NFL Week 4 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Sunday's games

• Backfield committees rule the early slate: Tyler Allgeier, Chase Brown, Ronnie Rivers, Emanuel Wilson and Tank Bigsby all played more than expected, while Bucky Irving and Roschon Johnson experienced expected increases in playing time.

• Nico Collins re-gains the receiving yards crown: Collins had 50 more receiving yards than anyone else over the first three weeks. Malik Nabers took the lead after a 115-yard performance on Thursday Night Football, but Collins matched that with a 12-catch, 151-yard and one-touchdown performance.

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Estimated reading time: 20 minutes

PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2024.

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons

Alvin Kamara: 19 carries, 77 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 receptions, 42 receiving yards
Taysom Hill: 6 carries, 24 yards, 1 touchdown

Monitor Taysom Hill’s health: Hill suffered an abdomen injury in the middle of the second quarter and was later ruled out for the game.

Hill had a disappointingly small role in the Saints’ Week 1 blowout victory and then suffered a chest injury in Week 2, which caused him to miss Week 3.

He returned this week, and his role for the first four drives matched what many fantasy managers hoped for. He played in 15 of a possible 25 snaps, carrying the ball six times and running four routes. During the time when Hill was still available, Alvin Kamara ran seven times while Jamaal Williams carried the ball three times. Hill lined up twice at quarterback, three times at halfback, three times at fullback, once at tight end, five times in the slot and once out wide.

In standard leagues, Hill’s fantasy performance led to more fantasy points than all but 10 tight ends over the first three weeks. Assuming Hill is able to get healthy, he should be one of the top waiver-wire options at tight end. There will be some weeks where he doesn’t score much on offense, but that is true for the vast majority of tight ends in the league. The difference is the weeks where he does well like this week are better than most other tight ends at their best.

Tyler Allgeier cuts into Bijan Robinson’s role: Allgeier was playing just as much as he was last season in his best games.

It was clear on the second drive that Allgeier would be more involved than the first two weeks. Robinson had played 35 of a possible 36 snaps on the first two drives over the first three games, but Allgeier played all five snaps on the second drive this week.

Robinson took most of the remaining snaps in the first half and had six carries for 26 yards as of halftime. In the second half, this was a complete two-man rotation. Both players played significantly on every drive. Robinson played 14 snaps in the second half to Allgeier's 13. Allgeier ran seven times for 53 yards while Robinson ran once for two yards.

On the season, Allgeier has a higher first down rate, more yards per carry, more yards after contact per carry, a higher avoided tackle rate and more carries of 10 or more yards despite having fewer attempts. It would not be surprising to see Allgeier continue to play significant snaps going forward. Allgeier should be picked up in any league where he’s available. Robinson can remain in fantasy starting lineups, but if this kind of split continues, he will not be worth the first-round pick everyone spent to add him.

Miscellaneous Notes

Alvin Kamara has played over 80% of the Saints' offensive snaps in back-to-back weeks. He only hit more than 80% once in 2023 and once in 2022. He accomplished this despite being listed as questionable due to a hip and rib injury.
Rashid Shaheed reached double-digit targets for the first time in his career. His target rate has exceeded 20% in all four games this season, which is something he only achieved five times all of last season.
Undrafted rookie Mason Tipton set a career-high in offensive snaps at 29 after playing double-digit snaps each of the first three weeks. He’s the clear third receiver and would be the player to target if Chris Olave or Rashid Shaheed suffers an injury.
Charlie Woerner continues to cut into Kyle Pitts’ playing time. Pitts only ran a route on 64.7% of the Falcons' passing plays, and his playing time has decreased slightly each week. His target share has been below 14% in three-of-four games.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers

Chase Brown: 15 carries, 80 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 receptions, 12 receiving yards
Diontae Johnson: 7 receptions, 83 yards, 1 touchdown

Chuba Hubbard sees an increased role: The Panthers lead running back played 74% of Carolina's offensive snaps after playing between 54-58% in each of the first three weeks.

His role was fairly similar to late last season when Hubbard was the feature back in the Panthers backfield. He ran 18 times for 104 yards and a touchdown with four receptions for 17 receiving yards, making this one of the best performances of his career.

Jonathon Brooks is eligible to start practicing after this game but considering he has never practiced with the team, we can expect Hubbard to remain the feature back for at least the foreseeable future. Once Brooks is able to take the field, it wouldn’t be surprising if he takes Miles Sanders’ snaps before he starts cutting into Hubbard’s workload. It is worth mentioning that Sanders also played well despite his reduced role, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and catching three passes.

Xavier Legette shines without Adam Thielen: Legette rarely left the field with Thielen on injured reserve.

Before Thielen’s injury last week, Legette had established himself as one of the two primary receivers in two-receiver sets but wasn’t playing enough in three-receiver sets. After Thielen was injured last week, Legette was an every-down player.

That continued this week, he was a main wide receiver regardless of personnel grouping. He was given a few plays off throughout the game — Jalen Coker was his primary backup. In 12 personnel, Legette played nine snaps and Diontae Johnson played eight out of a possible 11.

Legette caught six-of-10 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. This was already a better fantasy performance than anything we’ve seen from Jonathan Mingo, who was a clear third option in the offense. Legette is a clear waiver-wire target as long as the Panthers keep needing to throw this much.

Chase Brown increases his role: Brown and Zack Moss split carries with 15 each. Brown averaged two more yards per carry than Moss.

