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Arizona Cardinals
Marquise Brown had a 34 percent target share.
With 39 targets to his name, Brown leads the league targets over the past three weeks. He has at least a dozen PPR points in every game this year. The Cardinals have discovered that Brown is their only receiver worth targeting and they’re leaning into that. Despite playing for a floundering offense, Brown should get two more weeks of WR1 production before DeAndre Hopkins returns.
Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Pitts caught one pass for 25 yards.
Last week, I said, “the Pitts freefall has come to an end.” Well, it appears as though the reserve parachute briefly deployed before detaching from our apparatus, sending us back into freefall after a momentary reprieve from the terror. Pitts earned four targets, good for a 23 percent target share, last week but only ran a route on 63 percent of Marcus Mariota‘s dropbacks. The Falcons are using him as a part-time player, sending him careening down the TE1 ranks.
Baltimore Ravens
J.K. Dobbins saw 59 percent of the Ravens’ backfield carries.
He also saw 44 percent of the team’s running back targets. Both stats include Patrick Ricard‘s cut of the touches. Dobbins took a backseat to Justice Hill in Week 3 but stepped up with a pair of touchdowns last week. It’s reasonable to treat him as an RB2 going forward.
Buffalo Bills
Devin Singletary saw 15-of-18 Buffalo running back touches.
Zack Moss and James Cook were irrelevant in Buffalo’s matchup with Baltimore, combing for three carries and one target. Singletary totaled 11 carries and four catches for 96 yards. Singletary is far better as a pass-catcher this year, earning him a sizable role on a top-tier offense.
Carolina Panthers
D.J. Moore and Christian McCaffrey combined for a 56 percent target share.
Entering Week 4, their combined target share was 41 percent. Maybe something finally clicked for Baker Mayfield, and he decided to feed the two best players on his team. McCaffrey caught all nine of his targets for 81 yards and a score. He more than doubled his receiving yardage output on the year through this game alone. After a troubling start to the year, CMC is back on track, and there’s life for the Moore backers.
Chicago Bears
Darnell Mooney more than tripled his receiving yards on the season.
Mooney went for 94 yards after totaling just 27 receiving yards through three weeks. It was a nice change of pace for the struggling receiver, but most fantasy managers had benched him long ago. That should remain the case for Week 5 as Mooney got there on just five targets.
Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins has out-scored Ja’Marr Chase in 10 of their last 18 appearances.
Higgins currently leads the team in yards per route run and targets per route run, though Chase has the lead in total targets (41). Higgins has missed a considerable amount of snaps because of mid-game injuries, slightly skewing his counting stats. These two players should be ranked back-to-back going forward.
Cleveland Browns
David Njoku ran a route on 92 percent of Jacoby Brissett‘s dropbacks.
Njoku’s role has been trending in the right direction for weeks. Now, the targets are falling in line. He has seen 17 looks in his past two games. Per Pro Football Focus, he has been targeted on a quarter of his routes over that span. It’s safe to rank Njoku as a TE1.
Dallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb is the only player with at least eight targets in every game this year.
Lamb has at least six catches and 75 yards in each of his past three games. Those all came with Cooper Rush under center. Lamb is weathering the Rush storm well and has the upside of a quarterback upgrade on the horizon.
Denver Broncos
Mike Boone earned three carries and three targets after Javonte Williams left the game.
Melvin Gordon earned two carries and one target. Gordon coughed up a fumble that was returned for a touchdown early in this game. He also entered the week dealing with a neck issue. Gordon should be treated as the lead-back for Week 5, but Boone needs to be stashed in all leagues.
Detroit Lions
Jamaal Williams played on half of the Lions’ offensive snaps.
Williams only saw three targets, but he did account for 19-of-23 backfield attempts. Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson combined for three targets. Williams is getting the bulk of the between-the-tackles work, but his role in the passing game leaves a lot to be desired.
Green Bay Packers
Romeo Doubs and Allen Lazard ran a route on over 90 percent of Aaron Rodgers’ dropbacks.
Doubs and Lazard have cemented themselves as the Packers’ top receiving duo. No one on the team has a target share over 20 percent, but Doubs and Lazard are both north of 18 percent. Doubs leads the team in red zone targets and, as a rookie, we can expect his role to grow as the season progresses.
Houston Texans
Dameon Pierce ran a route on 49 percent of Davis Mills’ dropbacks.
Rex Burkhead had been the primary back on passing downs up to this point. He still found the end zone on one of his five targets, but Pierce saw six looks in the passing game while running for 131 yards and a touchdown. Pierce is pushing for a three-down role and is an elite runner.
Indianapolis Colts
Matt Ryan has thrown five touchdowns. Four have gone to tight ends.
Ryan isn’t even forcing the ball to his tight ends when he approaches the end zone. Of his 12 targets thrown from inside the 10-yard line, nine have gone to receivers. Despite missing a game, Michael Pittman still leads the team in red zone looks. The tight end barrage from Indy should come to an end soon.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence set the NFL record with four fumbles lost in one game.
Lawrence was strip-sacked three times and mishandled one snap. All four fumbles were recovered by the Eagles. Jacksonville’s line allowed plenty of pressure, but Lawrence also needs to show more awareness in the pocket, especially once he’s seen his line consistently get beaten on the day.
Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes has 11 passing touchdowns this year and his top three receivers by ADP have 0 combined scores.
