Fantasy Football News

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett should be left on waivers in most fantasy leagues ahead of his Week 4 clash with the San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots hoped Brissett could help transition them into the Drake Maye era by opening the season as the starter, playing clean football, and eventually turning over the reins to the No. 3 pick. So far, that has come to fruition as Brissett won the job in Week 1 and has completed 42 passes for 368 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions since then. He hasn't been asked to throw much at all, which has limited his big-play ability. However, he's done a good job taking care of the football, tallying zero turnovers so far. Sacks, on the other hand, have been an issue for the veteran. New England's porous offensive line has allowed Brissett to be taken down nine times this year, including five in Week 3 against the New York Jets. To put it simply, the Patriots are letting Brissett take the dirty work under center until they feel Maye is ready to get game action. We saw the rookie make his NFL debut in the waning minutes of the Jets game, and the expectation is that he'll continue to see more opportunities going forward as he gets acclimated to an NFL style of play. In the interim, Brissett remains the starting quarterback in this run-heavy offense. This week, he's a fantasy QB3 against a 49ers defense that has allowed the sixth-fewest completions this year.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will look to get back into the win column when the team hosts the New England Patriots on Sunday. Last week versus the Rams in Los Angeles, Purdy had his first 2024 performance above fantasy projections, finishing as the overall QB5 by throwing for 292 yards, three touchdowns, and chipping in 41 yards rushing -- the second-highest total of his career. New England's pass defense has been mediocre this year, producing mixed results against Joe Burrow, Geno Smith, and Aaron Rodgers thus far. They sit at 17th in the NFL in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks with 15.7 per game in Yahoo default scoring. Purdy is expected to get tight end George Kittle (hamstring) back after missing last week, but wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf) is questionable after logging limited practices on Thursday and Friday while running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) still sits on Injured Reserve. Purdy himself had some minor back soreness coming out of last week's game but doesn't carry an injury designation after practicing in full from Wednesday onward. He'll be a back-end QB1 at home in Week 4.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson caught three of his four targets for 20 yards in the Week 3 victory over the 49ers. The 26-year-old logged 29 offensive snaps on the day, with Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell getting more work. However, he couldn't get anything going. While Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle) will remain out in Week 4 versus the Chicago Bears, Johnson shouldn't be anywhere near a fantasy lineup.

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange will start in place of the injured Evan Engram for the third straight week against the Houston Texans. He has done solidly since being thrust into the starting role, catching five of 11 targets for 77 yards and a touchdown in two games. While those numbers don't jump off the page, they are solid fantasy numbers for a tight end, a position ravaged with injuries and underperforming players. It would be outlandish to say Strange is a TE1, but fantasy managers can do much worse. So far, the Texans have only allowed three points per game to tight ends, but they've also faced the Vikings, Bears, and Colts, so it's hard to say how good they really are at defending tight ends. While it is hard to trust him, as long as Engram remains out, Strange is a fine play at tight end for desperate fantasy managers.

Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson finished the Week 3 win over the 49ers by amassing three catches for 21 yards. While Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) were sidelined, Parkinson couldn't take advantage. With Kupp and Nacua out again for the Week 4 matchup with the Bears, targets are up for grabs. Of course, Kyren Williams will be the preferred offensive option for the Rams. However, Parkinson, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, Tyler Johnson, and Jordan Whittington have a chance to see more attention from Matthew Stafford. It's anyone's guess who the signal-caller will look to the most versus Chicago, so Parkinson is hard to trust in any fantasy lineup, especially since he has only eight catches this season.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell had a team-high four catches for 93 yards in the Week 3 win over the 49ers. With Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) sidelined again for Sunday's meeting with the Chicago Bears, there is room for others to step up. Without question, Kyren Williams will get all the work he can handle. However, Atwell has earned the trust of his coaching staff, meaning he could see more than the 43 offensive snaps he had versus San Francisco. With that in mind, he's arguably the top wideout on the roster from a talent standpoint, so he warrants at least flex consideration for fantasy managers in Week 4.

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hayden Hurst (Achilles) doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Sunday's AFC West matchup with the Chiefs. The veteran was on the injury report before the Week 3 meeting with the Steelers because of an ankle injury. While he was on the field for that one, he finished with just two catches for 15 yards. With only five receptions in the first three games of the 2024-25 campaign, Hurst likely isn't on many fantasy rosters. As such, he should not be starting in Week 4.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (toe) was limited during Friday's practice. The 26-year-old has battled the toe injury all season but has still played, so he will likely be out there on Monday night in Detroit. He had a rough start to the 2024-25 campaign, totaling just three receptions in Seattle's first two contests. However, he caught all six targets for 60 yards in Week 3 versus the Miami Dolphins. After such a performance, fantasy managers in some formats consider him a starting tight end in Week 4. Still, Fant hard to trust, especially since it's been over a year since he's found his way into the end zone.

