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Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 4

By Published On: September 26th, 2025

by Optimus Staff

Published On: September 26th, 2025

This is it. This is the week of the fantasy season where “stuff gets real.” Up until this point in the season, preseason ADP is the single greatest predictor of how players will finish in terms of fantasy points scored. But starting this week? The most recent four weeks of data are most predictive. That’s kinda wild to think about when you look at players like Saquon Barkley (RB14 through three games in HPPR), Tre Tucker (WR4 through three games in HPPR), and QB Daniel Jones (QB4, and PPR/HPPR/Standard doesn’t matter).

Up until this point, we’ve had our own narratives to build our cases for the guys we’re higher or lower on. Of course, we’ll still have players we disagree with consensus on, there’s way too much randomness in this game we love not to have disagreements. But the cooling air brings with it an air of change. With that, the Optimus Fantasy staff’s players that we were ‘cooler’ or ‘warmer’ on.

Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 4

Players We Are Higher On:

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

Consensus Rank: TE4

Evan’s Rank: TE1

The Packers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. With Tucker Kraft as the Packers’ top pass catcher, please tell me who from the Cowboys is going to stop him from dominating? Don’t worry, I’ll wait. The Cowboys rank 1st in most fantasy points given up per game to quarterbacks (28.1), giving Jordan Love a strong opportunity to play better than he did against the Browns last week. This is also a Cowboys defense that gave up seven catches for 44 yards to Dallas Goedert in Week 1, who isn’t even the top Eagles receiver. Luckily, the Cowboys also faced the Giants and Bears, whose offenses don’t feature the tight end position. The Matt Eberflus defense is failing magnificently so far, having given up no less than 24 points to any opponent. Both the Cowboys and Packers will be hungry for a win after their losses in Week 3, which presents a huge opportunity for Tucker Kraft to exploit the opposing defense. Kraft is easily a TE1 in your fantasy football lineup(s) and should not be benched.

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

Consensus Rank: RB23

Lou’s Rank: RB10

You might even call this a Skatte-boom, if you will. Alright, let’s look at what we know.

Once Tyrone Tracy dislocated his shoulder in Week 3, Cam Skattebo played 70% of the remaining snaps in the game. For a frame of reference, James Cook hasn’t hit that in any game he’s played this year. So Skattebo will see the volume.

Now, let’s play a bit of a guessing game. What, or rather who, is every team that plays the Giants afraid of? Malik Nabers, right. As we saw against Kansas City last week, teams will double and triple-team Nabers, forcing the QB – in this case, rookie Jaxson Dart, who’s getting his first NFL start – to look elsewhere. In Week 3, that “elsewhere” was Skattebo, who tallied six receptions on as many targets. Receiving work helps keep Skattebo’s floor nice and high, and his bowling-ball physique and running style mean his ceiling remains equally high, thanks to goal-line work. 

There’s a risk to starting him, of course, because the Chargers have a buzzsaw of a defense, and it will be Dart’s first start. So things could simply go off the rails too much to overcome. But that’s a position the Giants have been in plenty, so they should know how to deal with it by now.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

Consensus Rank: RB27

Nate’s Rank: RB19

It’s not surprising that I’m higher than consensus on rookie RB Quinshon Judkins this week. I’ve been a fan ever since he was drafted. The Browns have made it clear from the outset that they were content with trying to win with a staunch defense and a strong ground game. They punctuated this, in my opinion, with the decision to start veteran QB Joe Flacco.

No one is confusing this Browns offense for anything but a mediocre unit. However, the offense relies heavily on the ground game. In just two weeks, Judkins has managed to establish himself as the bell cow for the Cleveland offense. This week, they travel to Motor City for a matchup with a sturdy Lions defense, but fear not. Against a similarly tough Packers unit last week, Judkins went off for 94 yards and a TD on 18 carries. 

There isn’t much going for this Browns offense outside of Judkins, and he’s almost assuredly going to see a workload in the 15-20 carry range again this week. I’m betting on volume plus red zone opportunities to push the rookie RB into the top 20 at the position this week, making him a reliable RB2 start.    

