Fantasy Football Week 4 Projections: Risers and Fallers, Adjusting for Achane and Hall Injuries

New week, same story. We have a handful of Fantasy starters we need to replace after injury. While Week 2 was all about replacing wide receivers, and Week 3 was all about replacing quarterbacks, in Week 4, the most pressing need will be the three starting running backs who left early:  De'Von Achane ,  Breece Hall , and  Travis Etienne . As of Monday afternoon, it seems Achane is the only injury that's a season-ender, but we aren't projecting any of them to play in Week 4. And unfortunately, we aren't exactly confident in the guys who will be replacing them.

I'll get to those injury risers in a moment, but first, I need to note something. Early projections often contain some crazy things that get smoothed out by Thursday. After all, today is just what the math says, I will put my thumb on the scale a little as the week goes on. But I can't promise there is anything I can do to make the tight end position look normal. Through three weeks, we have 12 tight ends averaging at least 12 PPR Fantasy points per game and another five that are averaging double digits. This position is loaded with potential starters, though, as Dalton Schultz showed last week, potential starters don't always turn into performers. For now, the only guys we drafted as starters that I absolutely do not want to start in Week 4 are  Kyle Pitts ,  Colston Loveland , and  Dallas Goedert . So don't get too worried if your tight end isn't projected to be among the top 12 below.

Prominent players, we had projected last week that we are not projecting to play in Week 4 as of Monday evening:

Baker Mayfield , De'Von Achane, Breece Hall, Travis Etienne, Justin Jefferson , Mike Evans , Jalen Coker

At the bottom of this article are my Week 4 projections for quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. They will be updated throughout the week as we get more information.

Risers

Braelon Allen, RB, Jets

The Jets sounded more optimistic on Monday than they did on Sunday about Hall's injury, but we're all expecting him to miss at least one week. That means Braelon Allen projects as a top 20 back with 19 touches and 12.3 PPR Fantasy points. I would expect Isaiah Davis to work in on passing downs, but Allen to be the clear lead rusher. Allen faces a Bears defense that gave up 4.9 yards per carry in the first two weeks and could be in a positive game script if the Bears' backup QBs struggle. He's probably the top waiver wire add in Week 4, but he is not a rest-of-season solution.

Ollie Gordon, RB, Dolphins

Gordon may be a rest-of-the-solution, but it's worth noting that his big workload in Week 3 came without Jaylen Wright , and Wright hasn't been ruled out yet for Week 4. As of Monday afternoon, I am projecting Gordon for 18 inefficient touches, which makes him a high-end flex. He's on a much worse offense than Allen, and his Dolphins have an implied total of 14 points against the Vikings this week.

Alvin Kamara and Kendre Miller, RB, Saints

This is probably the hardest replacement situation to project. In theory, we would expect Miller to take a larger role in early downs and Kamara to dominate passing downs. Kamara was clearly ahead of Miller in early down work in Week 3, and Miller actually saw more targets. At 31 years old, Kamara has been one of the least efficient players in football this season, with 63 yards on 24 touches. For now, I am projecting him above Miller and both as flexes behind Gordon, but I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to add the younger back and hope  Kellen Moore  chooses to ride him.

Jordan Addison, WR, Vikings

For now, we aren't expecting Justin Jefferson to play in Week 4, and that made a huge difference to Addison last week. He had a 36% target share and 151 air yards. He has a great matchup against the Dolphins' bad defense as well. I am slow-playing Addison's projection bump to make sure Jefferson is out, so I have Addison ranked as a boom/bust WR3 for now, but he could be top 24 by the end of the week.

Aaron Jones, RB, Vikings

Jones had a 24% target share himself last week and has handled 78% of the team's rush attempts the past two weeks without Jordan Mason . His Vikings are an 11-point favorite against a Dolphins defense that has given up the most Fantasy points to running backs through three weeks. Jones projects as a top 10 running back ahead of several backs that were drafted five-plus rounds higher than him. Obviously, start him if you've got him, but also check if he's on someone else's bench. I would love to trade for him as a replacement for Achene, Hall, or Etienne.

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Cardinals

It finally happened. The  Cardinals  handed over the reins to Love in Week 3, and he turned 26 touches into 21.9 PPR Fantasy points. There is no looking back now, particularly against a banged-up Giants defense. Start him everywhere.

Tyler Shough, QB, Saints

It looks pretty hilarious to see Shough projected as QB2 this week, I admit. But he's QB3 on the season, and he leads the NFL in passing attempts. Kellen Moore has leaned into his pass-heavy approach and may throw at a 70% rate without Etienne. It's also worth noting that less than one Fantasy point separates QB2 from QB7 this week, and that is where Shough projected in Week 3.

Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams

There are a lot of moving parts, as I said above, but Higbee is definitely the biggest riser. We are projecting Puka Nacua , Terrance Ferguson , and Colby Parkinson to miss Week 4. In my projections, that means a 20% target share for Higbee, who was awesome against the Broncos on Sunday night. Through three weeks,  Matthew Stafford  has thrown 33% of his passes to tight ends, and as of now, it looks like Higbee will lead that group in Week 4.

Fallers

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots

I am befuddled. Maye leads the NFL with six interceptions after throwing eight all of last season. He's averaging 195 yards passing per game and has one passing touchdown. I still expect he'll snap out of it at some point, but at this point, I'll have to see it to believe it. I would start Tyler Shough , Bryce Young , Marcus Mariota , Sam Darnold , Jacoby Brissett , and C.J. Stroud over him this week.

Buccaneers pass catchers

Listen, they haven't been very good with the starting quarterback. Now, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will be making his first career start. Bucky Irving is the only Buccaneer I want to start, and even he is projected five spots lower than he was last week. That being said, if you're in a Superflex league, particularly Dynasty, make sure Daniels is rostered. He had a great offseason and could provide some fireworks with his legs.

Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers

I can only speculate that McConkey is not 100% healthy. He was third on the team in targets in Week despite being tied for the team lead in routes. Now the Chargers head to Seattle to face an angry Seahawks defense coming off a loss. You may not have a choice but to start McConkey as a WR3, but temper expectations. This is one of the most dysfunctional offenses in football, and we didn't see any signs of improvement last week.

Malik Nabers, WR, Giants

Jameis Winston has not looked like the Jameis Winston fantasy managers have come to love and know. And the Giants' coaching staff has not behaved as if they want to see him lose at all. Expect a run-heavy approach from New York in a competitive game with the Cardinals. Nabers is averaging 32 yards per game and may not be fully healthy himself. He is outside of my top 36 wide receivers for Week 4.

Week 4 quarterback projections

Week 4 running back projections

Week 4 wide receiver projections

Week 4 tight end projections

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/week-4-fantasy-football-projections-risers-fallers/)._