October 1, 2006, 9:29 PM

Engel: Week 4 wrapup

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Engel By Scott Engel
ESPN Fantasy Games
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Here's a quick-hitting recap of key performances and news from the fourth week of the NFL season, complete with in-depth fantasy analysis.

Warner done as a starter: After the Cardinals dropped their third consecutive game, head coach Dennis Green confirmed rookie Matt Leinart will be his starter next week against Kansas City. Warner's early-season struggles continued, as he fumbled twice, losing one, and was intercepted once before Leinart replaced him with 13 minutes remaining in a loss to Atlanta. Leinart also a lost a fumble and threw an interception. Meanwhile, the numbers of the top Arizona wide receivers continued to be disappointing, as Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin combined for 108 receiving yards and neither scored. Leinart does have a lot of promise, but his experience, plus the continued shaky pass protection of the offensive line, could really continue to hurt the Cardinals' offense in the weeks ahead. Fitzgerald and Boldin might look like risky starters because of the QB change. But it's clear the Cardinals are going to play from behind often, which means Leinart should throw to them quite often in the weeks ahead, and Fitzgerald and Boldin remain top starting options. Leinart is too unproven to use as a fantasy starter, but he is a smart, young QB and worth adding as a reserve if you need QB help in a league of 12 of more teams.

Miami Dullfin: For the second consecutive week, the Dolphins' passing game mostly sputtered against what seemed like a favorable opponent. Last week, Miami looked unimpressive at home against the Titans, and in their Sunday matchup with the normally vulnerable Texans, Daunte Culpepper endured the same old problems that have plagued him throughout the early weeks. Culpepper was sacked five times and pressured often, even though he frequently worked out of the shotgun. Culpepper threw for 249 yards, but tossed only one late TD pass. Chris Chambers did catch that scoring toss, but finished with only three catches for 28 yards. If Culpepper can't deliver more than 13 fantasy points against the Texans, he should be pinned to your bench until further notice. Culpepper's performance was proof that some players simply shouldn't be used as a starter because they have a friendly matchup.

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