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Tennessee Titans

Consensus Rank: WR52

Bryan’s Rank: WR31

Maybe I’m an optimist, or maybe I don’t understand variance, but what I do know is that Elic Ayomanor is just one game away from being the WR1 in Tennessee. Ayomanor has scored in back-to-back weeks on a Tennessee team that desperately needs something to get going. He trails Calvin Ridley in targets for the moment, but has a much better catch percentage (Ridley is 8/21 while Ayomanor is 10/18). A rookie QB needs a receiver he can trust as he gets a feel for NFL defenses. Ayomanor looks to be that guy for Cam Ward. 

Players We Are Lower On:

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Consensus Rank: RB10

Evan’s Rank: RB19

The Buccaneers will face a tough matchup against the Eagles’ strong rush defense. Bucky has not been the most efficient running back on the ground this season, averaging 3.11 yards per carry across three games. While the Eagles had a difficult time stopping Kyren Williams last week, he’s always been better than Bucky on the ground. Kyren also does not need to be used much in the receiving game to be productive in fantasy football. This is where Bucky Irving will need to be most useful to save his RB2 fantasy value. Bucky’s red zone usage is also concerning. Against the New York Jets last week, the Bucs opted to use Rachaad White to score the game-winning touchdown. If you have to start Bucky Irving this week, then I wish you all the best.

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

Consensus Rank: RB6

Lou’s Rank: RB19

Look, you can start RBs against the Browns if you want. I can’t stop you. But I can warn you against it. It is a fool’s errand.

Now Gibbs is good enough that you’re not not starting him, but you can’t feel great about it. Let me throw a few numbers at you. 43, 23, and 30. Those are the rushing yards of Chase Brown, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs when they faced the Browns this year, respectively. Despite what you may think about Chase Brown as an RB, the other two are as good as you can hope to find in the NFL. 

While Detroit was able to run all over Baltimore, it was due to the Ravens losing Nnamdi Madubuike, a disruptive DT in the middle of their defensive line next to the mountainous Tony Jones. Cleveland isn’t missing anyone. In fact, they added stalwart rookies Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger in the April draft. Both have been paying early dividends for the Cleveland defense and have made attempts to run the ball a nightmare for opponents.

All in all, you’re still starting Gibbs. But if you drafted well, you may want to check your bench for better options this week if you’re in a tight matchup that requires every point to go in your favor.

Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Consensus Rank: WR36

Nate’s Rank: WR44

If you’re confused by the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense right now, you’re not alone. The once terrifying group is playing like a shell of its former self, with no rushing attack and lacking star WR Rashee Rice until Week 7. The return of speedy wideout Xavier Worthy this week is giving some hope, but don’t get too excited yet.

While Worthy provides a dynamic element to what has been a lackluster passing attack, the second-year WR is only three weeks removed from a dislocated shoulder. Furthermore, while he is a dynamic playmaker, his volume has historically been inconsistent. Worthy saw north of 7 targets five times last season, and double-digit numbers only twice. 

Heading into a pivotal Week 4 matchup against a tough Baltimore defense, Worthy is unlikely to be more than an emergency Flex option in most fantasy formats. He’ll need a TD to sneak any higher, and betting on that isn’t worth the risk. 

This is it. This is the week of the fantasy season where “stuff gets real.” Up until this point in the season, preseason ADP is the single greatest predictor of how players will finish in terms of fantasy points scored. But starting this week? The most recent four weeks of data are most predictive. That’s kinda wild to think about when you look at players like Saquon Barkley (RB14 through three games in HPPR), Tre Tucker (WR4 through three games in HPPR), and QB Daniel Jones (QB4, and PPR/HPPR/Standard doesn’t matter).

Up until this point, we’ve had our own narratives to build our cases for the guys we’re higher or lower on. Of course, we’ll still have players we disagree with consensus on, there’s way too much randomness in this game we love not to have disagreements. But the cooling air brings with it an air of change. With that, the Optimus Fantasy staff’s players that we were ‘cooler’ or ‘warmer’ on.

Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 4

Players We Are Higher On:

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

Consensus Rank: TE4

Evan’s Rank: TE1

The Packers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. With Tucker Kraft as the Packers’ top pass catcher, please tell me who from the Cowboys is going to stop him from dominating? Don’t worry, I’ll wait. The Cowboys rank 1st in most fantasy points given up per game to quarterbacks (28.1), giving Jordan Love a strong opportunity to play better than he did against the Browns last week. This is also a Cowboys defense that gave up seven catches for 44 yards to Dallas Goedert in Week 1, who isn’t even the top Eagles receiver. Luckily, the Cowboys also faced the Giants and Bears, whose offenses don’t feature the tight end position. The Matt Eberflus defense is failing magnificently so far, having given up no less than 24 points to any opponent. Both the Cowboys and Packers will be hungry for a win after their losses in Week 3, which presents a huge opportunity for Tucker Kraft to exploit the opposing defense. Kraft is easily a TE1 in your fantasy football lineup(s) and should not be benched.

