Top 5 Fantasy Football Takeaways: Surprises & Disappointments

Two rookie running backs had headline-grabbing efforts on Sunday. However, another found himself in a familiar position. I won’t take the low-hanging fruit and feature Malik Nabers‘ unfortunate injury among Week 4’s disappointments. However, another injury from that contest shouldn’t fly under the radar. Finally, a pitiful defense didn’t show up for what many expected to be a heavyweight battle in Week 4, and they’ve become a group to target in fantasy football.

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Top 5 Fantasy Football Takeaways

Let’s dive into the biggest takeaways from Week 4.

Fantasy Football Week 4 Surprises

Woody Marks Exploded in Week 4

The Texans dogwalked the Titans in a 26-0 victory on Sunday, earning their first victory. C.J. Stroud played well, taking care of the football and getting sacked only twice. However, Woody Marks was the player who popped up to steal the show. He had team highs in rush attempts (17), rushing yards (69) and longest rush (18 yards) against the Titans. Marks also had five targets, four receptions, 50 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Conversely, Nick Chubb had 13 carries for 47 scoreless yards, two targets, two receptions and 15 scoreless receiving yards.

Anyone can read the box score and see that Marks played better than Chubb. However, the rookie’s underlying usage was also nifty. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Marks played 40 snaps and ran 16 routes versus 30 and nine for Chubb.

Marks is a priority waiver claim in leagues where he isn’t already rostered. The Texans could rug-pull gamers and keep Chubb more involved than gamers would like. Still, Marks is more explosive, and he should already be considered in the RB2 mix.

Ashton Jeanty Had His Breakout Game

Ashton Jeanty had 147 scrimmage yards at an ugly 2.8 yards per touch, with one rushing touchdown and just five receptions through his first three professional games. According to the data suite at Fantasy Points, Jeanty had a 42.1% route participation rate through Week 3, and Zamir White and Dylan Laube annoyingly mixed in for route participation rates of 18.2% and 9.9%, respectively.

Jeanty destroyed the Bears in Week 4. He had 21 of the backfield’s 25 rush attempts (84%) for 138 yards and one rushing touchdown. Additionally, Jeanty had two targets, two receptions, 17 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. He had more scrimmage yards and three times as many touchdowns in Week 4 as he had through his first three games. Perhaps more importantly, Jeanty ran 18 of a possible 23 routes (78.3%), and Raheem Mostert was the only other running back for the Raiders to carry the ball or run a route, toting the rock four times and running four routes.

Jeanty had a genuine bell-cow role in Week 4 and parlayed it into a monstrous effort. Of course, it’s worth noting the Bears are an elite fantasy matchup for running backs. It’s also critical to note that Las Vegas’ starting left tackle, Kolton Miller, sprained his ankle on the offense’s final play of the game. Jeanty is an electrifying player with an ideal fantasy role. Nevertheless, Las Vegas’ shaky offensive line already struggled to give Jeanty running room before his mouthwatering matchup in Week 4, and losing Miller won’t help the offensive line. So, there’s a case to be made for shopping Jeanty after his breakout game. Gamers shouldn’t give Jeanty away, though. His role was everything gamers could have dreamed of on Sunday.

Fantasy Football Week 4 Disappointments

New England’s Backfield is Still a Three-Headed Committee

Apparently, Mike Vrabel didn’t deem Rhamondre Stevenson‘s and Antonio Gibson‘s fumbles in Week 3 inexcusable, because after deploying TreVeyon Henderson as a workhorse to close Week 3’s contest, the Patriots were back to their three-back running-back-by-committee situation in Week 4.

Stevenson paced the backfield in snaps (28), routes (13), carries (nine) and rushing yards. Henderson was second in the backfield in snaps (15), routes (five), carries (seven) and rushing yards (32). However, the speedy rookie also scored a rushing touchdown and chipped in two receptions for 14 yards on two targets. Meanwhile, Gibson played nine snaps, ran three routes, had zero targets, carried the ball six times, rushed for 27 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.

PFF’s Nathan Jahnke also noted the Patriots didn’t use as much pony personnel (two running backs) in Week 4, and his usage charts show all three running backs had goal-line opportunities. Henderson remains New England’s most intriguing fantasy option, as his role could expand as he proves to Vrabel that he’s trustworthy. Unfortunately, Henderson is not yet a reliable option.

The Injury Bug Bit the Chargers Again

The Chargers kicked Joe Alt from right tackle to left tackle before the season, after Rashawn Slater tore his patellar tendon. Sadly, Alt hurt his ankle in the first quarter, and the initial belief is that it’s a high-ankle sprain. Not every pass rush will be as fierce as Big Blue’s was on Sunday. Nonetheless, cluster injuries at the offensive tackle position could make life tough on Justin Herbert and Omarion Hampton.

Herbert played his worst game of the year on Sunday, and Hampton had his best one as a workhorse. Los Angeles had the NFL’s most pass-happy offense through Week 3. Will Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman have more faith in the team’s ability to run block? Even with Alt’s injury, Hampton is a high-end RB2 or low-end RB1. Sadly, Herbert’s value would take a hit with worse protection and a reduced pass rate, and Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen would also see a trickle down of reduced fantasy value. On the plus side, the early returns were promising for LA’s passing tendencies without Alt.

Chargers and Ravens lost their LTs and passed even more than normal in neutral situations pic.twitter.com/sN9gkZ66bA

– Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) September 29, 2025

Baltimore’s Defense is One to Pick On

Baltimore’s defense is a train wreck. According to Sumer Sports, through Week 3, the Ravens were tied for the fourth-most expected points added (EPA) per play (0.11) allowed, and they ceded the third-highest success rate (48.15%). Per Pro Football Reference, the Ravens were tied for the seventh-most yards per play (5.8) allowed and had the second-worst scoring defense (32.0 points per game).

They surrendered 41 points to the Bills in Week 1, 17 to the Browns in Week 2 and 38 to the Lions in Week 3. They were the get-right matchup for the Chiefs on Sunday. Kansas City scored 37 points, ran 70 plays and tallied 382 yards at 5.5 per play.

Patrick Mahomes completed 25 of 37 pass attempts for 270 yards and four touchdowns, with zero interceptions and one sack. The Ravens might not have hit rock bottom, either. Instead, they suffered more injuries in Week 4.

Ravens list of injuries from today and there’s still 10 mins to go.
QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring)
LT Ronnie Stanley (ankle)
MLB Roquan Smith (hamstring)
CB Nate Wiggins (elbow)
CB Marlon Humphrey (calf)

– Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 28, 2025

The Texans and Rams are next up for the Ravens, and Houston’s and LA’s fantasy-relevant players will get a bump in value against Baltimore’s pitiful defense.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.