NFL Week 4 Usage Trends: Fantasy Football Notes for All 32 Teams

One of the lasting takeaways from Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season might just be how many breakout performances there were in fantasy football. After waiting on big games for players like Omarion Hampton, Ashton Jeanty, and Jaxson Dart, they finally arrived. Unfortunately, there were also several injuries that have derailed some fantasy campaigns and could change usage on those teams.

More Week 5 Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Weekly Rankings | Dynasty Risers and Fallers

After just four weeks’ worth of games, can we know that what we saw on the field this weekend is the same thing we will see for the next 14 weeks? That’s unlikely, but interesting trends are already emerging after just four games per team.

This weekly piece will look at those trends and make recommendations for players who might be worth rostering or starting in our fantasy lineups. We will look primarily at how roles changed over the first four games of the season for a player on each team, and if that is signal or noise this early in the year.

If you have interesting usage notes, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter/X (@CableBoxScore) and let me know. Let’s dive into the NFL Week 4 usage!

NFL Week 4 Usage Trends

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Trey Benson Usage

ATLANTA FALCONS

Darnell Mooney Replacements

Darnell Mooney went down with a hamstring injury in this game, and he was replaced primarily by Ray-Ray-McCloud (35% of snaps) and Casey Washington (52%). Neither of these seems particularly appealing because of Bijan Robinson and Drake London. Michael Penix Jr. has also kept his promise about getting Kyle Pitts involved all over the field (five catches for 70 yards and a score.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Henry Grounded Against Chiefs

In a game Baltimore desperately needed to win, Derrick Heny played just 39% of snaps and carried the ball only eight times. Justice Hill played 59% of snaps because of the score discrepancy, but something is not right with Henry after this game plus the fumbling issues of Weeks 1-3.

BUFFALO BILLS

James Is The Next Top Cook

James Cook’s usage has gone up every week this season, culminating in 74% of snaps plus 25 touches for 135 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Cook has five touchdowns in four games and has a sneaky good case of ending the year as the overall RB1.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Running Back Room Gets Murky

The final score of this game (New England 42, Carolina 13) might have played a role, but lead back Chuba Hubbard got 10 carries, Rico Dowdle got nine, and rookie Trevor Etienne got seven. None of them had more than 49 yards rushing, although Hubbard did catch three passes.

CHICAGO BEARS

Rome Odunze Assumes WR1 Role

D’Andre Swift saw his biggest role since Week 1 and played 66% of snaps, which got him 18 touches and a touchdown. Kyle Monangai is still hanging around, playing 28%, but he only saw four touches. This is a pretty standard 65/35 split workload for the backs right now.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Ja’Marr Chase Down Bad

How bad has it gotten for Ja’Marr Chase without Joe Burrow? He turned eight Jake Browning targets into just 23 yards on Monday night. He finished as the WR60 on the week, and now has three finishes worse than WR40 this season. Chase, Tee Higgins, and Chase Brown all have to be moved down ranks significantly after these last four games.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Dumpsville for Jerome Ford

Jerome Ford is now safely the third option in the Cleveland Browns backfield, and his role has been reduced to almost zero. He had one rush attempt for negative yards and one catch for four yards this week after no rush attempts and just 10 receiving yards in Week 3. Quinshon Judkins has taken over with almost 60% of snaps again, and Ford can safely be removed from rosters.

DALLAS COWBOYS

George Pickens’ Career Day

There is a case to be made that we just saw the best game of George Pickens’ career on Sunday. He had the second-most targets, most receptions, second-most receiving yards, and most touchdowns of any game in his career. His 11 targets led the team, and no other player had more than seven.

DENVER BRONCOS

RJ Harvey Starts to Make His Mark

In one of the more one-sided games you will ever see, the Denver Broncos ran 80 offensive plays compared to just 40 for the Cincinnati Bengals. Partly because of the score and partly because of the sheer amount of opportunities, RJ Harvey touched the ball 18 times for 98 total yards and the easiest receiving touchdown he’ll ever have. J.K. Dobbins still served as the lead back and likely would have had more work in a close game, but Harvey is ready to take on a bigger role.

DETROIT LIONS

David Montgomery Sees Usage Tank

What does David Montgomery do to follow up his 164 total yards and two touchdowns in Week 3? He rushes just nine times for 12 yards and doesn’t catch any passes. It was a weird game for Montgomery because Detroit was up big on Cleveland much of the game, but Montgomery didn’t benefit from any extra work. This was another one of those hyper-focused games on Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and these types of things are going to happen to the Lions a few times a year.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Target Tree is Shrinking For the Packers

In what used to be a very flat usage distribution, the Packers are now consolidating their pass attempts to three key players. Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, and Tucker Kraft are the only players who saw at least six targets in the Dallas overtime game. They each (plus Josh Jacobs) had over 55 receiving yards, while no other player had over 37.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Woody Marks’ Takeover

It’s looking like a changing of the guard in Houston, where Woody Marks played 56% of snaps, which got him 21 touches, 119 total yards, and two touchdowns. Nick Chubb played on 42% and got 62 combined yards, but you can be assured that Marks’ role is going to go up now. Marks was thought of as a pass-catching back, but Houston was up big this whole game, and Marks got most of the work.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Tyler Warren

Tyler Warren rushed for a touchdown? That’s what the box score tells me, and the film proves it. He also caught five of six targets for 70 yards to finish with 15 points in Half-PPR formats and played 90% of snaps. Warren had already established himself as a top-ten player at the position, but if he has added goal-line carries to his repertoire, there may not be many tight ends better this season.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Still the Travis Etienne Show

As much as some people want Bhayshul Tuten to be a thing, this is still Travis Etienne’s backfield. He got 60% of the snaps and rushed 19 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. Tuten, on the other hand, has one game with more than 22 combined yards.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Xavier Worthy Back in Full Force

