The Weekly Angle || Week 4

As we close the books on Week 4, many of us find ourselves depressed by a second straight week filled with an overwhelming amount of injuries. Just off the top of my head, we had studs like Saquon Barkley, Ladd McConkey, Ja’Marr Chase, & Lamar Jackson all go down with varying severity of injuries.

As I’ve said in recent weeks, this is such a brutal sport, and we are being reminded very early into the season why it is so important to have depth at the RB and WR positions on your fantasy roster.

Let's review week four. 

Takeaways from Every Game

Browns vs. Steelers - 27-24 Browns Victory

• The Browns took care of business on TNF and took down their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. QB Deshaun Watson didn’t produce mightily for fantasy purposes, but once again looked pretty good and did what he had to do to get his team the win. RB Quinshon Judkins returned to fantasy relevance, scoring on the ground and catching six passes for 43 yards. Rookie wideouts Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion both put up 11+ fantasy points and continue to look like the future of the WR room in Cleveland. TE Harold Fannin now has three straight outings with 10+ fantasy points, due in part to some touchdown luck going his way.
• Aaron Rodgers threw for 299 yards and three TDs, and RB Jaylen Warren rushed for 93 yards while adding three receptions for 33 yards. DK Metcalf finally had a good game and went for 115 yards receiving. Second year WR Roman Wilson had his fourth straight game with six targets and turned them into three catches, 74 yards, and a score.

Colts vs. Commanders - 30-13 Colts Victory

• Jonathan Taylor has had 90+ rushing yards and two rushing TDs in three out of four games. He is once again dominating for fantasy and is the reason the Colts won this game. Daniel Jones was terrible once again and all of the receiving options were limited due to his lackluster performance.
• Marcus Mariota went down early in this game, leading to rookie QB Athan Kaliakmanis taking over for the struggling Commanders. This team is in shambles and is just ruined by injuries all over the roster. Even if/when Jayden Daniels returns, this is not a team I have much hope for rest of season.

Ravens vs. Titans - 24-18 Ravens Victory

• The Ravens were well on their way to an utter blowout in this one, but Lamar Jackson got hurt on the second to last play of the half and was held out for the entirety of the second half. Zay Flowers finally received a full workload and played 73% of snaps, producing eight receptions for 118 yards and a score on 10 targets. He has been an absolute dominator in all of the advanced WR metrics. Derrick Henry had another good game on the ground, rushing for 73 yards and a score.  Mark Andrews finally found the end zone for his first TD of the year.
• If you just look at the box score, you would probably see that Cam Ward had a pretty respectful performance. Don’t let it fool you: this guy stinks. He should not be a starting QB in the NFL. One positive for the Titans: rookie WR Carnell Tate officially broke out this week, going for nine catches and 145 yards.

Bears vs. Jets - 23-12 Bears Victory

• We got a game from the Bears where all three of the top receiving options were relevant. None of them really had an outstanding game, but Rome Odunze led the pack with six receptions and 94 yards. RB Kyle Monangai had an explosive game, finishing with 30 carries, 146 yards, and two TDs. Much of his work was due to a fumble from D’Andre Swift that kept him sidelined. Swift would've had a great game as well, but had two TDs reversed. I wouldn’t overreact to the down game from Swift.
• The Jets were really bad all across the board. Bad games from everyone. Garrett Wilson is still a solid fantasy asset, so don’t overreact to one bad game.

Jaguars vs. Bengals - 22-17 Jaguars Victory

• We had a really weird game in Cincinnati this week. The Jaguars walked out with another win, but much of the fantasy assets had a down week. Parker Washington finished with only one catch for seven yards. I wouldn’t react to the down week here. The Bengals are showing extraordinary improvements on the defensive side of the ball and should be respected as a top tier defense moving forward.
• The Bengals fantasy options all had great days despite the loss. Burrow tossed for 428 yards and a TD. Chase Brown was wildly inefficient on the ground, totaling only 10 yards on nine carries, but saved his fantasy day with some wild receiving work. Tee Higgins put up monster numbers, finishing with 11 catches for 157 yards. Lastly, Ja’Marr Chase left early with a concussion due to a nasty face mask penalty, and Tee Higgins left late in the game with an injury as well. Their statuses for Week 5 is up in the air.

