Fantasy Football Today – Week 4 Recap (09/28/25)

Host: Adam Aizer | Analysts: Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings

Date: September 29, 2025
Theme: Comprehensive recap of all the major Week 4 fantasy football storylines, player performances, injuries, and actionable advice for waiver wire pickups, trades, and lineup decisions.

Episode Overview

This episode of Fantasy Football Today features a deep dive into the most significant events and performances from Week 4 of the NFL, including the fallout from major injuries (notably Malik Nabers), analysis of rising and falling fantasy assets, and tips on key waiver wire additions. The team blends analysis, debate, and humor to arm listeners with everything they need to get ahead in their fantasy leagues as the bye weeks begin.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biggest Winner & Loser of Week 4

[04:32]

• Winner: Quinshon Judkins (RB, Detroit)
  • Insight: Judkins overcame a tough matchup, tallying big yardage and a TD, and is now seen as a must-start ("Whether we call him a number one or a number two running back, it almost doesn't matter. He's a must start." – Dave, 05:16).
  • Must-start status solidified amid Detroit's QB issues.
• Loser: Ladd McConkey (WR, Chargers)
  • Ongoing struggles with drops and target share; fantasy managers disappointed.
  • “Lad McConkey. I’m just ready to admit it. Adam, you are a genius... Lad McConkey can’t catch.” – Heath, [05:29]

2. Injury Updates & Fantasy Fallout

[10:06]

• Malik Nabers: Feared torn ACL ("Obviously it sucks... You want to see Jackson Dart play out his rookie season with one of the best receivers in football, and now you get robbed of that." – Jamey, [10:23])
  • Waiver implication: Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson likely to see increased targets; run game mildly boosted.
• Lamar Jackson: Hamstring injury; further evaluation pending. If out, CeeDee Lamb managers have reason for some optimism with Cooper Rush at QB (comparable target pace in Rush's starts per Adam, [09:08]).
• Other notable injuries: Puka Nacua (returned), Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin (shoulder; bye), Cedric Tillman, Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings.
• Team injury notes: Ravens, Chargers, Raiders, Browns all suffered key OL injuries.

3. Waiver Wire Targets & Strategy

[14:01]

• Top Add: Woody Marks (RB, Texans) – 21 touches, 2 TDs. Marks inches toward lead role in Houston; strong multi-game usage trend.
• WR Adds: Darius Slayton – likely Giants’ top WR. Xavier Worthy – KC receiver with big usage bump.
• Others: Justice Hill (Ravens – if game scripts turn negative), Kenneth Gainwell (Eagles, despite upcoming bye).
  Quoting Jamie: “Woody Marks' era might be here... which used to be bad [vs. Baltimore], but it’s not that bad anymore.” – [14:07-14:22]

4. Buy or Sell: Key Debates

Segment starts [17:06]

• Drake May (QB, Patriots):
  • Now seen as a permanent top-10 fantasy QB. “Drake May is one of these players... would hate playing against. He has big upside every week, I feel.” – Adam [17:34]
• Derrick Henry: On a downward trend; only “cheap” buy-low. "If you get Derrick Henry cheap, you should get him, but it’s got to be kind of cheap." – Dave [20:43]
• Ladd McConkey: Still startable in deeper leagues and during byes, but dropping to WR3/flex territory: "He could bounce back next week. But he had two bad drops..." – Dave [22:06]
• David Montgomery: Touchdown-dependent; Cincinnati next. Usage shift from 2024 noted by Adam: “He’s looking like a completely touchdown-or-bust guy...”
• Alvin Kamara: Labelled as a “beach of the cesspool” RB – starts most weeks but with declining floor (Heath metaphor, [57:56]).

5. Segment – Winners & Losers

[27:14]

Jamie’s Winners:

• Drake London (WR): Target hog, “He’s back.”
• Michael Penix (QB): Big statistical day signals possible rest-of-season starter value.

Dave’s Winners:

• Xavier Worthy (WR, KC): “For now, a borderline number two, number three fantasy receiver... and this Chiefs offense looked a heck of a lot better with him back.” – Dave [30:24]

Heath’s Winners:

• Travis Etienne (RB, Jaguars): Role and snap split solidifies; “good fantasy day... I’ve kind of been ranking him as a low-end #2. We probably need to rank him a little bit higher...” – Heath [32:12]
• Cam Skattebo: Huge workload bodes well as long as conservative gameplans continue.

