Welcome to Week 4 of the fantasy fades and busts of the week! I’m your host, Matt Okada, and might be bringing you half a dozen gamers to keep away from every Thursday, all through the fantasy season. Up to now this text has been a little bit of a magnet for touchdowns … however we’re not making {that a} pattern. Nonetheless looking for the proper 6-for-6 — let’s make it occur.
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As a observe, simply because a participant earns a “fade” or “bust” designation doesn’t robotically imply they need to be benched — it is determined by the remainder of your roster or the choices in your waiver wire. However you possibly can anticipate them to fall in need of expectations (after I get them proper).
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With out additional ado, right here is my listing for Week 4 of the 2025 season.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
Matthew Stafford would not usually be within the starter dialog, however he has thrown a number of touchdowns in consecutive video games, had a good Week 2 for fantasy and has needed to face a troublesome stretch of defenses to start out the yr. Plus, a number of QBs are struggling to start out the season, or are coping with damage, which has made Stafford a well-liked streamer consideration. Watch out this week. The Colts have been a superb move protection by three video games — and are much more weak to the run — permitting the fifth-fewest fantasy factors to quarterbacks (13.0) and the fifth-lowest EPA per dropback (-0.19). They’ve additionally been notably stingy towards play motion, which Stafford and the Rams use on the second-highest price within the NFL this yr. Regardless of dealing with the fifth-highest passing price within the league, they’ve allowed the seventh-fewest yards per sport by the air, with 5 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.
Having Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will at all times make Stafford a menace for giant days. However this sport — by which the Rams are favored — is a a lot better alternative to lean on Kyren Williams and the run sport. Stafford needs to be wonderful — optimistically round 15-17 fantasy factors wonderful — however there are higher streamers out there for Week 4.
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What to do ❓ If you happen to had one of many injured QBs, or had been counting on a disappointing choice like Trevor Lawrence or Michael Penix Jr., you can stream Stafford towards the Colts. However when guys like Tyrod Taylor, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold and perhaps even rookie Jaxson Dart, who debuts this week, can be found and ranked in Stafford’s vary or greater, it is likely to be value going an alternate route.
David Montgomery, RB, Lions
I am actually setting myself up for hassle right here. David Montgomery is coming off a fully large Monday evening sport by which he scored 28.9 fantasy factors to complete because the RB2 total in Week 3. And now I’ve obtained him as a fade. For what it is value, he is not a must-bench however he does draw one of many hardest matchups for the place.
The Browns have allowed the second-fewest fantasy factors to RBs, the third-lowest rush EPA and an insanely low 2.3 yards per carry. Chase Brown managed 12.1 fantasy factors towards Cleveland because of a landing, however Josh Jacobs scored simply 9.9 and Derrick Henry had his 2.3-point stinker at dwelling towards this protection. And whereas the 10-point unfold may recommend Montgomery might be racking up run-out-the-clock carries in rubbish time, Henry noticed simply 11 carries and totaled 23 speeding yards in Baltimore’s 41-17 win over the Browns in Week 2.
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In every of the primary two weeks, Montgomery noticed precisely 11 carries and totaled fewer than 60 speeding yards (saving his Week 2 with a landing) — that is the form of expectation we are able to set for Week 4. With a landing, he’ll be an RB2, in any other case he’ll possible find yourself in mid-single-digits and disappoint in your beginning lineup.
What to do ❓ Montgomery is a high-end RB3 heading into a particularly troublesome matchup this week, so you possibly can undoubtedly get him into some lineups as a flex, however I might favor Quinshon Judkins, on the other facet of the identical sport, D’Andre Swift, Tony Pollard and potential breakout TreVeyon Henderson.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots
Final season, Rhamondre Stevenson led all non-quarterbacks with seven fumbles. It was a major problem then … and it is a major problem now. The Patriots’ beginning RB by the primary three weeks misplaced two fumbles final Sunday towards Pittsburgh, together with one on the aim line, primarily dropping a detailed sport for New England single-handedly. Rumblings out of shape since have steered that Henderson (and Antonio Gibson) have been working forward of Stevenson, who might be in Mike Vrabel and Co.’s doghouse for the foreseeable future.
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It was solely a matter of time till Henderson — the crew’s decide at thirty eighth total again in April — labored his method forward of Stevenson on the depth chart, and ball safety points might have expedited that timeline. The Panthers’ run protection will not be scary, and the Patriots are considerably favored on this sport (a uncommon occasion), so Stevenson has an opportunity to be helpful even when he is not “the starter.” However after incomes a serious fantasy increase together with his 18.7-point efficiency in Week 2, he is all the way in which again down on the backside of RB3 vary following the Week 3 catastrophe.
