Making his 2023 debut, Saints RB Alvin Kamara racked up 13 catches on 14 targets (30 routes run). Wow. Kamara gained only 33 yards, but he was clearly needed with Derek Carr battling a shoulder injury. He led the way on the ground, too, gaining 51 yards on 11 attempts. We’ll check on Carr’s practice participation, but Kamara’s volume should remain favorable next Sunday at New England.
Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers tallied just 2 grabs for 33 yards in Week 4. He had a 50-yard downfield catch negated by an offensive pass interference penality, but the real issue here was shaky play from rookie QB Aidan O’Connell. On the bright side: Jimmy Garoppolo (concussion) should return for Week 5 vs. Green Bay. Meyers notched 29.1 and 15.5 PPR points in two full games with Garoppolo.
It took until Week 4, but Raiders RB Josh Jacobs finally had his breakout game. Totaling 25 touches, Jacobs led the Raiders in both rush yards (58) and receiving yards (81, a career high). He averaged just 3.4 YPC, but rushing lanes were condensed against a Chargers defense that brought heat on rookie QB Aidan O'Connell. Jacobs scored from one yard out and had another goal line TD overturned on review. Next up: A Monday night showdown vs. Green Bay.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick said after Sunday's blowout loss to the Cowboys that QB Mac Jones remains the starter. Belichick indicated that Jones was pulled because of the lopsided score rather than his performance. Jones was not good against Dallas but had played reasonably well over the first three weeks of the season. He'll be back under center vs. the Saints next Sunday.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams is dealing with a hip flexor issue, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. "He is not expected to miss much if any time," Schefter adds. We'll track Williams' status throughout this coming week, but it sounds like he has a chance to play vs. the Jets next Sunday.
Bears WR D.J. Moore caught eight of nine targets for 131 yards and a score in Sunday's loss to the Broncos. This Denver defense is the worst in the league right now, but it was nice to see Moore (and QB Justin Fields) take advantage of the matchup. Moore has now topped 100 yards in two of his last three games. More importantly, he's registered 24%, 30%, and 26% target shares the past three weeks. If Moore continues to see that type of volume -- and this Bears passing game can just be serviceable -- Moore will be a solid weekly fantasy starter. His stretch of favorable matchups continues the next four weeks vs. the Commanders, Vikings, Raiders, and Chargers.
DeVante Parker played 16 more snaps and ran 10 more pass routes than any other Patriots WR in Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. It marked the third straight week Parker has led the group in routes. He has run a route on 91% of New England's dropbacks in that span, after missing Week 1. TE Hunter Henry checks in next at 82.9%. WR Kendrick Bourne trails at 60.4%, with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster at 54.1%. That has amounted to only 7 total targets and 4 receptions over the past two weeks. But it leaves room for upside in upcoming matchups. Week 5 brings the Saints, who have played well on defense but been a positive scoring matchup for WRs. Our adjusted fantasy points allowed say the Raiders, Bills, and Dolphins the following three weeks have been negative. We'll see as those matchups draw closer.
Bears TE Cole Kmet was on the receiving end of two of QB Justin Fields' four TD passes in Sunday's loss to the Broncos. More importantly, Kmet tied for the team lead with nine targets and finished behind only WR D.J. Moore with seven catches and 85 receiving yards. QB Justin Fields might never have a bigger passing day than he did in this one. But Kmet is playing a significant role in this passing game. He's now totaled 24 targets on a 19.5% target share through four weeks. If Fields and this passing game are just OK going forward, Kmet has a shot at top-12 production on that type of volume.
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston posted just 1 catch for 18 yards in Week 4. Johnston garnered an end zone target and a deep target, but both plays were near-misses broken up by the DB. On the day, the rookie ran 22 routes -- thrid on the team behind Josh Palmer (30) and Keenan Allen (30). Johnston wil remain a low-floor fantasy option following a Week 5 bye.
Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson caught all of his team-high 7 targets for 77 yards in Sunday's win over the Patriots. He narrowly missed scoring on the team's first drive, getting taken down at the 1-yard line after a 3-yard catch. He got Dallas down to the 4-yard line with a 14-yard catch-and-run before that. Ferguson continues to have a strong role in a good offense. That makes him a solid weekly starter in fantasy, though a Week 5 visit to San Francisco will challenge that.
