NFL Reactions: Week 4

Breece Hall was invisible. Anthony Richardson also left his fourth game in eight career starts due to injury. Finally, Rashee Rice was carted off the field with a knee injury. The weekly roller coaster ride that is the NFL makes sure fans are constantly off balance. Let's look at the Week 4 action.

Reactions

• Those looking to poke holes in Sam Darnold as a fantasy player might find it easier to just enjoy the ride. After shredding the Packers for three touchdowns, the quarterback now has 11 touchdowns in four games. I would recommend considering him a top-12 fantasy quarterback until, or even if, he proves otherwise. Now that Jordan Addison is back healthy, there's no reason to place him outside of the top-40 receivers, as defenses will never spend significant attention on him because of the presence of Justin Jefferson. 
• It's possible that Jordan Love returned a week too soon from his knee injury. Oh well, fantasy managers certainly are not complaining. Aside from throwing three interceptions, the quarterback threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns. The production was largely driven by the Packers falling way behind early in the game. Despite being targeted just eight times, Jayden Reed continued to show his superstar ability by posting 141 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. With Christian Watson suffering an ankle injury, Dontayvion Wicks moved into a prominent role and was targeted 13 times. The receiver scored a pair of touchdowns and recorded 72 yards. If Watson is forced to miss time, Wicks will become an instant top-40 weekly receiver option. Unfortunately, Josh Jacobs continues to be unable to find the end zone, which is killing his fantasy value. It would stand to reason that the running back eventually will see enough opportunities to fix that. He's a volume-based RB2 for now, but that could improve at a moment's notice.
• It appears that the formula to figure out Baker Mayfield is pretty simple. If the quarterback is under heavy pressure, there's a strong probability that he'll struggle as a fantasy performer. When Mayfield is kept clean, he can be a lethal fantasy option. After getting a directive from coach Todd Bowles to get Mike Evans the football, Mayfield targeted Evans 14 times, leading to a strong performance. Chris Godwin continues to see 8-9 targets per game, and he continues to be one of the highest floor lineup options in the league. Between Rachaad White and Bucky Irving, the backfield is getting closer and closer to an even timeshare. The main problem is that neither player will dominate in fantasy, but the good news is that both should have decent scoring floors. 
• It's difficult to take anything away from the Eagles' performance against the Buccaneers because the team was without A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and right tackle Lane Johnson. Both Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert played well, but this offense was never going to play at peak efficiency in this game. The offense should be fine after next week's bye.
• Without a credible rushing attack, C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins had to put the Houston offense on their shoulders, and each player had a strong game. However, Stroud has yet to have a massive fantasy performance this season, as he has not thrown for more than two touchdowns in a game. Even last year, Stroud rarely threw for more than two TDs in a game. Maybe Stroud is a better NFL quarterback than a fantasy option. Stroud is more of a high-floor than a high-ceiling option. Collins has proven to be a top-5 receiver. He can beat defenses in many ways. Although he's not playing at the incredible level of a few years ago, Stefon Diggs continues to be a solid weekly fantasy option. Diggs rushed for a touchdown to give him a strong fantasy outing. The good thing about Diggs is that he has found a few ways to be relevant in the box score each week. On a side note, it's unlikely we'll see this offense function at full capacity until Joe Mixon (ankle) comes back.
• Even though Trevor Lawrence has thrown for fewer than 180 yards in three of four games this season, he's supported wide receiver production. For the second week in a row, Christian Kirk came up with a solid performance. However, Lawrence overthrew Kirk for what should have been a second touchdown. Also, Brian Thomas was targeted nine times for a second week in a row and responded with his best fantasy performance of the season. Overall, this offense is a mess. For now, both Kirk and Thomas should remain solid weekly fantasy options.
• Justin Fields had his first big fantasy performance of the season. Two things helped him get there. The first was that the Pittsburgh defense finally allowed an opponent to get way ahead on the scoreboard. Then, an injury-ravaged Colts defense could not put up much resistance against the Pittsburgh passing attack. The Steelers' offense is tough to trust, however. Pittsburgh usually plays strong defense and keeps games close, so it doesn't need to open  the offense. The other reason is that most opponents better than the Indianapolis defense. Overall, there may not be many ceiling games for this entire offense. 
