X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 5

Darnell Mooney - fantasy football rankings news NFL DFS lineup picks

Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season is officially in the books. Just like in Weeks 1, 2, and 3, overreactions will undoubtedly be made, but there's also a lot of good information we can use to help make decisions as we head into Week 5 and beyond. In years past, we'd be a quarter of the way through the season, but with 17 regular season games this year, we're just about 23.5% of the way through.

In this weekly column, we'll be looking at players whose arrow may be pointing up, and players whose arrow may be pointing down based on the previous week's games. We'll try not to overreact, but instead, use relevant data to make informed decisions about certain players.

Here are the key risers and fallers heading into Week 5 of the NFL season.

 

Fantasy Football Risers

Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

Jimmy Garoppolo was ready to rule himself out for multiple weeks after Week 4, in which he sustained a calf injury. Apparently, he hasn't been ruled out quite yet, however, it'd be a surprise to see the 49ers go back to him after getting a glimpse of Trey Lance. Lance only completed 50% of his passes, but threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing seven times for 41 yards. If he gets the start in Week 5 against the Cardinals (a game that features an o/u of 50 points), one should reasonably expect Lance to put up back-end QB1 numbers as a result of his dual-threat ability.

Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears

Justin Fields only attempted 17 passes in Week 4, but Mooney still ended with five catches for 125 yards. He accounted for 51% of the Bears' air yards and had a target share of 41.2% despite playing on a season-low 71% of the snaps. Mooney now has seven or more targets in three of four games played this season and looks to be Justin Fields' favorite target in the early going.

Jamison Crowder, New York Jets

In his first game of the season, Crowder played on 62% of the snaps and saw nine targets, good for a 26.5% target share. He sent Braxton Berrios (who played on 78% of the snaps in Week 3) into oblivion upon his return. With the Jets set to trail in a ton of games this season, look for quarterback Zach Wilson to lean heavily on his most-trusted slot receiver, that being Jamison Crowder.

Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders

Playing in a PPR league? Renfrow is WR23 through four weeks, and it's no fluke. In Week 4, he commanded a 25% target share and played on a season-high 67% of the snaps. He's caught at least five balls in each of his first four games and has become a go-to option for Derek Carr outside of Darren Waller. Renfrow has more receptions thus far than Chris Godwin, DK Metcalf, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Lockett, but who's keeping track?

Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams

A rib injury forced Henderson to miss Week 3, but he came back in Week 4 after missing just one game. And boy did he get a workload, out-touching Sony Michel 19-3, playing on 90% of the snaps. This was also prior to a short break before Week 5, in which the Rams play on Thursday night. Through three games, Henderson is playing on an average of 84% of the snaps and seeing an average of 18.3 opportunities (carries + targets) per game. He's getting RB1 utilization and should be viewed as such until Sean McVay decides to lighten his workload (which he shouldn't as long as Henderson remains productive).

Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles

Per PFF, Gainwell has the third-highest receiving grade through four weeks behind just Christian McCaffrey and Cordarrelle Patterson. Yes, you read that right, Cordarrelle Patterson, who has been fantastic in his own right. Miles Sanders' role has been decreasing on a week-to-week basis while Gainwell's has been increasing. In Week 4, he played on a season-high 39% of the snaps and got 11 opportunities, including eight targets. His 11 opportunities made up 52.4% of the RB opportunities, whereas Sanders was at a season-low 47.6%. In Week 1, Sanders got 62.5% of the RB opportunities, and that number has dropped in each of the following weeks. Gainwell has forced the Eagles' hand and has commanded his fair share of the work out of the backfield moving forward.