Travis Kelce has three touchdowns, but the Chiefs haven’t gotten a touchdown or a 100-yard game out of their big free agent acquisitions or their lone draft pick at the position. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster just aren’t getting the job done.
Skyy Moore ran 11 routes and saw four targets versus the Bucs. Moore’s role will be important to watch in the coming weeks.
Las Vegas Raiders
Darren Waller earned a 14 percent target share.
Waller’s target share for the year sits at 16 percent. That would be a low mark for him dating back to 2018. Mack Hollins has more targets than him through four weeks. Much like Kyle Pitts, we were sold Waller based on lies and deception. For Waller, it’s Davante Adams who has ruined the good times. Adams has a 32 percent target share, all but crowding Waller out of the mix.
Los Angeles Chargers
Per Pro Football Focus, Chargers LT Jamaree Salyer did not allow a pressure on 41 pass-blocking reps.
Salyer is filling in for Rashawn Slater, who is likely done for the year because of a torn biceps. A sixth-round pick from Georgia, Salyer was given the start over veteran Storm Norton. It was a terrific move by Brandon Staley and company as Salyer was flawless as a pass-blocker. Though the Slater injury hurts, Salyer showing well in his debut cushions the blow.
Los Angeles Rams
Tyler Higbee leads all tight ends in targets (38).
Higbee saw 14 looks in Week 4. He posted a 10/73 line. The veteran tight end has turned into LA’s de facto WR2 with Allen Robinson all but retired. Higbee has the makings of a top-five option at his position.
Miami Dolphins
Raheem Mostert out-carried Chase Edmonds 15-5.
Mostert also ran 26 routes to Edmonds’ nine, though Edmond was the Miami back who found the end zone in Week 4. Every volume metric has Mostert as the lead back in Miami. He’s a sneaky buy heading into Week 5.
Minnesota Vikings
Alexander Mattison ran 15 routes.
Dalvin Cook ran 20 routes, but Mattison found paydirt on a 15-yard receiving touchdown. Cook was dealing with a shoulder injury in Week 4, but his role on the ground wasn’t cut. He saw 20 carries while Mattison got just three looks. Still, losing receiving reps would be troubling for Cook’s fantasy outlook.
New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson leads the Patriots’ backfield in missed tackles forced and carries of more than 15 yards.
Stevenson secured the third-down role when Ty Montgomery went on injured reserve. Now, he’s proving to be New England’s best bet on the ground as well. If he keeps playing this well, Stevenson could work himself into a three-down role.
New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave leads all rookies in fantasy points (60.5).
Olave led the Saints in targets (seven) despite switching from Jameis Winston to Andy Dalton. He posted a 4/67/1 receiving line. Excelling with both quarterbacks is a good proof of concept for Olave’s ability to win in a variety of ways.
New York Giants
Saquon Barkley account for 47 percent of the Giants’ yards.
The Giants eked out an eight-point win over the Bears on the back of Barkley’s 31 carries for 146 yards. On the year, he is responsible for 43 percent of the team’s yards. Barkley is the unanimous RB1.
New York Jets
Breece Hall saw 66 percent of the Jets’ backfield opportunities.
Hall earned 17 carries and six targets. Michael Carter only saw nine carries and three targets. Hall also set a career-high in snap rate, taking the field for 66 percent of the Jets’ offensive plays. The rookie appears to be separating himself as the back to target in New York.
Philadelphia Eagles
In his worst game of the season, Jalen Hurts scored 17 fantasy points.
Hurts barely eclipsed 200 yards and didn’t throw a touchdown. However, he ran one score in and rushed for 38 yards. The Eagles still put up four scores, but all four came on the ground. Though this game will go down as a disappointment for Hurts’ fantasy stock, it also showed how high his floor is.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett averaged 13.8 air yards per pass attempt.
That number is absurdly high, but Mitch Trubisky wasn’t afraid to push the ball downfield either. On the year, he averaged a 9.8 aDOT, the fourth-highest mark in the league. In Week 4, for the first time in his career, Harris was not targeted. If Harris isn’t getting there through the air, RB2 numbers will be his ceiling.
San Francisco 49ers
Jeff Wilson saw 82 percent of the 49ers’ carries.
Wilson out-carried the rest of the team 18-4. He ran for 74 yards and a touchdown. Despite Wilson entering the year as the No. 2 back with a rookie gunning for his job, the 49ers have had no issues making him the focal point of their ground game.
Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith has a completion percentage over expected of +12.4 percent.
Smith ranked second in CPOE in 2021 and is currently on pace to break the completion percentage record for a single season. He has connected on 77 percent of his throws. Smith has six passing touchdowns.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs had a pass rate over expected of +16 percent.
Through three weeks, Tampa Bay had a negative pass rate over expected. With Tom Brady and a receiving group that runs four players deep, the Bucs are built to pass early and often. They finally got the band back together for Week 4, and the pass rate soared.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry is coming off consecutive games with five targets for the first time in his career.
Henry tied his career-high in targets with six looks two weeks ago. Then he saw five targets in Week 4. Not only is it the first time in his career he has seen five looks in back-to-back games, it’s also the first time he’s had two such games in a single season.
Washington Commanders
Antonio Gibson saw just 50 percent of the Commanders’ running back carries.
Strangely, Jonathan Williams was involved in this game, seeing five carries. J.D. McKissic earned eight attempts. Even before Brian Robinson returned, the Commanders were scaling Gibson’s role back. That will only worsen with Brian expected to be activated from the NFI list this week.