Week 4 of the 2025 fantasy football season featured a lot of big performances from some of the top players in the NFL and only a handful of disappointing performances.
Who were the big winners and losers?
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analyses.
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Ranking winners | Ranking losers |
Biggest injuries and what's next
Ranking fantasy winners of Week 4
1. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: Jeanty's 33.8 points in the Week 4 win over the Bears were a season-high for the rookie, and he led all running backs through the late window on Sunday. In a positive matchup versus the Bears run front, Jeanty rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, plus he added two receptions for 17 yards, with both going for scores. Jeanty displayed high-end contact balance and explosive play ability in this one, and he could see a bump in pass game usage after his production on Sunday. With a Week 5 matchup on deck versus the Colts, Jeanty will move up in my ranks as a lower-tier RB1. -- Bowen
2. Puka Nacua, WR, and Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams: Just as he was at the onset of his 2023 rookie season, Nacua has been a receptions machine, totaling in double-digits (13) for the third time in his four games to date. His 42 total match Michael Thomas (2018) and Cooper Kupp (2022) for the most through four games of any season, demonstrating Stafford's hefty reliance upon his No. 1 target. Stafford, meanwhile, scored 27.40 fantasy points, his most in a game since Week 11 of last season. The two should be in for a tougher matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5, though Nacua is locked in as a weekly fantasy WR1 and Stafford is a worthwhile option in superflex leagues. -- Cockcroft
3. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons: Robinson was electric in the Week 4 win over Washington, scoring a season-high 28.1 points, while showcasing his elite dual-threat ability. Johnson finished with 181 total yards and a touchdown on 21 touches, finding the end zone on a 14 yard rush. Plus, Johnson caught four passes for 106 yards. Johnson now has two games this season with over 24 points, and he'll remain a top-3 RB when the Falcons return from the bye in Week 6 versus the Bills. -- Bowen
4. Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers: Hampton's 27.5 points in Sunday's loss to the Giants were a season-best for the rookie, and he has now posted back-to-back games with 24 or more points. Hampton displayed his big-play ability in the run game, breaking one for a 54-yard score. Plus, Hampton is being utilized on screens and as an underneath outlet for quarterback Justin Herbert in the pass game. Hampton caught all five of his targets for 37 yards here, giving him a total of 11 receptions for 96 yards over his past two games. With the total volume, plus the dual-threat usage, Hampton will be a RB1 in my Week 5 ranks for the matchup versus Washington. -- Bowen
5. Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: In a somewhat surprising development, Gainwell earned the start for the Steelers' early-morning game in Dublin, Ireland, after Jaylen Warren (knee) was scratched despite putting in limited practices during the week. Gainwell thrived as the Steelers' clear go-to running back, playing 77% of the offensive snaps, handling 19 of the team's 29 rushing attempts, scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns and totaling a career-best 31.4 PPR fantasy points. Rookie Kaleb Johnson, meanwhile, played 21% of the snaps and had seven total touches, marking the fourth consecutive week that Gainwell has at least tripled Johnson's number in either department. Gainwell now has five explosive runs (10-plus yards) and is clearly a significant part of the Steelers' rushing game plan. Make sure he's rostered in the 64.4% of ESPN leagues in which he remains available when the team returns from its Week 5 bye. -- Cockcroft
Matt Bowen breaks down his fantasy outlook for Quentin Johnston in Week 5.
6. Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: In Sunday's upset loss to the Giants, Johnston posted his second game of 20-plus points this season (23.9), catching eight of a team-high 13 targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. Johnston has now recorded at least one touchdown grab in three of four games played this season, and he has seen a total of 23 targets in his last two. With the vertical element he brings to the Chargers offense, in addition to the numbers he can produce after the catch on over routes and crossers, Johnston has carved out a defined role in this route tree. He'll remain an upside WR3/Flex for the Week 5 matchup versus Washington. -- Bowen
7. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons: The star of the early stages of the Falcons' surprising, 34-27 win over the Washington Commanders, London scored almost as many PPR fantasy points in Week 4 (25.0) as he did in his first three games combined (29.9), thanks in large part to a five-yard touchdown catch near the end of the first quarter and a 43-yard catch early in the second. He dominated targets in this game, which was an encouraging sign heading into the Falcons' bye week and their tough Week 6 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. -- Cockcroft
Eric Moody breaks down DK Metcalf's Week 4 performance and what it means for fantasy managers moving forward.
8. DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: Metcalf posted season-high 23.6 points in the Week 4 win over the Vikings. With the quick passing game at the top of the Steelers' call sheet, Metcalf caught all five of his targets for 126 yards, which included an 80-yard score on slant route. Catch and go. Big time open field juice there. Metcalf has now scored a touchdown in three straight games, but it was the explosive plays in this one that boosted his numbers. The Steelers head into the bye next, but they return in Week 6 with a matchup versus the Browns defense, which will keep Metcalf on the WR2/Flex line. --Bowen
9. Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans: Rostered in only 33.2% of ESPN leagues, Marks dropped a career-high 27.9 points in Sunday's win over the Titans. Marks, who out-touched veteran Nick Chubb 21 to 15, finished with 119 total yards and two scores, plus we saw the upside he brings as a pass catcher (four receptions, 50 yards, one touchdown). Even in a backfield share with Chubb, it's clear that Marks brings more juice and play-speed to the field. The rookie out of USC should be a priority waiver-add this week. -- Bowen
10. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: He has been a rookie sensation, scoring touchdowns in three of four games, posting a 25% target share, and totaling a rookie class-leading 71.1 PPR fantasy points, which ranks 16th among rookie wide receivers through his first four career games since at least 1940. Egbuka continues to be the go-to guy for Baker Mayfield, which should continue to be the case for Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, as Mike Evans (hamstring) is expected to miss multiple weeks. -- Cockcroft
11. James Cook, RB, and Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills: They were the stars of a game that, for 52 minutes, was far closer than it should've been. Cook managed his eighth consecutive game with a rushing touchdown, and fourth consecutive game with at least 20 PPR fantasy points. His rushing score came from one yard out, and since the beginning of last season, he now has 10 such touchdowns from within three yards of the end zone, a remarkable number for a teammate of the plenty-capable-in-his-own-right Allen. Allen, meanwhile, scored 24.86 points, his 11th game in his past 15 full (meaning excluding Week 18) in which he totaled 20-plus. Both should again deliver top-shelf numbers in Week 5 in a divisional game against the New England Patriots. -- Cockcroft
12. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns: Judkins had a career-best 21.5 points in the Week 4 loss to the Lions. Yes, Judkins once again saw No. 1 volume, carrying the ball 21 times 82 yards and a touchdown. He's the clear lead back in Cleveland. However, Judkins also had his best receiving numbers as a pro, catching all four of his targets for 33 yards. With a bump in pass game usage, Judkins should be ranked as an RB2 ahead of the Week 5 game versus the Vikings. -- Bowen
Ranking fantasy losers of Week 4
1. Justin Herbert, QB; Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: In the upset loss to the Giants, Herbert had a season-low 12.52 points, completing only 56% of his passes, while he threw two interceptions versus a New York defense that created pressure. McConkey caught one of six targets for 11 yards (2.1 points), and he has posted double-digit points in only one game this season (Week 1). With the bump in volume for Johnston, plus the presence of Keenan Allen, McConkey's numbers have taken a hit to start the season, and he will continue to slide in the rankings -- despite the pre-season hype. I'll have McConkey as a WR3 for the Week 5 matchup against the Commanders defense. -- Bowen
2. Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears: I had Williams ranked as a mid-tier QB1 for the Week 4 game against the Raiders, but the Chicago offense had too many negative plays here, while they also failed to cash-in on positive field position. Williams did throw for 212 yards and a score, but he also had an interception and finished with only 13 yards rushing. And the 11.18 for Williams were a season low. Williams has two games of 24 or more points this season, but he remains an inconsistent thrower in an offense going through the transition of a new system. Williams will be in my QB2 ranks when the Bears return from the bye in Week 6 versus Washington. -- Bowen
3. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens: For the third straight game, Henry failed to post double-digit numbers, as he finished with 7.8 points in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Henry only saw eight carries in this game, rushing for 42 yards, plus he added two receptions for 16 yards. Henry isn't carrying the offense at this point of the season, and with Lamar Jackson leaving the game with a hamstring injury, things could get really rough for this Ravens unit moving forward. Let's monitor the injury reports on Jackson this week, as his availability will determine Henry's ceiling for the Week 5 matchup versus the Houston defense. -- Bowen
4. Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders: His struggles continued in Week 4, resulting in only 9.6 PPR fantasy points, the third straight week he was held beneath 10, on six targets. Geno Smith's struggles have played a part, as his struggles with the deep ball are reining in Bowers' production in a way that wasn't the case in 2024. Bowers is still seeing a good amount of targets, his 22% rate fourth-best among tight ends, so there's hope he should rebound soon to remain one of the top three at his position by season's end. -- Cockcroft
5. Geno Smith, QB, Las Vegas Raiders: A popular streaming option due to the matchup against the Chicago Bears -- he was started in a season-high 21.9% of ESPN leagues -- Smith flopped, scoring only 9.78 fantasy points in large part due to his throwing three interceptions. He struggled particularly on deeper throws, as all three picks came on throws at least 10 yards downfield, giving him a league-leading seven now in those situations. Fantasy managers will be much less likely to trust him when the matchups are right. -- Cockcroft
6. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: They were remarkably quiet in Week 4, scoring 2.7 and 4.9 PPR fantasy points, and each has now been held beneath five points in two of four games so far this season. Just as was the case last year, the Eagles' running game is humming behind Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts, minimizing the need to rely heavily on the team's top two wide receivers. Thus far, the Eagles have run 123 offensive plays with a lead, and a whopping 61% of them have been rushing plays. -- Cockcroft
7. Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals: With Benson assuming the lead role in Arizona for an injured James Conner, we expected a little bit more in the Thursday night game versus Seattle, right? Benson did manage to post 10.4 points, thanks to bringing in five receptions, but he totaled just 19 yards in the pass game, while he carried the ball eight times for 35 yards. I'll keep Benson in my lower-tier RB2 ranks due to the positive Week 5 matchup versus the Titans defense, but I'm not sold yet. -- Bowen
Injury impact
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
What we know: He left Sunday's game in the second quarter after his right knee buckled immediately before he jumped in an attempt to make a catch. Initial reports had the Giants fearing that he has a torn ACL.
What's next: Nabers is scheduled for an MRI on Monday morning, which could confirm the season-ending injury. Nabers' absence would be devastating to a Giants offense that just installed rookie Jaxson Dart at quarterback. The team's offensive approach might now dramatically shift to make best use of Dart's rushing ability, but he'll also need to make do leaning more heavily upon wide receivers Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton and tight end Theo Johnson. -- Cockcroft
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
What we know: Jones left the game in a third quarter with a hamstring injury, and he did not return to the game. Before exiting, Jackson passed for 147 yards with a touchdown and interception, while adding 48 yards rushing on six carries (10.68 points).
What's next:If Jackson is down for the Week 5 game versus the Texans, backup Cooper Rush would get the start at quarterback. If Rush is under center, it's time to downgrade Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews and Derrick Henry against the Houston defense. -- Bowen