Other Risers: Kenny Golladay, Damien Williams (as a result of the David Montgomery injury), James Robinson, Leonard Fournette, Dalton Schultz, Van Jefferson

 

Fantasy Football Fallers

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

Through four weeks, Aiyuk has seen a target on just 10% of his routes run. That's atrocious, especially considering he was being drafted as a top-25 wide receiver coming into the season. After playing on 86% of the snaps in Week 3 and garnering six targets, Aiyuk came back down to earth in Week 4, playing on just 67% of the snaps and seeing just three targets. Through four weeks, Deebo Samuel has 42 targets to Aiyuk's 11. It's very clear who the WR1 in San Francisco is this season.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For all intents and purposes, Godwin has been a disappointment relative to his ADP since Week 1 this season. In his first game, he saw 14 targets from Tom Brady. But since that shootout against the Cowboys, Godwin is averaging just 5.7 targets per game for just a 12.9% target share. Meanwhile, Mike Evans has a 23.5% target share in Weeks 2 - 4. This receiving corps is going to be tough to project on a weekly basis, but Godwin sure does seem to be trending down.

Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins

After getting a season-high 19 opportunities in Week 3, Gaskin was relegated to what looked like a reserve role in Week 4, getting just two carries on 23% of the snaps. Meanwhile, Malcolm Brown got eight carries and one target on 67% of the snaps. Even Salvon Ahmed got more opportunities (five) than Gaskin in Week 4. This usage for a guy that was drafted around the fifth or sixth round in most fantasy leagues this season is highly worrisome.

Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

See the Kenneth Gainwell write-up in the Risers section above

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers

Yes, JuJu Smith-Schuster played on 95% of the snaps and saw eight targets in Week 4 with Chase Claypool on the sidelines, but he secured just two catches for 11 yards. 12 targets the last two weeks have turned into just 36 total yards. He's fourth in the pecking order for work behind Diontae Johnson, Najee Harris, and Claypool. I'm out on Smith-Schuster.

Other Fallers: Chris Carson, Christian Kirk, Terrace Marshall Jr., Kenyan Drake, Bryan Edwards



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Will Zalatoris25 mins ago

Seeking Win At Farmers Insurance Open
Michael Kopech1 hour ago

Could Miss First Month Of The Season
Carson Young1 hour ago

A Volatile Play At Farmers Insurance Open
Kirby Yates1 hour ago

Dodgers Agree With Kirby Yates
Gary Woodland2 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Torrey Pines
Michael Thorbjornsen2 hours ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Torrey Pines
Aaron Rai2 hours ago

Comes Across The Pond To Torrey Pines
Igor Shesterkin2 hours ago

Looks To Stay Hot On Tuesday
Maverick McNealy2 hours ago

Returns After A Week Off
Samuel Ersson2 hours ago

Tries To Extend Winning Streak Versus Red Wings
Scott Laughton3 hours ago

Misses Tuesday's Game For Personal Reasons
Shea Theodore3 hours ago

Posts Four Assists In Monday's Loss
Frederik Andersen3 hours ago

Makes A Winning Return
Alex Smalley3 hours ago

Continues Early Success At American Express
Luke List3 hours ago

Looking For More Birdies At Torrey Pines
Tyler Myers3 hours ago

Suspended For Three Games
Connor McDavid3 hours ago

Receives Three-Game Suspension
Si Woo Kim3 hours ago

Not Off To A Good 2025 Start
Mark Hubbard3 hours ago

Tries For Another Top-25 Finish In 2025
Malcolm Brogdon3 hours ago

Misses Ninth Consecutive Game
Harry Higgs4 hours ago

Needs To Finish What He Started
Kris Murray4 hours ago

Iffy For Tuesday's Contest
Harris English4 hours ago

Wants To Improve At Torrey Pines
Guerschon Yabusele4 hours ago

Questionable Tuesday
Eric Cole4 hours ago

Hopeful For Farmers Insurance Open
Kenyon Martin Jr.4 hours ago

Continues To Sit Tuesday
Caleb Martin4 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kenley Jansen4 hours ago

