As we delve into Week 4 fantasy football rankings, sleepers, buys and more, team trends and game plans are taking shape. This helps us get a better idea of launches, sessions, forecasts and finding bye week options – they’re coming! The Week 4 game previews contain the most interesting nuggets of information I can find. Enjoy!
#CheckTheLinkage
Week 4 Waivers | SOS Ranks Week 4 (TH)
Fantasy Football 101 (weather, lineups, trades, more)
Everything in the football podcast
WEEK 4 FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Lions at Packers, TNF
- As a reminder, outdoors Jared Goff has 62.7 Comp%, 244.9 YPG, 0.86 TG/G and 2.5 TD/ATT% compared to 66.6 Comp%, 276.3 YPG, 2.33 TD /G and 6.5 TD/ATT% indoors.
- While filling in for Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon averaged just 0.15 forced misses per attempt. This is worse than Roschon Johnson, Dalvin Cook and Sean Tucker.
- The Packers have the lowest T-4 mark in percentage of runs over 10 yards (6.3%).
- The Packers have the seventh-highest YAC/Rec rate at 2.10, and that’s before Christian Watson makes his season debut, who had the 14th-highest rate (min. 20 receptions) last year at 6.44. Due to potential snap count limitations, he’s a boom/bust WR4 in his first game.
Falcons at Jaguars, 9:30 a.m., London
- As noted in the waiver wire, the Jaguars lead the league in receiver drops and the Falcons have the fourth-lowest Comp% allowed (58.3). They faced Bryce Young (52.6%), Jordan Love (56.0%) and Jared Goff (66.7%).
- The Falcons have the sixth-fewest opponent plays per game (61.0).
- Travis Etienne doesn’t have a single rush attempt inside the 5-yard line, while Tank Bigsby has three.
- The Jaguars and Falcons rank fourth and fifth in defensive RushEPA (18.58, 18.34).
Dolphins at Bills, 1 p.m
- Through three quarters, De’Von Achane had 45.0% of RB touches and 51.6% of rushes (up to 50.0% and 41.9% for Raheem Mostert) – with 46.4% of snaps (up to 64). .3% for Mostert). This could be the Compound V version of the Ravens duo.
- The Bills only use three receivers on dropbacks 41.4% of the time (that’s the second lowest rate after the Falcons at 13.0%!). Unfortunately for Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox has a higher route % (70.7 to 69.3) and limits his TmTGT% from 10.4 to 11.3 thanks to his own value.
- Tua Tagovailoa leads the league in YD/Comp with 14.2, followed by Jordan Love with 12.8.
Related: New ranking of the top 50 RBs after three weeks of fantasy football, with analysis from some NFL beat writers
Broncos at Bears, 1 p.m
- Broncos have the worst defensive RushEPA (-11.90), which is understandable after last week.
- Javonte Williams (12.6) and Roschon Johnson (13.1) rank in the top 10 among all running backs in TmTGT%.
- Although Courtland Sutton is far behind Jerry Jeudy in AirYD/TGT (13.6 to 9.6), he has better yards per route run (YPRR) at 1.77 to 1.56.
- After 9.1 AirYD/ATT, 11.7 YD/Comp, 5.3 TD/ATT and 57.5 WRTGT% last year, Justin Fields is at 6.9, 10.3, 6.4 and 47, 7 down while aiming for 28.4% versus 16.4 for the running backs. He also had a pass:rush ratio of 1.99:1 last year, an increase of 3.67:1.
Ravens at Browns, 1 p.m
- The Browns defense only allows 50.7 plays per game (2nd to BUF 47.7).
- They also lead the league in forcing a 3-and-out (61.5% of plays) and have the fewest yards per play (3.2) and drives to end in a TD ( 2.6%). The next closest team is 54.1% (NE), 4.1 (BAL) and 6.5 (BUF).
- Zay Flowers had a TmTGT% of 47.6 in Week 1, but only 23.8% with Mark Andrews back. Justice Hill could be RB2/3 play without Gus Edwards, but it’s hard to trust Melvin Gordon when both are out.
- Jerome Ford became the first running back since Saquon Barkley in Week 1 of 2022 to score more than 17 points against the Titans… and just the second since Jonathan Taylor in Week 8 of 2021.
Bengals at Titans, 1 p.m
- Joe Burrow doesn’t look right, and it shows in his OffTGT percentage of 11.6 after 7.7, 6.9 and 7.6 in his first three years – and his dislike of running (tied with Derek Carr, which has the lowest league value with 0.3 rush+scrambles per game). .
- Of the receivers with at least 30.0 TmTGT%, DeAndre Hopkins is the only one who doesn’t average at least 11.3 FPPG (Hop has 7.4).
- Tyjae Spears has 80 snaps and Derrick Henry has 81, but Henry has 56 touchdowns to Spears’ 22 (71.8% to 28.2%).
