Week 4 Fantasy Football Recap: Ashton Jeanty and Woody Marks Break Out

Only two games remain in Week 4 after an action-packed Sunday slate. Let's dive in and recap the biggest surprises, disappointments and everything in between.

Fantasy Football Surprises From Week 4

The Rookie RB Class Has A Day

One of the themes of the first three weeks was the disappointing performance of the rookie running backs, especially the ones drafted in the first few rounds. There are numerous examples in recent seasons of patience needed for the roles to grow.

In Week 4, many of the rookies started to pay dividends. One of the biggest surprises was a running back that may still be on the waiver wire in some leagues. Woody Marks slowly saw his snaps increase each week and he took over the backfield against the Titans on Sunday.

Marks played 59% of the snaps and had more touches than Nick Chubb. He rushed for 69 yards on 17 carries with a TD and caught four of five targets for 50 yards with a TD. Chubb had 13 carries for 47 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards. Marks is only seeing his role grow and is entering RB2 territory.

Ashton Jeanty was one of the biggest disappointments through three weeks. Much of it was due to a poor offensive line and the lack of involvement in the passing game. Jeanty was held to 63 rushing yards or fewer and 3.9 yards per carry or fewer in the first three games and had five receptions in the first three games. Many were ready to give up or bench him. Jeanty showed why patience is important.

The Raiders rookie running back rushed for 138 yards on 21 carries, including a 64-yard run, and caught two passes for 17 yards with both going for scores.

Omarion Hampton was another source of frustration for fantasy players, but with Najee Harris suffering a season-ending injury in Week 3, the runway to bell cow status was there for Hampton. The Chargers running back played 82% of the snaps and was the lone running back to get a carry. He rushed for 128 yards with a TD and caught all five passes for 37 yards on five targets. Matthew Berry’s Ride or Die is looking pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Quinshon Judkins has been one of the best rookies since he hit the field in Week 2. Of the 23 running back carries for the Browns, Judkins had 21 for 82 yards with a TD. He caught all four targets for 33 yards and is the lone back the Browns use much.

TreVeyon Henderson still isn’t where many had hoped, especially after Rhamondre Stevenson lost two fumbles and Antonio Gibson lost one in Week 3. Stevenson had 10 touches, Gibson six and Henderson rushed for 32 yards on seven carries with a TD and caught two passes for 14 yards. At least he scored.

Kenneth Gainwell And Jordan Addison Shine In Ireland

The morning began with a big surprise. Jaylen Warren was ruled out at 8 a.m. ET after it was reported late Saturday night by the national insiders that Warren was likely to play. Warren warmed up, and the knee was an issue. There were many people who didn’t wake up and by the time they saw the news, Warren was locked in the lineup. Remember, those reports are never confirmed. There are times it doesn’t go well in warmups. There are three more international games in the next three weeks with 9:30 a.m. starts. While it’s very early for those on the West Coast, it’s your responsibility to wake up early and check the lineups. Don’t blame anyone but yourself.

The absence of Warren led to one of the big performances of the day. Kenneth Gainwell was the starter and had most of the work in the backfield. Gainwell rushed for 99 yards on 16 carries with two TDs and caught all six passes for 35 yards. The Steelers are on a bye in Week 5 and Warren could be ready for the following week.

On the other side for Minnesota, Jordan Addison made his season debut after missing the first three games due to suspension. Addison had an 81-yard catch that likely should have been a TD, but he was caught and tackled at the 1. He had eight targets and caught four passes for 114 yards.

The Quentin Johnston Breakout Is Real

One of the best values remains Quentin Johnston. He had a strong finish to the year last year, yet many didn’t have interest. After two TDs in Week 1, he was added in leagues and his worst week in PPR has been 14.9 points. Johnston led the Chargers with 13 targets against the Giants and caught eight passes for 93 yards with a TD. He has 22 catches for 337 yards with four TDs in four games.

Jaxson Dart took over the starting job for the Giants and showed his high floor due to his legs. While he only passed for 111 yards with a TD, he rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries with a TD. The loss of Malik Nabers due to a reported torn ACL does hurt Dart, who also finds himself as one of Kendall's best Week 5 waiver wire pickups.