Not Expected To Return To Boston
Daniel Berger4 hours ago

Wants To Shake Off American Express Finale
Kyle Lowry4 hours ago

Remains On The Shelf Tuesday
Ben Simmons4 hours ago

On Track To Return Tuesday
LeBron James4 hours ago

Probable Tuesday
Anthony Davis4 hours ago

Questionable Tuesday
Matthew Knies5 hours ago

Tallies Three Points In Victory
Alex Nedeljkovic6 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Drew Doughty6 hours ago

Continues To Progress In Recovery
Rickard Rakell6 hours ago

Absent On Monday
Adam Lowry6 hours ago

Sustains Injury On Monday
Noah Dobson6 hours ago

Exits Early On Monday
Alex Smalley11 hours ago

Continues Early Success At American Express
Taylor Pendrith11 hours ago

Poised For Strong Showing At Farmers Insurance Open
Hideki Matsuyama12 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Farmers Insurance Open
Thriston Lawrence14 hours ago

Making PGA Season Debut At Farmers Insurance Open
Stephan Jaeger15 hours ago

Looks To Find Form At Torrey Pines
Lonzo Ball15 hours ago

Available, Starting Versus The Clippers
Ayo Dosunmu15 hours ago

Sitting Against The Clippers
Zach LaVine15 hours ago

Available Versus The Clippers
Sahith Theegala15 hours ago

Back In Action For Farmers Insurance Open
Justin Rose15 hours ago

Makes First Start In 2025 Season
Kris Dunn15 hours ago

Cleared To Face Chicago
Nicolas Batum16 hours ago

Will Suit Up On Monday
Norman Powell16 hours ago

Good To Go Against Chicago
James Harden16 hours ago

Will Play On Monday Night
Immanuel Quickley17 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Paul George17 hours ago

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Andre Drummond17 hours ago

On The Injury Report Again For Tuesday
Cooper Kupp17 hours ago

Plans To Play In 2025, But Future With Rams Uncertain
Chris Boucher18 hours ago

Could Miss Tuesday's Game
Dejounte Murray18 hours ago

Cleared For Action On Monday
Jalen Hurts19 hours ago

' Status Uncertain For NFC Championship
Chicago Bears21 hours ago

Ben Johnson Hired As Bears Head Coach
Alex Bregman23 hours ago

Astros Leaving The Door Open For Alex Bregman Return
Anthony Santander23 hours ago

Signs Five-Year Deal With Blue Jays
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen1 day ago

Unavailable Monday
Timothy Liljegren1 day ago

Returns For Sharks Monday
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Good To Go Monday
Renato Moicano1 day ago

Gets Finished At UFC 311
Matthew Stafford1 day ago

Contemplating His Future
Tyler Toffoli1 day ago

Will Not Play Against Bruins
Merab Dvalishvili1 day ago

Defends Bantamweight Belt At UFC 311
Charlie McAvoy1 day ago

Out On Monday
Umar Nurmagomedov1 day ago

Falls Short At UFC 311
Max Pacioretty1 day ago

Unlikely To Play Monday
Kevin Holland1 day ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 311
Serghei Spivac1 day ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 311
Jailton Almeida1 day ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 311
Saquon Barkley1 day ago

Dominates Rams Again
Max Scherzer1 day ago

Drawing Interest From Toronto
Jake Oettinger1 day ago

Sharp On Sunday
Jason Robertson1 day ago

Stays Hot On Sunday
George Pickens2 days ago

Could Be Traded If Steelers Add WR1
Jalen Hurts2 days ago

Confident He Will Play In NFC Championship
Detroit Lions2 days ago

Aaron Glenn At Top Of List For Jets, Saints
Las Vegas Raiders2 days ago

Raiders Planning To Make Big Push For Ben Johnson
Josh Allen2 days ago

Rushes For Two Touchdowns Against Baltimore
Kyren Williams2 days ago

Runs For Over 100 Yards With Costly Fumble
Matthew Stafford2 days ago

And The Rams Fall Short In Philly
Ray Davis2 days ago

Active On Sunday
Zay Flowers2 days ago

Officially Inactive On Sunday
Jonathon Brooks2 days ago

Undergoes ACL Surgery, Expected To Miss Entire 2025 Season
Zay Flowers2 days ago

Completes Pre-Game Workout Sunday
Reinier De ridder2 days ago

Reinier de Ridder Gets Submission Win At UFC 311
Jamahal Hill2 days ago

Gets Finished At UFC 311
Corey Seager2 days ago

Evan Carter Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Jiří Procházka2 days ago