The only part of the Bengals' running back rotation that has stayed consistent each week is that Moss is the primary passing-down back. Moss took all of the two-minute drill snaps and most of the third-down snaps. Brown only has two pass-blocking snaps this season, so this part of the rotation seems unlikely to change.

The early-down role has shifted throughout the season. In Week 1, we saw a near-even split between the two. In both Weeks 2 and 3, Moss played two times more snaps than Moss. This week, the two were back to a near-even split.

The big difference this week was Brown saw more of the short-yardage and goal-line work. Moss dominated both of these situations in each of the first three games. This led to both a three-yard touchdown run and a one-yard touchdown run by Brown.

Moss remains the running back to roster of the two. If anything, Brown is a sell-high option because Moss could easily regain the goal-line work in future weeks. It’s also possible the Bengals return to being one of the most dominant offenses in the league, in which case both running backs would have value.

Don’t overreact to Erick All: The Bengals rookie caught four passes for 28 yards and set a career-high in snaps, but this was game script-related.

The Bengals' tight end rotation has remained the same all season. Mike Gesicki has played the majority of Cincinnati's snaps in 11 personnel, while All and Drew Sample have played nearly all of the 12 personnel snaps together. That remained true in this game, but the Bengals ran a lot more plays out of 12 personnel because they had a lead and maintained it.

While All has better targets per route and yards per route run than Gesicki, there has been no indication that All is cutting into Gesicki’s playing time yet.

Miscellaneous Notes

Diontae Johnson showed up on the injury report on Thursday due to a groin injury and was questionable. He played his usual role for most of the game, but at one point, he fell to the ground in pain and was taken out of the game. He was able to return quickly, but his health will be worth monitoring throughout the week.
Mike Boone was the third-string running back in Week 1, but he’s been inactive in Weeks 2 and 4.
Both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins played less than usual, but this was largely due to the team running out the clock in the fourth quarter. The two combined for 20 snaps in the fourth quarter while the team ran 21 plays.
Bengals backup tight end Tanner Hudson missed his third consecutive game due to a knee injury. He was a limited participant in practice on Friday after not participating in the six previous practices that were reported on.

Los Angeles Rams @ Chicago Bears

D’Andre Swift: 16 carries, 93 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 receptions, 72 receiving yards
Kyren Williams: 19 carries, 94 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 receptions, 10 receiving yards

Bears become a two-man backfield: Roschon Johnson played more snaps as expected, but D’Andre Swift had his best game as a Bear.

Johnson took over as the primary third-down back as well as the two-minute drill back last week after Travis Homer landed on injured reserve. There were reports that Johnson would play even more this week after Swift's ineffectiveness in the first two weeks.

This week, despite the reports, Swift remained the clear running back on early downs. Swift took all of the early-down snaps in the first quarter. The two received a near-even split in the second and third quarters — 12 snaps for Swift and 10 for Johnson. In the fourth quarter, it was all Swift outside of kneel downs. Not only did Swift keep a clear hold on the early-down role, but he also played the majority of two-minute drill snaps. After this game, it is a bit safer to put Swift in fantasy starting lineups again.

Despite Swift playing so well, Johnson did play more at Khalil Herbert‘s expense. Herbert had been the primary backup on early downs and the short-yardage back, but Johnson took over in those situations. Johnson is still worth a waiver-wire add. The combination of being a primary backup on early downs, the receiving down back and the goal-line back could be valuable, and the situation could remain fluid.

Keenan Allen returns: Allen returned to his normal role as the Bears’ slot receiver, but he was mostly used in three-receiver sets.

Allen missed the last two weeks due to a heel injury but returned this week. He played 100% of Chicago's offensive snaps in 11 personnel, as did D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze. In two-receiver sets, Moore played 16 snaps while Odunze played 12 and Allen played six out of a possible 17. Moore was the Bears' only wide receiver in 13 personnel, while Tyler Scott took the two snaps during kneel downs.

While none of the Bears receivers had a good week outside of Moore, who scored a touchdown, this was generally good news for Odunze that he kept most of the 12 personnel snaps. Odunze could be considered a buy-low option because there was a chance Odunze would never win the 12 personnel snaps this season.

Jordan Whittington leads the Rams in routes: The Rams wide receiver rotation continues to evolve without Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

According to Jay Glazer, Kupp will miss at least the next two weeks while Nacua will miss at least the next month. Since their injuries, Tyler Johnson and Jordan Whittington initially joined Demarcus Robinson as the top three wide receivers.

Last week, Tutu Atwell became one of the top receivers while Whittington and Johnson split time. This week, Whittington and Atwell were clearly ahead of Johnson, who just gave the other three an occasional break.

While Robinson was the starter to begin the season, Atwell is the top waiver option. For the second straight week, he was the clear leader in receiving yards thanks to his big plays. Whittington also had a breakout game and should also be considered. Both Atwell and Whittington have target rates above 22% this season, while Robinson is at 14.4%. It wouldn’t be surprising if Robinson does not remain a clear starter once everyone is healthy so Atwell and Whittington can be given opportunities to contribute.

Miscellaneous Notes

Cole Kmet’s role is back to what it was last season in terms of playing time and routes run, but his targets per route have only exceeded 15% once this season. Last season, he averaged more than 20%.
Kyren Williams was substituted out slightly more than usual this week. Ronnie Rivers played nine consecutive snaps late in the second quarter. There probably isn’t much to read into this, outside of Rivers still being ahead of Blake Corum on the depth chart.
Colby Parkinson remains among the league leaders in routes run for a tight end and is a fine waiver-wire option with bye weeks hitting for a relatively high floor option.

