Fantasy Football Recap Week 4: 17 Things You Need To Know

If you are a fan of comebacks, NFL Week 4 has you covered. Two games went to overtime before a decision was reached. Both the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings fought from behind to pull out their first victories of the season. Plus, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets gave it a valiant effort before coming up just a bit short in their comeback bids. With a lot of exciting finishes, you can be confident there are fantasy-relevant performances to review. Let’s jump right in.

Top Players

Josh Allen put on his best performance of the season in a highly anticipated contest against the Dolphins. Allen topped 300 yards for the first time this season while also hitting his best touchdown total with four passing scores. He added a rushing score for the second consecutive week as the Bills handed Miami their first loss of the year.

Josh Allen's day:

21/25 (84%), 320 yards, four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. And add to that a perfect passer rating — 158.3.

— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) October 1, 2023

A.J. Brown is on fire. He caught nine passes for the second week in a row and amassed 175 yards receiving. As if that weren’t enough, he made it to the end zone twice. Both touchdowns came in the second half of a back-and-forth divisional matchup against Washington. The Eagles won in overtime on a Jake Elliott field goal. Brown now has 27 targets and 18 receptions over his past two games.

Stefon Diggs was the largest beneficiary of Josh Allen’s big afternoon. The pair hooked up six times on Sunday. Diggs compiled 120 receiving yards for a perfectly round 20 yards per catch. Allen’s favorite target took three trips to the end zone in a game where Buffalo never trailed.

Devon Achane continued his hot streak in Buffalo. The rookie running back added two more touchdowns to his season total and hit triple digits in rushing yards once again. He opened the fourth quarter with a 55-yard run. Achane is averaging over 10 yards per touch to date.

Mark Andrews came roaring back to fantasy prominence after a relatively quiet start, by his standards. He tied for the most receptions he has had in the young season. Andrews also scored a pair of touchdowns. He has at least five targets in each game he has appeared in so far.

Puka Nacua did it again in a walk-off victory over the Colts. Everyone’s favorite fantasy darling had a third game topping 100 yards in his young career. On Sunday, Nacua caught nine of 10 targets and tallied 163 yards in Indianapolis. After the Rams opened up a 23-0 lead, the Colts came charging back to tie the game only to watch it slip away on Nacua’s first NFL touchdown. He currently leads the NFL in receptions this season.

Derrick Henry bounced back in a big way. After managing just 20 yards in Week 3, Henry carried 21 times for 122 yards facing the Bengals. He recorded his second rushing touchdown of the year and caught his only target in the passing game. For good measure, Henry threw a touchdown pass after taking a direct snap in the red zone. All in all, it was a big day for the veteran back leading his team to their second victory of the season.

Flop Players

Deebo Samuel was invisible on Sunday. While the 49ers likely do not mind, considering they notched another victory, fantasy managers have to have some concern. Samuel went without a target after seeing no fewer than seven in each of the 49ers' first three games. Perhaps, it is just a blip on the radar on a day where McCaffrey basically did it all himself, but the situation bears monitoring.

Chris Olave had his most disappointing output of the 2023 season. After catching six or more passes and seeing double-digit targets in his first three games, Olave made a single catch Sunday. He did see five targets, so the team was trying to keep him involved. Still, the results were not there. On the bright side, he would have had a long touchdown if the Derek Carr pass had been more accurate. Carr was also playing just a week after sustaining an AC sprain.

Pop Players

Justin Fields has had football fans calling for his job this season. With the Bears as one of the league’s winless teams, Chicago fans have been preparing to celebrate their team drafting Caleb Williams. Fields apparently only needed to face the struggling Broncos’ defense to turn his situation around. Fields did his best to quiet the doubters with his first career 300+ yard passing day. It was also the first time he threw for four touchdowns. In fact, he had never thrown for more than two before. It may be too early to say his worries are behind him, but this performance is certainly worth noting.

Justin Fields today
28 of 35
335 passing yards
4 TD 1 INT
132.7 QB passer rating

And Chicago loses... pic.twitter.com/OmcuYn1Ntv

— Nick Whalen (@_NickWhalen) October 1, 2023

C.J. Stroud has popped and it wasn’t just what he did Sunday. The rookie signal-caller led his team to their second victory of the season. For three straight weeks, he has thrown multiple touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception in his pro career and he has not fumbled in the team’s consecutive wins. Only Cam Newton has more passing yards in his first four starts. In redraft formats, if you have been struggling at quarterback, it is worth a look to see if Stroud might still be available.

Cole Kmet was a big boost to his quarterback having a breakout game. The big tight end caught two touchdowns for just the third time in his career. He also delivered 85 yards receiving, catching seven of nine targets. Kmet is the top-scoring tight end of the week heading into Monday Night.

Michael Wilson scored the first touchdown of his career and liked it so much that he scored another. The rookie wideout had a big day against San Francisco. He hauled in all seven of his targets for 76 yards. Over the last three games, he has been targeted 12 times, catching every one. He has at least 56 yards receiving in each of those contests.

Drop Players?

Kenny Pickett sustained an injury to his left knee in the third quarter of the game in Houston. He needed help to get off the field and was swiftly taken to the locker room. Pickett was ruled out almost immediately. He is said to have an MCL sprain in the knee meaning he will be sidelined for four to six weeks. It is unclear whether his ACL is intact. The quarterback will have an MRI on Monday.

#Steelers QB Kenny Pickett likely faces at least a 4-6 week recovery after hurting his knee vs. Texans, per injury analyst @mjsportspt. Best-case: isolated MCL sprain, no surgery. Worst-case: ACL and MCL damage.

— Cody J. Benjamin (@CodyJBenjamin) October 1, 2023

Pat Freiermuth injured his hamstring and exited the Steelers' loss at Houston in the third quarter. He was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Mike Evans left the Buccaneers’ game against New Orleans in the second quarter after sustaining an apparent hamstring injury. He made three catches for 40 yards in a game that the Bucs went on to win.

Tee Higgins departed the Bengals’ loss during the second quarter. He was diagnosed with a rib injury. The young receiver did not return to the game.