Last week, our Fantrax fantasy football contributors hit big with bold predictions citing big performances from Kenneth Walker, Sam LaPorta, just about every player in the Vikings/Chargers game, and even Jimmy Garoppolo! So, let’s keep the momentum of our Week 3 bold predictions heading into Week 4! These bold predictions won’t always have a 100% success rate, but should at least help sway decision-making for your dynasty, redraft, or even Daily Fantasy Sports lineups.
2023 NFL Week 4 Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football
Joshua Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Bold Prediction: 5 receptions, 50 yards, 1 touchdown
16.0 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Colin McTamany, @Colin_McT
Colin’s Breakdown: I know this bold prediction doesn’t have a stat line that jumps off of the page. However, if you successfully claimed Joshua Palmer off of waivers, whether you lost Mike Williams to a torn ACL or not, I think Palmer deserves flex consideration in Week 4 lineups.
While I do expect first-round rookie receiver Quinten Johnston’s role to grow, Joshua Palmer is the Chargers wide receiver I prefer to pick up the role left behind by Mike Williams. Last season, Williams and Keenan Allen missed a combined 14 games. As a result, Palmer, in 16 games played, actually led all Chargers wide receivers in targets (107), and receptions (72), and finished second in yards (769).
As Los Angeles looks to continue stringing together wins to add to their 1-2 record, Joshua Palmer should be the next man up that quarterback Justin Herbert can trust in the passing game. The Chargers have a Week 5 bye to work things out, so Week 4 should be one where we see Palmer draw a decent amount of targets one week after losing Mike Williams.
Most of the passing game will still run through Keenan Allen, but I like Palmer’s chances of finding the end zone at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. They’ve allowed five touchdowns to opposing wide receivers in three games.
Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Bold Prediction: 8 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown
21.0 fantasy Points
Fantrax Writer: Michael Reedy, @MikeReedyFF
Michael’s Breakdown: The Jaguars have struggled somewhat this season. In Week 4, Jacksonville travels to London to play the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Tight ends average eight targets, six receptions, 52 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons on a weekly basis.
Evan Engram leads the Jaguars in routes run with 103 through the first three weeks. He also has an 18.6% target share. Engram’s 85.7% catch rate comes from hauling in 18 of his 21 targets in the first three weeks. He has sticky hands and Trevor Lawrence clearly trusts him.
Unfortunately, Evan Engram does not have a touchdown yet this season. However, when we look at his Week 4 matchup and see how he is used in the offense, this feels like the week he finally gets in the end zone. Engram will be used in the short passing game as well as the red zone. He has had more receptions and yards from one game to the next this season. My bold prediction follows this pattern as I claim Evan Engram will have eight receptions, 70 yards, and a touchdown in Week 4 across the pond.
Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears
Bold Prediction: 12 carries, 62 yards; 6 receptions, 46 yards, 1 touchdown
22.8 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Brandon Blanco, @BrandonBlancoFF
Brandon’s Breakdown: Roschon Johnson is currently the RB30 on a points-per-game basis. He’s also the RB33 on the Fantrax running back weekly rankings for Week 4. Johnson is slowly being used more and more as the weeks pass by. His snap share percentage has only gone up in three consecutive weeks.
Now, in Week 4, the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos get together for the “mid-off” of the century. The great news is the Broncos just gave up over 700 total yards to the Miami Dolphins with more than 200 yards on the ground.
Roschon Johnson has a prime opportunity to show just how much better he is than Khalil Herbert in Week 4 against the worst team statistically in defending the run. My bold prediction is that Roschon Johnson sees over 100 total yards and finishes a top-15 running back against the Denver Broncos.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Bold Prediction: 6 receptions, 60 yards, 1 touchdown
18.0 fantasy points
Fantrax Writer: Mark Strausberg, @MarkStrausberg
Mark’s Breakdown: Did I miss a memo about the Carolina Panthers secondary? I’ve seen a lot of projections that have Jordan Addison not just scoring single digits fantasy points this week, but less than eight. He’s not even being listed inside the Top-40 in some places. I just can’t figure out for the life of me why not!
I am aware Addison only had 52 yards and failed to score in Week 3. However, he had a touchdown in each of his first two games and over 60 yards in each. As late American rock singer, Meatloaf, once sang, “Two out of three ain’t bad.”
Then again, as we know, past performance is not a guarantee of future results. But, should we really fear Carolina’s secondary keeping Addison in check? Sure, they had a great week against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. Most secondaries do. Atlanta doesn’t pass the ball a whole lot. But in the last two weeks Carolina has allowed more fantasy points to wide receivers than average.
Let’s ignore the nearly 300 passing yards the Panthers gave up to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. Even against the New Orleans Saints, they allowed over 230 passing yards in Week 2. Let’s just say Kirk Cousins typically outperforms Derek Carr in any given week.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Bold Prediction: 115 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns; 4 receptions, 35 receiving yards
31.0 points
Fantrax Writer: Ray Kuhn, @Ray_Kuhn_28
Ray’s Breakdown: Josh Jacobs has yet to find the end zone through the first three weeks of the season, so why shouldn’t
we look for him to do it twice on Sunday? That’s what I’m hoping for with my Week 4 bold prediction.
Besides the adage that he is “due”, things do line up well for Jacobs this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. After an uneven start to the season, Jacobs gets a soft-landing spot as Los Angeles has allowed 127.3 rushing yards per game while struggling against opposing running backs.
Last week, Alexander Mattison averaged 4.7 yards per carry on 20 carries while also catching five passes for 32 yards. If we are going to compare the two running backs, Jacobs is the more talented of the two. With Jimmy Garoppolo’s status in doubt with a concussion, the Raiders are going to rely on the running game. Given the matchup, Jacobs should find room to run.
After losing two yards on nine carries against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, game flow was also an issue. Jacobs did a solid job of bouncing back with 17 carries in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he only managed to log 62 yards, it shows the Raiders are committed to Jacobs and he will be given every opportunity to carry the load. With the volume there, the performance will follow.
These Three Players Will All Score a Touchdown in Week 4
WR Calvin Ridley, WR Adam Thielen, and RB Ezekiel Elliott
Fantrax Writer: Colin McTamany, @Colin_McT
Whether you’re placing anytime touchdown bets or need a flex play that you hope gets into the end zone, maybe this bold prediction tips the scales for you. This call that all three players will score in Week 4 is mostly based on the vibes alone, but there is a bit of logic baked in, as well.
First of all, Calvin Ridley, Adam Thielen, and Ezekiel Elliott are all facing off against the team they started their careers, spent the most time, and last played for. That alone makes me think that if given the opportunity, they’ll get the ball when in scoring position.
Ridley is the 16th-most targeted played this season with at least seven targets in each game. Ridley has also drawn five red zone targets, tied for the fourth-most in the league. He leads all Jaguars receivers in targets and is tied with Zay Jones for red zone targets, however, Jones is out with a knee injury.
Thielen is clearly a top target on the Carolina Panthers offense with Andy Dalton under center. He drew a team-high 24.5% target share on Dalton’s 57 pass attempts in Week 3. Thielen gets a Week 4 home matchup with a Minnesota Vikings defense allowing the third-most points to wide receivers.
Ezekiel Elliott saw a season-high snap percentage (38%) and 16 carries in Week 3, just three shy of Rhamondre Stevenson. We could see this backfield continue to operate as a committee moving forward. I think we all know Patriots head coach Bill Belichick well enough to know that Zeke would get the ball if their offense has a goal-to-go situation against his former team in Week 4.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Half-PPR by Position | Flex Rankings | Positional Ranks w/ K & DST | Dynasty | Superflex Dynasty