Week 4 Fantasy Football Primer: Underrated Players You Need in Your Lineup (Ep. 2234)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
22 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 2, 2026
Published
Fri, October 2, 2026
8
Player insights
8
Players mentioned
Topics
Chris BellDallas GoedertIsaiah LikelyJohnny MundtKenyon SadiqMarcus MariotaMark AndrewsStefon Diggs
Player analysis
Player insights
Chris Bell
PositiveSleeper11:48
Chris Bell is a criminally undervalued flex play at WR57 in ECR. Last week, he saw a 64% route share, 19% target share, and 2.48 yards per route run. He faces a Minnesota secondary that has allowed the 11th most yards per target and 10th most fantasy points per opportunity to perimeter receivers. He is a high-upside target in a game where Miami is expected to be trailing.
Insight pageDallas Goedert
NegativeInjury20:22
The source mentions Dallas Goedert sustained an injury, which complicates the evaluation of the team's offensive performance.
Insight pageIsaiah Likely
NegativeRole20:27
The source notes that Isaiah Likely was utilized as a part-time player during the game against the Jets, making it hard to gauge his true fantasy value.
Insight pageJohnny Mundt
NegativeRole20:22
The source notes that it is difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from recent games involving Johnny Mundt due to the context of injuries and poor quarterback play.
Insight pageKenyon Sadiq
PositiveBreakout16:35
Kenyon Sadiq is a top-12 tight end option and a must-start. With Mason Taylor and A.D. Mitchell likely out, Sadiq is the clear number two target in the Jets' passing attack. He is coming off a week where he was the TE4 with over 100 receiving yards, a 21% target share, and 4.2 yards per route run. He faces a Bears defense that has struggled against tight ends.
Insight pageMarcus Mariota
PositiveProjection3:53
Marcus Mariota is a fantastic start for Week 4, potentially a low-end QB1. Despite being QB18 in ECR, he was QB13 last week against Seattle even without significant rushing production. He posted the seventh-best passing success rate among 31 qualifying QBs last week. He faces an Indianapolis pass defense that ranks fifth-worst in EPA per dropback and third-worst in yards per attempt.
Insight pageMark Andrews
PositiveProjection18:35
Mark Andrews is a top-12 tight end despite his current TE20 ranking in PPG. He has not scored a touchdown yet, but his underlying usage is elite: 23.7% target share, 2.07 yards per route run, and a 25.9% first-read share. These metrics suggest a massive regression game is coming, making him a strong start.
Insight pageStefon Diggs
PositiveUsage6:50
Stefan Diggs is a strong WR3 play with WR2 upside. He is currently WR17 in fantasy points per game with a 22% target share, 1.82 yards per route run, and a 25.4% first-read share. The Colts' defense has allowed the most yards per target and the third-most fantasy points per opportunity to slot receivers.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. All right, and welcome into the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football Podcast.
0:05A make or break week four is officially upon us.
0:09And if you're like me in most of my leagues, you're walking into this slate needing a win more than almost anything in the world.
0:16Therefore, we're firing up another primer episode with our top must start players.
0:20I'm your host Andrew Erickson still somehow here after the Pittsburgh Steelers allegedly even tried trading me to the Dallas Cowboys for future draft pick compensation.
0:28And back with me is a man who just has to love watching it all burn down.
0:33He's a Bayou born legend now living his best life in Friday Night Lights Country.
0:38He's downtown Derrick Brown. D bro, I'm sure the city of Dallas and the surrounding DFW areas are absolutely buzzing today.
0:44Are you as well my friend? I am dude and I thought it was really funny when that hit the timeline.
0:51Apparently that was past Rappaport and Shefty's bedtime because that news comes out and the only person that tweeted it out, and stuff like that was Jordan Schultz.
0:59You didn't get a Schefter tweet and a quote tweet from Rappaport or a tweet from Rappaport and a quote tweet from Shefty.
1:06I guess they must have gone betty by, but no, it was good trade for the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
1:13Homie, what are you doing? Like did that as a Steelers fan?
