Swift was playing his usual lead back role in the run-first Chicago offense when he lost a fumble in the second half and did not return to action, ceding the backfield to Kyle Monangai, who ended the game with 30 rushes for 146 yards. Swift, who has been struggling with a knee injury, was stuffed twice at the goal line in the first half. It was looking like a big day against a gettable New York run defense. If Swift misses time, Monangai would be a must-play option in all formats. The Bears take on the Packers in Week 5.
Gainwell wasn’t awfully involved in the Bucs’ game plan, but he took the field for almost as many routes as Bucky Irving and cashed in with a 10-yard score in the second half. It was his first touchdown as a Buccaneer. Gainwell is still averaging just 5.3 touches per game, but this performance could earn him more work going forward, specifically on passing downs. He will be a low-end RB4 for Week 5 against the Cowboys.
Williams’ 10 receptions were a new career high, while his 26 touches were tied for his seventh most. This, as Blake Corum handled the ball only six times. With Matthew Stafford having trouble against a stout Eagles defense in the rain, he focused on Williams checkdowns, and the strategy actually paid off as the Rams erased a 20-10 halftime deficit. Williams now has 47 touches over the past two weeks after that number was 28 for Weeks 1 and 2. With the Rams off to a shaky start, it’s not surprising they’ve started concentrating touches on their most established weapons. Corum is going to hang around as a nuisance, but Williams has returned himself to the low-end RB1 mix ahead of a likely Week 5 shootout with the Bills.
Though he was still No. 3 in wide receiver snaps agains the Bengals, Thomas saw more snaps this week than his 23-snap game against the Patriots last week. He out-snapped Josh Cameron 38-to-22 and caught Trevor Lawrence’s sole touchdown pass of the afternoon. Despite the score, Thomas’ lesser role relegates him to the WR3 spot in the Jaguars offense as he tied for fourth in targets against the Bengals. Thomas is a touchdown-dependent fantasy play and should be in the WR5 range for Week 5 against the Eagles.
Otton’s 37 yards were somehow enough to lead Tampa Bay, though that largely speaks to the ineffective nature of the team’s passing attack. With Jalon Daniels under center, there simply wasn’t much production to go around. He was intercepted twice and threw for just 148 yards. With Daniels likely to make his second start of the year on Week 5, Otton is a low-end TE2 for his upcoming matchup with Dallas.
Corum was employed as a pure breather back this afternoon, as he got out-touched 26-6 by Kyren Williams. Four of Corum’s handles came on one first quarter series. With the 1-2 Rams down the barrel of 1-3 as they trailed by two scores for several quarters, they circled the wagons around their most established players, and that does not yet include Corum. The third-year pro will undoubtedly pop up for more 10-12 carry afternoons, but he’s fading from FLEX relevance as Williams gets re-established in the low-end RB1 mix.
Meyers continues to see the most snaps among all Jaguars wide receivers as Liam Coen utilizes him as both an outside target and willing blocker. He was second in targets against the Bengals as Trevor Lawrence threw just 23 passes on the day. Meyers now seems to be ahead of Brian Thomas Jr. on the wide receiver pecking order and is WR3 fantasy play for a London game against the Eagles in Week 5.
Washington also added three yards with one carry on the ground. After a hot start to the season, Washington was relatively quiet against the Bengals. The Jaguars receivers combined for just 11 of Trevor Lawrence’s 23 targets and Washington saw three of those. His first reception came in the fourth quarter on a 40-yard catch-and-run that would have sealed the game, but was called back after replay showed he stepped out of bounds after seven yards. Game script and the Bengals’ tight end weaknesses played a factor in this game, with Brenton Strange the primary target on the day. Washington should still be the Jaguars’ No. 1 receiver and is a fantasy WR2 for Week 5 against the Eagles.
Out there for the first time since Week 1, Nacua did what he always seems to do when active and post a dominant statline. We say “active” rather than “healthy,” as FOX’s Erin Andrews confirmed during the broadcast Nacua is dealing with some sort of sports-hernia situation. That could make him something of a week-to-week proposition but hopefully the superstar wideout has found some way to manage the pain for the rest of the season. He has a Week 5 smash spot in the Bills’ shootout-prone defense. He will also have an extra day to get healthy with the game taking place on Monday Night Football.
