The Yahoo Fantasy staff has full confidence that these players will have memorable performances in their Week 4 fantasy football lineups.
Fire up Mike Evans
Mike Evans comeback week is here! Week 3 was rough with just two receptions on three targets for 17 yards. The results were as expected. Patrick Surtain II has removed the fantasy upside from even the most elite receivers. Still, it’s easy to worry about him after a quiet Week 2 with just three catches and just one big game against a weak Washington defense in Week 1. That concern is reinforced by the fact that Chris Godwin is the overall WR3 in half PPR.
This week, Evans will face an Eagles defense that has been battered by Chris Olave, Drake Rondon, Darnell Mooney, Jaden Reed and even Christian Watson. Evans can be expected to use this matchup as he prepares to return to being a top-12 receiver. This is his right game. — Terra Roberts
Are you ready for tea (Higgins) time?
Higgins returned in Week 3 from a hamstring injury. There were concerns that his recovery from this injury would be limited, but that was not the case. Higgins played 90% of the snaps, which led to a scoreless performance of 39 yards on six targets. Although the performance wasn’t great, the usage was encouraging as Ja’Marr Chase won’t be hogging all the production each week like he was in Week 3 while rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Higgins will play against the Panthers this week. According to NFL Pro, Carolina is allowing the eighth-most passing yards per play this season. Higgins will start this week in a potentially high-scoring game. — Sal Vetri
Tony Pollard can’t afford to sit still.
People who looked down on Tony Pollard last season might not want to hear this, but he seems to be in good spirits. Tejay Spears has been more than just a nuisance, as he has dominated snaps and touches in Tennessee’s backfield.
This week, Pollard led Miami’s defense to allowing 4.5 YPC to opposing rushers and scoring the second-most fantasy points to opposing Bucs. The Titans should also have a plan to minimize their quarterback. Pollard is set for a monster week. I can’t make him sit. — Andy Behrens
Justin Fields’ break is nearing
Justin Fields hasn’t exploded in fantasy yet, but he’s played well enough to keep the starting job and has a big rushing game on the horizon. Volume has been an issue for Fields, with the Colts’ opponents averaging 25.7 more plays per game this season.
Fields was a top-four fantasy QB through five weeks last season, but started and finished just 12 games. There’s a real fantasy turnaround here as Pittsburgh’s defense finally allows more than 10 points per game. Fields has averaged the most scrambles per game since 2020 and has historically performed much better against a zone defense, which the Colts use at the fifth-highest rate in the league. Fields is a top-eight QB this week. — Dalton Del Don
Diontae Johnson Stands on Monster Week 3
Diontae Johnson came back into our lives with authority, rushing for a career-high 122 yards against the Raiders. Nothing that happened last week was a coincidence. The Panthers’ passing concept is well designed, their offensive line does a good job of blocking the Raiders’ great defensive line, and Johnson is clearly a talented receiver. Andy Dalton simply ran a gritty offense and consistently got the ball to his best receiver, who was always open. Johnson has a 27.7% target share this season, and the Panthers will be without Adam Thielen.
Young players like Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Leggett will get more opportunities, but this could simply be a moment to bring more volume to the No. 1 target. Carolina will be facing a Bengals defense that is unable to pressure the passer and ranks 29th in dropback success rate. As long as Dalton is under center, there are plenty of big-name receivers who will rank after Johnson this week and likely going forward. — Matt Harmon
Introducing this week’s D/ST streamers
I realize the Raiders defense is not playing well and they just got sliced by Andy Dalton. it doesn’t matter. With Bryce Young no longer a starter, Deshaun Watson is the worst quarterback in the league. Watson’s passing was a little better last week, but that was tempered by absorbing eight sacks. If you play in the Superflex format, it might be time to do a speculative stash with Jameis Winston.
Antonio Pierce put all players in Las Vegas on high alert after last week’s humiliation, but I expect him to bounce back, guided by emotion and focus. If you do not have automatic D/ST play, we will authorize you to rent the Raiders for a week. Viva Las Vegas. — Scott Pianowski