1:17I'll ask you this real fast before we get rolling here, Seth.
1:20Did that trade compensation feel a little bit light considering you saw what the Jets got for Sauce Gardner, right?
1:26Hmm? You're not only talking to a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, you're talking to a Penn State football diehard who's seen Joey Porter.
1:33I'm yeah, dude. Apparently we are, we are not.
1:36Yeah, we are not apparently. Yeah, absolutely. So no, it was, it was disgusting.
1:40I thought the compensation was egregious and you know, I saw a great tweet out there today.
1:45I'm sorry. I can't credit it, but you know, someone's like, it's okay.
1:49Steelers fans. Don't worry. You can find stud cornerback in the second round of the draft.
1:54And it was, you know, listing all the stud cornerbacks have gone in the first round over the last couple of years.
2:01And it's like, you have to have a top five or 10 pick and we don't ever get them.
2:07So what does it matter? Derek, I was so upset about this news that I went to bed as soon as I saw it.
2:14And then I actually forgot to put in some additional waiver claims because of a bunch of good people in my big
2:21money league got dropped like Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Gainwell, Chris Godwin.
2:24And I was like, okay, I should probably pick one of these guys up just to add some depth.
2:30I forgot because I was so mad. So I woke up, woke up in a equally as bad mood.
2:36I mean, hey man, look, we wouldn't even be doing this show and I would have to be putting out like a
2:42health check for you if they would have included Eli Heidenreich in that trade.
2:47So at least that didn't happen. At least that didn't happen, Seth, because if that happened, we'd be doing a well check for Mr.
2:54Wolcock today. Absolutely would be, but we got a loaded program and we're locked and loaded for it.
2:59Must starts for each of the quarterback, wide receivers and tight end positions coming your way.
3:04And before we get down to business, just wanted to thank everyone for tuning in to the FantasyPros YouTube channel and the audio feed so far this season.
3:13We're trying to get to 300,000 subscribers and we can only get there with your help.
3:18We're so, so close. So please just give this video a thumbs up and make sure you subscribe to the channel if you're new.
3:25And Derek Brown, you're starting us off overseas out there in the great city of London, England.
3:30What do you have for us at the quarterback position?
3:33Marcus Mariota is a fantastic start this week. And no, I'm going to lead this off with, I do not believe you, Dan Quinn.
3:40I do not believe Jaden Daniels is starting this week.
3:44Not when he's our dude's wearing a brace that doesn't even allow him to fully extend and bend his arm straight.
3:50So no, I don't believe you. I don't believe your faulty gamesmanship.
3:54I believe Marcus Mariota will be under center for the Washington Commanders.
3:57And I think he's a fantastic start this week, man.
4:00QB 18 and ECR. He was QB 13 last week against the freaking Seattle Seahawks, dude.
4:05And that was without even running. He only ran five times for 11 yards on the ground.
4:10We know that the Russian component is there for Mariota.
4:13He was very impressive as a passer. He had the seventh best passing success rate amongst 31 qualifying quarterbacks last week.
4:20And the other side of this, dude, is Indy's pass defense.
4:23Wolf. Like, they'd not be good, man. They're giving us the fifth highest EPA per drop back in the third most yards per attempt.
4:30So however you want to slice this up, like, Marcus Mariota could easily be a low-end QB1 this week.
4:36I mean, because we've seen him do it before.
4:39It's like, who do you feel better about starting?
4:42Marcus Mariota or Kyler Murray? Marcus Mariota or Jordan Love?
4:45Marcus Mariota or Drake May? Marcus Mariota, Bo Nix.
4:48Marcus Mariota, CJ Stroud. And I bring all those names up because all of those names are above him in ECR right now.
4:55Yeah, Bo Nix and Drake May, I think, are two conversations I'd be willing to have.
4:59The rest of those, I agree, though. Definitely Mariota.
5:02And I think we actually might see a shootout here overseas for once.
5:06I agree. Because you talked about how bad this Colts secondary is.