Even though he was dominant with seven touches and 121 combined yards, Xavier Worthy played on only 59% of the team’s snaps. If he keeps up this kind of touch rate in more snaps as he gets healthier, the sky is the limit for Worthy in his second season.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Ashton Jeanty Breakout Game

That was the Ashton Jeanty we thought we were getting after he was drafted in the first round by the Las Vegas Raiders back in April. Jeanty broke out in a big way with 138 rushing yards, 17 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns to lead the running back position in fantasy points heading into Monday Night Football. He was the entire offense on a day when Geno Smith really struggled, and Jeanty gashed the Chicago Bears’ defense all over the field. We would like to see a little more passing-game usage (two targets), but it’s hard to complain when he played 85% of his team’s snaps.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Ladd McConkey Controversy

This Ladd McConkey usage is starting to become a problem. With the emergence of Quentin Johnston and the signing of Keenan Allen, McConkey appears to be third in line. His receptions have decreased each week of the season, and he caught only one ball for 11 yards against the New York Giants on Sunday. This was the first time McConkey has failed to catch more than one pass in his career.

For Omarion Hampton, his first game without Najee Harris resulted in an 89% snap share and a massive fantasy game. He is a lock-it-in RB1 moving forward.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Blake Corum Still Lurking

Blake Corum increased his snap rate for the third time this season, getting 29% in Week 4, and stealing a decent amount of work from Kyren Williams. While Williams was much more efficient, Corum getting 11 touches compared to 14 for Williams is definitely something to monitor.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Return of the Walrus

In a game that was defined by a gruesome injury to Tyreek Hill, it was the return of Darren Waller that got the Miami fans excited. Waller, in his first game in two years, grabbed three balls for 27 yards and two touchdowns. He only saw a 16% target share on Monday night, but that will surely grow with Hill out and Waller getting back into playing shape.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Jordan Addison’s Return

After missing three games due to suspension, Jordan Addison returned and played on 96% of snaps in Ireland. He also started his season off with eight targets, including four receptions for 114 yards. This offense could level up in the weeks to come with both Addison and Justin Jefferson on the same field now.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

TreVeyon Henderson Still Climbing Up That Hill

TreVeyon Henderson had 14 snaps, rushing seven times for 32 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. He also caught both targets for 14 yards in the Patriots’ win over the Panthers. But he still played only 31% of snaps compared to 57% for Rhamondre Stevenson. So much for Henderson getting more work after everyone else fumbled last week.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Keep Your Eye on Kendre Miller

For the fourth straight week, running back Kendre Miller saw his snap rate go up, and Alvin Kamara played a season-low 73%. Miller now has back-to-back weeks with at least nine touches and rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown in Week 4.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Pick up Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton

Malik Nabers attempted to catch a long pass from Jaxson Dart in the second quarter and immediately crumpled to the field in pain, clutching his knee. A torn ACL was confirmed Monday morning. It’s an awful injury for an exceptional player, especially when it just looked like the new era of the New York Giants’ offense was about to get rolling. Now the Dart-Nabers-Cam Skattebo trio will likely have to reconvene in 2026. Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton will need to be the receivers Dart uses in the weeks ahead. They both played at least 88% of snaps in the game.

NEW YORK JETS

Time to Take Mason Taylor Seriously

Tight end Mason Taylor didn’t score a touchdown as those accolades went to Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson. But the rookie Taylor did have a 26% target share and caught five of seven targets for 65 yards. Only Wilson had more targets than Taylor, and it’s clear that Justin Fields is starting to rely on the tight end as a security blanket.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

One Player Happy With the Passing Game

Dallas Goedert had one game in his seven-year career with more than one receiving touchdown, but he doubled that number on Sunday, catching four passes for 37 yards and two scores. Goedert has a healthy 18% target share and an 86% snap share in this Philadelphia Eagles offense in 2025 and seems to be outproducing A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith every week he is healthy.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Surprise Kenneth Gainwell Breakout

Kenneth Gainwell was the huge beneficiary of Jaylen Warren sitting out the Dublin game. Gainwell had the game of his life with 77% of snaps, 19 carries, 99 rushing yards, six receptions, 35 rushing yards, and two total touchdowns. This is not going to be a weekly occurrence, of course, but for one week, Gainwell can say he was a top-three fantasy running back.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

It’s Still Christian McCaffrey in the Red Zone

The San Francisco 49ers had nine touches in the red zone on Sunday afternoon, and Christian McCaffrey had five of them. Despite some of his inefficiencies this season, he is still the player they rely on most when it’s close to the goal line. It’s also worth noting that Jauan Jennings had the only two wide receiver red zone targets in the game.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Back to a Split Backfield

With Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III both on the field again, the playing time was almost split equally. Walker was in on 50% of snaps, while Charbonnet was at 47%. Once again, Walker was the more efficient player with 110 yards on 20 touches, but Charbonnet got the rushing touchdown to go along with 39 yards on 12 attempts.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Chris Godwin Comeback

Chris Godwin returned to the field after almost a year and was immediately thrown into the fire. He played 81% of snaps, second only to Emeka Egbuka (89%). The Bucs are going to need Godwin to step up while Mike Evans is out for a few weeks.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Drop All Your Titans

I know that Houston has a great defense, and the Titans were on the road, but only one skill player had more than 44 yards for the Titans in this Week 4 game. Cam Ward has not looked ready for the NFL this season, and they have scored more than 19 points just once.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Terry McLaurin Sits, Deebo Samuel Benefits

Data Sources: Pro Football Focus, NFL Next Gen Stats, Football Guys Snap Summary, FTN Air Yards, Pro Football Reference, Team Rankings, Fantasy Points Data Suite

Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!