• It was unfortunate to see Anthony Richardson leave Sunday's game with a hip injury. However, it was cool to see Joe Flacco step back on the field after the fun ride he took the fantasy world on last season with the Browns. Flacco immediately made Michael Pittman and Josh Downs excellent fantasy factors. Hopefully, Richardson is not injured badly. That said, if Flacco is called upon to start, Pitman and Downs certainly can be used in fantasy lineups with much more confidence.
• Yes, the Bengals defeated the Panthers. But I cannot understand how Ja'Marr Chase is averaging only six targets per game. Given his limited volume, the superstar has been fine for fantasy, but not nearly what was expected. Tee Higgins was targeted 10 times, but, to nobody's surprise, he didn't come close to the production that Chase showed. The good news is that both Zack Moss and Chase Brown were productive while sharing touches. With defenses playing their safeties over the top to try to limit explosive plays, the Cincinnati coaching staff has made it a priority to get the running backs the ball in space to take the free yardage they are being given. Unless the offensive philosophy changes, we could continue to see decent running back production from this team. Brown looked explosive this week, and it's possible he begins to close the gap in work that had existed between him and Moss.
• Although Andy Dalton did not have a great statistical game, he threw most of his passes to Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette. As a result, both receivers had excellent fantasy performances. In a two-game sample, Johnson should be trusted as a fantastic weekly PPR option. We may need to see another week from Legette before being confident in him. Chuba Hubbard had his second great game in a row. His high-volume role could slow quickly if Jonathon Brooks returns soon from the knee injury that has kept him sidelined all season. Still, ride Hubbard as long as he's the lead back.
• It's possible we will hear more news about this after this article is published, but Tyler Allgeier had one more carry than Bijan Robinson in a close game against the Saints. Both running backs played well given their opportunities, but obviously, investors in Robinson had to be quite upset with the limited workload. It's difficult to make a definitive statement about the backfield split until we learn more about the situation.
• We all know that it's never a surprise when the Saints give us a weird offensive performance. The team scored three touchdowns, and of course it was Taysom Hill who scored two of them. Hill later left with a rob injury. Hill's absence likely allowed Alvin Kamara to score a late touchdown. Speaking of Kamara, his volume continues to be incredible, making him a top fantasy option. Otherwise, the passing offense in terms of receivers was all about Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Both players had solid performances. Olave could have had a bigger day, but Carr just missed him for what would have been an easy touchdown.
• The Jets played  at home against the Broncos during a rainstorm. For the second week in a row, Denver harassed the quarterback while silencing a decent offense. Breece Hall might have been the biggest disappointment in fantasy all day. In what seemed to be a solid matchup, Hall turned 12 touches into 16 yards while Braelon Allen ended up with a more productive day. The workload between Allen and Hall has been somewhat close the last three weeks, and there's little reason to think the current split is going to change anytime soon. That is not good news for those who have invested in Hall. Because of the weather, it's probably best tossing this game away in terms of the Jets' passing attack. 
• If I told you that Bo Nix was going to throw for 60 yards against the Jets, you would not have started any of the the Broncos' receivers. Well, Nix threw for exactly 60 yards, but Courtland Sutton caught three passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, so he ended up putting up a solid performance in what was otherwise a brutal matchup for the Denver passing attack. The only other silver lining for the Broncos was that both Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin were effective as runners. Who knows if that will continue? But after the horrific start the Broncos' rushing attack had through three games, at least this gives hope that Williams could emerge as a flex option. 
• The Bears' D'Andre Swift came into this week's game with 37 carries for 68 yards. He was one of the biggest disasters in fantasy football. It was nearly impossible to recommend starting Swift in any format. Of course, Swift broke off a big run against the Rams for a touchdown and caught seven passes for 72 yards. After posting 165 scrimmage yards, there's no rational explanation for Swift's big game. Given the fact that Swift has seen significant snaps and touch volume this season, he probably will be worth looking at as a flex option next week. In terms of the Chicago passing attack, every player should be viewed as volatile until the offense puts together some consistency. 