5:10I think the Commanders is worse, dude, right? Yes.
5:13And their pass funnel. Yeah, you look at every metric from a receiving and a passing standpoint, and Washington is right up there.
5:20They have no help in this secondary. I thought it was bad.
5:23You know, I really thought this was a team that could have used someone like Caleb Downs in the draft to help sure that up.
5:31They went a different way. I understand Sonny Stiles is a stud.
5:35But at the same time, yeah, I mean, look even at the total of this game.
5:3947 and a half. That is much larger than we see a lot of these international totals.
5:45So I'm right there with you. I like Mariota.
5:47Do you like Daniel Jones this week at all at the quarterback position?
5:51Is he someone you'd be rolling out? I feel so gross, but I'm going to tell you right now, and I feel like this is a safe space.
6:00I might have already played a plus money bet on Daniel Jones over one and a half passing touchdown.
6:06Okay. Hey, dude. Hey, you know, you got that.
6:08I got some Keenan Allen props I've been dabbling in.
6:11So that's just the way things are going out there.
6:14I guess we are not. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe I'll find a way to get him on the card.
6:20Just to. I do have. I do have. This isn't the college football show.
6:24College football betting pros channel. Make sure you're checking that out.
6:28YouTube. I do have Penn State minus two and a half on Friday night.
6:32So that's going to dictate how the weekend goes early.
6:35There we go. I was waiting for the Penn State.
6:38Derek, let's go to the wide receiver position where you're actually staying in this game.
6:43Yeah. Dude, if I'm in on Marcus Mariota, then yeah, I'm going to take one of his pass catchers that's outside the top 30 wide receivers.
6:50Stefan Diggs, a wide receiver 31. Is everybody realize that Stefan Diggs is wide receiver 17 and fantasy points per game?
6:57Does everybody realize that Stefan Diggs is a 22% target share 1.82 yards per route run and he's tied or he's right
7:04on the heels of McLaurin with a 25.4% first reach here?
7:07Does everybody realize that? As well as if you juxtapose that with the fact that Indy has given up the most yards
7:14per target and the third most fantasy points per opportunity to slot receivers?
7:18Stefan Diggs is a very, very strong play. He's a wide receiver three who I think if Mariota does the dang thing,
7:24Mariota can support McLaurin and Diggs this week. I fully believe that.
7:28So both of these guys are really strong starts.
7:31And I think both of them can produce as wide receiver twos because the other thing about it, who else in that
7:37passing attack is taking targets away from either one of them this week, Seth?
7:42Like Chikakanko, if he plays, okay, he's probably a part-time player.
7:45Antonio Williams still is not factoring into this passing attack.
7:48So it's literally these two guys holding up the entire house.
7:51They're going to do the dang thing. Yeah, especially like they're not getting, I think, as much production as they'd like out of the backfield.
7:59So they are having to air it out a little bit.
8:02Like you said earlier, I think we see some Mariota with his legs moving the chains.
8:07But you look at even the receivers, the Colts have faced.
8:11Like they got Zay Flowers for a half in week one.
8:14He went off against them. They had this weird Kansas City offense where you're kind of seeing role shift between Rice and Worthy, right?
8:21Which both of them provided for fantasy. And then last week, I mean, you just had the hoopla that is the Houston
8:28Texans who don't want to run out Jalen Knoll, right?
8:31So, you know, they haven't even faced the best slot wide receivers and they're still giving up a ton of points to him, right?
8:38So don't even get started on Nick Caley. We could go another hour and a half about how Nick Caley is an absolute buffoon.
8:46And I don't understand why he's employed in the NFL.
8:49But anyway, that's for a different show. It absolutely is.
8:52For this show, though, Derek, you're going to talk me off a ledge of benching a receiver who's done almost.
8:58I don't want to say he's done nothing because he's been like a starter worthy receiver, but he's not lived up to draft expectations so far.
9:06Yeah, sadly, Emeka Ibuka has only been producing as the wide receiver 33 in fantasy points per game.
