Josh Shepardson | Mon, Sep 30th 2024, 7:04am EDT

Fantasy Football Week 4 Takeaways: Surprises & Disappointments (2024)

Week 4 was eventful. The 1:00 p.m. ET window had a few noteworthy performances from young players and a veteran. The early window was also home to one of the lousiest performances in Week 4. Sadly, the later games had an ugly injury. Finally, Sean McVay shook things up at one position group.

Fantasy Football Week 4 Surprises

It’s Dontayvion Wicks Season, Folks

Christian Watson left Sunday’s game early with an ankle injury, opening the door for Dontayvion Wicks to ball out. The second-year wideout had a team-high 13 targets, five receptions, 78 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. A look under the hood was even more encouraging. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Wicks ran 45 routes. Romeo Doubs ran a team-high 51 routes. However, Wicks and Jayden Reed were tied for the second-most, with Bo Melton (six) and Malik Heath (six) mixing in. Wicks was targeted on an absurd 28.9% of his routes. He’s a must-add player and could Wally Pipp Watson.

The Stock is Up for Carolina’s Top Two Wide Receivers

One week after Diontae Johnson erupted for eight receptions, 122 receiving yards and one touchdown on 14 targets, he had 13 targets, seven receptions, 83 receiving yards and a touchdown. The veteran wideout is a high-end WR2 in fantasy formats with the upside to finish as a WR1 weekly.

However, Andy Dalton also unlocked another player on the offense. Xavier Legette had 10 targets, six receptions, 66 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, two rush attempts and 10 rushing yards. Legette and Johnson were tied for the second-most routes (37) for the Panthers, trailing only Jonathan Mingo’s 38 routes. Legette was targeted on an impressive 27.0% of his routes, and his usage in the running game was a nifty wrinkle, too.

Dalton has funneled targets to Carolina’s wide receivers through two starts. Legette is a weekly fantasy starter in 12-team leagues using three wideouts and a flex once the byes begin this week. Whether he’s considered a WR3 or a flex is irrelevant. The rookie is fantasy-starter caliber with his usage.

Cincinnati’s Youngsters Are on an Upward Trajectory

The Bengals are officially a shootout team. Their offense is in a rhythm, and their defense is as sturdy as the bottom of a wet paper bag. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are no-brainer starters.

Yet, things aren’t as cut and dry in the backfield anymore. According to PFF, Zack Moss played 40 snaps, ran 16 routes, had four targets and carried the ball 15 times versus 27, 11, three and 15 for Chase Brown. Moss scored one touchdown, and Brown had two. Cincinnati’s explosive second-year runner was more efficient, and Brown’s touchdowns were both on rushes inside the five-yard line. Moss scored his touchdown on a one-yard reception. For now, both running backs could find themselves in the RB2/flex mix, and Brown is a must-roster player after tallying 15 rushes, 80 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, three targets, two receptions and 12 receiving yards.

Andrei Iosivas had only one target, one reception and 29 receiving yards. Nevertheless, Iosivas was second among Cincinnati’s wideouts in snaps (51) and third in routes (26). He has big-play ability and a secure role in the offense. Iosivas has a weekly low floor as long as Chase and Higgins are healthy, but he can come through with a big play or touchdown in a pinch and has contingent upside if either wideout ahead of him were injured.

Finally, Erick All had interesting underlying data against the Panthers. He played the most snaps (40) among Cincinnati’s tight ends. All’s 10 routes were behind Mike Gesicki‘s 18, but the former had four targets to the latter’s one. All secured all four of his targets for 28 yards, and Gesicki had a negative-nine yards on his only grab. In a dreary landscape at tight end, All is an intriguing player.

Fantasy Football Week 4 Disappointments

It’s Time to Pump the Brakes on the Jets

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets carved up New England’s lousy defense, and the buzz was vintage Rodgers was back. The bottom fell out in the rain against the Broncos on Sunday. Rodgers was still surprisingly spry as a runner. However, New York’s offensive line was an abomination. Rodgers was sacked five times, and he missed a handful of throws. The Jets have also had fewer than 275 yards of offense in three of four games, including 248 on Sunday. Rodgers is a low-end, matchup-driven streamer in 12-team leagues or larger.

Breece Hall‘s and Garrett Wilson‘s efforts were more alarming. Hall had only 10 of New York’s backfield’s 18 rush attempts for four scoreless yards and added two receptions for 14 scoreless yards on five targets. Meanwhile, Braelon Allen ran eight times for 34 yards and secured his only target for 12 yards. According to PFF, Hall played 51 snaps, and Allen played 27. The rookie running back isn’t going away. Obviously, no one should bench Hall, but don’t confuse his dreadful showing as a buy-low opportunity. Allen might also be more than a handcuff if he keeps siphoning work from Hall.

Wilson’s eight targets were tied with Allen Lazard‘s and Tyler Conklin‘s eight for the team lead in Week 4. Yet, Wilson turned his into only 41 scoreless yards and lost a fumble. Patrick Surtain is a challenging matchup for all wideouts, but Wilson has gone under 45 receiving yards in back-to-back games with a season-high of 60 in Week 1. Gamers don’t have a choice but to hold him. However, like Hall, Wilson isn’t a buy-low target. The offensive environment is suboptimal, limiting his ceiling. He’s a volume-driven WR3/flex until things change.

Rashee Rice’s Injury

Sadly, the early indications are a season-ending knee injury for Rashee Rice.

Rice played only four snaps before he was injured. Xavier Worthy played the most snaps and ran the most routes among Kansas City’s receivers, with 45 and 29, respectively, per PFF. Justin Watson was second with 43 and 25, followed by JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s 32 and 18.

Worthy had four targets, three receptions, 73 receiving yards and a touchdown on a 54-yard bomb. However, the biggest beneficiary of Rice’s absence was Travis Kelce. Kelce had team-highs in targets (nine), receptions (seven) and receiving yards (89). He should continue to benefit from soaking up Rice’s vacated catch-and-run opportunities, but there are some structural concerns for the offense without their No. 1 wideout. Finally, Patrick Mahomes‘s fantasy value will take a hit without his best pass-catching weapon. He’s in the bucket of low-end fantasy QB1s.

Miscellaneous Notes

The Rams Shook Things Up at Wide Receiver

There’s a new WR1 for the Rams, while Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are sidelined with their injuries. Rookie Jordan Whittington had the most snaps (59), routes (31), targets (eight), receptions (six) and the second-most receiving yards (62) among LA’s skill-position players.

Whittington ran only 23 routes through the first three games but caught all five of his targets for 50 receiving yards. He was a preseason standout, earning 17 targets on 47 routes in two games, parlaying his robust usage into 11 receptions and 126 receiving yards.

Tutu Atwell also had a stellar showing, running the second-most routes (29) and converting five targets into four receptions for a team-high 82 receiving yards. Whittington and Atwell are viable flex options against the Packers next week for teams navigating byes and injuries in 12-team leagues or larger. The Rams have a bye in Week 6, and it will be interesting to see how things shake out if Kupp returns in Week 7. Nevertheless, Matthew Stafford provides LA’s wide receivers with fantasy value while navigating their shaky offensive line.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

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