What We Learned in Week 4
Week 4 was a big week for injuries, which opened the door for some relatively unknown players to come in and shine. With all the excitement this week, there were some signs of what to come in Week 5. Here is what our experts learned in Week 4.
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J.K. Dobbins is back to being playable
Dobbins concerned many owners on when or if he could return to a viable fantasy role, and The Ravens showed that they were ready to bring him back. He got 13 carries and turned 2 of those into touchdowns. He still will struggle with Lamar Jackson taking some rushes away, but he looks to be the lead back in one of the most run heavy game scripts in the NFL. He will be a solid RB2 moving forward.
Jamaal Williams is a tier 1 RB when Swift is out
Williams was already a top ranked RB with Swift, so managers expected a lot from his solo run against Seattle. With 3 starting skill players out, Williams took advantage of his opportunity by ranking as the 5th highest scoring fantasy RB this week. If Swift is out, Williams will be the lead back and be given plenty of opportunities. If Swift is playing, Williams will still be playable due to his insane goal line usage.
CeeDee Lamb has been productive without Dak
There was not a lot of faith for Lamb in a Cooper Rush led offense, but Rush impressed everyone by leading the Cowboys to a 3-0 record as a starter. In that span, Lamb has been top 10 in scoring for 2 of those weeks. He is averaging 7 receptions and close to 90 yards a game in that span. In PPR he should be a WR1 going forward, but there is potential for a disappointing game against the Rams and Eagles in the upcoming weeks.
The Raiders operate the best when Jacobs is the workhorse
The Raiders have been a huge disappointment for fans, and one of the biggest reasons why is that they have been working away from Jacobs as a premier runner. During the initial 3 weeks, Jacobs did not have a game over 20 rushes. The Raiders finally came out with a win against the Broncos, and the feature player was Jacobs. It looks as if McDaniels is going to return to his roots of coaching and lean more on the run, meaning Jacobs value could increase.
Gerald Everett should be a must add for TE's
For brutal honesty purposes, TE has been a wasteland. Most people have been streaming TEs week to week with a lot of bad outcomes. Gerald Everett, who is owned in a mere 65% of leagues, has been a top 5 TE in 2/4 weeks and top 15 in 3/4. He has been more valuable than guys like Tyler Higbee, Darren Waller, David Njoku, and Pat Friermuth, all of which are rostered more than Everett. Everett is a must add TE, due to the inconsistency at the position.
Dameon Pierce is the man in Houston
After most managers were surprised at Pierce's lack of usage in week 1, many managers gave up hope for Pierce. Pierce has been a top 10 RB the past two weeks, with Rex Burkhead's role vanishing. Pierce has been the lead back, and should stay that way throughout the rest of the year.
Jonathon Taylor injuries and inefficiency is a big concern
Every manager who drafted JT expected first pick production. That has not been the case to start the year for a number of reasons. The offensive line has looked not great, Matt Ryan has been underwhelming, questionable coaching decisions, and now his injury. His workload could be reduced with injury concerns, which is ringing alarms for those who spent a first pick on him. Some historical signs say that JT could bounce back big towards the end of season, but the concern is real for JT.