9:11But I'm here to tell everybody that lack of production is not really his fault.
9:16He only has 65% of his targets have been deemed catchable right now.
9:20It is a horrific mark. So Baker Mayfield has been playing bad football.
9:24So it's like I understand we're taking a step down to Jalen Daniels.
9:28I get that. But is it really a step down with how bad Baker Mayfield has been playing?
9:33Because on the things that Emeka Ibuka can control, which is running his routes, getting separation and getting open.
9:39Emeka Ibuka has been awesome at that. Like amongst 86 qualifying wide receivers, Emeka Ibuka, 19th in separation score, 15th in route win rate.
9:46So he is doing exactly what he is supposed to do.
9:50But the quarterback play is not holding up their end of the bargain.
9:54And unless he can throw the freaking ball to himself, what is he going to do then?
9:59So I think we could have a surprisingly strong game from Emeka Ibuka, especially when you look at like the matchup.
10:05Secondary he's going against has given up the 12th most yards per target and the six most fantasy points per opportunity to perimeter wide receivers.
10:13So like, am I scared of the Green Bay pass defense?
10:16No. They made Michael Penix look quietly freaking awesome.
10:19Gave up a massive explosive play on a broken coverage to Drake London.
10:23So if Jalen Daniels can just be serviceable, if he could be a better version of Tyler Huntley in this spot start, Emeka Ibuka could ball out.
10:31Yeah. And you know, we usually do see a lot of these young quarterbacks locking on to either tight end, right?
10:38They're going to try to get some check downs over the middle.
10:41And then at the same time, they're going to be looking for their number one option.
10:46That is Emeka Ibuka at this point in his tenure.
10:49So Jalen Daniels also like, I think I expect less check downs for the running backs, even though the Bucs haven't, you
10:56know, been using gain well, as much as I think a lot of us hoped coming into the season.
11:02He's a guy who likes to kind of grip it and rip it.
11:06And if it's not there, he's going to tuck and run.
11:09So hopefully he can continue to move the ball.
11:12And it means good things for Emeka Ibuka. I myself am nervous, but it does set up with a really, really nice matchup for the secondary.
11:20I mean, you look at every, you know, wide receiver one for a team that has faced this Green Bay secondary right now.
11:27Justin Jefferson, how's eight for 92 and two Garrett Wilson, five 57 and one.
11:31And then you mentioned Drake London nine for 194 last week could have been more if he, you know, ended up getting
11:38on the end zone late in that game. Let's go from some established stars though, to a one that you think is
11:44me rising up the rankings this week. I think so, man.
11:48And Chris Bell at wide receiver 57 and ECR, I think is criminally low.
11:52I think he should be like a wide receiver three slash four.
11:56I think he's a very strong flex play this week.
11:59Okay. As long as the health reports come back, you know, like he's not going to see a diminished role or to things like that.
12:06So everybody does need to kind of watch the news.
12:09But what we saw out of Chris Bell's role last week got ramped up, had a 64% route share, a 19% target
12:16share at 67 receiving yards, 2.48 yards per route run, and almost a 17% first reach here.
12:21If he takes more of this passing pie this week against a Minnesota Vikings corner room, which has given up the 11th
12:28most yards per target and the 10th most fantasy points per opportunity to perimeter wide receivers.
12:33Chris Bell could be a very surprising flex in a game where the Vegas totals, the line is telling you Miami is
12:40going to be trailing in this game. So we know they're going to have to throw the ball like they've done the entirety of the season.
12:48So if that is the case, Chris Bell could be a wide receiver three this week.
12:52So, and based on Chris Bell's profile coming out of Louisville the last couple of years, even despite working with some, you
12:59know, kind of subpar quarterbacks, whether that was Miller Moss or whether, you know, Tyler Shuck was pretty decent when he was under center for the Louisville Cardinals.
13:08Definitely not what he is today, but he is known as the big play high value target earner, right?
13:13I mean, Malik Washington, like if you need set, if you need eight, eight points in a cloud of dust, he's probably
13:20the guy to get right coming off a 10 target game.
