Welcome to The Heat Index!

For those unfamiliar with the column, every Monday during the NFL season, we dig into the players whose performances through Sunday jumped out to us the most. Along with their stats (half-point PPR scoring) and positional rank for the week, we’ll rank their rest-of-season prospects on a scale of 🔥-to-🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. Some undrafted players and deep league options rose to the top in a surprise-filled Week 4.

Quarterback

Jared Goff (QB – DET)

• Stat-line:  26 of 39 passing for 378 yards with four TDs, a 2-point conversion, and an INT
• QB Rank:  1

Analysis:  Not only did Goff have a great week, but he did it without his top two wideouts, Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET) and D.J. Chark Jr. (WR – DET), and his pass-friendly running back, D’Andre Swift (RB – DET). Goff is looking like a legit fantasy starter after four solid to excellent performances to start the season. His biggest risk might be the schedule, which gets considerably tougher going forward. However, given Detroit’s penchant for surrendering points, Goff figures to be throwing the ball a ton all year, so if you need a QB, he should be a solid option most weeks.

Heat Index:  🔥🔥🔥🔥

Geno Smith (QB – SEA)

• Stat-line:  23 of 30 passing for 320 yards with two TDs; 49 yards rushing with a TD
• QB Rank:  2

Analysis:  The surprisingly fantasy-relevant Smith had the benefit of facing Detroit’s defense this week. That said, he’s thrown two TDs in three of his four starts this year. The Seahawks’ defense has struggled nearly as much as the Lions’, so Smith may be more usable for fantasy this year than initially thought. He’s not a weekly consideration in single QB leagues but could be a viable bye-week streamer or two-QB option going forward.

Heat Index:  🔥🔥🔥

Wide Receiver

Jamal Agnew (WR – JAC)

• Stat-line:  Four receptions of six targets for 50 yards and two TDs
• WR Rank:  5

Analysis:  Agnew stepped in for Zay Jones (WR – JAC), who was out with an ankle injury, and replicated his production. Agnew finished the week first in receptions and second in yards and targets among Jacksonville pass-catchers, and his two TDs doubled his career total. Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC) continues to show his growing maturity by spreading the ball around. The sophomore QB targeted nine different Jags this week, making it hard to trust that Agnew will see consistent opportunities in this offense.

Heat Index:  🔥

Josh Reynolds (WR – DET)

• Stat-line:  Seven receptions off eight targets for 81 yards and a TD
• WR Rank:  9

Analysis:  As mentioned above, the Lions were without their two top receivers Sunday but still scored 45 points. Since their time together on the Rams, Reynolds has had an excellent connection with Goff. Reynolds had played a lot of snaps and was a better fantasy option than Chark before he got hurt. Thus he has to be considered for fantasy, especially while the Lions are short-handed at the position. Once their receiving corps gets healthy, including rookie Jameson Williams (WR – DET), Reynolds is probably not worth rostering. In the meantime, though, he’s worth a look in deep leagues.

Heat Index:  🔥🔥

Running Back

Miles Sanders (RB – PHI)

• Stat-line:  Twenty-seven carries for 134 yards and two TDs; Two receptions off three targets for 22 yards
• RB Rank:  3

Analysis:  Sanders’s touches have been solid this season, but nothing like in Week 4. His 27 carries were a career-high and second to Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG) on the week. His efficiency and usage have been excellent, though it would be nice to see him more involved in the passing game. Given Sanders’s injury history, now may be the perfect time to sell high on him. If you opt to keep him, he’s played his way into RB2 territory as we advance, but don’t expect more 29-touch games from him.

Heat Index:  🔥🔥🔥

Rahaad Penny (RB – SEA)

• Stat-line:  Seventeen carries for 151 yards and two TDs; One reception off one target for six yards
• RB Rank:  4

Analysis:  Many felt that Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA) would begin to cut into Penny’s workload once healthy, but it still hasn’t had any significant effect. Since Week 2, Walker’s first game, Penny has 39 touches to the rookie’s 21. Penny needs a positive game script, as he isn’t much of a pass-catcher and won’t see many snaps if the Seahawks are playing from behind as they were in Week 2. The good news is that Seattle’s schedule doesn’t feature many juggernauts in the first half of the season. Thus, Penny should remain a solid flex option for the foreseeable future until Walker starts getting more runs or if he suffers an injury, which has been an issue for him.

Heat Index:  🔥🔥🔥

Tight End

Mo Alie-Cox (TE – IND)

• Stat-line:  Six receptions off six targets for 85 yards and two TDs
• TE Rank:  2

Analysis: Alie-Cox’s production in Week 4 was excellent, and not only because he scored two TDs. He also led the team in targets, receptions, and yards in the loss. However, Alie-Cox only had four catches off eight targets in Weeks 1-3, so it is hard to get too excited about his future prospects. He’s also sharing tight end snaps with Kylen Granson (TE – IND), who also had a good Week 4. The Colts’ schedule for tight ends looks pretty promising from Week 8 to Week 15, though, so Alie-Cox could be an option as a bye-week fill-in during this stretch.

Heat Index:  🔥🔥