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

Jayden Reed: 7 receptions, 139 yards, 1 touchdown
Dontayvion Wicks: 5 receptions, 78 yards, 2 touchdowns

Monitor Christian Watson’s health: Watson suffered an ankle injury at the end of the first quarter and was ruled out.

The Packers started the game with the same wide receiver rotation they’ve had all season — Romeo Doubs in one spot while Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks fight for snaps at the other spot and Jayden Reed plays in 11 personnel. There have only been 1.8 players per quarter with both Watson and Wicks on the field, and that remained true in the first quarter —there were two snaps with Watson and Wicks without Doubs.

After Watson’s injury, Wicks took over as the starting wide receiver opposite Doubs. Wicks rarely left the field. Bo Melton became the primary backup wide receiver. This had a minor impact on Doubs’ playing time and had no impact on Jayden Reed’s playing time. Reed continues to play only in three-receiver sets and has yet to play in a two-wide receiver set this season.

Wicks should be a high waiver-wire target if Watson's injury is serious. Over the last two seasons, Wicks has had a higher receiving grade than Doubs, and Watson has had a higher target share and more yards per route run. In this game, he led the team in terms of targets and scored two touchdowns. If Watson is out, Wicks will finally have the routes he needs to shine. If he plays well enough, there is a chance he will keep playing a high percentage of Green Bay's offensive snaps.

Emanuel Wilson remains a factor: Josh Jacobs hasn’t played as much in the last two weeks compared to the first two weeks.

Last week when Wilson received so much playing time, it seemed to do with the Packers winning the game and not wanting to overwork their feature running back. This week, it seems like the Packers trust Wilson and want to use the same running back rotation they’ve utilized for years.

Jacobs played the majority of Green Bay's early-down snaps and the goal-line work, while the two split all other situations. It won’t be surprising if this becomes the new normal for Green Bay, at least until MarShawn Lloyd is healthy. Jacobs should remain in fantasy starting lineups in this split, but it’s unlikely he will see the 20-plus-carry games he frequently saw in Week 1 and with the Raiders.

Aaron Jones wins his revenge game: Jones exceeded 80% of Minnesota's offensive snaps, which he rarely did with the Packers.

Jones played in 82% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps, something he only did once from 2021-2023. It’s ironic that in the one game that proved Jacobs will be in a two-man backfield was the same game when Jones broke out of his norm with the Vikings and played more than the Packers typically let him.

Over the first three weeks, Jones had consistently played 55-61% of Minnesota's offensive snaps while Ty Chandler played 35% each week and C.J. Ham took some of the third-down snaps. Chandler has played relatively well this season, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Jones’ sudden increase in snaps was simply because he was playing his former team. Jones is worth starting each week even if he goes back to his usual role, but there is a chance this change will stick going forward.

Jordan Addison returns: Addison missed the last two weeks due to an ankle injury.

Addison made his presence known immediately with a 29-yard touchdown in the first four minutes. While his stat line was strong for any fantasy manager brave enough to start him, he wasn’t in his usual role in the offense.

In 11 personnel, he played 34 of a possible 37 snaps, which was relatively normal. In two-receiver sets, he played 11-of-25, where he usually plays 100% of those snaps. While a lot of those plays were run plays, it did cost him a few routes throughout the game. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s closer to 100% next week, allowing him to play a higher percentage of Minnesota's offensive snaps.

With him back, that was terrible news for Jalen Nailor’s fantasy value. Nailor only played 11 snaps in 11 personnel, while Brandon Powell took 23. This is similar to what we saw in Week 1 before Addison’s injury, so Nailor’s good play these past two weeks wasn’t enough for him to earn more playing time. In two-receiver sets, it was often Trent Sherfield in when Addison was out, largely due to his run blocking. In most leagues, Nailor can be dropped from fantasy rosters.

Miscellaneous Notes

Tucker Kraft posted his best numbers of the season, but this was partly due to the Packers running 56 passing plays. His target rate was much higher with Malik Willis at quarterback. He’s achieved 1.12 yards per route run in each game with Jordan Love this season, which typically doesn’t cut it for fantasy starting lineups.
While Josh Oliver scored a touchdown, Johnny Mundt remains the Vikings' receiving tight end. Oliver played more snaps this week because they were in more run situations, but if you had to have one tight end from the two, it should be Mundt. Ideally, this situation can be avoided until T.J. Hockenson is back.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

Nico Collins: 12 receptions, 151 yards, 1 touchdown
Brian Thomas Jr.: 6 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown

Tank Bigsby leads the Jaguars in rushing yards: Bigsby broke a 58-yard run, which was more than the 50 yards Travis Etienne gained on his 11 carries.

Etienne started the game, as usual, but was oddly out on the next three plays. He returned for the final play of the drive and then didn’t play another snap until the end of the quarter. It was at one point announced he was dealing with a shoulder injury.

Over the final three quarters, Etienne played 26-of-42 snaps, while Bigsby played 11 and D’Ernest Johnson played six. That 62% snap rate over the last three quarters was still lower than the 70% he consistently played in the first three weeks.