13:24But if you want serious upside, which I don't know about you, Derek, but this week I'm, I'm a big underdog in a couple of matchups, right?
13:32And I got to pull out, you know, something out of a rabbit out of the hat.
13:37And maybe this is a spot with Chris Bell.
13:40It's a low total too, in this game. So I don't think there are a ton of points.
13:45There's not a lot of players that I want to get invested with, but it was, as far as Chris Bell in
13:52the Miami offense, Derek, like, is there a player other than him from the skills players that you would rather fire up
13:59in a flex, like Ollie Gordon, Jalen Wright, or is it Chris Bell for you?
14:03It's Chris Bell. It's Chris Bell. Like Caleb Douglas is out of this game.
14:07Malik Washington, like you said, has been just soaking up empty calorie volume, but he, like, let's play out the fever dream of playing Chris Bell this week.
14:16Okay, Seth, what if Malik Washington isn't getting that 25, 26% target share this week?
14:21What if instead that goes to Chris Bell, Seth?
14:23Oh, man. Is that so crazy to see? No.
14:26For a player that is more talented than Malik Washington, another week if he ramps up and he's in the, like, 75%
14:33route share quadrant, he's got a good matchup on paper.
14:36Or if Malik Willis can buy time with his legs and they're in catch-up mode and he's just YOLO, like, screw it.
14:43We're going to chuck it up to Chris Bell.
14:45He's down there somewhere. Chris Bell could have a very surprising game, man.
14:49Yeah, I think Brian Flores is going to get after this team.
14:53I think Minnesota is going to get out to a lead and then maybe it's some negative game script helping out Chris
15:00Bell and company there for the Miami offense. Before we keep it moving, just a quick reminder that you can take the
15:06guesswork out of your start-sit decisions with the Fantasy Pro Start-Sit Assistant.
15:10Instantly see your optimal lineup based on your roster scoring settings and advice from more than 100-plus fantasy football experts, including downtown Derek Brown.
15:17You can even set your lineup with one click.
15:20Get started today at fantasypros.com slash start-sit. All right, and let's move forward to the tight end position where, Derek, you're actually
15:27foregoing the running back starts and you're going double tight end here in the flex.
15:31Yeah, and just to kind of the reasoning why we're not mentioning any running backs on this week's episode is only because
15:38there is a large swath of like RB3s and running back gets gross really, really fast because of committee backfields, players fumbling away opportunities like Jadarian Price.
15:46Like you get past like RB15 and RB20 and it is disgusting and you look around and you're like, oh God, who
15:53am I going to believe in right now? And you're basically just living in RB3 touchdown dependent flex territory.
15:59And it's like, can I talk about Kyle Manonga?
16:02Can I talk about Blake Corum? Can I talk about a lot of these guys like a Woody Marks and say, hey, the matchup's good.
16:09He probably gets like 10 touches. Okay, that's great, but they don't have any pass game role.
16:14And if they don't get in the end zone, you're hating life that you started any of these guys.
16:20So read the primer, play the matchups as you see fit with any of those guys.
16:25But no, there are two tight ends this week where I feel like people need to hear the good news about and
16:32we're going to kick that off with Kenyon Sadiq, dude.
16:35Tight end 11 and ECR, he crushed last week.
16:38And this could have been like the tip of the iceberg for what Kenyon Sadiq does for the rest of the season.
16:44Because as we're recording this and projecting this game, still no Mason Taylor.
16:48A.D. Mitchell, I do not think plays this week.
16:51So Kenyon Sadiq is the clear number two target in the Jets passing attack, which looks competent.
16:56And last week, Kenyon Sadiq, we all know that he balled out.
17:00He had over 100 receiving yards, 4.2 yards per route run, a 21% target share, 19.2% first read share, tight end four on the week.
17:07And everybody's wondering, what the heck do I do with tight ends?
17:11Do I start Tucker Craft? Do I start all these other guys?
17:15Like, do I feel good about them? Probably not.
