Bears QB Justin Fields threw four TDs for the second straight game in Thursday night's easy win over the Commanders. He'd thrown four TDs in exactly 0 NFL games prior to these last two -- and only reached three TDs once. Fields was locked onto top WR D.J. Moore against Washington, connecting with him on eight of 10 throws for 230 yards and three scores. Fields' other TD went to TE Cole Kmet. There was a lot of bad defense from the Commanders in this one, but Fields is certainly looking more comfortable in the pocket and throwing downfield a lot more than he did last season. He added 57 rushing yards on 11 carries in this one for a monster fantasy day. Fields has a good chance to stay hot going forward in favorable upcoming matchups vs. the Vikings, Raiders, and Chargers.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with his hamstring injury, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac. The Steelers have a Week 6 bye, so it's possible that Freiermuth ends up missing just one game. He'll be replaced by some combination of rookie TE Darnell Washington and TE Connor Heyward. Neither guy is a recommended fantasy add.
Steelers WR George Pickens mustered only 3 grabs for 25 yards on 7 targets. The Steelers lost Kenny Pickett (knee) to injury in the 3rd quarter, but this offense struggled to get anything going regardless of QB. Pickens went 0 for 2 on targets from backup Mitch Trubisky. Even if Pickett gets cleared for Week 5, Pickens will remain a shaky fantasy option vs. Baltimore. Note that Diontae Johnson (hamstring) will remain out.
Steelers RB Najee Harris led the team in rushing yards (71) and receiving yards (32) in Week 4. It was a strong individual effort from Harris, who had to overcome a leaky O-line and a 3rd quarter injury to Kenny Pickett. Harris lost 6 targets to Jaylen Warren but held the carry edge, 14-8. Baltimore arrives in Week 5 to provide a stiffer test.
Bears QB Justin Fields turned in an elite passing line vs. the Broncos in Week 4: 28-of-35 (80%) for 335 yards (9.6 YPA), four TDs, and one INT. The passing yards and TDs were career bests. Fields ran just four times for 25 yards ... because he didn't need to run. There were Bears pass catchers running wide open all day. Credit to Fields for hitting the open guys. But this game was more about Denver's defense than Fields' performance. We'll see if this outing kick starts his season, but Fields unfortunately won't get to play the Broncos again this year. He gets a middling Commanders defense in Week 5 before three straight plus matchups against the Vikings, Raiders, and Chargers.
It took a while for QB Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense to get rolling in Chicago. He hit halftime with just 88 passing yards and one TD. But, down 21 to 7, Denver went pass-heavy in the second half. Wilson delivered another 135 yards and two scores, leading the Broncos to a 31 to 28 comeback win. It hasn't always been pretty, but Wilson has averaged 254 yards and 2.3 TDs per game through the first four weeks. He's playing reasonably well -- and Denver's awful defense is creating shootout environments. Wilson won't be a recommended QB1 vs. the Jets in Week 5. But the next three weeks bring doable matchup vs. the Chiefs, Packers, and Chiefs again.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth has been knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Texans with a hamstring injury. We'll look for an update on the severity.
Dolphins S DeShon Elliott (ankle, groin) is inactive for today's game against the Bills. That should mean Brandon Jones starting in his place. Jones' struggles in coverage will make Miami's secondary even more vulnerable to the Bills' pass offense. But Jones should be at least as good a bet as Elliott for tackles. Miami has used him heavily as a blitzer in the past, which adds IDP upside. Jones is interesting for fantasy use in an upside matchup for DB tackles.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) is active for today’s game vs. the Jaguars in London. We’ll see how much he mixes in behind RBs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in his 2023 debut, but Patterson is only an option in one-game DFS contests.
Eagles RB Boston Scott (concussion) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Commanders. Scott figures to return as the No. 3 RB behind D’Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) is listed as questionable for Sunday morning’s game vs. the Jaguars. Patterson has yet to play this season, so it’s unclear what his role will look like in this offense. He’s not a Week 4 fantasy option.
Eagles RB Boston Scott (concussion) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Commanders. Scott figures to be Philly's No. 3 RB behind D'Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell.
Chargers WR Mike Williams has been diagnosed with a torn left ACL and will miss the rest of the 2023 season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The timing of the injury at least gives Williams a good chance to be ready for the start of the 2024 campaign. He turns 29 in about a week and is officially signed with the Chargers for next season. But his contract currently carries a $32.5 million cap hit. Williams will need to restructure that deal to remain with the team. His absence for the rest of this season leaves behind big opportunity. Williams averaged 8.7 targets on a 21.3% share through three games. WR Josh Palmer is the better immediate bet for production with Williams out. But first-round rookie WR Quentin Johnston is the higher-upside longer-term bet. WR Keenan Allen, RB Austin Ekeler (once healthy), and TE Gerald Everett should also see a bit more volume without Williams.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Chargers fear WR Mike Williams may have suffered a "potentially" season-ending left knee injury in Sunday's win over the Vikings. He'll have an MRI today to confirm the diagnosis. Losing Williams would present opportunity to rookie WR Quentin Johnston and third-year WR Josh Palmer. Each will be worth a look on the waiver wire this week, with Johnston carrying more upside.
Steelers WR George Pickens led the team in receiving with 75 yards and 4 catches in Week 3’s win vs. the Raiders. Second-year wideout Calvin Austin III had a nice performance as well, hauling in 2 of 6 targets with a 72-yard TD. Fantasy managers also saw a bounce back from TE Pat Freiermuth in the contest. He totaled 3 catches for 41 yards and a score on Sunday night. This is the best that the Steelers’ passing offense has looked all season. Still, we’re not going to get overly excited about this one, given the poor state of the offense. We’ll see if this unit can build upon their achievements in Week 4 vs. the Texans.
Steelers RB Najee Harris posted 19 carries for 65 rushing yards vs. the Raiders on Sunday night. Teammate Jaylen Warren logged 29 rushing yards on 8 carries in addition to hauling 3 of 4 targets for 23 yards as a receiver. Even though the duo saw a larger workload divide between them in this contest, Warren outscored Harris in PPR with 8.2 and 6.5 points, respectively. The Raiders’ defense has been a soft matchup so far in 2023. The fact that neither back could capitalize on this opportunity speaks to the deficiencies the Steelers’ offense still has to work through. They’ll have a chance to improve upon this outing next week vs. the Texans.
Bears QB Justin Fields completed 11 of 22 attempts for 99 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Week 3’s loss vs. the Chiefs. He also added 47 rushing yards on 11 carries in the contest, but this 41-10 blowout loss is just the latest blemish on what’s been a terrible start to the season for Chicago. It’s fair to question at this point if Fields can even be trusted for fantasy purposes. Fortunately, the Bears are set to face off against the Broncos in Week 4. The Denver defense just got annihilated by the Dolphins, so maybe there’ll be some hope for Fields.
Chargers WR Mike Williams rode a cart to the bus with his left leg in a brace after Sunday's win over the Vikings, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Williams is scheduled for a Monday MRI, but this obviously looks like a serious injury. We should learn more tomorrow.
Chargers WR Mike Williams suffered an apparent left knee injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. He needed a couple of trainers to help him off the field. Stay tuned for an update.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Lions. Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier will continue to handle 100% of Atlanta’s RB work.
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