Rams at Colts, 1 p.m
- Kyren Williams has the volume, including 15.7 TmTGT% (fourth among running backs), but ranks alongside Dameon Pierce, AJ Dillon and Joshua Kelley in lacking explosive plays and yards after contact.
- Top 5 in rushing yards per game over the last two weeks: D’Andre Swift 152.5, James Cook 110.5, Zack Moss 105.0, De’Von Achane 104.0, James Conner 102.0.
- The Colts have the second-lowest man coverage (9.1% versus the Packers’ 8.2%) and Puka Nacua is the sixth-highest rated receiver per zone per PFF.
- Michael Pittman is quietly seventh in receptions and his consistency makes him a must-have in the starting lineup.
Buccaneers at Saints, 1 p.m
- “Jameis Winston doesn’t throw to the running backs” is a misnomer. Over the last five years, Winston achieved 19.1 RBTGT%, while Derek Carr achieved 21.0% over the same period.
- Mike Evans has a TmTGT% of 31.5 (ninth), 10.7 TD.TGT% (11th), and 126.7 AirYD/G (fifth).
- Rachaad White is eighth in RB touch% (73.4) and has all of the Buccaneers’ goal-to-go and goal-line rush attempts.
- Saints have the sixth-best defensive passEPA (5.01), while the Buccaneers have the fourth-best rushEPA (-4.13).
Commanders at Eagles, 1 p.m
- The Eagles have the best rush defense, as evidenced by the highest defensive RushEPA (19.97), but are the worst in the league against tight ends (-20.13).
- D’Andre Swift is an RB1. Yes, there’s a risk the Eagles could ruin things every week, but Week 3 showed that without a Swift injury, it’s highly unlikely.
- AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are one of four pairs of teammates with 100+ AirYD/G (Davante Adams/Jakobi Meyers, Keenan Allen/Mike Williams, Puka Nacua/Tutu Atwell).
- Brian Robinson has the seventh-highest RB Touch% (74.6), although he joins Derrick Henry as the only other running backs to have over 70% of touches but less than 10.0 TmTGT%.
Vikings at Panthers, 1 p.m
- Alexander Mattison has increased his YPR (3.1-3.5-4.7), YBContact (0.64-1.25-1.90) and reception numbers each week.
- Only the Broncos are worse than the Panthers in RushEPA (-9.71 for the Panthers).
- Jordan Addison and Tank Dell are the only two top 20 receivers without 75%+ of routes and 20%+ of TmTGT.
- Jonathan Mingo only ran 17 routes in Week 3, while DJ Chark regained a top-two position along with Adam Thielen.
Steelers at Texans, 1 p.m
- Nico Collins didn’t switch to three-wide receiver sets until Week 3, but at least the Texans have the fifth-most (84.5%) with 11 sets/three-wide receiver sets.
- It doesn’t look like it, but Najee Harris has a higher YPC (3.97/3.24), Explosive Run% (11.4/0.0) and YAC/ATT (3.14/2.71) than Jaylen Warren. But Warren has a 15.8 TmTGT% to Harris’ 5.9 with 16-12-101-0.
- Calvin Austin was ahead of Allen Robinson, who was only used in threes, and Austin tied with George Pickens with 22.2 TmTGT%.
- The Texans and Steelers rank first and third for least (hardest) YBC at 0.28 and 0.45.
Raiders at Chargers, 4 p.m
- Like Dillon, Joshua Kelley also failed as a frontrunner. His forced missed tackles were just 0.13 per attempt, with the fifth lowest YAC per rush (min. 5 rushes) being 1.50.
- Mike Williams concedes 22.0% of the team target share and 31.5% of the air yards. Joshua Palmer leads the team in the AirYD/TGT with 11.92, Williams is second with 11.81. Quentin Johnston has 7.13 in limited work.
- Josh Palmer has 61.5% of the snaps, compared to 23.4% for Quentin Johnston, which translates to 84.6% Palmer and 30.8% Johnston in last week’s fourth quarter.
- Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers rank third and fifth in route TGT% (minimum 10 targets), although Aiden O’Connell or Brian Hoyer could now be the focal point this week against a defense that has the second-highest YPRR (1.95, Broncos 2.00) and allowed highest YPR (13.49, Bears 12.72).
Patriots at Cowboys, 4 p.m
- The Patriots and Cowboys rush defense is tough – the Cowboys have the fourth-lowest number of missed tackles allowed per rush (0.14) and the Patriots have the seventh (0.18).
- The Jets are third with just 0.12 MTA/Rush, with the Patriots balancing the workload between Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott, which makes us wonder if a stronger defense means more rushes and more sharing.
- The Cowboys defense has the most man coverage in the league (41.5%), with Kendrick Bourne the only receiver to rank in the top 75 against man (39).