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has finally shown signs of slowing down this season, much to the surprise of fantasy managers and football fans everywhere. The star kicker clocks in as the K18 to start the season and has already missed three of his eight field goal attempts so far. Week 3 didn't do him any favors as he missed his lone field goal attempt and made four extra points. His Week 4 opponent, the Buffalo Bills, are one of the tougher teams in the early part of this season as they've allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing kickers. The opposing kickers are only averaging 5.7 fantasy points against them right now, and if Tucker continues to miss field goals that he used to make, John Harbaugh and company may start going for it on fourth down more often. Fantasy managers will want to proceed with caution when it comes to starting Tucker this week.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely is in the same boat as Mark Andrews, which sounds like it should be a good thing if it's based on last season, but in reality, it makes the lives of fantasy managers very difficult. Head coach John Harbaugh talked about Andrews and the tight end group having more of a rotational squad that will see more or less time based on matchup and game plan. That means we could see a big Likely week, such as Week 1, and then we could see a game where the two TEs get two targets and four yards combined like Week 3. The inconsistency of either tight end's targets and playing time makes them both harder to trust in Week 4 against a stout passing defense like the Buffalo Bills. After Likely's big performance in Week 1, he finished as the TE22 and TE51 the last two weeks, respectively. Likely comes in as a low-end TE2, which is more of a risky dart throw if any fantasy managers need to start him in this matchup.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has been one of the most disappointing players for fantasy managers in the early goings of this season. He was once one of the set-it-and-forget-it type of tight ends, and he's now found his way on most teams' benches. To make matters worse, head coach John Harbaugh talked about how the tight ends are going to on more of a rotational type of role, and they'll all see more or less time depending on matchups and game plans. That turned into Andrews only being on the field 33% of the time in their last game against the Dallas Cowboys. Against a tougher pass defense in the Buffalo Bills, it doesn't seem to be the best-case scenario for an Andrews breakout game. At this rate, Andrews is hovering around TE2 territory until he separates himself from the rest of the Ravens' tight ends. Outside of deeper leagues, it's probably best to find a tight end that will consistently run routes and be on the field.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson will square off against a tough Chicago Bears defense on the road in Week 4. Robinson will have his work cut out for him in this one, as he'll take on one of the league's better pass defenses through three weeks. LA has one of the highest pass rates in the NFL (tenth), but quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown just two touchdowns across the team's first three matchups, and it will be tough to trust any Rams wideout this week. The 30-year-old veteran is probably the best bet of the Rams' pass catchers regarding volume, as he has the second-most targets on the team (15) behind Cooper Kupp's (ankle) 27. However, he won't be a recommended option -- even with the team still without Kupp and Puka Nacua (knee). The Florida product has seen four targets in each of his last two contests but turned them into just three catches for 82 yards. Consistency could be hard to come by again, as Stafford spreads the ball around quite a bit without his superstar wideouts. Robinson is RotoBaller's PPR WR54 in this week's rankings.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is one of the most targeted pass-catchers in the NFL through three weeks, yet he clocks in as the WR31 in half-PPR formats. He has been targeted 25 times which is enough for 13th out of all pass-catchers. The issue is that his yards per target (5.9), yards per game (49.3), and catch percentage (64.0) are all lower than his totals from last year. Yes, that's a small sample size, but he's on pace to receive almost 40 more targets than he did last season. Now, he'll go up against the Buffalo Bills who have one of the better pass defenses in the league so far. They've only allowed 8.2 yards per target (third fewest), and have only given up three receiving touchdowns. In fact, the longest passing play they've given up is 24 yards. Flowers will likely continue getting targets and touches in all sorts of ways as the offense has manufactured it, but he'll have a tougher time turning that into fantasy points, which is why he's hovering around a low-end WR2 for this contest.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry looked like a man amongst boys again when he gashed the Dallas Cowboys for 151 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The King was showing off the incredible stiff arm while proving that age is just a number. Now, Henry and the Ravens shift focus to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 who have given up the ninth-most yards per carry so far with 4.7. With that being said, they've only given up one rushing touchdown and that comes down to the fact that they have only been in one close game so far. James Conner put up 83 total yards and a score against this defense while De'Von Achane had 96 yards on the ground and Travis Etienne Jr. had 6.2 yards per carry. Henry should be considered an RB1 heading into this matchup, as his ceiling heavily depends on how the Ravens play if they go down early.