Based on footage of pre-game warmups, Saints QB Derek Carr looked healthy ahead of Week 4. Come gametime, though, Carr looked limited by the shoulder injury that made him a game-time decision. The veteran tallied just 127 yards on 23 of 37 passing – an ugly 3.43 yards per attempt – all against a banged up Bucs defense. We’ll keep an eye on Carr’s practice participation ahead of a Week 5 date at New England.
The Cowboys racked up 38 points in Sunday's blowout win over the Patriots, but RB Tony Pollard didn't do any of it. He carried 11 times for 47 yards and caught all 3 targets for 13 more. But he watched Hunter Luepke claim the team's only rushing TD from 3 yards out midway through the fourth quarter. CeeDee Lamb caught the only other offensive TD. The defense added a pair of TD returns. There's nothing to worry about from this disappointing day if you have Pollard rostered. Just shrug it off and get ready for a tough matchup with the 49ers in Week 5. At least the doughy Chargers defense awaits the week after that.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry led the team with 4 receptions and 51 receiving yards in Sunday's beatdown at the hands of the Cowboys. He was the only New England player to catch more than two passes in the game. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster matched Henry's 5 targets for the team lead. WR DeVante Parker followed with 4. Five others tallied 3 targets apiece. New England gets another tough matchup with New Orleans in Week 5 but a friendlier spot at Vegas the following week.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 30 passes for 306 yards and 2 TDs in a Week 4 win over Pittsburgh. Despite continuing to play without multiple O-linemen, Stroud delivered several dimes while going without a turnover. Two of his scores went to Nico Collins, with the other going to Dalton Schultz. Stroud has now hit 280+ yards in three straight. The rookie enters a neutral matchup at Atlanta in Week 5.
Patriots QB Bailey Zappe completed just four of nine passes for 57 yards after taking over for Mac Jones in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Cowboys. Zappe took a sack and didn't pilot any scoring drives. But he at least avoided turnovers. We're guessing New England will go back to Jones for Week 5, but we'll watch for confirmation.
The Patriots made Ian Rapoport's Sunday Ezekiel Elliott report look like a lie. The NFL Network reporter said New England planned to give Elliott "starter reps" against his old team. That amounted to 6 carries and 3 targets in the 38-3 loss. Elliott totaled just 22 yards and watched Rhamondre Stevenson beat him 16-8 in touches. We'll see what gets reported about the Patriots backfield heading into Week 5, but Elliott's 3.9 yards per touch so far this season certainly don't scream that he needs to get the ball more. Stevenson managed only 40 total yards against the Cowboys. The New England backfield gets a tough matchup with New Orleans in Week 5 before a better spot at Las Vegas in Week 6.
Texans RB Dameon Pierce gained 81 yards on 24 attempts in Week 4. Houston gained an early lead on Pittsburgh and never looked back, which helped Pierce see his biggest workload since Week 9 of 2022. He encountered bad luck when a five-yard TD was overturned by penalty, but this outing was still encouraging. Backup RB Devin Singletary mixed in for only 7 carries, while C.J. Stroud continued to impress. Pierce should remain busy for a Week 5 date at Atlanta.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles said after Sunday's game vs. the Saints that WR Mike Evans "tweaked" his hamstring and would undergo tests tomorrow. Evans had a “mild but not significant limp” leaving the stadium, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. We should learn more about the severity tomorrow.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is scheduled for an MRI on his left knee on Monday, according to Pro Football Talk. The team is “hopeful” he’s just dealing with a minor MCL sprain. We should get an update on Pickett's status within the next 24 hours. QB Mitchell Trubisky finished today’s game for Pittsburgh, completing 3 of 5 passes for 18 yards.
QB Mac Jones was benched in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys, with the Patriots down 31-3. Jones completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards, 0 TDs, and two INTs, one of which went for a pick-6. Jones also lost a fumble that was returned for a Dallas TD. He's been replaced by QB Bailey Zappe. We'll see about New England's plan at QB going forward.
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