The Bears offense looked a lot more functional in Week 4 against the Lions, and while it didn't lead to great production for everyone -- Allen Robinson continues to be a significant disappointment -- but it did lead to a big game for David Montgomery. At least, before he left with what looked like it could be a pretty significant knee injury in the fourth quarter.
Montgomery had 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 23 carries prior to the injury, and while the initial diagnosis is that he suffered a hyperextended knee but avoided a serious injury, we likely won't know more than that until he has an MRI Monday. And that could push Damien Williams to the top of the waiver-wire priority list going into Week 5 if he gets a chance to be the lead back.
Williams was effective in this one as well, rushing for 55 yards and a touchdown while adding two catches for 15 yards, and has the track record from his time in Kansas City to make you think he can be an effective leading rusher for the Bears if it comes to that. He left Sunday's game with his own quad injury, so he might not end up having that opportunity -- this will be a key situation to keep an eye on heading into the first waiver run of Week 5 Tuesday night, but if Williams is fine and Montgomery looks doubtful, Williams is going to be the most sought after player, and rightly so.
If both Montgomery and Williams are out, things become less certain. Khalil Herbert is the only other player on the active roster at running back, and the sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech got his first carries in this one, rushing for 7 yards on three attempts. He would probably be the lead back for Week 5 against the Raiders, but he would be harder to trust than Williams in that situation. However, he probably would be worth adding if it came to that, just because of how hard it is to find RB help these days.
If Montgomery is out and Williams plays, I think Williams might end up being ranked inside of the top 20 at the running back position for me in Week 5; if not, very close. Herbert would be more in the top-30 range than someone I would want to start, but we all have to start someone we don't have much confidence in sometimes, and his solid athleticism could make him a decent producer alongside Justin Fields.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention Trey Lance as a potential difference maker on the Week 5 waiver wire. Jimmy Garoppolo left Sunday's game with a calf injury, which he said he suffered during the first series and tried to play through before it ultimately forced him out at halftime. He told reporters after the game he hopes it will just be a couple of weeks -- which obviously opens up a path for the No. 3 overall pick to potentially get an extended look as the starter.
Lance didn't play incredibly well Sunday, but you could still see how valuable his skill set can be. He was 9 for 18 but hit on some big plays to end up with 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while adding 41 yards with his legs in one half of football. That's 22.4 Fantasy points in just two quarters, and while you can't just extrapolate that to a full game and say that's what he's likely to do, it's fun to dream.
Lance has a very Fantasy friendly skill set, is the point, and he plays in an offense with a ton of skilled playmakers, so if he can just be good enough as a passer, he might just end up a must-start Fantasy option -- think Jalen Hurts. Lance's upside makes him a viable streamer for Week 5 against the Cardinals, but it also makes him a potential long-term starter if he takes the job and runs with it.
Here's who else we'll be looking at on the wire this week:
While Robinson didn't have the breakout game we were hoping for, Mooney did. He had a solid connection with Fields from the start, earning each of his first four targets and picking up 93 yards in the first half. His seven targets didn't just lead the team Sunday, they represented 42% of Fields throws on the day, and he also had nearly 60% of his passing yards. I still think Robinson will end up being the Bears best receiver, but he hasn't shown much chemistry yet with Fields. Mooney actually leads the team in targets now and deserves to be rostered moving forward.
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I'm not sure what Ty'Son Williams did to the Ravens coaching staff to lose their faith, but he was inactive for Week 4 after having just five carries last week, and that made Murray the clear lead back in Sunday's game against the Broncos. That didn't lead to huge production, and I'm not really sure we should expect that from him -- especially because he likely won't be used much in the passing game. However, he's the clear lead back right now -- he had 18 carries to five combined for Devonta Freeman and Le'Veon Bell, and that plus his goal-line role should combine to make him a startable option, even if he probably doesn't have significant upside.
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Coming into the season, I wasn't sure whether Shultz or Blake Jarwin would be the better tight end in the Cowboys offense, but it's pretty clearly Schultz at this point. And it's pretty clear that there aren't more than few tight ends you would definitely rather have for Fantasy at this point. The three touchdowns in four games are obviously a big deal, but it's the 23 targets and 20 catches that I'm interested in more than anything. The Cowboys haven't been as pass-happy as expected so far this season -- especially when they are winning, which means Schultz's 23 targets come out to a very healthy 17.8% target share. If he can sustain something like that moving forward, he's going to be a must-start Fantasy TE, and I think at this point you almost have to view him as a top-10 option moving forward -- at least as long as Michael Gallup is sidelined.
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This was the kind of role we've been hoping Dillon would have. He carried the ball 15 times in helping close out the win over the Steelers, rushing for 81 yards, while Aaron Jones had 48 yards on his 15 carries. I don't expect Dillon to be someone you want to start every week, but I'm not surprised we finally saw him play a bigger role. He remains one of the best handcuffs in the league, but he may still have some stand-alone value yet.
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Samuel didn't have a huge role in Week 4, but let's not forget he was making his first start after dealing with a groin injury that has lingered since May. He played 22 snaps and ran 13 routes Sunday, splitting his time nearly evenly between the slot and split out wide -- with one snap where he lined up in the backfield and was targeted. And it's that kind of usage that makes him so interesting for Fantasy. Samuel is a unique player who can go get the ball down the field or line up in the backfield as either a runner or a receiver, and when he's fully up to speed, expect Ron Rivera to use him both ways -- Samuel was top 10 in the NFL in air yards in 2019 and had 19 carries. He's worth stashing on your bench, because big performances are coming. Beat the wire on this one.
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Crowder played his first game of the season Sunday against the Titans and unsurprisingly was a big part of the Jets game plan. Zach Wilson played his best game of the season, and Crowder was a big part of that, leading the team in targets and receptions and scoring a touchdown. Crowder isn't a big-play receiver, so a lot of his value comes from volume, and it's hard to know exactly what the hierarchy will look like when Elijah Moore is healthy enough to start alongside Crowder and Corey Davis. However, all Crowder does when he's healthy is earn targets, so he should be rostered in PPR formats.
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With Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton sidelined by hamstring injuries, Toney started and played his biggest role yet, running a route on 36 of 44 pass plays by the Giants. He actually led the team in target and had a few really impressive plays -- including one on a third and 18 where he caught a short pass with some blocking and made several defenders miss en route to picking up the first down and keeping the drive alive. The Giants were looking for him down the field as well as on shorter routes, and if Shepard is out in Week 5 against the Cowboys, Toney will be in the starting discussion at WR.
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That's three straight games with a touchdown for Knox, and this was his most promising yet given the eight targets. I still view him as a touchdown-or-bust tight at this point -- he doesn't have more than 49 yards in any game so far this season -- but given the state of the position, a guy who Josh Allen clearly trusts in the red zone is about as good as you're going to find on the waiver wire most weeks.
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