their own Monday afternoon nap; they looked like White Walkers out on the field as Patrick Mahomes went all Arya Stark on them with a line of 31/42 for 385 yards, 4 carries for 26 yards, 4 passing touchdowns and his 1st rushing touchdown—he now has 9 passing touchdowns on the year. Those who were thinking about dropping Mahomie below #2 in their rest of season QB rankings might want to reconsider. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday for fantasy football:

Game of Thrones Spoiler Alert for this round up, fair warning!

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Eight receivers caught at least 2 touchdowns on Sunday. You’ve heard of Mike Evans, Tyler Lockett, Jimmy Graham….Wait, what?! Jimmy Graham caught 2 touchdowns? Geez. And Tyler Kroft? 2020 man. Anyways, Tee Higgins was a highly touted rookie, but Cedrick Wilson (5 rec 107 yds 2 TD), Andy Isabella (4 rec 47 yds 2 TD), and Dontrelle Inman (3 rec 38 yds 2 TD)? What to make of those three and should they be a part of your team?

Andy Isabella is 23 years old, 5′ 9″, and 188 pounds. He played his college ball at UMass and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. Pro Football Focus graded him as the highest-rated wide receiver in college football after Isabella caught 102 pass for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns his senior year. The college production was eye-popping, but the physical attributes (4.31 40-yard dash, 77th percentile speed score, and 65th percentile agility score according to PlayerProfiler) and performance at the Senior Bowl (7 rec for 73 yards TD) cemented his status as a NFL prospect. As a result, the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the 62nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. 

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