17:17Kenyon Sadiq, I feel really good about it. Because we know the Jets are going to be playing probably catch up against
17:24the Bears, depending on whoever the hell Benny Johnson wants to start a quarterback.
17:28We shall see. But looking at all of this, I think Sadiq is going to be highly involved in this passing attack
17:35against a defense that has given up the 10th most yards per target, two tight ends, when yet the Bears have only
17:42faced a part-time Darren Waller, an underutilized TJ Hawkins and a part-time Zach Ertz.
17:46But they're giving up that mark. And oh, baby, Kenyon Sadiq is coming to town.
17:51Yeah, it's a great point. And I have been a little bit nervous based on those game logs against, right?
17:57But it's a fair standpoint that they haven't really faced the best of the tight end crop out there in the NFL.
18:03I do think that this linebacking court is a bit better than obviously what the Detroit Lions were rolling out a week ago against Sadiq.
18:11I'm less confident on Sadiq than I was a week ago.
18:14I still think he's a top 12 option, though, with you.
18:18I just don't know if it's quite the explosion that we got.
18:21But either way, he's someone that needs to be rostered.
18:25And Derek telling you he needs to be in lineups this week as well.
18:29And Derek, from the new exciting thing at the big man position, you're going with an old Wiley veteran as well.
18:35I am. And in everything on paper, all the analytics say that we have not gotten a Mark Andrews explosion game.
18:42And I think we could get it this week.
18:44He's tied in 15 in ECR. I think he should be ranked as a top 12 tight end.
18:50He's tied in 20 in fantasy points per game, but he hasn't scored a touchdown.
18:54And he's been his usage and his per route efficiency has been awesome just for everybody at home outside of looking at fantasy points per game.
19:02If I were to tell you there is a tight end that has a 23.7% target share, has 2.07 yards per route
19:09run, and a 25.9% first reach share, would everybody collectively be saying, oh, dude, like that's a that's a top six option.
19:16That's a top five tight end. That's a guy we have to play this week.
19:20And yet Mark Andrews is languishing as a tight end to an ECR right now.
19:25And a lot of people are probably on the fence of saying, do I play Mark?
19:30Mark Andrews? What do I do with Mark Andrews?
19:33I don't know what to do with Mark Andrews.
19:35And I'm saying, no, you need to play this man because the deeper metrics all say a regression game is coming for
19:42Mark Andrews where he is going to put up a massive stat line because all of the per route efficiency has been awesome.
19:49And if it's this week, you're gonna be like, oh man, I'm so glad I got him into my lineup.
19:55But Seth, I mean, am I crazy in the way that I'm framing Mark Andrews?
20:00Is he washed? What do you think about him?
20:02No, I don't think he is. He hasn't delivered from a standpoint that we wanted, right?
20:07I know there's some Mark Andrews versus a flowers bets going on around the company right now.
20:12There are looking pretty good on the side too.
20:15Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That being said, I think this is a tough one for me this week, Derek, because the Titans, it's
20:22hard to take anything from their games, right? Like again, you had Johnny Munt, Dallas Goddard got injured.
20:27And then Isaiah likely- Kenyon Sidney was a part-time player when they played the Jets.
20:32So- Right. And James Winston and his horrible targets say hi.
20:35Like, so- Yeah. You know what I mean? It's like, how much do you take away of like, oh, they're good on paper against Titans.
20:43They ain't playing anybody. The quarterback play has been dog water.
20:46So you can't really like take a lot away from like those on paper metrics when it's like, well, they haven't really been tested.
20:54Yeah. A bit of a mystery box, I think, but a fun one that you think could be profitable this week for
21:00everyone in week number four, Derek Brown. Great stuff as always, not just here on the fantasy pros, fantasy football podcast, but
21:07on the primer at fancy pros.com as well. Go read the full version out there now for you and comment down below your favorite week four must-start players.
21:16And while you're here, don't forget to smash that like button on your way out and subscribe to the channel.
21:22If you're new for Derek Brown, I'm Seth Wilcock.
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