What to do ❓ You’d should be in a serious pinch to start out Stevenson in Week 4. Together with all of the names talked about within the Montgomery blurb above (and Montgomery himself), I might additionally lean in the direction of Nick Chubb, Isiah Pacheco and presumably even Bhayshul Tuten over the Patriots again.
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Cardinals
It has been a tough begin to the season for Marvin Harrison Jr. After a really good 15.6-point opener, Harrison has caught fewer than 4 passes and totaled fewer than 50 yards in every sport since, avoiding the top zone completely and logging a pair of drops — together with one of many worst you or I’ve ever seen.
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Frankly, he has appeared “off” in some regard (or a number of), and it is resulted in simply 25.2 complete fantasy factors, making him the WR43 on the season. He is averaged simply 1.5 yards per route run, placing him behind guys like Jaylen Waddle, Joshua Palmer and Dontayvion Wicks. The Seahawks press outdoors receivers at a really excessive price, and have been very stingy towards these receivers when focused (lowest passer score within the league), so Harrison might want to beat tight protection from Seattle’s sturdy corners to have a good fantasy day. He totaled simply seven catches and 96 receiving yards throughout two video games towards Seattle final yr (and not using a landing), so the small pattern dimension of historical past doesn’t present many glimmers of hope. Regardless of the place you possible drafted Harrison a number of weeks in the past, he’s a borderline bench for Thursday Night time Soccer — and we’ll must see some constant enchancment earlier than getting again into beginning lineups with confidence.
What to do ❓ Harrison remains to be a borderline WR2, on the deserves of his position because the Cardinals’ main wideout, however quite a lot of late-round picks and even waiver pickups are value contemplating over him in Week 4. Each Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston are within the dialog, as are a returning Xavier Worthy, a highly-targeted Chris Olave even Mr. Mid Jakobi Meyers.
Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals
Tee Higgins was a serious disappointment in Week 1 with Joe Burrow (4.8 fantasy factors), had a little bit of a bounce again in Week 2 with the mid-game Burrow-Jake-Browning swap (13.1) after which fully disappeared in Browning’s first begin of the season, with only one catch for 15 yards on two targets towards the Vikings. He logged a pitiful 0.6 yards per route run in Week 3 and sits at simply 1.1 on the whole season, whereas solely seeing a goal on 14.6% of his routes — a decrease price than any of Cincy’s three tight ends, Chase Brown and even Mitchell Tinsley (admittedly on simply 9 routes).
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On Monday evening, Browning, Higgins and the Bengals draw a matchup with a Broncos protection that is allowed the fifth-lowest passer score to outdoors receivers, thanks in no small half to arguably the league’s greatest nook, Patrick Surtain II. Higgins has the expertise to go off in any given week, and had sturdy performances with Browning again in 2023, however he merely can’t be trusted with this iteration of the Bengals offense towards a really stingy move protection.
What to do ❓ Not like a number of of the names above, Higgins is totally benchable in Week 4. He barely cracks WR3 territory and will see the bench for fringe choices like Michael Pittman Jr., Wan’Dale Robinson with Jaxson Dart on the helm and presumably even Romeo Doubs in a tremendous matchup.
Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs
I will not sugarcoat it: once we highlighted a former top-tier veteran tight finish coming off a gradual begin on this column final week, Mark Andrews got here out of completely nowhere to shatter any concerns of a “bust” label … a minimum of for one week. However I am not backing down, and we’re going with Travis Kelce in Week 4. Not like the “Chiefs-offense-runs-through-me” tight finish of previous, Kelce has seen a goal on simply 19.8% of his routes this yr, decrease than Noah Grey, Hollywood Brown and even downfield menace Tyquan Thornton. And this was with Xavier Worthy inactive.
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Worthy is anticipated to return in Week 4, including another mouth to feed in a passing assault that is been middle-of-the-road to this point in 2025. And whereas the Ravens protection hasn’t been lights out towards the move, they did hold Kelce beneath wraps of their Week 1 assembly final yr. The 35-year-old tight finish has but to hit 5 catches in a sport this season, and has averaged simply 44.7 yards per sport with one landing (again in Week 1). He isn’t placing up the amount, the catch price (58.8%) or the air yards per goal (5.1) to supply constantly in fantasy, and needs to be benched for stronger streaming choices if potential.
What to do ❓ Sadly, there is not a wealth of startable choices on the tight finish place, so it’s possible you’ll be caught with Kelce this week (and past). Nonetheless, waiver wire pickups or “drafted backups” like Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid, Hunter Henry and Juwan Johnson are all higher performs. And if you happen to can commerce Kelce now, totally on “identify worth,” to improve to one of many prime three or 4 … I might strongly contemplate making that transfer.
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