Fantasy Fallout: Week 4

By: Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86) and Tony Kneepkens (Tonytk44)

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Saquon Barkley right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

SEAHAWKS @ CARDINALS

• Zach Charbonnet returned to the lineup and handled 40% of Seattle’s 35 RB opportunities, compiling 44 scrimmage yards and a TD. Kenneth Walker had 110 scrimmage yards on his 60% of the work. Alongside superstar WR JSN, the Seahawks’ pair of RBs have featured on an efficient Seahawks’ offense to start the year. Both backs can be considered for fantasy lineups as we head into bye weeks.

• Cooper Kupp tied for the team lead with five targets, catching four passes for just 26 yards. He’s been operating as Seattle’s No. 2 receiving option through four games, catching 15 of 20 targets for 162 yards. Exciting rookie WR Tory Horton had two targets, catching one and almost coming down with the other for a highlight-reel TD catch. Horton has flashed in limited opportunities and could see his role expand as the season progresses.

• Trey Benson had 54 scoreless yards in his first opportunity taking over lead-back duties for Arizona, being afforded 13 of 17 RB opportunities (76%). Emari Demercado played in some obvious passing downs, handling four touches and catching the game-tying TD late in the fourth quarter. No need to panic on Benson, he will have some huge weeks ahead if he keeps handling three-quarters of the Cards’ RB work.

VIKINGS @ STEELERS

• Steelers RB Jaylen Warren was a surprising inactive in the early-morning Dublin game, likely a rude awakening for some fantasy managers as he seemed like a solid starting option based on his usage the first three weeks. Kenneth Gainwell made the start and handled a whopping 25 touches for 134 scrimmage yards and added a pair of rushing TDs.

• The Steelers have a Week 5 bye, and Warren’s status should be monitored ahead of Week 6.

• Jordan Addison made an impact in his season debut for Minnesota, catching half of his eight targets for 114 yards in a game Carson Wentz threw 46 passes, a pair of TDs, a pair of INTs, and took six sacks. It was the full Wentz experience on display in Ireland with the team playing from behind much of the game.

• Jordan Mason handled 16 of 18 RB carries and had three of 11 RB targets for 72 scrimmage yards in his worst possible game script, playing from behind for the final three quarters. Zavier Scott acted as their passing down back and had a 6-43-1 receiving line in their failed comeback attempt.

COMMANDERS @ FALCONS

• The Commanders rotated three running backs once again and had a similar rotation at wide receiver behind Deebo Samuel Sr. while Terry McLaurin missed this game with a quad injury.

• Commanders QB Jayden Daniels missed his second consecutive game with a knee injury and hopes to return for Week 5 against the Chargers.

• Michael Penix Jr. had a huge game to bounce back from last week’s dud, with all of Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts also getting in the mix. Atlanta has a bye next week before a Monday night showdown with the Bills.

CHARGERS @ GIANTS

• Omarion Hampton dominated in a great matchup in his first full game with the backfield to himself. Hampton played just under 90% of the team’s snaps and is a no-doubt RB1 going forward.

• Quentin Johnston maintained his position as the Chargers’ clear WR1. Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen are still heavily involved and will have better days ahead.

• Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart had a solid debut and got the victory, but his outlook going forward is questionable after the loss of WR Malik Nabers. It was reported that Nabers tore his ACL and is done for the season. Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton become the Giants top receiving options.

• Rookie RB Cam Skattebo played 75% of the Giants’ snaps and was given 27 opportunities with Tyrone Tracy Jr. out due to a shoulder injury. It is unclear how long Tracy will be out, but what is clear is that Skattebo is “the guy” until he gets back. He should be locked in as a weekly starter as long as Tracy is out, although he may be a decent “sell high” candidate as the offense’s outlook without Nabers could get dicey.

TITANS @ TEXANS

• Titans rookie QB Cam Ward called the team’s performance “ass” in his post-game press conference and I have been unable to find any evidence to the contrary.