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

Consensus Rank: RB23

Lou’s Rank: RB10

You might even call this a Skatte-boom, if you will. Alright, let’s look at what we know.

Once Tyrone Tracy dislocated his shoulder in Week 3, Cam Skattebo played 70% of the remaining snaps in the game. For a frame of reference, James Cook hasn’t hit that in any game he’s played this year. So Skattebo will see the volume.

Now, let’s play a bit of a guessing game. What, or rather who, is every team that plays the Giants afraid of? Malik Nabers, right. As we saw against Kansas City last week, teams will double and triple-team Nabers, forcing the QB – in this case, rookie Jaxson Dart, who’s getting his first NFL start – to look elsewhere. In Week 3, that “elsewhere” was Skattebo, who tallied six receptions on as many targets. Receiving work helps keep Skattebo’s floor nice and high, and his bowling-ball physique and running style mean his ceiling remains equally high, thanks to goal-line work. 

There’s a risk to starting him, of course, because the Chargers have a buzzsaw of a defense, and it will be Dart’s first start. So things could simply go off the rails too much to overcome. But that’s a position the Giants have been in plenty, so they should know how to deal with it by now.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

Consensus Rank: RB27

Nate’s Rank: RB19

It’s not surprising that I’m higher than consensus on rookie RB Quinshon Judkins this week. I’ve been a fan ever since he was drafted. The Browns have made it clear from the outset that they were content with trying to win with a staunch defense and a strong ground game. They punctuated this, in my opinion, with the decision to start veteran QB Joe Flacco.

No one is confusing this Browns offense for anything but a mediocre unit. However, the offense relies heavily on the ground game. In just two weeks, Judkins has managed to establish himself as the bell cow for the Cleveland offense. This week, they travel to Motor City for a matchup with a sturdy Lions defense, but fear not. Against a similarly tough Packers unit last week, Judkins went off for 94 yards and a TD on 18 carries. 

There isn’t much going for this Browns offense outside of Judkins, and he’s almost assuredly going to see a workload in the 15-20 carry range again this week. I’m betting on volume plus red zone opportunities to push the rookie RB into the top 20 at the position this week, making him a reliable RB2 start.    

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Tennessee Titans

Consensus Rank: WR52

Bryan’s Rank: WR31

Maybe I’m an optimist, or maybe I don’t understand variance, but what I do know is that Elic Ayomanor is just one game away from being the WR1 in Tennessee. Ayomanor has scored in back-to-back weeks on a Tennessee team that desperately needs something to get going. He trails Calvin Ridley in targets for the moment, but has a much better catch percentage (Ridley is 8/21 while Ayomanor is 10/18). A rookie QB needs a receiver he can trust as he gets a feel for NFL defenses. Ayomanor looks to be that guy for Cam Ward. 

Players We Are Lower On:

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Consensus Rank: RB10

Evan’s Rank: RB19

The Buccaneers will face a tough matchup against the Eagles’ strong rush defense. Bucky has not been the most efficient running back on the ground this season, averaging 3.11 yards per carry across three games. While the Eagles had a difficult time stopping Kyren Williams last week, he’s always been better than Bucky on the ground. Kyren also does not need to be used much in the receiving game to be productive in fantasy football. This is where Bucky Irving will need to be most useful to save his RB2 fantasy value. Bucky’s red zone usage is also concerning. Against the New York Jets last week, the Bucs opted to use Rachaad White to score the game-winning touchdown. If you have to start Bucky Irving this week, then I wish you all the best.

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

Consensus Rank: RB6

Lou’s Rank: RB19

Look, you can start RBs against the Browns if you want. I can’t stop you. But I can warn you against it. It is a fool’s errand.

Now Gibbs is good enough that you’re not not starting him, but you can’t feel great about it. Let me throw a few numbers at you. 43, 23, and 30. Those are the rushing yards of Chase Brown, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs when they faced the Browns this year, respectively. Despite what you may think about Chase Brown as an RB, the other two are as good as you can hope to find in the NFL. 