Bigsby has looked effective as a rusher this season. He averages 8.2 yards per carry, which is largely skewed from his 58-yard run from this week, but his avoided tackle rate, first-down rate and explosive run rate all look positive. Bigsby also took three goal-line snaps, which could be huge for his fantasy value, as only one of those snaps occurred while Etienne was out. It’s worth picking up Bigsby in case this injury lingers or the Jaguars simply decide to give Bigsby more opportunities due to his strong play.

Cam Akers continues to start: Both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce were inactive for a second straight week.

While Akers started the game, his role in the offense wasn’t the same as last week. J.J. Taylor significantly cut into Akers’ playing time on early downs. Akers ran 13 times to Taylor's six. Dare Ogunbowale remained the passing-down back, which included scoring the game-winning touchdown.

If Mixon and Pierce miss another game, it will be harder to start Akers. The Texans will play the Buffalo Bills, where they are unlikely to have a late lead where they are running a lot. Mixon was questionable for this week, and it was unclear if he was playing until mid-Sunday morning. This means there is a decent shot of Mixon playing next week.

Robert Woods replaces Tank Dell: The second-year receiver was inactive due to a chest injury.

Over the first three weeks, Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs have been the clear top wide receivers in terms of playing time, while Dell consistently played in three-receiver sets. Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson have split time as the two backups, while Hutchinson typically backed up Collins at the X spot and Woods backed up Diggs and Dell at the Z.

With Dell out, Woods completely took over as the Z receiver in 11 personnel. He continued playing a few snaps due to backing up Diggs in two-receiver sets. This had a minimal impact on Hutchinson’s playing time, as John Metchie III, who had been inactive the first three weeks, took over as the fifth wide receiver.

While Woods was the one to benefit in offensive snaps, this just made Collins and Diggs safer plays in fantasy. Both players achieved over 18 PPR points, while Woods caught a pass for 10 yards. Collins and Diggs will remain must-start players regardless of Dell’s health, while Woods will only be an option in very deep leagues if Dell misses another game.

Miscellaneous Notes

Gabe Davis was questionable for this game due to a shoulder injury. That had no impact on his playing time. He caught one pass for five yards but ended up with -2 yards on the game thanks to losing seven yards during the lateral process on the last play of the game.
Brenton Strange has seen his amount of playing time increase slightly each week while Evan Engram has been out, but his targets per route have decreased in each of the three weeks.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts

Josh Downs: 8 receptions, 82 yards, 1 touchdown
Jonathan Taylor: 21 carries, 88 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 receptions, 20 receiving yards

Add Josh Downs: The Colts slot receiver scored 22.2 fantasy points in his second game back from injury.

Downs was one of the top waiver options at wide receiver last week despite a quiet debut because he returned to his role from last season. The Colts ran more than they passed and didn’t run many plays, so that didn’t allow Downs to put up a high receiving total.

In this game, his target rate was above 30% again, but his average depth of target was much higher, going from 1.8 to 7.0 yards. His rate over all of last season was also 7.0. He was rotated out a little more than usual — Ashton Dulin replaced him — but this was mostly on run plays.

While Downs won’t have a target rate above 30% every week, we can still expect Downs to be one of the clear leaders on this team in targets. It might not be worth starting Downs if the Colts are clear favorites, but in any competitive game like this game, or any game where the Colts are playing from behind, Downs should see a lot of targets.

Monitor Cordarrelle Patterson’s health: Patterson suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and was ruled out by halftime.

The Steelers were already missing Jaylen Warren, who was inactive with a knee injury. The Steelers started the game with a three-man rotation at running back. Najee Harris was in his usual role, while Patterson took Warren’s vacated snaps on early downs and Aaron Shampklin took the third-down snaps.

Shampklin was a 2022 undrafted rookie out of Harvard who spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers from 2022-2023. In 2023, he played three games with the Houston Roughnecks as a receiving back. This was his NFL debut.

Once Patterson left due to his injury, the Steelers adjusted their plans at halftime. Harris played 35 of a possible 38 snaps in the second half while Shampklin only played three. If both Warren and Patterson miss next week, we can expect a large role out of Harris, while Shampklin still mixes in during passing situations.

Miscellaneous Notes

Anthony Richardson suffered a hip injury and didn’t return. Joe Flacco will be the Colts quarterback for as long as Richardson is out.
Trey Sermon took most of the third-down snaps, but Jonathan Taylor played all of the two-minute drill snaps. In general, a running back playing everything but third downs is nearly as good as having a feature role.
The Colts tight end situation was already the worst one for fantasy football purposes, but it was even worse this week with Will Mallory active, making this a four-man rotation. The four combined for one target.
Steelers rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson has been a full participant in practice each of the last five practices, but he remains inactive.
Steelers third-string tight end MyCole Pruitt missed his second-straight game due to a knee injury.

Denver Broncos @ New York Jets

Courtland Sutton: 3 receptions, 60 yards, 1 touchdown
Allen Lazard: 5 receptions, 58 yards

Monitor Tyler Badie’s health: Badie was taken off in a stretcher from the sideline at the start of the second quarter and didn’t return.

Badie played well in the fourth quarter of last week’s game, leading to more opportunities in the first quarter this week. On the first and third drives, Javonte Williams was the primary back, while Tyler Badie was the primary back on the second and fourth drive. Badie took a hard hit on the fourth drive, leading to his injury.

Williams played 29 snaps over the rest of the game to Jaleel McLaughlin‘s 18. Williams received twice as many carries, and both running backs averaged around five yards per carry. Based on the first quarter, it would have been hard to trust Williams in starting lineups considering the three-man rotation. Assuming Badie misses significant time, it will be safer to consider Williams in the short term.