• Tony Pollard dominated the Titans’ backfield workload once again, but Tyjae Spears could be back as early as next week to muddy the waters. Pollard is a “hold”, as you can’t even really try to “sell high” on anyone in this offense right now.

• The notable information from the receiving unit of Tennessee was Calvin Ridley’s reduced role, playing only 27 of 50 offensive snaps and being targeted only three times. It is unclear if this was a permanent change, injury, or due to game script, as the largest portion of his missed snaps were in the second half.

• Rookie running back Woody Marks had a breakout game for the Texans and should be a high priority on waivers this week. This was the first game the Texans played with a comfortable lead and showed consistent ability to move the football. His role should grow from here.

EAGLES @ BUCCANEERS

• The Eagles first half picked up where last week ended, but they proceeded to not complete a pass the entire second half as they let the Bucs get back in the game. It is hard to trust this passing game outside of Jalen Hurts because they are capable of jumping out ahead of teams and will pull the rug on fantasy owners if they do.

• RB Bucky Irving and WR Emeka Egbuka had terrific games as the Bucs scrambled in the second half to come back from a huge deficit. These two are the engines of this offense.

• Bucs WR Chris Godwin was targeted 10 times in his return to the lineup, but caught only three passes for 26 yards. He should have better days ahead as he gets his legs under him and benefits from the attention Egbuka will continue to draw. 

PANTHERS @ PATRIOTS

• The Carolina offense was very poor once again, but the Panthers face the Dolphins and Cowboys over the next two weeks and should have a chance to get some momentum in those matchups. For the time being, only WR Tetairoa McMillan and RB Chuba Hubbard are starting candidates.

• Despite last week’s fumbles, the Patriots maintained a three-way timeshare in their backfield with Rhamondre Stevenson leading the way. Apparently the TreVeyon Henderson breakout will just have to wait (despite his second-quarter TD this week).

• Patriots WR Stefon Diggs had his best game of the season, but the team still had a rotation going at the position. It should have been expected that Diggs would start slow after tearing his ACL last year, and this performance could be the cue to the team that he is ready to handle a bigger workload. Diggs could be a solid trade target as his manager could think they are “selling high” on him…but as he gets back to full strength he could have a really strong end to the year.

SAINTS @ BILLS

• New Orleans had success running the ball on the depleted Bills defensive front and Kendre Miller had one of the best games of his career. The Saints are now 0-4, although their schedule softens up a bit the next three weeks. Miller looked terrific Sunday and should be a high priority waiver add this week.

• This game laid bare a reality of playing anyone from the Saints passing game – they rely on volume. Due to the way the game played out and the Saints being able to run so effectively, volume simply was not there in this one. Wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, along with tight end Juwan Johnson, led the team in receiving once again, but there just wasn’t much to go around.

• Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid caught a touchdown but was third among the team’s tight ends in snaps played and was targeted only twice. He has three touchdowns through four weeks and if you can somehow “sell” him on those statistics you should, as the underlying data is uninspiring.

BROWNS @ LIONS

• The rookies are taking over in Cleveland. RB Quinshon Judkins worked as the clear RB1 once again with 25 opportunities, which wasn’t a surprise. However, WR Isaiah Bond and TE Harold Fannin Jr. tied for second on the team in targets with six each. Bond was second among wide receivers in snaps, trailing only Jerry Jeudy, and both Bond and Fannin are interesting options for deeper leagues.

• Part of the reason Bond had a bigger role in this game was WR Cedric Tillman suffering a hamstring injury. This will be a situation to monitor.

• There were no noteworthy injuries or usage notes from this game for the Lions.

JAGUARS @ 49ERS

• Trevor Lawrence had another inefficient passing performance, hasn't exceeded 6.5 Y/A in a game yet this year, and isn't adding fantasy points with his legs. TLaw can be dropped for other options in most single-QB formats, with a tough short-term schedule (home against KC, SEA, LAR) before a Week 8 bye.