While Detroit was able to run all over Baltimore, it was due to the Ravens losing Nnamdi Madubuike, a disruptive DT in the middle of their defensive line next to the mountainous Tony Jones. Cleveland isn’t missing anyone. In fact, they added stalwart rookies Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger in the April draft. Both have been paying early dividends for the Cleveland defense and have made attempts to run the ball a nightmare for opponents.

All in all, you’re still starting Gibbs. But if you drafted well, you may want to check your bench for better options this week if you’re in a tight matchup that requires every point to go in your favor.

Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Consensus Rank: WR36

Nate’s Rank: WR44

If you’re confused by the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense right now, you’re not alone. The once terrifying group is playing like a shell of its former self, with no rushing attack and lacking star WR Rashee Rice until Week 7. The return of speedy wideout Xavier Worthy this week is giving some hope, but don’t get too excited yet.

While Worthy provides a dynamic element to what has been a lackluster passing attack, the second-year WR is only three weeks removed from a dislocated shoulder. Furthermore, while he is a dynamic playmaker, his volume has historically been inconsistent. Worthy saw north of 7 targets five times last season, and double-digit numbers only twice. 

Heading into a pivotal Week 4 matchup against a tough Baltimore defense, Worthy is unlikely to be more than an emergency Flex option in most fantasy formats. He’ll need a TD to sneak any higher, and betting on that isn’t worth the risk. 

This is it. This is the week of the fantasy season where “stuff gets real.” Up until this point in the season, preseason ADP is the single greatest predictor of how players will finish in terms of fantasy points scored. But starting this week? The most recent four weeks of data are most predictive. That’s kinda wild to think about when you look at players like Saquon Barkley (RB14 through three games in HPPR), Tre Tucker (WR4 through three games in HPPR), and QB Daniel Jones (QB4, and PPR/HPPR/Standard doesn’t matter).

Up until this point, we’ve had our own narratives to build our cases for the guys we’re higher or lower on. Of course, we’ll still have players we disagree with consensus on, there’s way too much randomness in this game we love not to have disagreements. But the cooling air brings with it an air of change. With that, the Optimus Fantasy staff’s players that we were ‘cooler’ or ‘warmer’ on.

Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 4

Players We Are Higher On:

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

Consensus Rank: TE4

Evan’s Rank: TE1

The Packers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. With Tucker Kraft as the Packers’ top pass catcher, please tell me who from the Cowboys is going to stop him from dominating? Don’t worry, I’ll wait. The Cowboys rank 1st in most fantasy points given up per game to quarterbacks (28.1), giving Jordan Love a strong opportunity to play better than he did against the Browns last week. This is also a Cowboys defense that gave up seven catches for 44 yards to Dallas Goedert in Week 1, who isn’t even the top Eagles receiver. Luckily, the Cowboys also faced the Giants and Bears, whose offenses don’t feature the tight end position. The Matt Eberflus defense is failing magnificently so far, having given up no less than 24 points to any opponent. Both the Cowboys and Packers will be hungry for a win after their losses in Week 3, which presents a huge opportunity for Tucker Kraft to exploit the opposing defense. Kraft is easily a TE1 in your fantasy football lineup(s) and should not be benched.

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants

Consensus Rank: RB23

Lou’s Rank: RB10

You might even call this a Skatte-boom, if you will. Alright, let’s look at what we know.

Once Tyrone Tracy dislocated his shoulder in Week 3, Cam Skattebo played 70% of the remaining snaps in the game. For a frame of reference, James Cook hasn’t hit that in any game he’s played this year. So Skattebo will see the volume.

Now, let’s play a bit of a guessing game. What, or rather who, is every team that plays the Giants afraid of? Malik Nabers, right. As we saw against Kansas City last week, teams will double and triple-team Nabers, forcing the QB – in this case, rookie Jaxson Dart, who’s getting his first NFL start – to look elsewhere. In Week 3, that “elsewhere” was Skattebo, who tallied six receptions on as many targets. Receiving work helps keep Skattebo’s floor nice and high, and his bowling-ball physique and running style mean his ceiling remains equally high, thanks to goal-line work. 

