I’m a big fan of using GIFs to express my emotions, both on social media and text messages. For whatever reason, they typically tend to express my thoughts more concisely than lengthy, drawn-out sentences. One of my all-time favorites to use is Larry David giving his best “ehh, I guess” face while shrugging and looking rather unimpressed.
That was my general attitude towards this week’s slate of games.
Was scoring slightly up? Yes, I suppose so. Was it derived from players who were previously struggling and widely owned? Sort of? It still feels like most teams are just now getting comfortable running their offenses and can get settled in before the second half starts. And we are quickly approaching Week 5.
I’ve said it before in several articles — the league needs to figure out a way to improve the preseason. Either lengthen it, make it so starting players take a mandatory number of snaps or something else. The level of play many teams have exhibited over the season’s first month is atrocious. And this dilemma has happened year after year.
But enough of my rambling. Here are this week’s fantasy football studs and duds.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
8 Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 4 (2024)
Quarterbacks
STUD: Justin Fields (QB – PIT)
Justin Fields currently leads all players at the position in fantasy points and has been the catalyst propelling Pittsburgh to a 3-1 record to start the season. Mired in a positional battle with Russell Wilson during the preseason, a lingering calf injury to Wilson opened the door for Fields to start under center, and he hasn’t looked back. Before this week, Fields’ totals were middling as a passer, and mainly complimented by his rushing upside.
During Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, Fields completed 22-of-34 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown, and he added another 55 rushing yards and two scores when scrambling. He has sporadic moments of recklessness when he tends to be laissez-faire with ball control, but as a whole, he has dramatically improved his play. The Steelers square off against a very leaky Dallas Cowboys defense at home in Week 5, where his string of solid play should continue, making him an easy fantasy start sit decision.
It is rare to see Josh Allen lay a dud of this magnitude, much less in the national spotlight. During Sunday night’s contest against Baltimore on the road, Allen had one of the worst games of his career, finishing with just 180 passing yards, zero touchdowns and a fumble lost. Buffalo took a 21-3 deficit into halftime, so one assumed Allen could salvage his fantasy numbers with volume catching up in the second half. Not so much.
Under constant pressure from a stiff Ravens front, Allen barely completed 50% of his passes and could not right the ship. His production in 2024 has been Jekyll and Hyde, but there is a strong chance he will bounce back next week against a Houston Texans defense that has surrendered the third-most passing touchdowns to start the year.
Running Backs
STUD: D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)
Most managers would have thrown D’Andre Swift onto the gravedigger’s cart after he rang the bell and chimed, “Bring out your dead” (a nod to my Monty Python roots). Before Week 4, Swift had yet to rush for more than 30 yards in a game and was essentially an afterthought in this offense.
Against the Los Angeles Rams’ sieve defense, Swift ran for 93 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, chipping in seven receptions for 72 yards through the air. All week, reports mentioned backup Roschon Johnson would see an increased workload, making him a waiver wire darling — perhaps that was Swift’s motivation to retain his job. Fantasy managers have seen low-end RB1 production from Swift in the past, so I don’t think that is a one-off fluke. Chicago squares off against another lackluster defense in Carolina in Week 5.
My brother-in-law, who lives in the Tri-State area, was forced to watch this godawful game on Sunday. He sent me frequent, rather humorous texts about the utter futility of both offenses. To put things into context, how awful this performance was — Aaron Rodgers finished with more rushing yards than Breece Hall on Sunday, on half as many attempts. Give a tip of the cap to Denver’s stingy defense because it is due, but the offensive playcalling by Nathaniel Hackett was atrocious.
Hall was largely an afterthought for New York, even when they were trailing, as the team inexplicably decided to lean on the passing game instead. Hall finished with just four rushing yards on 10 carries and two receptions for 14 yards. Better days are ahead for him, but his lack of volume, coupled with the rise of Braelon Allen, is somewhat concerning.
Wide Receivers
STUD: Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
Nico Collins was already a WR1 with Tank Dell on the field. Without him, he was close to the overall WR1. Collins caught 12 of his 15 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown in Week 4. He currently sits second in the league at the position in fantasy points. The focal point of Houston’s potent passing attack, Collins is a nightmare for opposing defenses to cover due to his freakish athleticism, large catch radius and soft hands.
A few weeks ago, announcers on FOX described him as “Andre Johnson-lite.” The more I watch his tape, the more I agree with their assessment. Collins is a matchup-proof set-it and forget-it WR1. I fully anticipate him finishing the year within the top five at receiver. Collins will look to keep the train rolling against Buffalo in a highly anticipated Week 5 matchup.
Rashee Rice would be the easy selection to mention here due to his donut, but I try to avoid dud inclusions based on injuries. Therefore, this week’s dud title goes to Zay Flowers instead. Flowers hoped to rebound after a disappointing Week 3 performance against Dallas, where he was nearly shut out — that didn’t happen. Instead, He was somehow featured even less in Week 4, catching just one pass for 10 yards on two targets in a blowout victory over Buffalo.
This game wasn’t remotely competitive after the coin flip. Since Baltimore jumped out to such a large lead, there wasn’t any need to begin throwing the ball and risk turnovers. Drafted as a top-20 option at the position, Flowers has been a disappointment thus far, but better days are indeed ahead, with Baltimore squaring off against teams that can move the ball.
Tight Ends
STUD: Pat Freiermuth (TE – PIT)
Though it pains me to say this, the top tight ends featured here each week will likely be anyone who manages to find the end zone at the position. Such is the case of Pat Freiermuth, who leads all players at the position with 16 points in PPR. The “Muth” has become increasingly involved in Pittsburgh’s offense as the season has proceeded, culminating with this week’s stat line of five receptions for 57 yards and a score.
Justin Fields has been looking for anyone to step up as a secondary receiving threat to complement George Pickens. I believe he has finally found his man. Freiermuth isn’t flashy, but he has sure hands and is a capable blocker who won’t come off the field for any given situation. He has at least four receptions in every game so far this season, and his string of consistent play will make him a top-10 option moving forward.
It is hysterical watching ESPN’s projections at the position release every Tuesday morning and seeing the number of useful options dwindle. Only six players were projected for more than 10 points this past week. Only four met that low threshold. Woof. In the case of Kyle Pitts, it is easy to see why he’s listed as this week’s dud — he scored zero points. Nada. Zilch.
That is correct; you and I had as many points sitting on our couches this weekend. It is perplexing why Kirk Cousins continues to pepper Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud with targets over Pitts. Fantasy managers have to hope this is just a slow start. Arthur Smith’s offenses typically feature the tight end position, and Cousins has historically relied on them heavily. I’m still hopeful for a rebound, but his lack of usage is worrying.
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