After a bit of a difficult Week 2 with making bold predictions, the Fantrax staff roared back in a big way for Week 3. Half of our picks, Dameon Pierce, Tyler Lockett, and Russell Gage, lived up to our expectations and made starting them worthwhile. It’s a nice reminder to trust the process. I spoke on behalf of the six of us Fantrax writers last week stating that, while we are playing fantasy football, our bold predictions aren’t merely fantasies drawn out of nowhere. We continue to look at matchups, trends, and player performances to make recommendations each week that YOU can benefit from! So, let’s get back to it for Week 4!
You’re going to start your studs of course week in and week out. It’s undeniable, though, that you will run into a few lineup decisions that could make or break your week this season. Our team at Fantrax is here to help. These weekly bold predictions are meant to tip the scale in favor of the players below. We believe they have a chance to help win you the week and put up big numbers. The bold predictions won’t always have a 100% success rate but do provide a well-educated guess for the ceiling each player can achieve each week.
Be sure to follow all of these bold predictions and more @Fantrax on Twitter and @fantraxsports on Instagram!
2022 NFL Week 4 Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football
Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions
Bold Prediction: 21 rushes, 105 yards, 1 touchdown; 4 receptions, 30 yards
23.5 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Colin McTamany, @Colin_McT on Twitter
Colin’s Breakdown: Jamaal Williams is looking like a weekly flex option even when D’Andre Swift is active. He’s scored multiple rushing touchdowns in two games this season. His four total rushing touchdowns are tied with Nick Chubb for the league’s lead. Williams also leads the league with seven carries inside the 10-yard line. He’s seeing a ton of goal-to-go work and making it count.
Swift is going to miss Week 4 with a lingering ankle injury and additional shoulder issues. That makes Williams a must-start for me this week. He and the Lions are hosting a Seattle Seahawks team that’s allowing the second-most rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. They are also bottom-five in receptions and receiving yards to the position. My bold prediction suggests that Williams will not only be busy, but productive in Week 4. I’m calling 135 total yards and a touchdown.
To no surprise, he makes my Love List for Week 4.
Greg Dortch, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Bold Prediction: 10 receptions, 93 yards, 1 touchdown
25.3 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Lauren Auerbach, @lkauerbach on Twitter
Lauren’s Breakdown: Greg Dortch is soaking up the targets in the desert, seeing at least nine targets in two of the past three games. He’s taking advantage of the Cardinals’ depleted receiving corps and has become one of Kyler Murray’s go-to guys. Through three weeks, Dortch has caught 20-of-23 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. With DeAndre Hopkins out, A.J. Green doubtful, and Rondale Moore likely limited, if he plays, I expect Dortch to be heavily targeted in Week 4.
The matchup against the Carolina Panthers is more favorable than not. The Panthers have given up the 13th-most fantasy points to wide receivers and are coming off a week where they allowed over 100 receiving yards to both Saints wideouts Chris Olave and Tre’Quan Smith. Dortch is the second-most targeted wide receiver on the team, and the Cardinals love to move the ball through the air. Their 145 pass attempts on the season are second-highest across the league. This should make for a successful bold prediction call and day at the office for Dortch in Week 4.
Also check out our Week 4 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Bold Prediction: 200+ passing yards, 5 touchdowns
28.0+ fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Bradlee Kilgore, @SirBradleeK on Twitter
Bradlee’s Breakdown: Lamar Jackson having a good game isn’t necessarily a bold prediction. But in a world where people still question whether or not he can be a pocket passing quarterback, predicting that he’ll have FIVE touchdowns is absolutely a bold prediction.
The Ravens will be playing the Bills this week, and the thesis of this take is that the Bills are missing virtually all of their starting secondary to injury. Dane Jackson, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde are all out, which leaves Kair Elam, Christian Benford, Jawuan Johnson, and Damar Hamlin making starts. Before last week, they had a combined three NFL starts. The Bills also just signed Xavier Rhodes to help out in the secondary. Tua, Waddle, and Hill should’ve gone off on this secondary last week, but Josh Allen and the offense controlled the clock, preventing a shootout. The Dolphins still escaped with a win.
The Ravens defense isn’t as “bend, but don’t break.” They’re either going to get stops or allow chunk plays. Lamar should have plenty of opportunities to put points on the board. He leads the league in touchdowns with 10, so expecting him to toss 5 against the Bills backup secondary, isn’t too crazy to me. Book it! He is a must-start in all leagues, but should be a priority in Daily Fantasy Sports lineups for Week 4, too!
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers
Bold Prediction: 9 receptions, 88 yards, 1 touchdown
23.8 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Michael Quintero, @WeekendMike on Twitter
Michael’s Breakdown: All season it has been said that Allen Lazard will be the number one receiver in Green Bay. But over the first three weeks, it looks like Romeo Doubs is the most talented out of the bunch. He just had his breakout game last week against the Buccaneers.
Doubs is leading the Packers in both targets and receiving yards this year. Lazard did miss Week 1 and is leading the team with two touchdowns. However, volume is the main thing here and Doubs is getting the volume.
The Packers host the New England Patriots in Week 4. The Patriots just got into a shootout with the Baltimore Ravens and gave up 37 points. The Packers look to be back on track and I expect Doubs to keep getting open to cash in on my bold prediction.
Treylon Burks, WR, Tennessee Titans
Bold Prediction: 7 receptions, 85 yards, 2 touchdowns
27.5 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Kai Haskins, @HaiKaskins on Twitter
Kai’s Breakdown: It’s only a matter of time before we’re dubbing Treylon Burks the top wide receiver in Tennessee. His first three games in the NFL aren’t the most eye-popping. He’s averaging just 6.76 points per game without scoring a touchdown or even recording double-digit points yet. I think my Week 4 bold prediction for Burks is the breakout we’ve all been waiting for.
Week by week, Burks’ snap count continues to increase from 37% to 45% to 69% in Weeks 1 through 3. As a result, Burks’ routes per game continue to increase as well. His 27 routes in Week 3 are an uptick from 13 and 17 in Weeks 1 and 2 respectively.
The bottom line here is that the Titans need to and are going to get the first-round rookie more involved. They traded away A.J. Brown with Burks as the obvious replacement at a lower cost. While Tennessee is a run-first team, I think Burks gets a fantasy-friendly target share against the Indianapolis Colts and scores not once, but twice on Sunday.
Josh Reynolds, WR, Detroit Lions
Bold Prediction: 9 receptions, 99 yards, 1 touchdown
24.9 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Reese Jones, @PotPharma on Twitter
Reese’s Breakdown: The Detroit Lions may be without top pass catcher Amon-Ra St.Brown in this Week 4 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The star wide receiver did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday due to an ankle injury. The team has already decided to exercise caution with running back, D’Andre Swift, who reportedly won’t play until after the Week 6 bye. It would make sense for the Lions to do the same with St. Brown seeing that the majority of the offense flows through him.
The Amon-Ra situation leaves Josh Reynolds and D.J. Chark (ankle) as the top two receivers for Sunday. Both have an equal chance to be the top pass catcher on the day, but it was Reynolds who stepped up while St. Brown played through his ankle injury in Week 3. My bold prediction is that he steps up again in Week 4. Last week, Reynolds corralled six balls for a team leading 96 yards. The sky is the limit for Goff and Reynolds against a beatable Seahawks secondary.