Friday afternoons are my opportunity to connect with FantasyPros readers and the FantasyPros Discord community. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to join our Discord to get answers to your questions. I host weekly AMAs on Fridays, and other analysts also routinely answer questions. Below were three standout topics from Friday’s busy Week 4 AMA.
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Discord AMA: Week 4
How Should Gamers View and Evaluate Matthew Golden?
Jordan Love and Matthew Golden have narrowly missed on a few big, would-be-touchdown plays. Golden’s full-season numbers would look more appealing if they connected. Nevertheless, he’s a player gamers should be excited about, especially this week.
Golden has an expert consensus ranking (ECR) of WR41 in half-PPR formats this week, but I view him firmly in the low-end WR3 range. According to the data suite at Fantasy Points, Golden had a 67.7% route participation rate in the previous two weeks. He has room to run more routes.
Still, Golden’s 26.4% air yards share in those games was an encouraging mark, and the speedy rookie has a drool-inducing matchup this week. The Cowboys have allowed an NFL-high 41.4 half-PPR points per game to wide receivers in 2025. Gamers should get him into their starting lineups, and those without him should kick the tires on his availability before the buying window slams shut with an eruption on Sunday Night Football.
What Should Gamers Do With Chase Brown?
Usually, I’d preach patience with a player off to a slow start. I wouldn’t advocate rage-dropping Chase Brown for a handcuff running back. Nevertheless, shopping Brown for 75 cents on the dollar is a reasonable move.
Betting on Brown entering the season wasn’t a bet on his talent. Instead, it was a wager on a likely massive workload while attached to a high-powered, Joe Burrow-led offense. Brown has played a rock-solid 67% of Cincinnati’s snaps this year, reaching at least 71% in each of the first two games before dipping to 55% in a blowout loss in Week 3.
Regardless, Brown’s snap share isn’t elite, and Burrow is injured. Yet, Brown has handled 47 of the backfield’s 56 rush attempts (83.9%) and paced Cincinnati’s backfield in route participation rate (40.2%). Brown’s usage has been favorable. Sadly, it’s led to only 136 scrimmage yards and one touchdown.
Brown’s inefficiency could prompt the club to take a closer look at rookie Tahj Brooks. It behooves gamers to do their diligence and shop Brown, possibly in a multi-player package. If there aren’t takers at 75 cents on the dollar, gamers can keep Brown on their bench, hoping he has a decent game that opens a selling window. While Brown shouldn’t be dropped, he’s also a lousy starting option at the moment.
Is Ladd McConkey a Buy-Low Player?
Ladd McConkey is the WR57 in standard scoring points per game (5.4), tied for the WR51 in half-PPR points per game (7.9) and is the WR43 in PPR points per game (10.4) this season. Teammates Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston are top-10 wideouts in all scoring formats this year. McConkey has more target competition than gamers expected during fantasy drafts.
Yet, a three-week sample shouldn’t cause gamers to sound the alarm over McConkey. Digging deeper suggests McConkey will have bigger games as we advance.
First, Los Angeles’s play-calling tendencies are optimal for the pass-catching weapons. According to nfelo, the Chargers have an NFL-high 8.8% pass rate over expectation (PROE) this year, higher than Cincinnati’s NFL-leading 8.2% PROE in 2024.
Second, McConkey leads the Chargers in route participation (92.9%). While McConkey hasn’t been peppered with targets, it’s not because he’s playing poorly. According to the charted data at Fantasy Points, McConkey has the eighth-highest separation score among 79 wideouts with at least 60 routes this year.
Some big-bodied wideouts win without separation, but McConkey’s elite ability to separate from defenders will serve him well and result in bigger fantasy showings in future weeks. If McConkey can be had at even a slight discount, he’s an outstanding buy-low option in leagues of all sizes.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