Losers:

• Calvin Ridley: Droppable in 10- and possibly 12-teamers; “Not even the number one on his own team.”
• Brock Bowers (TE): No longer an elite TE1, but hard to sell low; optimism remains for a healthy second half.
• Keon Coleman (WR): Droppable due to target share problems. “You can’t feel good about starting him.” – Dave [34:54]

6. Position-by-Position Takeaways

Running Backs:

• Woody Marks (Houston): Trend toward clear lead role.
• Gainwell (PHI): Priority stash through bye week.
• Trayvon Henderson (Patriots): Still worth holding, but committee concerns persist.

Wide Receivers:

• Quentin Johnston (Chargers): Redraft darling, must-start with strong TD and target profile (“Welcome start status.” – Dave [07:12])
• Darius Slayton (Giants): Top WR add after Nabers injury.

Tight Ends:

• T.J. Hockenson & Browns TEs: Droppable if streaming options appear, given poor usage/results.

7. Mailbag & Miscellaneous Insights

• A.J. Brown: Concerning string of inefficient games despite high target numbers.
• Keenan Allen: Down game; preference for McConkey over Allen rest of season due to youth and upside per consensus ([56:48]).
• Odunze & Pittman: Among the best draft values thus far ([71:20]).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Malik Nabers Injury: “It sucks…when you have a star player like this that goes down and is going to miss the rest of the season…you hope Neighbors is back fully ready to go for 2026.” – Jamey, [10:23]
• Quinshon Judkins Ascendance: “He’s a must start running back no matter who they play the rest of the season.” – Dave, [04:32]
• Ladd McConkey Frustration: “Lad McConkey can’t catch.” – Heath, [05:29]
• Drake May Hype: "Drake May is the first Patriots QB since Tom Brady in 2007 with three straight games of 75%+ completion, 200+ yards, and 2+ TDs.” – Adam, [18:01]
• Derrick Henry Downward Trend: “Their defense is terrible...and when they’re trailing...Derrick Henry isn’t the main guy.” – Dave, [20:02]
• Woody Marks Enthusiasm: “Let’s not put that back in the box. Let’s continue to make Woody Marks your featured running back.” – Jamie, [28:37]
• Alvin Kamara’s Value Tier: “He is on the beach of the cesspool.” – Heath, [57:56]
• On Tight End Wasteland: “I’m ready to drop [tight end] from a starting lineup requirement in my fantasy leagues.” – Dave, [43:24]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |:---|:---| | Episode Theme Open | 02:33 | | Weekly Winners & Losers | 04:32 | | Major Injury Updates | 10:06 | | Waiver Wire Priorities | 14:01 | | Buy or Sell (Key Debates) | 17:06 | | Winners & Losers Discussion | 27:14 | | Position-by-Position Insights | 43:06 onwards in each game segment | | Notable Quotes & Memorable Stats | Sprinkled throughout; see above |

Actionable Advice & Takeaways

• Prioritize Woody Marks and Darius Slayton on waivers.
• Quinshon Judkins and Quentin Johnston are plug-and-play starters.
• Ladd McConkey is trending toward bench/flex territory, but worth holding through byes.
• Derrick Henry and David Montgomery are risky, TD-dependent RB2s—consider selling for higher upside pieces if possible.
• If you lost Malik Nabers, don’t overspend on WR adds; Darius Slayton is a solid but unspectacular remedy.
• Hold patience with breakout rookies like Brian Thomas Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, but drop Keon Coleman for more consistent options.
• If desperate at TE, target Brenton Strange, Jake Ferguson, or Trey McBride for upside over name value.
• Be wary of deep RB committees emerging in Carolina, New England, and Washington.

Episode Tone & Dynamic

• Playful banter—lots of tongue-in-cheek moments about team allegiances (e.g., Mets vs Yankees), self-deprecating humor about preseason takes, and frank admissions when wrong.
• Analysts routinely emphasize the need for patience with struggling, high-upside players and advice to be strategic rather than reactionary amid injuries and breakout performances.

For listeners who missed the episode:
This summary highlights all the crucial fantasy football developments from Week 4, arming you with the knowledge needed to make timely waiver claims, resolve lineup headaches, and attack the trade market as the season enters the heart of the bye weeks.