Broncos QB Russell Wilson showed some signs of life in Sunday's loss to Vegas, tossing 2 TDs and completing 17-of-25 passes for 237 yards. Obviously, the pass volume (and yardage) isn’t ideal. But the boosted efficiency is nice, and it’s encouraging to see him hitting top targets Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy for scores. Wilson was Pro Football Focus’ 23rd graded QB over the first 3 weeks but jumped up to 4th in Week 4. The loss of Javonte Williams (torn ACL) could push this unit more towards the pass going forward — especially if their run defense doesn’t improve. Wilson belongs in the QB1 conversation for a Thursday night home game vs. Indianapolis.
Broncos EDGE Randy Gregory is having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to trim the meniscus. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports he'll miss "anywhere from two to six weeks." That will be a significant loss for the Denver pass rush. Baron Browning figures to benefit the most. He played a season-high 43 snaps in Sunday's loss to the Raiders and also saw elevated snap share back in Week 1, when Gregory had his playing time limited coming off a different injury. Browning doesn't have a QB hit yet this year.
Niners DL Arik Armstead left Monday night's game against the Rams with a foot injury. He has been dealing with plantar fasciitis. We'll see about his status for Week 5.
Buccaneers rookie RB Rachaad White saw season highs in total snaps (24) and snap share (38%) in Sunday night's loss to the Chiefs. That marked a big jump over his 15 combined snaps in the previous 2 games. White's Week 1 checked in closer only because he played most of the 4th quarter after Tampa got out to a big lead in Dallas and pulled Leonard Fournette. Game flow might have played a part. White got his 1st touch early in the 2nd quarter, but K.C. already had a 21-3 lead by then. He matched Fournette's 3 carries for the game, which saw the Bucs run on just 17.2% of offensive plays. White ran for a 1-yard TD but watched Fournette claim the 4th-quarter TD reception. We'll see whether White's increased playing time continues.
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady racked up 385 yards and 3 TDs on 39-of-52 passing in Sunday night's loss to the Chiefs. He hit WR Mike Evans for a pair of scores, in the wideout's return from a 1-game suspension. His other TD went to RB Leonard Fournette from 5 yards out. Brady dropped back on 82.8 of the team's offensive snaps, as Tampa ran the ball only 6 times. Don't expect too many more pass-run splits like that, regardless of game script.
The Buccaneers got WR Mike Evans back from a 1-game suspension and WR Chris Godwin back from a Week 1 hamstring injury in Sunday night's loss to the Chiefs. Those 2 tied for the team lead with 10 targets apiece. Evans caught 8 for 103 yards and 2 scores. Godwin secured 7 catches for 59 yards. Tampa gets a soft Atlanta defense in Week 5.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes went 23-of-37 passing for 249 yards and 3 TDs with 1 INT in Sunday night's loss at Tampa Bay. Mahomes found TE Travis Kelce, TE Jody Fortson and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire for TDs. Kelce (10) and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (8) led the Chiefs in targets and receptions. A Week 5 home date with the Raiders looks even more favorable for the K.C. offense.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire delivered a 19-92-1 rushing line and caught a 2-yard TD flip from QB Patrick Mahomes in Sunday night's win over the Buccaneers. The production was obviously terrific. It was particularly noteworthy, though, because Edwards-Helaire went from trailing Jerick McKinnon's Week 3 playing time to getting more snaps than McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco combined at Tampa. Pacheco did work in for a season-high 63 yards on 11 carries. He has now gotten 11+ carries in each of the 2 games K.C. has won by 10+ points. he totaled 5 carries across the narrow win over the Chargers and the Week 3 loss at Indy. McKinnon carried just twice at Tampa and drew a single target, totaling 0 yards.
Patriots RB Damien Harris led the backfield in carries (18) and rushing yards (86) in Sunday's OT loss at Green Bay. That included claiming the team's only rushing score. Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 66 yards on 14 carries but also led the team in targets (5) and receptions (4). Stevenson's passing-game usage again found him leading Harris in snaps.
The Broncos are signing RB Latavius Murray off the Saints' practice squad, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Murray was just elevated for Week 4 in London, looking fresh-legged on his way to 57 yards and a score on 11 carries. Murray toted it 119 times for 501 yards (4.2 YPC) and 6 TDs for the Ravens last year, ranking 28th among 50 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' rushing grades. Murray will turn 33 in January but still has some juice left in his legs. He's worth adding now that he's part of Denver's Javonte Williams-less backfield -- although we still prefer Mike Boone as a pickup.