Braelon Allen’s role keeps growing: Allen was the Jets' clear leader in rushing yards this week.

Allen ran eight times for 34 yards while Breece Hall ran 10 times for four yards. Hall caught two passes for 14 yards while Allen caught one for 12 yards.

Each week, Allen has played a higher percentage of New York's early-down snaps, and now they are close to even. Hall remains the clear passing-down back, but Allen has taken more of the short-yardage and goal-line snaps this week after barely playing in those situations the first three weeks.

Hall dominated snaps in the first half with 31 of a possible 38, but in the second half, it was a near-even split. The Jets likely don’t want Hall playing more than 50 snaps in a game, leading to Allen seeing more work because the Jets ran a lot of plays.

However, Allen has been a much better runner this season. Allen’s gained a first down on 29.6% of his carries compared to Hall's 16.1%. Both have three carries of 10-plus yards this season despite Hall getting twice as many attempts. Allen is playing too well not to play significant snaps. It will be curious to see the split going forward, but Allen should definitely be on fantasy rosters in every league.

Monitor Mike Williams’ role: Williams led the Jets in receiving yards at 67, but his role might not sustain strong fantasy performances.

Williams’ role has changed each week in 11 personnel. He barely played in Week 1, dominated snaps in Week 2, split snaps with Xavier Gipson in Week 3 and had a solid lead over Gipson in Week 4.

Over the last three weeks, he’s played all 13 snaps out of 21 personnel. Those are generally running situations, but the Jets have passed on 10 of those 13 plays. That will likely trend more toward rushing in future weeks. In 12 personnel, Williams has only played 10-of-57 snaps over the last three weeks, with no snaps there this week. If Williams is only playing most and not all of 11 personnel snaps while not playing in 12 personnel, it will be hard to trust him in fantasy starting lineups despite his solid game.

Miscellaneous Notes

Rooke wide receiver Devaughn Vele caught eight passes in Week 1 but missed Week 2 due to a rib injury. He’s been inactive the last two weeks despite not appearing at all on the injury report this week. This appears to be the new normal unless one of the top five players on the depth chart suffers an injury or underperforms.
Josh Reynolds was listed on the injury report due o an Achilles injury. He was limited in practice on Wednesday. It’s possible his injury impacted his playing time, but it’s also possible the Broncos will lean more on Troy Franklin going forward.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Evans: 8 receptions, 94 yards, 1 touchdown
Bucky Irving: 10 carries, 49 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 reception, 6 receiving yards

Bucky Irving’s role increases: Irving led the Buccaneers in rushing yards each of the first three weeks, leading to a larger role.

Rachaad White was consistently playing around 80% of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps last season with minimal competition. Over the first three weeks, he bounced around 70-75% of the Bucs' offensive snaps, as he was already losing some work to Irving. This week, White played 58% of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps, his lowest rate in a game since he split the backfield with Leonard Fournette in 2022.

Irving not only took a few more snaps on early downs, but he took half of the goal-line work. White played every goalline snap over the first three weeks. Irving also took a few of the third-down snaps. White had played 24-of-28 snaps over the first three weeks. The only situation White was consistently on the field this week was the two-minute drill, but last week, Irving played six-of-10 two-minute drill snaps. We knew Irving would play more snaps on normal early downs, but the increase in both goal-line and third-down snaps was more of a surprise.

The two running backs saw an identical number of carries and rushing yards. White playing well may have stopped Irving from completely taking over the backfield in the short term, but we could reach a point where Irving is an every-down back given how he was used this week.

Monitor Trey Palmer’s health: Palmer suffered a concussion in the first quarter and didn’t return.

The Buccaneers didn’t have third wide receiver Jalen McMillan due to a hamstring injury. Palmer was the presumed replacement, but on the first drive, he rotated with veteran Sterling Shepard. Palmer caught three passes, culminating with a touchdown on the second drive, but that was his last play of the game.

Shepard replaced Palmer for the rest of the game, while Kameron Johnson took over as everyone's primary backup. McMillan should return to his usual role once he’s healthy, and Palmer should be the third receiver if he’s back before McMillan. Shepard should only be considered in very deep leagues if both young receivers remain out.

Kenneth Gainwell mixes in more than in previous weeks: Saquon Barkley had played over 80% of Philadelphia's offensive snaps in each of the first three weeks.

The start of the game looked relatively normal for Barkley. He played 22-of-23 snaps over the first four drives, which included eight runs.

The second half was very different, as Gainwell played 24-of-34 snaps compared to Barkley's 10. The Eagles were playing from behind by at least two scores, and they likely didn’t want to risk losing Barkley after losing so many other star players so far this season.

The backfield split ultimately looked very similar to two seasons ago when Miles Sanders was the early-down back and Gainwell was the receiving back. This probably isn’t anything to be concerned about long term unless the Eagles have these bad game scripts in the future.

The Eagles adapt without DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown: Smith missed this game due to a concussion he suffered last week, while Brown missed another game due to a hamstring injury.

The Eagles started this game with Jahan Dotson as an every-down wide receiver while Johnny Wilson and Parris Campbell joined in 11 personnel while the two split snaps in two-receiver sets. In the second half, Wilson was taken out of the game to be evaluated for a concussion. This led former first-round pick John Ross to play his first offensive snaps since 2021, taking over as the third wide receiver over the rest of the game.

Campbell had the most fantasy value of the group with four receptions for 17 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles have their bye week next week, which will ideally be enough time for Smith and Brown to return.

