Welcome to Fantasy Football Trends for Week 4!
The NFL is quite bizarre. Three weeks into the season, Quentin Johnston and Daniel Jones continue to be fantasy studs, and the Browns have beaten the previously dominant Packers.
Amidst this chaos, I hope to continue providing data points that help make sense of the madness, as well as inform more informed decisions in your fantasy lineups. Here are five data points for you to reflect on as we approach Week 4.
1) Cowboys’ defense’s 9.8 yards allowed per pass attempt
The Dallas Cowboys defense should try this revolutionary new concept called ‘defending’ pic.twitter.com/tQQB8Uy77L
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 22, 2025
Through three weeks, the Cowboys’ pass defense has been extremely poor, allowing several wide receivers to accumulate huge fantasy totals. Without the presence of Micah Parsons (thanks again, Jerry!), and a below-average secondary, the Cowboys have allowed a league-high 864 passing yards. It’s also important to note that the team is allowing big chunk plays, as seen this week with Luther Burden’s 65-yard touchdown last week and long touchdowns to both Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson the week prior. They are allowing an average of 9.8 yards per pass attempt, again the most in the league.
Next up for the Cowboys – the Packers, Jets, and Panthers, so look out for big plays from the likes of Matthew Golden, Garrett Wilson, and Tet McMillan. It’s a pass defense we should be attacking aggressively.
2) Cam Skattebo’s 0.35 missed tackles forced per attempt
Cam Skattebo is already quickly becoming a fan favorite. Andy Behrens aptly described him as a runner who is “looking for violence” and someone who’s trying to “detonate people” during the Fantasy In Frames Week 3 Pregame Show. Against the Chiefs, the rookie impressed with 60 yards and a touchdown from his ten rushing attempts, adding a further 61 yards from six receptions on eight targets.
The rookie has demonstrated notable efficiency in the early stages of his NFL career, forcing eight missed tackles and 3.48 yards after contact per attempt. Skattebo’s 0.35 missed tackle forced per attempt, per PFF, ranks fourth-best among running backs with at least ten carries so far this season. In comparison, teammate Tyrone Tracy has forced just one missed tackle this season on his 22 attempts. With Tracy set to miss at least the next couple of weeks, Skattebo has a chance to cement himself as the lead back in this offense.
3) Woody Marks’ 48% snap share
I BEEN TELLING YALL TO RESPECT WOODY MARKS MAN
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 15, 2025
pic.twitter.com/eFazDQsVcO https://t.co/CEkIiCCUJ6
The Texans’ offense has been lackluster to start the year, ranking last in offensive success rate, according to SumerSports. One player to keep an eye on, however, is rookie Woody Marks. Marks saw his snap share jump up to 48% in week 3, up from 27% a week prior and 11% in the first game. Other than Nick Chubb, Marks was the only other Houston running back to touch the ball last week. The rookie had six rushing attempts, which he turned into 27 yards, adding a further nine yards on his lone reception.
In comparison, Chubb only saw three more rushing attempts, amassing 38 yards. As much as we all love Nick Chubb, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team continue to move away from the veteran as the team looks to jumpstart its ailing season. With Mixon still on the sideline, Marks is worth stashing.
4) Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s 37.5% running back touch share
Every Week 3 touch for Jacory Croskey-Merritt https://t.co/aJWWeoYEtS pic.twitter.com/TKjWT0Vd3o
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 22, 2025
With Austin Ekeler, unfortunately, suffering a season-ending injury, there was hope that Jacory Croskey-Merritt would take over as the workhorse back in Washington. However, after a summer of constant hype for the rookie, we may need to wait a little longer. The Commanders appear to be deploying a three-headed running back committee with Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodgriguez, and Jeremy McNichols all seeing touches last week. ‘Bill’ saw only nine total touches, including one through the air, two fewer than Rodriguez, and equated to a 37.5% running back touch share.
Bill, similar to Skattebo, has also impressed with his efficiency. The seventh-round pick has rushed at 5.7 yards per attempt and 3.82 yards after contact per attempt so far this season. The latter stat ranks tenth in the league. He’s still the Commanders back I’d want in fantasy, but if this usage persists, his ceiling will be capped.
5) Elic Ayomanor’s 20% target share
Coming into the year, many, myself included, assumed Calvin Ridley would dominate targets in Tennessee. Yet three weeks into the yea,r Ridley has seen 21 targets with rookie Elic Ayomanor just three behind, representing a 20% target share so far this year. The fourth-round pick in this year’s draft has already proven to be a reliable target for fellow rookie Cam Ward, turning those 18 targets into ten receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Ayomanor’s ceiling will be capped as long as Ward continues to underperform, yet the consistent target volume shows that the rookie has a solid floor and is a good flex-play through the coming bye weeks.