Cardinals at 49ers, 4 p.m
- The 49ers have the third-toughest pass EPA and the second-toughest specifically against the slot. Rondale Moore is the Cardinals’ primary slot receiver and has only played at three-wide.
- James Conner has 76.3% of RB touches (fifth) and 18.6, 16.6, 9.5, 12.5, 21.5 and 16.6 in his last six games, all without Kyler Murray.
- Brandon Aiyuk is the highest-graded wideout against man coverage (92.5) and Deebo Samuel is the seventh-best against zone (86.1). The Cardinals only use man coverage 18.8% of the time.
Bosses at Jets, SNF
- The Jets are fourth-worst in rushing against YBC (0.55) and Zach Wilson leads the league in being pressured on 52.1% of his dropbacks.
- Garrett Wilson is the only receiver with a 31.0%+ TmTGT who was not targeted on at least 29.5% of his routes or has at least 239 yards (22.2 and 165). He also has a 28.1 TGT% to 20.9 and 36.7 TmAirYD% to 27.8 with quarterbacks not named Zach Wilson than him.
- No Chiefs receiver has more than 12.3 TmTGT%, but Justin Watson is averaging 13.2 YD/TGT with 31.3 TmAirYD%, while Rashee Rice led the way in Week 3 with 18.9 TmTGT%.
Seahawks at Giants, MNF
- Zach Charbonnet has seen his role grow weekly, and the Giants have allowed the sixth-highest Explosive Run% (6.1) – runs of 15 yards or more.
- The Seahawks have the sixth-highest percentage of runs stuffed (54.3%) with the seventh-best RushEPA (13.28).
- Saquon Barkley sounds like he wants to play this week, but it’s a high ankle sprain, so it’s probably not best to wait – even if Barkley plays less than 100% – unless They need a home run play.
- Daniel Jones was under pressure on 46.7% of his dropbacks, with only 7.2% of his attempts going over 20 air yards (29th).
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba completed just 64.0% of routes for the Seahawks.
WEEK 4 FANTASY FOOTBALL SLEEPERS
These are sleeper (and we do it DuckTales and Darkwing Duck style – “Woo-oo” is worthy of risk in most leagues and “Dangerous” is when you need a Hail Mary). You will not 100% imitate my ranking. This is about aiming for the upside and it often comes with a higher level of risk – to put it simply, they are upside plays that you might consider over a firm bottom option.
Woo-oo worthy
- QB: Brock Purdy, SF
- RB: Javonte Williams, DEN
- WR: Gabe Davis, BUF; Josh Palmer, LAC
- TE: Luke Musgrave, UK
Let’s get dangerous
- QB: CJ Stroud, HOU
- RB: Roshon Johnson, CHI
- WR: Kendrick Bourne, NE; DJ Chark, CAR
- TE: Cole Turner, WSH
WEEK 4: BUY LOW, SELL HIGH
Buy cheap
- QB: Justin Fields, CHI; Trevor Lawrence, JAX
- RB: Derrick Henry, TEN; Javonte Williams, DEN; Breece Hall, NYJ
- WR: DeAndre Hopkins, TEN; Jerry Jeudy, DEN; Jahan Dotson, WSH
Sell high
- QB: Kirk Cousins, MIN
- RB: Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, MIA; Kyren Williams, LAR
- WR: Mike Evans, TB; Courtland Sutton, DEN
FUN WITH RANKINGS!
After watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, I named it the perfect and best movie of 2023. I loved it so much that I couldn’t wait to watch it again since my nephew watched it last Saw it for the first time this weekend. So what better way to have fun with the theme of ranks than the TMNT villains? I’ll skip Shredder (obviously #1) and Krang (obviously #2) and start with the rest.
Top 10 TMNT Villians (not named Shredder or Krang)
Award
- slash -Like Leatherhead, Slash becomes a friend of the Turtles, but has different backstories – in the ’80s and 2012 series, he was even a pet of Bebop and Raphael and transformed into a giant turtle with a mace. When Slash is on the good side, he is part of the Might Mutanimals (Leatherhead, Mondo Gecko, Rockwell and others).
- Lord Dregg – Another alien on this list. He was the “big bad” when Shredder and the Krang were taken care of (disappeared, presumed dead, etc.) and has his group of expendable villains in the techno aisle.
WEEK 4 FANTASY SOCCER PROJECTIONS
🚨 HEADS UP 🚨 These may differ from my rankings and mine Ranks are the order in which I would start players outside of additional context, such as “Need the highest upside potential, even if it’s risky.” Also based on 4 point TDs for QB, 6 point break and half PPR
Download link added on Thursday
WEEK 4 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
🚨 HEADS UP 🚨
- Unfortunately, there is still no perfect widget. I know many see this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop etc if possible, or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, for scrolling to work properly .
- Will be updated regularly. Please find out about the blocking of the lineups.
(Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)