Monitor Dallas Goedert’s health: Goedert did not play a snap in the fourth quarter.

Goedert was the Eagles' clear top receiver for most of the game, catching seven passes for 62 yards in three quarters. He played 36 of a possible 40 snaps in that time. He didn’t play a snap in the fourth quarter. It’s currently unclear why, outside of a single tweet saying Goedert “seems to be having some issues”.

If Goedert ends up missing time, Grant Calcaterra is the clear replacement. He played 16-of-17 snaps in the fourth quarter and was the clear No. 2 tight end over the first three weeks. Calcatera’s potential fantasy value will depend heavily on the health of the wide receivers as well as Goedert.

Miscellaneous Notes

Cade Otton caught six passes for 52 yards. His playing time hasn’t changed in the last two years, but his target share has increased over the last two weeks. It’s no sure thing that this continues, especially with the injuries at wide receiver, but he could be one of the best waiver options at tight end.

Washington Commanders @ Arizona Cardinals

Jeremy McNichols: 8 carries, 68 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 reception, 6 receiving yards
Terry McLaurin: 7 receptions, 52 yards, 1 touchdown

Commanders rotate their wide receivers: Terry McLaurin was rotated out more than usual, and it wasn’t just because of the blowout.

The Commanders have used some wide receiver rotation all season, which continued this week. Noah Brown and Luke McCaffrey were the primary second and third receivers, but neither played over 70% of Washington's snaps. Usually, McLaurin was the exception to this rotation but not this week.

McLaurin played 111-of-116 snaps in 11 personnel over the first three weeks. When the team wanted to give McLaurin a break, it was in other personnel groupings. He had played 30-of-42 snaps in 12 personnel and 10-of-13 in 21 personnel.

In this game, he only played 25-of-32 snaps in 11 personnel. This included sitting out three plays in 11 personnel in the first half while the game was still within reach. In the first half, in general, he only played 68% of Washington's offensive snaps, which was much lower than his usual average.

This obviously didn’t impact his fantasy production in this game, but there is a chance the Commanders continue rotating wide receivers to keep McLaurin fresh, and that could impact his fantasy performance in future weeks.

Commanders adjust without Austin Ekeler: Ekeler missed this game due to a concussion, leading Jeremy McNichols to see a larger role.

So far this season, Brian Robinson has played more than last season while Ekeler also mixes in significantly. Robinson tended to play in rushing situations and Ekeler in passing, but it wasn’t as strong of a tendency as most teams.

With Ekeler out, McNichols stepped right into that role. Robinson didn’t play more, but given the blowout, Robinson ran 21 times for 101 yards. McNichols scored twice because he happened to take a 27-yard run for a touchdown in the second quarter, and he was playing a little bit more in the fourth quarter, leading to his final touchdown.

McNichols probably doesn’t need to be a waiver-wire target, as Ekeler will ideally be back with the team next week. Even if Ekeler isn’t back, the Commanders face a stronger run defense next week against the Cleveland Browns.

Elijah Higgins replaces Trey McBride: The Cardinals' star tight end missed this game after suffering a concussion last week.

Higgins largely stepped into McBride’s role, playing most of the 11 personnel snaps. Typically, McBride plays in both 11 and 12 personnel, but Travis Vokolek took over in 12 personnel. The injury had no impact on rookie Tip Reiman, who continued to play in two and three tight end sets.

Ideally, McBride is back next week. If not, this is a situation to avoid. This game also further proves Reiman has minimal dynasty value despite how much draft capital the Cardinals invested in him.

Miscellaneous Notes

Commanders backup wide receiver Jamison Crowder was inactive due to a calf injury.
The Commanders' tight end rotation was similar to past weeks. Zach Ertz played in 11 personnel while John Bates and Ben Sinnott played in 12 personnel. The Commanders played 11 snaps out of 13 personnel, which is more than double their average of five plays out of 13 per game.
Cardinals rookie running back Trey Benson played three snaps over the first 55 minutes and eight snaps in the last five minutes. His playing time in this game isn’t an indication of a larger role.

New England Patriots @ San Francisco 49ers

Jordan Mason: 24 carries, 123 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 receptions, 37 receiving yards
George Kittle: 4 receptions, 45 yards, 1 touchdown

Ja’Lynn Polk reaches clear starter status: Polk was the clear leader in the wide receiver room in snaps, routes run and targets.

The Patriots had used a heavy rotation of Polk, K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton at outside receiver while Demario Douglas took the 11 personnel snaps in the slot. In the first quarter, it was just Osborn and Thornton rotating, while Polk consistently stayed on the field.

In the second quarter, Kayshon Boutte joined the rotation on the outside, taking more snaps than both Osborn and Thornton in the quarter. In the second half, the Patriots largely stopped the rotation, and stuck with Polk and Osborn as the outside receivers with Douglas in the slot. Osborn played 29 snaps, Polk played 27, Douglas played 20, Thornton played six and Boutte played four in the half.

This is great news for Polk’s fantasy value, but it is worth noting Kendrick Bourne is eligible to return to practice this week. It’s possible Thornton might be the odd man off the roster once Bourne is back. This will likely go back to some kind of rotation, but it’s possible Polk can maintain his current role.

Deebo Samuel returns: The 49ers star receiver returned from his calf injury, bringing the 49ers closer to full strength.