Cowboys vs. Texans - 34-30 Cowboys Victory

• The Texans’ rushing game is officially horrendous and cannot be trusted moving forward. The passing game stepped up with the return of Nico Collins, who went for seven catches, 118 yards, and two TDs.
• Dak Prescott also threw for a ton of yards, 335, but only threw for one TD due to three rushing scores from Javonte Williams. Javonte had an outstanding fantasy day, finishing with 31.30 points.  Despite this performance, he still wasn’t the main highlight from this game. CeeDee Lamb went absolutely nuclear, finishing with 41.30 fantasy points thanks to a shocking 17 receptions, 189 yards, and a TD.

Giants vs. Cardinals - 36-24 Giants Victory

• Jameis Winston was able to lead the Giants to victory over the Cardinals.  Malik Nabers was finally able to produce his first awesome game of the year. Nabers ended up going for 112 yards and a score on six catches. He actually re-injured his shoulder early in the game but came back in and still dominated. Cam Skattebo got another hefty workload, but didn’t see much fantasy success from it.
• The big story for the Cardinals is the alarming lack of usage for Jeremiyah Love after a huge workload in Week 3. His comments after the game about being sore are concerning to say the least and a situation that needs to be monitored going forward. Trey McBride was held to just 31 yards on seven catches. Michael Wilson was heavily targeted again and solidified himself even more as the top receiving option for Jacoby Brissett.

Rams vs. Eagles - 24-20 Rams Victory

• Another week of the Eagles just being utter garbage. We are truly watching the collapse of a franchise right now. Jalen Hurts threw for less than 100 yards, Saquon got hurt again early in the game, and the only relevant fantasy performance was from WR Darius Cooper, a WR who is rostered in only 1% of fantasy leagues.
• Puka returned for the Rams and immediately was peppered with 12 targets, went for 125 yards, and scored a rushing TD. Even with Puka’s dominant performance, the biggest takeaway was Kyren Williams. He rushed for 80 yards and two rushing TDs, and added 67 yards receiving from 10 catches. He is currently the RB5 on the season and proving to be one of the best picks from drafts.

Packers vs. Buccaneers - 17-14 Packers Victory

• This was a gross and ugly game of football. I’m celebrating if I started Tucker Kraft, who had a great game, but I’m wiping it from memory and moving on for the rest of the receiving options. The RB room for the Packers are still a complete no touch for fantasy purposes.
• Just a pure dumpster fire for the Bucs organization right now. Undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels went out and played like an undrafted rookie, and everyone on the team suffered. It’s hard to trust any Bucs fantasy asset right now.

Vikings vs. Dolphins - 15-10 Vikings Victory

• The Vikings are now 4-0 on the season and are putting up a strong case to be the worst 4-0 team the league has ever seen. Kyler Murray and this offense are just horrendous, and the team MVP through four weeks is kicker Will Reichard, who is outscoring the rest of the offense on his own. They’ve won two of their games without an offensive touchdown. TJ Hockenson exploded in the absence of Justin Jefferson and went for 13 catches and 119 yards. Aaron Jones dominated on the ground and rushed for 94 yards, adding four receptions for 34 yards.
• WR Malik Washington led the team in targets and receptions, racking up 67 yards in the process. Hot waiver wire add Ollie Gordon rushed for 100 yards on nine carries, and found his way to the end zone, providing a good week to fantasy managers.  However, it’s important to note that 69% of his fantasy points came from just two plays.

Chiefs vs. Raiders - 30-27 Chiefs Victory

• The Raiders’ tight end group exposed the Chiefs’ defense. Brock Bowers is the best TE in the league and proving my sentiments about him in the preseason correctly. Ashton Jeanty had a great game despite not scoring thanks to heavy involvement in the passing game. Kirk Cousins has another really great fantasy day. I was off on him this week and featured him in my sharts of the week. and he and Klint Kubiak’s system proved me wrong. I think we are at a point where Cousins can be considered for an every week start.
• The Chiefs get riddled with injuries at the WR position, making an already weak receiving room even weaker. Rashee Rice exited with a hamstring injury. Tyquan Thornton had a great game in his absence but went down with a gruesome ankle injury of his own late in the game. Travis Kelce was held quiet with only two catches for 15 yards. Kenneth Walker had another week winning game, rushing for 177 yards and two TDs.