• Every week, I say that volume is king in fantasy football. Kyren Williams is getting that volume and remains an excellent weekly fantasy option. Until Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua return from their injuries, it will be difficult to have high expectations for the Rams' passing attack. That said, Tutu Atwell is back in the role in which he excelled for the first half of last season. As long as he remains in that role, he's worth a dart throw as a flex option. 
• Last week, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders had an incredible offensive performance against the Bengals. This week against the Cardinals, they got out to an early lead and had little need to be aggressive passing the football. Due to the game script, there seems to be  little actionable advice to take from this game.
• The offensive line could not be a bigger issue for the Browns. Opponents send relentless pressure, knowing Deshaun Watson won't consistently make plays. That said, a sketchy holding call took away an 80-yard TD pass to Amari Cooper. Cooper remains on the WR3 landscape. Both Jerry Jeudy and Jerome Ford continue to see volume, and both have some appeal, especially in PPR leagues.
• The Raiders scratched out a win against the Browns. For this first time this season Zamir White and Alexander Mattison had success on the ground. I wish I could say it was a sign of things to come, but I don't think that's the case. The offensive line will struggle against most opponents. Moving to TE, after a hot start to the year, Brock Bowers averaged two catches and 30 yards in the last two games. The more defenses focus on the rookie, the more the limitations the Raiders have at quarterback could limit Bowers' upside. Still, in this year's fantasy landscape, Bowers is definitely a starter each week.
• I am one of the analysts who believed the Cardinals could have a top-5 offense this season. I still think that's possible, but they laid an egg against the Commanders in Arizona. Washington is a team that lacks a credible pass rush or coverage options, yet the Cardinals had no flow to their passing attack. I will just chalk this up to one of those games where a team did not play well. I understand that the Arizona offensive line is not a strong unit, but with a mobile quarterback like Kyler Murray, that should not be an issue that consistently limits their offense.
• After the 49ers failed to show up on offense against the Rams last week, they ended up in a non-competitive game against the Patriots. The Niners jumped out to an early lead and then played a mostly conservative game. It was good to see George Kittle and Deebo Samuel return from their injuries. Both knocked off some rust, though neither was needed to be a big factor. This was yet another game in which there was little actionable advice to heed. 
• The Patriots are not designed to play from behind, especially against a good defense. That's exactly what happened against the 49ers. New England found it difficult to move the chains with any consistency. In terms of fantasy, aside from Rhamondre Stevenson, it is difficult to have any confidence in their other skill position players.
• It's difficult to talk about the Chiefs without talking about Rashee Rice leaving the game with a knee injury. An ACL tear is feared, but not confirmed. If the receiver is forced to miss significant time, it's difficult to imagine the Chiefs averaging 20 points per game. With Rice out of the game, Travis Kelce had his first good performance of the season. Again, if Rice misses time, Kelce likely will be fed a ton of targets, and he'll return to being a strong fantasy option. Also, it was somewhat surprising to see Kareem Hunt step in as the clear lead back for this team. Those who invested heavily in Carson Steele have gotten the hoped-for production. Also, don't be surprised if this backfield is difficult to project on a weekly basis until Isiah Pacheco returns later in the season. 
• Next week's bye could not come at a better time for the Chargers. Hopefully, the key players that have been lost to injury will return soon. It was good to see Ladd McConkey have a strong performance against a tough opponent. Otherwise, playing without both offensive tackles along with an injured quarterback rendered this offense mostly useless. 

Injuries 

The following players were injured and did not return:

• Rashee Rice sustained a knee injury. An ACL tear is feared, but not confirmed.
• Jonathan Taylor injured his ankle. 
• Anthony Richardson suffered a hip injury and Joe Flacco took over. 
• Christian Watson sustained an ankle injury. 
• Taysom Hill injured his ribs.
• Cordarrelle Patterson suffered an ankle injury.
• Trey Palmer left with a concussion.
• Tyler Badie sustained a back injury.