• C.J. Stroud hasn’t slowed down: Stroud is not just putting up good fantasy numbers anymore; he’s helping the Texans to blowout victories.

• Injuries heavily impact the new waiver targets: Injuries to Javonte Williams, Tee Higgins and Mike Evans could give opportunities to other players, depending on the severities.

• Career highs for Jake Ferguson: The Dallas tight end is playing too well to ignore despite some playing time concerns.

Estimated Reading Time: 17 minutes

Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season is just about in the books. Here are the players you should be targeting in your fantasy football leagues, including targets in smaller leagues and deeper leagues, as well as players to avoid.

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE

Quarterback

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (Rostered in 30.7% of leagues on ESPN)

Stroud has been worthy of starting in fantasy in each of the past three weeks.

• He completed 16 of his 30 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns in Week 4.
• This was his third straight game with at least 275 passing yards and two touchdowns.
• In the first two weeks of the season, Stroud stood out because Houston was throwing so much while playing from behind. In the past two weeks, the Texans have won by big margins and Stroud has been very efficient.
• The only problem with Stroud at this point is that he’s not adding much as a runner. He runs the ball three or four times a game and has been held to 20 yards or less in each outing.
• Stroud has reached the point where he needs to be on fantasy rosters. The only question now is how often should he be in starting lineups.

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (33.3%)

Stafford produced his third 300-yard game of the season on Sunday in an overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

• Part of Stafford’s success is the Rams’ pace of play and willingness to throw the ball. His 183 dropbacks are the most at the position this season.
• He’s also attempted to make big plays, as 49.4% of his passes have been thrown beyond the first-down marker this season. Tua Tagovailoa is the only quarterback with a higher rate.
• If anything, we can expect even better play from Stafford in the near future. Cooper Kupp is eligible to return from injured reserve, and he will reportedly start practicing this week.