Seahawks vs. Chargers - 30-23 Seahawks Victory

• The Seahawks took care of business against the hapless Chargers. Hot waiver wire addition RB Emmanuel Wilson obliterated the Chargers, rushing for 81 yards and a TD to go along with three receptions for 39 yards and another TD. JSN had his first modest game of the year and failed to find the endzone.
• Los Angeles continued its run of completely garbage football. The whole team is falling apart. Ladd McConkey exited with another injury and the remaining WR core failed to do anything productive. The RB room is a pure three-way committee. Omarion Hampton continues to be a massive let down based on his draft cost.

49ers vs. Broncos - 24-14 49ers Victory

• Brock Purdy continued his run of excellent and efficient football, and is still sack-free through four weeks. He is playing at an otherworldly level right now and should be started week in and week out for fantasy. Deebo Samuel looks like vintage Deebo and is honestly a reliable start every week at this point. George Kittle was on his way to a letdown of a game until his massive 56-yard TD late in the fourth quarter. Mike Evans and Christian McCaffrey both put up good performances as well.
• Bo Nix looks bad. He is refusing to throw the ball down field for some reason, despite the new addition of Jaylen Waddle. The main beneficiary of his unwillingness to throw it downfield is RB RJ Harvey, who had a great fantasy day thanks to 10 catches for 68 yards out of the backfield. Jaylen Waddle had an inefficient receiving day, totaling only 35 yards, but got a TD reception that saved his fantasy output.

Panthers vs. Lions - 32-26 Panthers Victory

• Goodness gracious Tetairoa McMillan! Pure dominance in this one from the second year wideout, who finished with 14 catches, 192 yards, and two TDs. He eclipsed his career highs in receptions and yards before halftime. Bryce Young continued to look amazing, and RB Chuba Hubbard got all of the backfield work, turning  20 carries into 122 yards and two TDs.
• The Lions’ defense very well may be the worst in the league. Thankfully for us fantasy players, that means lots and lots of fantasy points from a team with plenty of elite fantasy assets. Jahmyr Gibbs had 17.70 points, which is a fine game that feels like a letdown based on his standards. Jameson Williams finally decided to show up this year and led the team in receiving yards with 102 yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown had a respectable game, but TE Sam LaPorta was the one who actually led the team in targets and finished with eight catches, 84 yards, and a score.

Falcons vs. Saints - 45-24 Falcons Victory

• The “Domecoming” game to honor the anniversary of the first game after Hurricane Katrina was ruined by a Falcons team whose offense looks totally reborn. They had five total rushing TDs in this game and had their way with the Saints’ defense. Bijan rushed for 145 yards and two TDs, and running mate Brian Robinson rushed for 62 yards and three TDs.
• Chris Olave continues to be a target hog for the Saints and the main weapon for the offense. He finished with 116 receiving yards and eight catches, but no score. Veteran RB Alvin Kamara was wildly inefficient in the rushing game, totalling only 23 yards, but ended up finding the endzone twice and added five catches for 35 yards.

Biggest Storylines to Pay Attention to this Week

• Ja’Marr Chase’s Concussion Status
• Severity of Rashee Rice’s Hamstring Injury
• Jeremiyah Love’s workload going forward
• Jayden Daniels’ availability for week five?
• Chris Olave may have been injured late in the MNF game. Check Practice Reports

Final Thoughts

Week 4 was another brutal week for injuries, and now we head into our first week with teams on bye. Only the Chiefs and Panthers are on bye for Week 5, but those two teams have a hefty handful of fantasy relevant players. You will need to be strategic this week to fill out your lineups.

With almost a quarter of the season gone, we now have enough data to know what to expect going forward, and you should have a good understanding of what to expect from your own fantasy teams. If you play in keeper leagues or dynasty leagues and have had a bad start, now’s the time to start kicking the tires on a rebuild. The same is true if your team is performing well. Don’t be afraid to ship away your future picks to bolster your lineup.

Best of luck to everyone in week five!