Week 4 fantasy decisions come with a few clear signals: Trevor Lawrence is thriving in Jacksonville’s new offense, Aaron Jones Sr. continues to handle a featured workload in Minnesota, and several high-profile receivers need more caution than their draft status might suggest. The week’s best streaming opportunity may come at tight end, where Darren Waller’s role is growing just as Detroit’s defense has struggled against the position.
There was also a reminder last weekend that football can create its own kind of community. Luke, a Lions fan living in Los Angeles, sought lineup help and wound up meeting another unattached Detroit supporter at an East Side bar. The pair connected over David Montgomery’s recent fantasy dip, their mixed emotions about Matthew Stafford and the shared emotional history that comes with rooting for a franchise still chasing its first Super Bowl appearance. Whether it becomes anything more than a memorable Sunday, it was another example of fans finding common ground through the game.
Week 4 fantasy calls
Lawrence has given Jaguars managers plenty to like despite kneeling at the 1-yard line late against New England last week rather than scoring. A rushing touchdown in that spot would have lifted his three-game average to 19.3 fantasy points, nearly matching his career-best 19.9 average from last season. Even without it, he has seven touchdown passes, a career-best 67% completion rate, a 9% off-target rate that is the lowest of his career, and a 17.3-point average.
Comfortable in Liam Coen’s system and benefiting from Parker Washington’s expanded role, Lawrence gets a favorable Week 4 matchup with Cincinnati. The Bengals have faced 118 pass attempts, the third-highest total in the league, and are allowing 287 passing yards per game, fifth most in the NFL. With a 51.5-point projected total and Jacksonville favored by only 2.5 points, Lawrence has a strong path to a top-10 quarterback finish.
Jones has answered concerns about his age and durability with three consecutive games above 10 fantasy points, including 14.2 last week, when he finished among the top 15 running backs. He was started in only 47% of leagues despite Jordan Mason remaining on injured reserve. Jones has now scored at least 10 points in five straight games dating to the end of 2025.
The Vikings have leaned heavily on the 31-year-old. He has recorded at least 22 touches and played more than 80% of the snaps in each of the past two weeks, a workload matched over that span only by Jonathan Taylor and Ashton Jeanty. Jones also caught five passes in Week 3, tying his career high and posting his best reception total since 2024. Miami has surrendered an NFL-worst 27.9 fantasy points per game to running backs, making Jones a high-end RB2 with legitimate RB1 potential.
Seattle rookie Jadarian Price remains much tougher to trust. He sits as the overall RB39 after failing to reach eight fantasy points in three straight games. Price has shown burst, producing five runs of at least 10 yards, ninth most among running backs, but he has been caught in a three-man rotation and could lose further opportunity when Zach Charbonnet returns.
Price has played only 35% of Seattle’s offensive snaps, ranking 45th at the position. He has fewer carries than Emanuel Wilson, fewer catches than George Holani and no rushing attempts from inside the 5-yard line. Ball security has been another issue: Price has lost two fumbles in three appearances, more than Kenneth Walker III lost during his entire Seahawks career. The Chargers have allowed a middling 3.6 yards per carry, but Chris O’Leary’s defense already has forced four fumbles and held both Jeremiyah Love and Jeanty below 13 fantasy points in the season’s first two weeks. Price belongs in flex territory until his workload and ball security improve.
Ladd McConkey’s third season has opened well below expectations. The Chargers wide receiver ranks 45th at his position and is third on his own team in targets, seeing only 15 through three losses, with eight coming in the last two games. His downfield efficiency has been impressive: McConkey owns a 13.5-yard average depth of target, 19th among wideouts, while catching 80% of his opportunities, tied for 12th. But that combination is difficult to sustain. No receiver in the last decade has maintained at least a 75% catch rate while operating with an average target depth of 13.5 yards or more.
Unless Mike McDaniel adjusts the offense to give McConkey more intermediate work, his ceiling will remain limited. Seattle is an unfavorable opponent after allowing only 23.8 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, fourth fewest in the league. Terry McLaurin is the lone receiver to surpass 10 fantasy points against the Seahawks this season. McConkey remains a frustrating flex play rather than an automatic starter.
D.J. Moore, now with Buffalo, has been used at an elite rate. He has been targeted on 35% of his routes, the seventh-highest mark posted by any NFL receiver during the past decade. That volume remained intact in Week 3, when Moore saw 10 targets while a shoulder injury limited him to 22 routes. Bills pass catchers combined for just two 10-target games all of last season.
Moore stayed Josh Allen’s preferred deep threat even with Keon Coleman available. New England presents a seemingly difficult matchup because of cornerback Christian Gonzalez, but the Patriots have yielded the 14th-most fantasy points per game to wideouts. Jaxon Smith-Njigba scored 26.2 points against them, Jakobi Meyers had 19.4 and Parker Washington posted 13.0. Moore’s volume makes him a strong flex candidate with room for more.
Arizona’s target hierarchy has also become harder to ignore. Since Week 11 last season, Michael Wilson has averaged 10.8 targets per game, second only to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and 19.1 fantasy points per game, fifth behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua, Chris Olave and St. Brown. Over that same period, Marvin Harrison Jr. has received only 20 targets, 95th among receivers, and averaged 4.43 points, 116th at the position.
Harrison missed five games in that span, but both players were available against San Francisco last week. Wilson drew 17 targets while Harrison had five. During the last three seasons, only Ja’Marr Chase, with five, St. Brown, with three, and Wilson, with two, have recorded multiple 17-target games. Wilson may not repeat that number at the Giants, but New York’s injured secondary has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to receivers. Davante Adams, Wan’Dale Robinson, CeeDee Lamb and Carnell Tate have each exceeded 11 points against the Giants. Wilson should be treated as a top-25 receiver for Week 4.
At tight end, Waller is becoming a viable Carolina option. His snap rate has climbed from 34% to 43% to 49% over his first three games, and he led the Panthers with eight targets last Sunday. He has two end-zone targets and two touchdown catches, putting him firmly in the streaming conversation.
The matchup with Detroit raises Waller’s appeal. The Lions have allowed 100 total fantasy points to tight ends in three games, while Washington ranks second in that category at only 64 points allowed. Detroit has permitted five tight ends to score at least 13 points and six to find the end zone. With Jalen Coker dealing with an injury, Waller has a favorable chance to remain a prominent part of Carolina’s passing game.
