RADIO
The fourth Sunday of the 2024 NFL season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers.
Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved in Week 4. These players simply did not meet fantasy expectations coming out of the draft, and it cost their managers in a big way.
Let's take a look at the biggest busts from Week 4, as well as whether or not we can still have some trust in these players moving forward. All point totals are based on the PPR scoring system. Players who missed part of the game due to injury are exempt from being featured.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Fantasy Football Quarterback Busts
Josh Allen, 9.1 FPTS
Allen lost a fumble and failed to record a touchdown in Sunday's tough loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He did rush for 21 yards, but that wasn't nearly enough to salvage his fantasy performance. He'll look to bounce back as a top fantasy option next week against the Houston Texans.
Gardner Minshew II, 6.3 FPTS
The Raiders won on Sunday, but Minshew had a tough game, completing just 58 percent of his passes for 130 yards. He took two sacks and was held without a touchdown for the first time this season. The victory likely kept Minshew's job safe for one more week, but Aidan O'Connell remains right on his heels.
Kyler Murray, 13.4 FPTS
Fantasy managers won't be overly frustrated with a quarterback posting 13.4 points, but we certainly expected more from Murray, especially against the Washington Commanders. He had his lowest rushing and passing totals of the season and also took four sacks. He gets a tricky matchup against the San Francisco 49ers next week.
Kyler Murray not running the ball is a terrible step backwards.
The fact that him running the ball is absent from the offense today is unbelievable to me.
— Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) September 29, 2024
Matthew Stafford, 7.1 FPTS
The absences of Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee) continue to hurt Stafford. He delivered two turnovers and failed to throw for a touchdown during Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears. He can be dropped in most fantasy leagues ahead of Week 5 versus the Green Bay Packers.
Kirk Cousins, 9.9 FPTS
Cousins racked up 238 passing yards and only took one sack, but throwing for zero touchdowns hurt his fantasy total. The veteran also threw a pick in Sunday's win. He remains a mid-to-low QB2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5.
Fantasy Football Running Back Busts
Breece Hall, 3.8 FPTS
Even in the wind and rain, the Jets weren't able to get much going on the ground with Hall. He rushed just 10 times for a total of four yards while catching two of his five targets. He should be able to bounce back despite a tough matchup against the Minnesota Vikings next week. Hall remains a fantasy RB1.
"Unfortunately for me, I haven't been having the big rushing games, but I'm trying to do my part. I wish I could run for 100, 200 yards every game...realistically right now, I'm the focal point of most defenses. It's just really not happening."
- Breece Hall pic.twitter.com/SyxWf4DZCp
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) September 29, 2024
Zamir White, 3.0 FPTS
At what point will managers stop inserting White into their lineups? The Raiders' running back had a season-high 17 carries, but he rushed for just 50 yards and also lost a fumble. Inefficient on the ground and not a factor in the passing attack, White should be benched in all formats and dropped in leagues with fewer than 12 teams.
James Cook, 5.8 FPTS
Cook's phenomenal stretch of games came to an end in Week 4 as he snapped his touchdown streak. The 25-year-old registered just 48 yards on 10 touches as the Buffalo Bills struggled to get things going in Baltimore. He's still a low-end RB1 heading into next week's clash with Houston.
Ezekiel Elliott, 3.4 FPTS
Elliott had another quiet showing on Thursday night, registering six touches. He has produced 5.2 fantasy points or fewer in each of his last three games while Rico Dowdle begins to take over the Dallas backfield. Elliott is not worth starting in fantasy football against the Pittsburgh Steelers next week.
Devin Singletary, 4.8 FPTS
Much like Elliott, Singletary also struggled on Thursday Night Football. The difference between the two backs, however, is that Singletary still has control of his backfield. He has earned more volume and delivered more production than Tyrone Tracy Jr., keeping his job safe ahead of Week 5 against Seattle. Singletary remains an RB3/FLEX in most fantasy leagues.
Carson Steele, -0.4 FPTS
The Kansas City Chiefs' backfield belonged to Kareem Hunt on Sunday. Steele registered just three touches and lost a fumble along the way. This was a massive step backward from Week 3 when he rushed 17 times for 72 yards on a 62 percent snap share. Steele should be avoided in all fantasy leagues next week.
