The wide receiver position is an absolute bloodbath in Week 4, and if you thought it couldn’t get worse, think again. We’re talking major carnage, with Mike Evans battling ribs, and Justin Jefferson fighting an ankle injury. These guys, along with Puka Nacua, A.J. Brown, and Alec Pierce, were all drafted in the first seven rounds, and now we don’t expect them to even suit up this week. It’s a nightmare scenario, but the hits just keep coming.
The Big Three Sits You Can’t Ignore
You’d figure with all those top-tier receivers out, anyone else drafted early would be a no-brainer start, right? Wrong. We’re actually telling you to bench Emeka Egbuka, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas this week. Can you believe what’s happening with Emeka Egbuka? The dude’s been grinding for double-digit Fantasy points every single week, but let’s be real, it’s been a total grind! He’s barely scraped past 12.3 PPR Fantasy points. The Tampa Bay offense has been out of sync, Baker Mayfield’s accuracy has been off, and the offensive line hasn’t done Egbuka any favors. Now, here’s the kicker: Mayfield is expected to miss multiple weeks with a dislocated thumb, and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels is making his first start! While it’s exciting to see Daniels’ rushing upside, you gotta expect fewer pass attempts, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s even less accurate than Mayfield. That’s a huge problem for Egbuka.
Nabers and Thomas are somehow in an even worse spot. Nabers still doesn’t look like himself, and Jameis Winston looks absolutely nothing like the quarterback he used to be. Nobody’s dropping Nabers just yet, and you shouldn’t either, but there’s no clear path for him to become a must-start receiver again anytime soon. As for Thomas, he might be the number three wide receiver in Jacksonville right now, and if things don’t turn around quickly, people might actually start talking about dropping him in the next few weeks. What a brutal start for these guys.
The Playmakers Stepping Up in the Chaos
Amidst all this chaos at wide receiver, you gotta get creative. Thankfully, there are some guys putting up serious numbers, and you need to pay attention. Zay Flowers is still absolutely flying, averaging an insane 9.36 yards per route run. We’re all crossing our fingers that we finally get to see him play a full game in Week 4. Drake London exploded in Week 3, leading all receivers with a massive 43.5% target share! With Michael Penix back under center, London is a WR1 again, plain and simple.
And don’t sleep on Rashee Rice; he’s averaging a career-best 11.2 yards per target, and his target share has been climbing every single week this season. Malik Washington’s 27.1% target share actually ranks ninth among all receivers this year. Plus, Devaughn Vele leads *all* receivers with 137 routes run this year, with Chris Olave right behind him at 132. The experts are saying to start them both, and honestly, with this much uncertainty, you might have to!
This Week 4 is going to be wild. You’ll need to hit those waiver wires hard and make some tough lineup calls. Good luck out there, because this is where championships are made!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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