Packers TE Robert Tonyan found the end zone in Sunday's OT win over the Patriots, catching 1 of Aaron Rodgers' 2 TD passes. That came on 1 of just 2 targets for the game, though. Tonyan continued to see his opportunities capped, running a route on 57% of Rodgers dropbacks. He'll need to improve on that to climb toward top-12 fantasy football lineup consideration.
Packers RB Aaron Jones ran for 110 yards on 16 carries in Sunday's OT win over the Patriots. He trailed AJ Dillon by 1 carry and led him by 2 targets but collected 31 more total yards. Dillon wound up with 73 yards on 17 rushes and one 11-yard catch among 2 targets. Week 5 brings a positive matchup with the Giants.
Packers WRs Allen Lazard and Romeo Doubs worked as the clear top 2 wideouts in Sunday's OT win over the Patriots. They played 70 snaps apiece (of 73) and ran 36 and 35 routes, respectively, among 37 Aaron Rodgers dropbacks. Randall Cobb checked in next among WRs at just 25 snaps and 18 routes. Lazard and Doubs also drew a matching 8 targets. Lazard caught 6 balls for a game-high 116 yards. Doubs posted a 5-47-1 receiving line and nearly added another TD but lost the ball when he hit the ground. We'd bet that these 2 continue to lead the corps after Sammy Watkins returns from his hamstring injury.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey entered Sunday questionable with a thigh injury he had to test pregame. But he wound up with normal playing time and 17 of the 18 RB opportunities for Carolina in the loss to the Cardinals. McCaffrey managed only 27 yards on 8 rushes but caught all 9 of his targets for 81 yards and a TD. D'Onta Foreman got the only other RB touch: a 2-yard run. He played 4 snaps to Chuba Hubbard's 3.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray threw 2 TD passes and ran for a 3rd in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. That was enough to put Murray 7th among fantasy QBs for the week, heading into Monday night. His yardage remained limited otherwise, though. Murray gained only 26 yards on 12 rushes and threw for a mere 207 (6.5 per attempt). He targeted WR Marquise Brown a team-high 11 times, completing 6 for 88 yards. TE Zach Ertz drew 6 looks, catching all 6 for 47. Those 2 caught Murray's TD throws. WR Rondale Moore checked in 3rd in targets in his 1st appearance of the season, catching 3 of 5 looks for 11 yards.
Colts HC Frank Reich said RB Phillip Lindsay "will work into the equation" if RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) can't play vs. the Broncos on Thursday night. Lindsay has spent the first 4 weeks of the season on the practice squad but is Indy's most experienced ball-carrier behind Taylor. RB Nyheim Hines would still be the top Week 5 fantasy option if Taylor can't go, but don't expect Hines to get a huge workload.
The Steelers are moving forward with Kenny Pickett as their starting QB, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's the logical move after the rookie led Pittsburgh to a pair of TDs in the 2nd half of Sunday's loss to the Jets. Pickett tossed 3 INTs in that one -- but 1 went of TE Pat Freiermuth's hands and the other was an end-of-game Hail Mary. Pickett sits 12th among 34 QBs in Pro Football Focus' Week 4 passing grades (with the Monday night game still to go). He's only an option in 2-QB fantasy leagues for now, but we think he'll be an upgrade over QB Mitchell Trubisky for this Pittsburgh offense. Of course, it'll be tough sledding this weekend in Buffalo
Rams RB Malcolm Brown was promoted from the practice squad and is active for tonight's game vs. the 49ers. He spent 2017-2020 with the Rams under HC Sean McVay, so he has plenty of experience in the offense. We'll see exactly how much action Brown siphons from RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson tonight. We'd be trying to avoid this backfield.
49ers RB Tevin Coleman was promoted from the practice squad and is active for tonight's game vs. the Rams. "Expect him, Jeff Wilson and Deebo Samuel to get carries today," The Athletic's Matt Barrows tweeted. Wilson remains the best RB play in this game, but Coleman is an interesting flier in 1-game DFS contests.
Raiders TE Darren Waller disappointed in Week 4 with only 3 catches for 24 yards. Derek Carr attempted a mid-pack 34 passes, but Waller saw a weak 14.7% target share. He also dropped his 2nd pass of the season. Most frustratingly, Waller’s dud came with both Hunter Renfrow and Foster Moreau sidelined. The veteran has now tallied fewer than 6 PPR points in back to back games and might find both teammates returning for a Week 5 date at Kansas City. That one could at least turn up boosted pass volume.
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