Jiri Prochazka Gets Knockout Win At UFC 311
Islam Makhachev2 days ago

Defends Title With Submission Win At UFC 311
Tanner Scott2 days ago

Agrees With Dodgers On Four-Year Deal
Travis Kelce2 days ago

Breaks Record In Divisional Round Win
Sam LaPorta3 days ago

Makes Acrobatic Touchdown Catch In Loss
Amon-Ra St. Brown3 days ago

Leads Lions' Receiving Attack In Loss
Jahmyr Gibbs3 days ago

Highly Explosive Against Washington
Jared Goff3 days ago

Responsible For Four Turnovers In Playoff Loss
Seiya Suzuki3 days ago

Will Be The Primary Designated Hitter In 2025
Jacob deGrom3 days ago

Feels Good Heading Into Spring Training
Dansby Swanson3 days ago

Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Tanner Scott3 days ago

Cubs Are Among The Favorites To Land Tanner Scott
Los Angeles Dodgers4 days ago

Dodgers Sign Roki Sasaki
Ronald Acuña Jr.4 days ago

Ronald Acuna Jr. Takes Batting Practice
Jarren Duran4 days ago

Avoids Arbitration With Red Sox
San Diego Padres4 days ago

Padres Eliminated From Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes
MMA4 days ago

Umar Numagomedov Challenges For Bantamweight Title At UFC 311
Merab Dvalishvili4 days ago

Set For His First Title Defense
Renato Moicano4 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Beneil Dariush4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Holland4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Alex Bregman5 days ago

Still Seeking Long-Term Contract
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.5 days ago

Blue Jays Have No Intention Of Trading Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Pete Alonso5 days ago

Declines Three-Year Contract From The Mets
Kyle Tucker5 days ago

Cubs Avoid Arbitration
Reinier De ridder5 days ago

Reinier de Ridder Opens Up UFC 311 Main Card
Jiří Procházka5 days ago

Jiri Prochazka Looks To Return To Win Column At UFC 311
Jamahal Hill5 days ago

A Slight Favorite At UFC 311
Arman Tsarukyan5 days ago

Gets Title Shot At UFC 311
Islam Makhachev5 days ago

Defends Lightweight Title At UFC 311
Pete Alonso5 days ago

Blue Jays In The Mix For Pete Alonso

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Josh Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2024-25 AFC Championship Preview: Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks

Welcome to the AFC Championship preview. This week, we are going to do things a little differently. With only four teams remaining, we will break down the matchup and discuss which players fantasy managers can trust in their postseason fantasy lineups. Kansas City punched their ticket to their seventh consecutive AFC Championship with a 23-14 […]


Why The Buffalo Bills Can Win Super Bowl LIX - Conference Championship Week Edition

The Buffalo Bills knocked off the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 in the Divisional round of the 2024-2025 NFL playoffs. The likely-to-be MVP, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, one of the best running backs in the NFL in Baltimore's lead RB Derrick Henry, and a surging defense that played well against everyone not named Ja'Marr Chase and Joe […]


Mecole Hardman - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Injury Reports: Conference Championship Round Updates for Jalen Hurts, Mecole Hardman, Rashee Rice, Zach Ertz, Saquon Barkley

The Conference Championship round is here! The Divisional Round was much more exciting than the Wild Card Round, with multiple games going down to the wire, as well as a massive upset. The Detroit Lions were many people's picks to win the whole thing, but they were sent home by the sensational Jayden Daniels and […]


Jalen Hurts - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, Draft Sleepers

2024-25 NFC Championship Preview: Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks

Welcome to the NFC Championship preview, an NFC rubber match between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles, who split their two regular-season matchups. This week, we are going to do things a little differently. With only four teams remaining, we will break down the matchups and discuss which players fantasy managers can trust in their […]


Ja'Lynn Polk - Fantasy Football rankings, sleepers, waiver wire

Rookie Flops: Ranking The 10 Biggest Fantasy Football Busts of the 2024 NFL Draft Class

We saw plenty of fresh faces in the NFL in 2024! The draft class was greatly hyped up, especially on offense. Let's be honest, embracing the unknown in fantasy can be a fascinating endeavor! We (the fantasy community) tend to overhype rookies. We don't want to miss out on the next generational talent. But for […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Conference Championship Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start 'em and sit 'em piece as we look ahead to the Conference Championship games! If you are new here, this matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em article will look at the best and worst matchups of the week.  There will be only two games this week as part of […]


Josh Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2024 RotoBaller Pickem Challenge (ESPN Pigskin) - And The Winner Is...

The 2024-25 NFL season was filled with dramatic moments and exciting games from start to finish. The NFL is the most competitive league from top to bottom, so nailing picks each week is no easy task. This year's RotoBaller challenge winner correctly picked nearly 74% of the 272 NFL regular-season games, so needless to say, […]


Derrick Henry - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2024 RotoBaller NFL Challenge Winners - And The Champion Is...

The 2024 fantasy football season is in the books! What a season, RotoBallers. Fantasy football is always a fun, interesting, and long season - filled with injuries, breakout players, and different strategies. It takes stamina and endurance to win the marathon, and we're here today to recognize those who pulled it off. With 492 teams, […]


Ashton Jeanty - NFL Draft, Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings, Draft Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings (Pre-NFL Draft) - Ashton Jeanty, Tetairoa McMillan, Shedeur Sanders, Kaleb Johnson, Luther Burden, more

The 2025 NFL Draft will be here before you know it, and we're already thinking ahead to 2025 fantasy football drafts and rookie/dynasty drafts. Our NFL team has released its early 2025 fantasy football rookie rankings for the top 70 NFL rookies, before the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. These 2025 rookie rankings are released before […]


Terry McLaurin - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Conference Championship PPR Rankings for Fantasy Football - Saquon Barkley, Travis Kelce, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Josh Allen, Khalil Shakir, Zach Ertz

The Eagles, Commanders, Chiefs, and Bills are the last four teams standing in the fight for a Super Bowl LIX crown. As always, we have you covered for fantasy and DFS contests. In the overall rankings below, you'll see where Saquon Barkley, Travis Kelce, Terry McLaurin, A.J. Brown, Josh Allen, Khalil Shakir, and Zach Ertz […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Conference Championship PPR FLEX Rankings for Fantasy Football - Khalil Shakir, Brian Robinson Jr., Xavier Worthy, Isiah Pacheco, Dyami Brown, more

The 2024-25 NFL season has been a blast, and it's time to crown AFC and NFC Champions. Whether you're still alive in a fantasy football league or are building DFS lineups, we're here to help. In the rankings below, you'll find out where key flex options like Khalil Shakir, Brian Robinson Jr., Xavier Worthy, Isiah […]


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Conference Championship PPR Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football - Saquon Barkley, James Cook, Kareem Hunt, Austin Ekeler, Isiah Pacheco

Unfortunately, just three games remain for the 2024-25 NFL season. However, that means we still have a little more time to compete in fantasy football and DFS contests. Nailing your running back picks is always key, so let's waste no time diving into the position. In the rankings below, you'll see where key ball carriers […]


Khalil Shakir - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Conference Championship PPR Wide Receiver Rankings for Fantasy Football - A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Khalil Shakir, Xavier Worthy, DeVonta Smith

It's time to crown conference champions and see which two teams will battle for a Super Bowl LIX title. DFS contests continue all the way through the big game, so we're back to assist with your lineup calls. Navigate the rankings below to find out where key WRs such as A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Khalil […]