What You Need to Know from Week 4

Photo: USA Today Sports

DAL @ NYG

• If there's going to be a fantasy-relevant running back in Dallas, it will most likely be Rico Dowdle. Ezekiel Elliott's role is shrinking, so more high-value touches are going Dowdle's way. Dowdle scored as a receiver on a well-blocked play and had some good runs in the second half. Dowdle could be useful during the bye-week gauntlet.
• Hunter Luepke looks like a Swiss army knife RB/FB tweener with receiving chops. The team is very comfortable with him as the sole back on the field, so he's worth a preemptive add in very deep leagues.
• Jake Ferguson is the clear #2 target, and if he can stay healthy, he will be one of the best picks at tight end.
• Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert are mostly in the background and probably not worth a roster spot in typical leagues.
• Daniel Jones was efficient but missed badly on multiple deep throws that were open. The upside of this offense is capped as long as he's the quarterback.
• Devin Singletary was bottled up, as it appears the Cowboys have made adjustments to their run defense. The pass defense was very vulnerable, with Justin Fields and the Steelers up next.
• Malik Nabers is going to get enough targets to be in the running for #1 overall fantasy wide receiver - if he can stay on the field. He suffered a concussion and took some punishment on the way to a strong night in PPR leagues.
• Wan'Dale Robinson is Jones' safety valve, and he should be a high-floor WR3/Flex in PPR through the bye-week gauntlet.

CIN @ CAR

• Joe Burrow was more comfortable on a big day for the offense. Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase both look like their old selves. Burrow's fantasy value is at cruising altitude.
• Chase Brown scored twice in short yardage and looked good while getting close to the same workload as Zack Moss. With the offense ascending, Brown has weekly flex value and big injury upside. Moss is also still a weekly flex as he scored on a short pass and was effective.
• Erick All Jr. is emerging as the primary receiving tight end and should only improve as time passes since his 2023 ACL surgery. He's worth an add on the tight end merry-go-round.
• Andy Dalton showed he could be effective against a team other than the checked-out Raiders. He will support the fantasy value of the running game and maybe two receivers every week and be a high-floor injury/bye backup in 1QB leagues.
• Chuba Hubbard is running hot and very involved as a receiver. He has been one of the most valuable late-round picks, and Jonathon Brooks is not returning to practice this week.
• Diontae Johnson is very comfortable with Dalton and showed no signs of a groin issue that had him questionable going into the game. He's a WR1 until further notice.
• Xavier Legette did not look like a raw rookie against NFL defenders and filled in admirably for Adam Thielen. Thielen is out for at least three more weeks, so Legette is a priority waiver add.

NO @ ATL

• Taysom Hill was a focus in the red zone and scored twice, but left with an abdominal injury. Tight end is brutal so he could be worth rostering even if he's going to miss a week or two. Stay tuned.
• Rashid Shaheed set a career-high in catches and showed that he doesn't need to catch a bomb to be a good play.
• Alvin Kamara was sharp even though he came into the week questionable with multiple injuries, but he is taking a lot of hits. KenDre Miller is being activated from injured reserve and could be worth a preemptive pickup in deep leagues.
• The Falcons scored two non-offensive touchdowns and mostly had a long day against the Saints defense. They are still underperforming expectations with Kirk Cousins at quarterback.
• Bijan Robinson has been on the injury report, but Tyler Allgeier has earned the increasing share he's getting in the backfield. He was the sparkplug in the second half. Allgeier should be rostered across formats, and Robinson's weekly and season-long upside will take a hit if Allgeier keeps this up.
• Darnell Mooney drew a key pass interference to set up the game-winning field goal. His fantasy line was down from previous weeks, but he has arrived as a WR3/Flex option.
• Kyle Pitts might as well be invisible. He looks sluggish and the Falcons don't seem to be making a priority of manufacturing opportunities for him. He's sadly droppable. 

JAX @ HOU

• Trevor Lawrence was off, and the Jaguars fell to 0-4, mostly because of him. He's not a viable fantasy starter in 1QB leagues and maybe not even an essential hold with things breaking down in Jacksonville.
• Travis Etienne Jr. got banged up blocking early in the game but didn't miss much time. Tank Bigsby broke off a long run that the Jaguars wasted with a fourth and goal quarterback draw play call. Bigsby deserves to have a big enough role to cap Etienne's upside in a mediocre offense.
• Christian Kirk was the most reliable target for Lawrence and could have had a big day if Lawrence hadn't missed him open deep. He's back to being a WR3/Flex option, even with Evan Engram possibly back for the game vs. the Colts.
• Brian Thomas Jr. has established his weekly value and can only go up from here. Congrats if you got him in redraft.
• CJ Stroud finally had the ceiling game we were expecting to be more regular this year. He'll face a weary Buffalo defense this week.
• Cam Akers was taken off the field too often for J.J. Taylor and Dare Ogunbowale to have sustainable value even if Joe Mixon's return isn't in Week 5. Akers is droppable.
• Nico Collins would be a first round pick if we were drafting today. He is clearly the apple of Stroud's eye and currently is on a 2000+ yard pace.

DEN @ NYJ

• This was a sloppy, rainy day that featured little offense, but Bo Nix and the pass offense was still well below expectations in those conditions in the first half. Eventually he had a few good downfield throws, including one to Courtland Sutton, but the Bucs game is looking like the aberration here.
• Tyler Badie fumbled and suffered a back injury early in his first start. Javonte Williams looked renewed after that and should be picked up where he was rightfully dropped last week. The Broncos defense is good enough to keep the running game viable every week.
• Aaron Rodgers looked old in these conditions, and the whole offense struggled. The Vikings could be a tough draw next week.
• Allen Lazard is staying ahead of Mike Williams in snap count, but Williams is starting to make plays on contested catches downfield again. If Rodgers' play doesn't pick up, it might not matter who the #2 option is.
• Garrett Wilson isn't standing out and is starting to look like a first-round fantasy bust.
• Breece Hall was bottled up and looked like the inferior back to Braelon Allen again. Allen should continue to get enough touches to justify matchup flex plays, and Hall's ceiling is dropping by the week.