• Travis Etienne handled 19 of 23 RB carries and two of four RB targets and racked up 125 scrimmage yards and a TD. He remains an every-week fantasy RB starter. Bhayshul Tuten handled five touches and remains a strong bench stash as an explosive rookie runner with a primary backup RB role.

• Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall both played after being questionable all week. Jennings left with a rib injury (adding to his existing shoulder and ankle issues) but later returned to the game and finished with 2-24-0 on his four targets. Pearsall left with a knee injury after a 5-46-0 start and did not return. Both players’ status should be monitored closely with a quick turnaround to play at the Rams on Thursday Night Football.

COLTS @ RAMS

• Daniel Jones had his worst game of the year, throwing for 262 yards, a TD, and two interceptions. He was close to adding another TD pass on a great individual effort by WR Adonai Mitchell, but the young receiver fumbled out of the end zone for a touchback.

• Michael Pittman had a 5-41-1 line on his team-high 10 targets. He’s the only Colts WR that feels like a comfortable fantasy option behind their fantasy and real-life stars at RB and TE.

• Blake Corum handled nine of 22 RB carries and half of the teams’ eight RB targets. He should be rostered in all leagues for his combination of his existing role and immense contingent upside backing up starter Kyren Williams.

• Matthew Stafford had a huge 375-3 passing game. He threw 21 of his 41 passes to superstar WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and found speedster Tutu Atwell for an 88-yard TD.

BEARS @ RAIDERS

• RB Ashton Jeanty had a breakout performance with 145 scrimmage yards and three total TDs after having 147 scrimmage yards and a single TD in his first three games combined.

• Geno Smith threw 11 of his 21 passes to WRs, with seven of them going to Jakobi Meyers. Last week’s fantasy star, Tre Tucker, caught both of his targets and had two rushing attempts for 22 total scrimmage yards. It was encouraging to see Tucker remain involved in the gameplan, but it’s going to be really tough to predict his spike weeks.

• D’Andre Swift was afforded 20 of the Bears’ 24 RB opportunities and had 60 scrimmage yards and a TD. He’s had 12+ carries and three or more catches in every game. He hasn’t been very efficient, but bigger games could be coming after the Bears’ Week 5 bye if this strong usage continues.

RAVENS @ CHIEFS

• Lamar Jackson left the game in the third quarter with an apparent hamstring injury and his status needs to be monitored. If the injury is serious at all, it would seem likely that Jackson could miss multiple weeks and the Ravens have a Week 8 bye.

• Xavier Worthy returned to the Chiefs’ lineup from his shoulder injury to lead the team in rushing (two carries for 38 yards) and receiving (5-83-0 on eight targets). He was immediately used in a variety of ways and looks to be a featured player in the KC offense.

• The Chiefs continued to have one of the most frustrating RB rooms for fantasy football with three RBs handling seven or more touches: Kareem Hunt (14 touches, 47 scrimmage yards), Isiah Pacheco (nine touches, 47 scrimmage yards, and a TD), and Breshard Smith (seven touches, 36 scrimmage yards). Smith had his most carries and targets of the year and is a reasonable bench stash to see if he can continue to get more opportunities at the expense of either of his veteran RB teammates.

PACKERS @ COWBOYS

• Romeo Doubs caught six of eight targets for 58 yards and three TDs. Rookie WR speedster Matthew Golden set career bests with six targets, five catches, and 58 receiving yards. Doubs and Golden appear to be the Packers’ top two WRs as the team heads into their Week 5 bye.

• George Pickens had his breakout performance for the Cowboys with a monster 8-134-2 game on his 11 targets while TE Jake Ferguson went 7–40-1. Both look like fantasy starters for now as featured players for Dallas in CeeDee Lamb’s absence.

• Javonte Williams handled 23 of 30 Dallas RB opportunities and maintains one of the best RB roles in the league. He’s had double-digit carries and multiple receptions in each of the Cowboys first four games.