Three WRs Remind Us Who They Are

Drake London showed why many took him in the second round. London was held to 55 yards or fewer with no TDs in the first three games. He exploded against Washington with 10 targets, catching eight passes for 110 yards with a TD.

Stefon Diggs finally had a productive game. After 112 yards in the first three games, Diggs almost matched it against the Panthers. Diggs caught six of seven targets for 101 yards after playing limited snaps the first three weeks coming off a torn ACL.

Some might have had trepidation about using Xavier Worthy in his first game back from a shoulder dislocation. Worthy looked good and had five catches for 83 yards on eight targets and rushed twice for 38 yards.

Sunday Night Fireworks Show

The return of Micah Parsons to Dallas had much anticipation, but it was the offenses that displayed plenty of firepower all over Jerryworld in a 40-40 tie after Brandon McManus hit a 34-yard field goal as time expired in the extra period. Both Jordan Love (337-3) and Dak Prescott (319-3) surpassed 300 hundred yards and had a hat trick of TD throws.

All of Love's scoring throws went in the direction of Romeo Doubs, who caught 6 of 8 targets for 58 yards and the three scores (29.8 fantasy points). George Pickens was a star in the first game with CeeDee Lamb sidelined, catching 8 of 11 targets for 134 yards and a pair of TDs (33.4 fantasy points).

The running backs got into the act as well, with Josh Jacobs bulldozing his way for 157 scrimmage yards and 2 TDs (31.7 fantasy points), while Javonte Williams rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Jacobs lost some carries to Emmanuel Wilson late in the game and in OT, so let's keep an eye on if there is an injury to Jacobs.

Yes, it's clear that the Cowboys are making a great case as this year's Bengals.

Fantasy Football Disappointments From Week 4

Lamar Jackson, A.J. Brown and More Stars With Duds

We are getting to the point where this section might be named the A.J. Browns of the Week. The Eagles wide receiver has disappointed in three of four games. Jalen Hurts tried to force the ball to Brown and it didn’t work. He received nine targets and caught two passes for seven yards. Outside of the 109-yard game last week, Brown has eight, 27 and seven yards. DeVonta Smith wasn’t any better with two catches for 29 yards on two targets.

This was one of the worst games you’ll ever see from Lamar Jackson. He went 14-for-20 for 147 yards with one TD and one INT and rushed for 48 yards on six carries. Jackson left the game early with a hamstring injury when the game was decided. With the Ravens trailing the whole way, Derrick Henry only had eight carries for 42 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards.

For the fourth straight game, Ladd McConkey finished as the third-best receiver on his team. McConkey hasn’t lived up to his draft day price and had one of his worst games of the season. He was targeted six times and caught one pass for 11 yards.

Once again, the lack of involvement in the passing game for Alvin Kamara continued. While the game script didn’t go according to plan with the Saints being competitive most of the game as 16-point underdogs, Kamara had five targets, catching four passes for two yards. Through four games, Kamara has 13 catches on 15 targets for 49 yards, and the Kellen Moore offense tends not to target running backs.

Chris Godwin made his season debut and was a risky start. While he played a lot, the rust was apparent. Godwin had 10 targets and caught three passes for 26 yards. It was encouraging to see him involved so much.

The Titans offense has been a disappointment every week. The biggest one is Calvin Ridley, who only ran 41% of the routes, which was fourth on the team. He caught two passes for 30 yards on three targets.

The slow start for David Njoku continued. He caught two passes for 11 yards on three targets. He has 14 catches on 21 targets for 128 yards without a TD in four games.

David Montgomery and Jameson Williams Get Left Out In Detroit

One week after David Montgomery rushed for 151 yards on 12 carries with two TDs, he was stymied by a Browns run defense that is one of the best in the NFL. Montgomery rushed for 12 yards on nine carries. Lower expectations for all running backs against the Browns. Not surprisingly, an elite back like Jahmyr Gibbs had success with 91 yards on 15 carries with a TD and caught two passes for six yards.

Jameson Williams had a good matchup and couldn’t take advantage. He was targeted eight times and caught two passes for 40 yards. This is part of the Williams roller coaster.

Tre Tucker Comes Back Down To Earth

Can we consider Tre Tucker disappointing? If you spent a good amount of money to pick him up following a three-TD game and started him, the answer is yes. Tucker caught both targets for 13 yards.