Chiefs appeared to mostly give up on Carson Steele after the fumble. First half RB snaps: Hunt 12, Perine 12, Steele 6
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) September 29, 2024
Cam Akers, 5.3 FPTS
Even with Joe Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (hamstring) inactive, Akers didn't do much from a fantasy football perspective. He rushed for 53 yards and was not targeted. His lack of production in the passing game was particularly detrimental in PPR formats, where teammate Dare Ogunbowale stole the show with his four receptions for 47 yards.
Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Busts
Brandon Aiyuk, 6.8 FPTS
Aiyuk continues to lag behind in the Niners' offense; he caught a season-low two passes for 48 yards on Sunday. The pass-catcher's summer-long holdout seems to have had a major impact on his performance early in the season. Aiyuk falls outside the top 24 fantasy receivers heading into Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Garrett Wilson, 7.1 FPTS
Wilson was another victim of the poor weather conditions at MetLife Stadium. The Jets' top receiver caught five passes for 41 yards, but he lost a fumble in the process. He should be able to bounce back with an anticipated negative game script against the Vikings in Week 5.
Keenan Allen, 4.9 FPTS
Allen returned from a two-week absence and caught just three passes for 19 yards. On a positive note, he had a 100 percent catch rate. However, fantasy managers won't be willing to put up with these quiet performances from Allen for long. He's scored less than seven fantasy points in both of his games this season.
Rome Odunze, 2.0 FPTS
Another Bears receiver makes the list. Odunze had the quietest game of his young career, catching just one of three targets for 10 yards. Unsurprisingly, the first-round pick saw his volume and production get scaled back with Allen back in the lineup. Odunze is off the redraft radar despite a favorable matchup against the Carolina Panthers next week.
#Bears WR Usage Week 4
- DJ Moore: 26 routes, 6 targets, 22 yds, TD
- Rome Odunze: 23 routes, 3 targets, 10 yds
- Keenan Allen: 22 routes, 3 targets, 19 yds— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) September 29, 2024
Zay Flowers, 2.0 FPTS
The Ravens won big on Sunday night, but Flowers played a minimal role, catching just one of two targets for a gain of 10 yards. After a hot start to the season, he's been quiet over the last two weeks. He could bounce back in a favorable divisional matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5.
Gabe Davis, 0.8 FPTS
Davis converted five targets into one reception for a loss of two yards. He had his lowest target total since Week 1 and his lowest point total of the season. He's nothing more than a bench stash in deeper fantasy leagues. Davis faces the Indianapolis Colts next week.
Quentin Johnston, 2.3 FPTS
Johnston had his quietest game of the season, catching just one pass for nine yards. He also rushed for four yards. The second-year wideout took a backseat to both Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer. Johnston will look to bounce back after the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 5 bye.
Fantasy Football Tight End Busts
Brock Bowers, 5.1 FPTS
Bowers seemed like he was primed for a big game with Davante Adams (hamstring) inactive on Sunday. Instead, Bowers commanded just three targets, producing two catches for 19 yards. He also rushed for a dozen yards. This was the breakout rookie's quietest game of his young career, and he should be able to bounce back against the Denver Broncos next week.
Kyle Pitts, 0.0 FPTS
Pitts turned in another one of those stat lines that his fantasy managers constantly worry about. The Atlanta Falcons tight end finished with zero catches for the first time in his career. There seems to be very little rhyme or reason behind his subpar performances, making it tough to trust him week after week. He's a fringe top-12 fantasy tight end against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week.
Another year of drafting Kyle Pitts in fantasy pic.twitter.com/6emmHGOAnD
— The Fantasy Source (@FantasySource_) September 29, 2024
Mike Gesicki, 0.1 FPTS
This is an uncommon points total for pass-catchers in PPR leagues and was the result of Gesicki catching just one pass for a loss of nine yards. Cincinnati has a crowded tight end position and offense as a whole, dropping him outside the top 12 fantasy tight ends when he faces the Baltimore Ravens next week.
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