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is in another smash spot this Sunday when his team travels to Chicago to square off against the Bears. The third-year back is fresh off his best game of the season, when he totaled 116 yards and three touchdowns on 26 touches. Fantasy managers can again expect a massive workload for the former fifth-round pick with quarterback Matthew Stafford down his top two receiving options -- wideouts Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle). The Bears' defense has been no slouch against the run this year, ranking just outside the league's top half regarding yardage allowed. However, they've let up the fourth-most touchdowns on the ground (4) and the eighth-most rushing first downs (22). Additionally, Williams is in no danger of ceding work to his backups, as he has handily out-snapped the combination of Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers 164-to-24 through three games. He'll be the engine that drives the LA offense once again this week and ranks as RotoBaller's PPR RB5 in Week 4's rankings.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the QB4 on the season through three weeks and is on track for just shy of 4,000 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards if he can maintain his averages for 17 games. He even boasts his lowest interception percentage yet, but unfortunately has the lowest touchdown-throwing percentage as well in this sample size. In Week 4, he draws a bit of a tougher test as the Ravens take on the Buffalo Bills who only allow 5.1 yards per pass attempt and have only given up three touchdowns through the air versus four interceptions. However, they give up the ninth-most yards per carry, which would keep Jackson in the QB1 conversation. It's unlikely that this game would turn into a blowout and keep the ball in Derrick Henry and Justice Hill's hands, so Jackson should get more opportunities through the air. Fantasy managers can still consider him a must start, even in a tougher matchup.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn't project as a viable fantasy option this Sunday in the team's road tilt against the Chicago Bears. The veteran signal-caller was able to eclipse the 300-yard mark in Week 1 when he tossed 317 and a score against the Lions in Detroit, but he hasn't produced much since. It isn't shocking, though, considering he's been sans Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle) -- his top two options. Since the matchup against Detroit, the 36-year-old has combined for 437 yards and one touchdown -- failing to throw multiple scores in a game or surpass 221 yards. Additionally, Chicago's defense has been one of the better against the pass this season, allowing just 495 yards and two passing touchdowns through the first three weeks. Expect LA to rely heavily on running back Kyren Williams again, with tight end Colby Parkinson and wide receivers Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson supplementing in the passing game. Despite Los Angeles ranking in the top ten in team pass percentage, the former first-overall pick will be a low-end QB2 for the contest.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jonathan Mingo could see his usage tick up in Week 4 when the team hosts the Cincinnati Bengals. Mingo was already set for a more significant role, with wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) heading to injured reserve. Now, the second-year wideout could be an even more prominent target, with Diontae Johnson (groin) turning up on the team's injury report after missing Thursday's practice. Johnson did log a limited session on Friday, but he's listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup. Fellow wideout Xavier Legette is also projected to pick up some slack in the Panthers' passing attack. Even before Thielen's injury, Mingo was the next man up, as he had the third-most WR snaps on the team after Week 2. It remains to be seen if quarterback Andy Dalton will attempt nearly 40 passes again (37), but if he does and Johnson is not at 100%, Mingo would have the opportunity to post a productive line. Cincinnati's defense hasn't let up a ton of yardage through the air thus far, but they have been quite porous on the ground -- allowing the eighth-most rush yards in the league. Mingo projects as a low-end FLEX with upside for the affair.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (ribs) was listed as limited in the team's Friday practice. It's the second practice in a row he's been designated as such. While the news that he has been able to participate in some fashion is at least encouraging, reports out of Thursday's practice were not exactly glowing. Thompson was seen with a brace under his pads and did not take many throws. Additionally, head coach Mike McDaniel has yet to be inclined to name a starter for Miami's Week 4 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. His lack of a decision is partly due to his desire to gain a competitive edge, but maybe he is holding off to see if the 27-year-old can make enough progress to suit up. Perhaps this is a pain management issue for the former seventh-round pick. Regardless, he'll have one more chance to positively affect his status ahead of this week's contest in the team's final practice on Saturday. If he cannot play, either Tyler Huntley or Tim Boyle will get the start for the Fins. It is believed Huntley will be named the starter. However, fantasy managers will want to monitor this situation for a few more days.

New York Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein has made two of his three field-goal attempts and all seven of his extra points through the first three games of the season. He will look for more chances to kick in Week 4's home matchup against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have been stingy against kickers this season, allowing just the 25th-most fantasy points per game to the position thus far. Zuerlein hasn't been getting enough field-goal attempts to trust in fantasy this season, leaving him outside of the top 15 at the position for Week 4.