Jauan Jennings scored three touchdowns in Samuel’s absence last week, but the receivers’ playing time was back to normal for this game. Through three quarters, Brandon Aiyuk and Samuel played 41 of a possible 46 snaps, while Jennings played 24, largely in 11 personnel. In the fourth quarter, the 49ers were running out the clock, which meant fewer receivers on the field and more of a rotation.

While Jennings’ playing time was limited, that didn’t stop him from catching three passes for 88 yards. Samuel caught three for 58, and Aiyuk caught two for 48. Despite how well Jennings has been playing, it will be hard to start him going forward due to this role. He is a clear sell-high candidate.

Miscellaneous Notes

George Kittle returned after missing last week due to a hamstring injury. He, at one point during the game, was questionable due to a rib injury, but he returned and played every snap in the fourth quarter. He can safely stay in fantasy starting lineups.
Antonio Gibson didn’t play for 14 straight minutes in the second quarter and returned for the second half. There were no reports of an injury. JaMycal Hasty played the snaps Gibson typically would have played during that time. Gibson returned to his normal role for the second half, as Hasty only played two other snaps late in the fourth quarter.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Chargers

Xavier Worthy: 3 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown
Ladd McConkey: 5 receptions, 67 yards, 1 touchdown

Kareem Hunt emerges: Hunt was signed off the practice squad, replacing Keaontay Ingram on the active roster.

The Chiefs started this game the same as last week. Carson Steele was the early-down back and Samaje Perine played passing downs. This lasted the entire first quarter. Steele lost a fumble on the first drive, and the Chiefs followed that with an interception on the first play of the second drive and a three-and-out on the third drive.

In the second quarter, Hunt completely took over Steele’s role, as Steele did not play a single snap in the quarter. The Chiefs offense generally played better, and Hunt looked solid with five yards per carry. The Chiefs only had one drive in the third quarter, where Hunt played four snaps to Steele’s two. In the fourth quarter, the team largely stuck with Hunt, who ran eight times in the quarter while Steele didn’t run at all.

This generally looks like good news for Hunt, but it’s impossible to know how the backfield split would have looked had Steele not lost a fumble early on. It’s certainly possible we see Hunt start next week, but it’s also possible this situation will remain fluid on early downs in the short term. The only thing we can be confident of is that Perine is the third-down back.

Rashee Rice suffers a serious injury: Initial reports suggest it’s an ACL tear, which would end Rice’s season.

Rice played four-of-five snaps on the Chiefs’ first two drives, as his injury occurred on the only play of the second drive. During that time, Xavier Worthy also played four snaps, while Justin Watson played three. It seemed like JuJu Smith-Schuster surpassed Watson on the depth chart last week, but that didn’t seem to be the case at the start of this game.

After the injury, Worthy, Watson and Smith-Schuster were the primary receivers. All three played at least 27 of a possible 32 snaps out of 11 personnel, while Worthy and Watson both played at least 11-of-16 snaps in 12 personnel. There was no clear slot receiver, as all three players played between nine-to-12 slot snaps in 11 personnel after the injury. Over the first three weeks, Rice had been the top slot receiver on the team.

This generally increases the chances Worthy can be in fantasy starting lineups going forward since he will need to be the team’s top receiver. The only other player to consider off the waiver wire is Smith-Schuster. He gained 933 yards on 78 receptions in 2022 in this offense. His role hasn’t been the same to this point, but there is a chance the Chiefs bring him back to that role in the future. It also wouldn’t be surprising if the Chiefs try to bring in a receiver through a trade as the team continues their pursuit of a third straight Super Bowl victory.

Joshua Palmer returns: Palmer missed part of Week 2 and all of Week 3 due to an elbow injury.

The Chargers ran 36 plays out of 11 or 20 personnel — Palmer, Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey all played at least 34 snaps. In two-receiver sets, the three players largely split time – Palmer played nine snaps, McConkey played seven and Johnston played six, all out of a possible 12 plays.

McConkey was the clear leader in targets, receptions and receiving yards out of the group. Johnston had two strong games without Palmer thanks to his touchdown total, but he only caught one pass for nine yards this week.

The main concern with McConkey heading into the season is how much he would play in two-receiver sets. Considering he played over half of those snaps this week, we no longer have to be concerned with him like we do several other slot receivers. He is likely the clear Chargers wide receiver to roster and consider starting going forward.

Miscellaneous Notes

Travis Kelce played 87% of the Chiefs' offensive snaps. His playing time has been noticeably higher this season compared to last. He’s played at least 87% of the Chief's offensive snaps in three-of-four games so far this season. He only reached 87% of Kansas City's offensive snaps three times all of last season, including the playoffs.
J.K. Dobbins didn’t have much success in this game, but his percentage of Los Angeles' offensive snaps continues to rise. Last week, he played 65% of the Charger's offensive snaps for just the second time in his career and the first time since 2020. This week, he played 71%, 5% more than any other game in his career. He is a buy-low candidate.

Cleveland Browns @ Las Vegas Raiders

Jerry Jeudy: 6 receptions, 72 yards
Jerome Ford: 10 carries, 58 yards, 7 receptions, 27 receiving yards

Brock Bowers doesn’t shine despite opportunity: Michael Mayer missed this game due to a personal matter, while Davante Adams missed due to a hamstring injury.

This seemed like the ideal time for Bowers to step up and have a huge game. In terms of playing time, he only received a slight increase. He was consistently on the field for most personnel groups, but he split 11 personnel with Harrison Bryant. When Bowers was in for 11 personnel, they threw 11-of-14 plays. When Bryant was in, they ran six-of-10 plays. Whenever they needed a pass blocker, it was typically Bryant pass blocking.

