Fantasy Football Week 4 Reaction: Winners, Losers, Surprises
T.J. Hockenson probably helped a number of managers to Week 4 wins
A handful of overlooked running backs might not be overlooked anymore after a Week 4 slate that surely caught the attention of fantasy football managers.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, Philadelphia Eagles ball carrier Miles Sanders and Seattle Seahawks rusher Rashaad Penny were among those ranked outside the top 20 entering Week 4 who put together decision-altering fantasy performances this weekend. For some owners, it might be the reason their teams are above .500 through the first quarter of the season.
Anyway, here are our winners, losers and surprises from Week 4 in fantasy football with stats provided by Sportradar and a reflection of full-point PPR leagues.
WINNERS
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
Hockenson’s Week 4 output more than doubled his receiving total from the previous three weeks combined and helped him finish as the highest scoring non-quarterback in all of fantasy football. The Detroit tight end scored five times (!) his Yahoo projection with 39.90 points in full-point leagues. Hockenson averaged 4.99 points per touch with eight catches on 12 targets while compiling 179 yards with two touchdowns and one two-point conversion. Hockenson entered the week as the 86th-ranked player and concluded No. 1 overall.
Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia’s running game might be led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, but Sanders put together a performance that helped fantasy football owners to a Week 4 victory. Sanders saw 29 touches in the Eagles’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and turned it into 156 yards of offense with four rushes of 10-plus yards and two scores. Sanders, who entered the week Yahoo’s RB21, finished third in scoring with 29.60 points in full-point leagues.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Jacobs put together a career day as the Raiders earned their first win of the season in Week 4 against the Broncos. The fourth-year running back finished with a career-best 175 yards from scrimmage on 33 touches and two touchdowns. He recorded the second-most points among running backs behind only Austin Ekeler, who had three touchdowns. Jacobs, who entered as the slate ranked Yahoo?s RB23, finished with 34.50 points with 120 (!) of his 144 rushing yards coming after contact.
LOSERS
Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons
The no-good-very-bad start for Pitts continued in Week 4 as he played just 62% of offensive snaps, the fourth-fewest of his career. The Falcons star, who was Yahoo’s third-ranked tight end entering the slate, finished tied for 39th in scoring among players at the position. Pitts contributed 3.50 points in full-point leagues while recording just one catch on four targets for 25 yards. If he’s not there already, Pitts is becoming a bench candidate.
Michael Pittman, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Pittman entered Week 4 projected as Yahoo’s WR10 and finished in a tie for 55th among players at the position. The Colts wideout, who played 89% of offensive snaps, saw just six targets against the Tennessee Titans and finished with three catches for 31 yards. Pittman’s 6.10 points in full-point leagues were less than half of his projection.
Gabriel Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills
Davis played 98% of offensive snaps against the Baltimore Ravens, yet finished with just one reception on three targets for 13 yards. The Bills wideout entered the week as Yahoo’s WR24 and finished 81st in total scoring among wideouts.
SURPRISES
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys, for some strange reason, opted not to get Pollard involved in their Week 4 win against the Commanders as the dual-threat back played just 39% of snaps, tied for his fewest this season. Pollard touched the ball nine times for a brutal eight yards of offense as Dallas struggled to run the ball against the Washington defensive front. Pollard finished with merely 1.80 points in full-point leagues, finishing in a tie for 67th among players at the position just one week after he produced a double-digit output.
Rashad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle offense, playing with Geno Smith behind center, put 48 points in a win over the Lions. Fourty-eight points for the Seahawks! Penny, who entered as Yahoo’s RB25, more than doubled his projection as he turned 18 touches in 157 yards of offense and finished fourth among running backs with 28.70 points in full-point leagues. Much like Sanders and Jacobs, Penny also scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and recorded 94 of his 151 rushing yards after contact, which was second behind only Jacobs.