Strange was Trevor Lawrence’s primary target against a Bengals defense that has struggled against tight ends. Many of his targets were middle-of-the-field intermediate passes as he tallied 95 total receiving yards on the day. The Jaguars offense has a variety of pass-catchers that can find success based on defensive matchup. The game environment aligned perfectly for Strange, who rarely came off the field with 53 total snaps. The Eagles are a tougher matchup for tight ends, but Strange is a good streamer option in the high-end TE2 territory for a Week 5 matchup in London.
Pollard was wildly inefficient in this one, but saved his fantasy day when he scored a three-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Titans their first points of the day. It was the first touchdown of the season for Pollard, who continues to serve as the Titans’ primary back, but there’s not much fantasy upside to be had here. Pollard will be a boom-or-bust RB3 next week against the Texans.
Hurst was the only Bucs pass-catcher to gain more than 20 yards on a single play. The passing game was otherwise relegated to intermediate throws and check-downs in Jalon Daniels’ first start. With Jalen McMillan on IR, Hurst has locked up a starting role. That simply is worth much for fantasy managers with a backup quarterback under center. Hurst will be a desperation FLEX play when he takes on the Cowboys next week.
Robinson was bailed out of a disappointing fantasy day when he hauled in a three-yard touchdown pass from Cam Ward late in the fourth quarter. Robinson was heavily out-targeted by Carnell Tate in this one, but he and Tate continue to be the only fantasy-viable receivers in this Titans offense. Robinson could be in play as a desperation FLEX play in next week’s game agains the Texans.
It was a big pass-catching day for Brown, who saw 11-of-54 total Bengals targets on the day. After Ja’Marr Chase (concussion) exited, Brown and Tee Higgins saw massive upticks in usage. Brown saw 57 backfield snaps, catching a series of checkdowns and wheel routes despite just 10 rushing yards on the day. He worked ahead of Samaje Perine on passing downs, a good sign for his fantasy production moving forward. We don’t expect Brown to consistently see this many targets but a high backfield share gives him a consistent fantasy floor. Brown is a fringe RB1 for Week 5 against the Dolphins.
Love “added” a -8 yard reception, One week after seeming to seize complete command of the Cardinals’ backfield with a 26-touch, 109-yard performance, Love out-touched Tyler Allgeier just 15-10. It was Allgeier who notched a 22-yard touchdown. Asked about it afterwards, coach Mike LaFleur lamely mentioned something about the Cardinals’ two-minute offense. Twitter doctors were claiming Love — who had only one fourth quarter touch — was dealing with some sort of injury, but we didn’t see it. Neither LaFleur nor Love made any mention of any kind of supposed issue after the game. We assume he will be fine ahead of a potential Week 5 shootout with the Lions.
Egbuka had been operating as the Bucs’ No. 1 receiver until this game. With Jalon Daniels struggling to get the deep ball going, he opted for easy completions to Cade Otton and Chris Godwin, who combined for 10 catches. Egbuka, in turn, was hung out to dry. He almost saved the day with a touchdown catch, but the throw was low and behind him. Egbuka still had a chance to bring in the pass but couldn’t corral it with a Green Bay defender smothering him in coverage. Egbuka hasn’t topped 64 yards in a game since Week 10 of last year. With Daniles under center for a few more weeks, it may be a while before Egbuka hits triple digits again. He is barely a WR3 for his Week 5 date with the Cowboys.
Surtain went down with a non-contact injury late in the second quarter and needed help getting the the Denver locker room. He was seen grabbing at his calf and foot area. Hopefully for the Broncos this injury is not a worst-case scenario for one of the NFL’s best cover corners. Brock Purdy and the Niners should have an easier time moving the ball if Surtain is sidelined for the remainder of this game.
Perine only saw three touches on the day, though he had a rushing touchdown called back for holding in the second quarter. He has generally held a pass-catching role throughout his career but ceded all the backfield pass-catching opportunities to Chase Brown on the day. Perine remains a handcuff in the event of a Brown injuyr.
Tyson Bagent, making his first NFL start, locked on to his boundary wideout in the first half, hitting Odunze for a couple long gains, including a nicely-placed 37 yarder. Odunze was second on the team in targets behind Colston Loveland, who saw nine looks on the day. Odunze is leading the Bears offense in air yards and profiles as a high-variance weekly fantasy option in an offense that leans toward the run. Odunze will be a solid flex option in Week 5 against a Green Bay secondary that struggles against boundary receivers.
His touchdown came on a two-minute play where the Cowboys line wasn’t even set, aka the only way any Texans runner can advance the football. Still, he’s faster than David Montgomery and that’s really all the Texans have in their backfield. He’s a FLEX option against the Titans in Week 5.