While running a route on 80% of Las Vegas' offensive plays isn’t perfect, it’s still better than the vast majority of tight ends. The bigger problem was his target share was 17.4%, which was the lowest for him in a game in his short career. Ideally, we expected something closer to 25% considering the number of vacated targets. The other problem is Gardner Minshew only attempted 24 passes, where he was averaging 33 per game.

Instead, Jakobi Meyers led the team in targets. Tre Tucker also played more snaps, while D.J. Turner was the team’s third receiver in three-receiver sets. Bowers still is an obvious must-start going forward, but he’s still not in the ideal situation, and it’s unlikely he will see a large boost if the team trades Adams.

Browns change their tight end approach: Browns tight end David Njoku missed his third-straight game due to an ankle injury.

In the first two games, Jordan Akins was the clear receiving tight end. He had run a route on 60 of the 93 Browns' passing plays, while Blake Whiteheart played 15 and Geoff Swaim played three.

This week, the Browns opted for more of a committee approach. This left all three tight ends running a route on 40% of Cleveland's offensive plays or less. This means that if Njoku continues to miss time, Akins is no longer a viable replacement in the vast majority of leagues.

Miscellaneous Notes

Over the last three weeks, Jerome Ford has played in 57.6% of the offensive snaps when the Browns have a lead and 84.2% of the snaps when they are playing from behind.
Pierre Strong Jr. has been out due to a hamstring injury for most of that time, including this game.
The Raiders' running back rotation was very similar to past weeks. Zamir White took most of the early-down work while Alexander Mattison took the passing-down work and some early-down work. The biggest difference this week is White took the only goal line snap, which ended up being a Tre Tucker touchdown run.

Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens

Derrick Henry: 24 carries, 199 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 receptions, 10 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Justice Hill: 4 carries, 18 yards, 6 receptions, 78 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

Keon Coleman doesn’t fully recover after benching: Coleman was benched for the first quarter of last week’s game because he was late to the Bills’ facilities during the week.

Coleman played 84% of offensive snaps over the first two weeks, the highest rate among Bills receivers. He participated in 47 of 52 pass plays, eight more than any other wideout. However, after being benched for the first half last week, he found himself in a rotation for the remainder of the game.

This week, he remained in more of a rotation — like the rest of the Bills' receivers. He missed out on 10 plays in 11 personnel in favor of Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Curtis Samuel and only played in half of the snaps in two-wide-receiver sets before garbage time.

Coleman managed three receptions for 51 yards, but his reduced snap count and lower target share make it difficult to trust him as a reliable fantasy option without an increase in route participation or targets moving forward.

Dalton Kincaid takes steps in the right direction: Dawson Knox took more snaps out of 11 personnel than Kincaid over the first three weeks.

Kincaid was drafted in fantasy leagues because he had top-five potential, but to this point, Knox had prevented him from playing enough to reach that potential. In this game, Kincaid played the majority of snaps in 11 personnel before garbage time, yet Knox still played double-digit snaps in those situations, specifically on passing plays.

Kincaid typically plays more when the Bills are trailing, while Knox gets more snaps when they’re ahead. With Buffalo expected to lead more often, it could be a frustrating season for Kincaid's fantasy managers. After a five-catch, 47-yard performance, he might be a good sell-high candidate.

Ravens continue tight end rotation: Neither Isaiah Likely nor Mark Andrews played enough to have fantasy value this week.

The Ravens continued to use Likely and Andrews in 12 personnel and Likely and Charlie Kolar in 22 personnel, as they have all season. All three players got some playing time in 21 personnel.

The most notable trend came in 11 personnel, where ]Andrews took the majority of snaps, though many were on run plays. On the other hand, Likely played more snaps on passing plays in that formation.

Likely’s increased usage on passing plays in 11 personnel, combined with his snaps in 22 personnel, allowed him to lead the Ravens' tight ends in routes run. The tight end group could gain more fantasy value in games where the Ravens are playing from behind, but that scenario may be rare moving forward. Baltimore has already faced tough opponents like the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Bills — three of last year’s top-seeded teams — and with none of those teams left on the schedule, the Ravens could be favored in every remaining game this season.

Given how frequently Mark Andrews is off the field when the Ravens have a lead — and with Baltimore expected to lead in most games — dropping Andrews in some leagues isn't entirely out of the question. While Andrews has consistently been a top-five tight end in terms of talent, it’s reasonable to hold onto him as well, given his potential, in case the Ravens increase his opportunities or he gets traded.

Miscellaneous Notes

Justice Hill recorded a career-high 78 receiving yards and scored the second receiving touchdown of his career. While Hill is a top-five fantasy running back on the week, it’s hard to trust him, considering he’s mainly a receiving back. He only reached double-digit touches in this game because of the 25-point blowout. He didn’t reach double-digit touches in any of the first three games and is unlikely to reach it consistently.
Ray Davis consistently played double-digit snaps and recorded five or more carries, but that was largely because the Bills were winning games and could afford to give their rookies opportunities. Given the blowout loss, Davis played only two snaps until the Bills put in backups midway through the fourth quarter.
It’s worth noting that the Bills rotated players out when down by 25 points halfway through the fourth, which impacted the playing time of their skill players.

Table Notes

Snaps include plays called back due to penalties, including offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown-away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.