Three Up, Three Down: Week 4

Photo: Denny Medley, USA Today Sports

An important aspect of fantasy football is getting ahead of the curve in player values. We've listed and highlighted some players who show a change in value and lets you know what to do with them in Week 4's "Three Up, Three Down" article.

Three Up

Khalil Herbert - Since seeing the field as a rookie, Khalil Herbert has drawn praise from fans, staff, and media. On an efficiency basis, he looked to be the better back in Chicago last year. Herbert doesn’t lack elite size or speed, but he’s a natural and powerful runner with great vision. Herbert and Montgomery are very different runners. Where Herbert has more of an inherent ability to find creases in the defense, Montgomery gets his yards by breaking tackles at a rate near the top of the league. Playing behind the same offensive lines, Herbert managed 0.5 yards more before contact than Montgomery last year. This year, he’s averaging a whopping 4.9 yards more before contact. His patient style of running fits very well with this offensive line. Herbert was taking about 25 percent of Montgomery’s touches with both healthy. If Montgomery is to miss any time, Herbert projects to have the backfield primarily to himself. The Bears, despite their offensive deficiencies, have remained committed to the run. Their 104 rushing attempts are second-most in the league, behind only the Cleveland Browns. In turn, that has generated the second-most rushing yards. Herbert should see a significant workload and could be a fringe RB1 in games where Montgomery cannot suit up.

Mack Hollins - Mack Hollins was so close to making this list last week but better late than never. There’s a misconception that Hollins is only producing because of Hunter Renfrow’s absence, but a closer look shows that Hollins’ role may be here to stay. In Week 3, Hollins took 84.6 percent of his snaps out wide. The previous week, he lined up wide on 85.4 percent of his snaps. With Renfrow playing primarily out of the slot, Hollins’ role should remain safe regardless of Renfrow’s health status. He’s playing the split-end role opposite Davante Adams and doesn’t have anyone on the roster who can challenge him for that spot. Hollins came into the league as a 24-year-old fourth-rounder and bounced around between Philadelphia and Miami, never producing much. Last year, he came onto the scene with four touchdowns, but no one expected much from him after signing with Las Vegas. Well, Hollins has carved out a role as a mainstay. He saw 88 and 87 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in Weeks 1 and 2. During his eight-catch, 158-yard performance in Week 3, he played a whopping 97 percent of the team’s snaps. With the Raiders slipping to 0-3 to start the year, expect them to play in more games that force them to throw late. Hollins should be picked up in all formats to see if he can maintain his usage.