NFL Head Coaches On The Hot Seat In Week 4

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Paramount+:

We are only three weeks into the season, but seats are getting hot across the league.

Here is a rundown of shakeups that will either help right the ship or ultimately result in more drastic measures …

🎯 A Dart throw. In an effort to save his job after an 0-3 start, Brian Daboll decided to bench Russell Wilson and start rookie Jaxson Dart for the rest of the season.

Verdict: Smart move and Daboll’s only chance to keep his job. A rookie QB is the ultimate life preserver.

Fantasy spin: Our rankers are split on Dart for Week 4—Dwain is the bull (QB18) and Kendall is the fader (QB28).

🎧️ Remember The Titans? Brian Callahan knows he’s close to getting fired if his 0-3 Tennessee squad doesn’t get a W soon, so he’s relinquished play-calling duties to QBs coach Bo Hardegree.

Verdict: Nothing says I deserve to be Head Coach quite like admitting you aren’t capable of calling plays. I don’t think this is going to save him.

Fantasy spin: If you are looking for a sneaky buy low on the Titans, Chris Allen has a suggestion.

🥾 Boots on the ground? The 1-2 Falcons bottomed out in Week 3 with an embarrassing 30-0 loss to the Panthers. The organization isn’t ready to throw Michael Penix under the bus, but they have decided that OC Zac Robinson needs to move out of the coaching box and down to the field.

Verdict: This feels more like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic than a meaningful shift. Dan Orlovsky thinks they need to change the entire scheme.

Fantasy spin: He might not be a top-12 TE play, but Matthew Freedman notes a certain someone has at least five targets in all three games this year.

TBD

Stream Ravens vs. Chiefs Live on Paramount+

Catch Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes facing off on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET! With the NFL on CBS and Paramount+, you can watch local and featured national games like this all season long.

LEARN MORE

A Rookie Ascends To WR1 Status In Week 4

It is time to set our fantasy lineups for Week 4, and with that in mind, let's follow the data to analyze some of the biggest risers and fallers in Dwain McFarland’s Week 4 rankings to help you make those start-sit decisions …

Emeka Egbuka | WR | TB

Egbuka is the WR10, averaging 17 fantasy points over the first three weeks. The rookie has a 23% target share and has been the apple of Baker Mayfield's eye on 33% of endzone targets.

In Week 3, he managed 14.5 fantasy points despite a snap cap, battling through hip and groin injuries.

In Week 4, the Bucs will be more reliant than ever on Egbuka with Evans missing from the lineup. Chris Godwin could return, but he will still be making his way back into form.

The Eagles have been good against WR rooms, holding them 6.2 points below their season average (seventh-best). Additionally, the Bucs carry a subpar team total (20 points). When you add it all up, this isn't a layup game environment. It just represents an opportunity to bet big on an ascending talent who will be the focal point of the Bucs' passing attack.

Egbuka carries the fifth-highest Xfinity projection at 28.2 points in the overall projection model, thanks to Freedman's warm blanket. In my projections, he has the 12th-best ceiling at 26.6 points. Either way, those are both excellent numbers.

Egbuka UPGRADES to low-end WR1 territory against Philadelphia.

MORE OF DWAIN'S WEEK 4 RISERS AND FALLERS

Predicting Week 4: Hat Trick Incoming

The gawds of gambling and football be good. This is the smashiest of smash spots.

This is the second straight home game for the Bills and third in four weeks. They have three extra days of rest and prep coming off Thursday Night Football. With an outdoor stadium in upstate New York, they're hosting an indoor team from the South.

And that team—the Saints—is playing its second straight road game and is going coast to coast after playing in Seattle last week.

Oh, and the Saints are the league's worst team with their 0-3 record.

The Bills are consensus 16.5-point favorites—and, frankly, it might be giving the Saints too much credit. We have this projected at -18.5 (per our Fantasy Life Game Model).

While this setup provides a theoretical upgrade for everyone in the offense, the guy who should get the biggest upgrade (in my opinion) is RB James Cook.

In 2023, Cook had 1,567 scrimmage yards … but only six TDs. In 2024, he had only 1,267 yards … but 18 TDs.

This offseason, Freedman asked this question: "Why couldn't he shoot the moon in 2025 with 1,567 yards and 18 TDs while playing alongside MVP QB Josh Allen?"

Well, that's exactly what Cook has done so far this year.

Week 1 (vs. BAL): 102 yards, 1 TD
Week 2 (at NYJ): 135 yards, 2 TDs
Week 3 (vs. MIA): 118 yards, 2 TDs

He's the only player in the league with 100+ yards and a TD in each of the first three weeks.

And it's not as if this is a fluke: He has seen the requisite increase in usage to support his production (per our Utilization Score, found in the Fantasy Life Utilization Report).

2022: 33
2023: 69
2024: 66
2025: 81

Even with Allen "stealing" 16 TDs rushing, Cook now has 25 TDs in 22 games since last year (including playoffs).

In any given contest, the question for Cook is not if he'll score. It's how many TDs.

And now he has this juicy matchup against the Saints, who are No. 6 in most fantasy points allowed to RBs (22.7). Just last week, they yielded two TDs to Kenneth Walker in a 44-13 home win.

We can do better than that, right?

Freedman’s Bold Prediction: Cook scores 3+ TDs.

MORE BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 4

Week 4 DST Streamer of the Week: LA Chargers

The Chargers are right at the threshold to be included in this article (they’re 50% rostered on Yahoo) and they are the clear top streaming option for Week 4. Not only are they one of the better overall defenses, but they also get to face rookie QB Jaxson Dart in his first NFL start.

There is a chance that we will look back and say you would have preferred for your DST to face Russell Wilson, but either way, this is still a plus matchup. I expect the Giants to want to play conservatively, but the Chargers offense has been so good that if they can get out to a lead and force New York to throw the ball, they have a good shot at racking up sacks and turnovers.

Dart wasn't particularly prone to turnovers or sacks in college, but he is a mobile QB and we've seen those types of players hold onto the ball too long early in their career. Admittedly, it is unknown how he will play, but history definitely favors targeting rookie QBs in their first few starts.

The betting odds certainly suggest a positive game script for the LAC defense, with the Chargers favored by 6.5 points on the road. They do have to travel across the country for an early slate matchup, which is a minor concern, but ultimately this is a juicy enough matchup to make them my top streaming option for Week 4.

TWO MORE DST STREAMERS FOR WEEK 4

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

👀 10 things you need to know for Week 4. DvP, The Jaxson Dart Era and more.

⚡️ Looking for a buy-low target? Your answer is out west.

🤑 The ultimate PPR scam. Hey, we’ll take it.

😎 Tom Brady doesn’t see an issue. This quote gave me a headache.

🚑️ Injury updates. Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin.

🦅 Drew Brees is one of us … start passing the ball more, Birds.