There’s a risk to starting him, of course, because the Chargers have a buzzsaw of a defense, and it will be Dart’s first start. So things could simply go off the rails too much to overcome. But that’s a position the Giants have been in plenty, so they should know how to deal with it by now.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

Consensus Rank: RB27

Nate’s Rank: RB19

It’s not surprising that I’m higher than consensus on rookie RB Quinshon Judkins this week. I’ve been a fan ever since he was drafted. The Browns have made it clear from the outset that they were content with trying to win with a staunch defense and a strong ground game. They punctuated this, in my opinion, with the decision to start veteran QB Joe Flacco.

No one is confusing this Browns offense for anything but a mediocre unit. However, the offense relies heavily on the ground game. In just two weeks, Judkins has managed to establish himself as the bell cow for the Cleveland offense. This week, they travel to Motor City for a matchup with a sturdy Lions defense, but fear not. Against a similarly tough Packers unit last week, Judkins went off for 94 yards and a TD on 18 carries. 

There isn’t much going for this Browns offense outside of Judkins, and he’s almost assuredly going to see a workload in the 15-20 carry range again this week. I’m betting on volume plus red zone opportunities to push the rookie RB into the top 20 at the position this week, making him a reliable RB2 start.    

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Tennessee Titans

Consensus Rank: WR52

Bryan’s Rank: WR31

Maybe I’m an optimist, or maybe I don’t understand variance, but what I do know is that Elic Ayomanor is just one game away from being the WR1 in Tennessee. Ayomanor has scored in back-to-back weeks on a Tennessee team that desperately needs something to get going. He trails Calvin Ridley in targets for the moment, but has a much better catch percentage (Ridley is 8/21 while Ayomanor is 10/18). A rookie QB needs a receiver he can trust as he gets a feel for NFL defenses. Ayomanor looks to be that guy for Cam Ward. 

Players We Are Lower On:

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Consensus Rank: RB10

Evan’s Rank: RB19

The Buccaneers will face a tough matchup against the Eagles’ strong rush defense. Bucky has not been the most efficient running back on the ground this season, averaging 3.11 yards per carry across three games. While the Eagles had a difficult time stopping Kyren Williams last week, he’s always been better than Bucky on the ground. Kyren also does not need to be used much in the receiving game to be productive in fantasy football. This is where Bucky Irving will need to be most useful to save his RB2 fantasy value. Bucky’s red zone usage is also concerning. Against the New York Jets last week, the Bucs opted to use Rachaad White to score the game-winning touchdown. If you have to start Bucky Irving this week, then I wish you all the best.

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

Consensus Rank: RB6

Lou’s Rank: RB19

Look, you can start RBs against the Browns if you want. I can’t stop you. But I can warn you against it. It is a fool’s errand.

Now Gibbs is good enough that you’re not not starting him, but you can’t feel great about it. Let me throw a few numbers at you. 43, 23, and 30. Those are the rushing yards of Chase Brown, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs when they faced the Browns this year, respectively. Despite what you may think about Chase Brown as an RB, the other two are as good as you can hope to find in the NFL. 

While Detroit was able to run all over Baltimore, it was due to the Ravens losing Nnamdi Madubuike, a disruptive DT in the middle of their defensive line next to the mountainous Tony Jones. Cleveland isn’t missing anyone. In fact, they added stalwart rookies Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger in the April draft. Both have been paying early dividends for the Cleveland defense and have made attempts to run the ball a nightmare for opponents.

All in all, you’re still starting Gibbs. But if you drafted well, you may want to check your bench for better options this week if you’re in a tight matchup that requires every point to go in your favor.

Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Consensus Rank: WR36

Nate’s Rank: WR44

If you’re confused by the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense right now, you’re not alone. The once terrifying group is playing like a shell of its former self, with no rushing attack and lacking star WR Rashee Rice until Week 7. The return of speedy wideout Xavier Worthy this week is giving some hope, but don’t get too excited yet.

While Worthy provides a dynamic element to what has been a lackluster passing attack, the second-year WR is only three weeks removed from a dislocated shoulder. Furthermore, while he is a dynamic playmaker, his volume has historically been inconsistent. Worthy saw north of 7 targets five times last season, and double-digit numbers only twice. 

Heading into a pivotal Week 4 matchup against a tough Baltimore defense, Worthy is unlikely to be more than an emergency Flex option in most fantasy formats. He’ll need a TD to sneak any higher, and betting on that isn’t worth the risk. 

By Published On: September 26th, 2025

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