McMillan set career highs in both receptions and yardage in the first half with nine catches for 147 yards before the break. He operated as the clear alpha in a pass attack without both Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette, routinely dusting everyone the Lions had at their disposal in an injury-ravaged secondary. While the receiving line surely turns heads, fantasy managers were left even more ecstatic about the way in which he was utilized, with the second-year receiver catching six passes for 94 yards and both touchdowns while aligned in the slot. Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik is providing structure, sequencing, and situational tendencies unlike anything fans had grown accustomed to when head coach Dave Canales was helming the offense, resulting in quarterback Bryce Young leading the league in passing while averaging more than 30 points per game through the first month of play. McMillan’s ceiling remains sky-high as a legitimate WR1 when the Panthers square off against the Eagles fin Week 6 following their bye.

Hubbard’s successes on the ground allowed the Panthers to remain balanced on a night they were without two of their top three wide receivers due to the absences of Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette, cashing in on two scores from 15 and two yards out. Hubbard appears to be locked into an RB1 workload in the absence of Jonathan Brooks, who will be out for 6-8 weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery. His 26 opportunities dwarfed the six of current backup AJ Dillon, the latter of whom gained just seven total yards on six touches. Fantasy managers can start Hubbard with confidence when the team returns from their bye to face the Eagles in Week 6.

The NFL’s passing leader through four weeks, pending Monday Night Football, took complete advantage of a defense still working to find their identity through the first month of play, leaning on his top option in Tetairoa McMillan throughout. Young now leads the league in passing and can only be caught by Tyler Shough on Monday Night Football, while only Kirk Cousins and Brock Purdy have more touchdown passes than Young’s nine. Even more impressive was the fact that he did what he did to the Lions without two of his top three receivers with both Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette out of action in Week 4. Young and the Panthers head to their Week 5 bye at 2-2 and alone atop the NFC South, soon to be joined by the winner on Monday night. He’ll be a legitimate QB1 when he returns to action against the Eagles in Week 6.

It was quite the disappointing outing for the fantasy darling considering the Panthers were without their top two corners, with opposing defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero dialing up consistent pressure that caused quarterback Jared Goff fits throughout the evening. Two of Goff’s incompletions that were directed at St. Brown were batted down at the line of scrimmage, ultimately enough to keep St. Brown out of the end zone for the first time this season. St. Brown remains a top-tier WR1 ahead of a potential shootout against the Cardinals in Week 5.

Gibbs had eclipsed 100 combined yards against all three opponents to start the season before the Panthers held him largely in check, with fantasy’s top asset cashing in on a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter to avoid a disastrous outing. The two teams were knotted at 16 entering the half but it was the Panthers that dictated terms following the break, winning the time of possession battle by over six minutes. Gibbs maintained an elite workload by seeing all but two backfield opportunities and every available carry on the evening, keeping his fantasy value sky-high ahead of a potential shootout against the Cardinals in Week 5.

Goff has now thrown a touchdown pass in 27 straight contests, a streak that started in the team’s Thanksgiving day contest against the Bears in 2024. He could move into sixth on the all-time list for consecutive games with a touchdown pass should he throw for at least one touchdown in each game this season. He came within four minutes of breaking that streak against the Panthers, needing a late touchdown to tight end Sam LaPorta to keep it alive in a game the Panthers dictated with their defense throughout. Goff also maintained his clean sheet of no interceptions thrown to start the season but it wasn’t enough to overcome a defense that ceded 445 yards of total offense to a Panthers team without two of their top three wide receivers in Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette. The Lions fall to 2-2, now two games behind the division-leading Vikings through the first month of play. Goff remains a surefire QB1 ahead of a potential shootout against the Cardinals in Week 5.

Nix’s play — including missing easy intermediate throws in the first half — left Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb without answers, a common theme so far this season. His lone touchdown came on a garbage time score to Jaylen Waddle. Nix was in check-down mode throughout the game against the Niners, finishing with a 4.9 aDOT. He was 5 percent under his expected completion rate, targeting his running backs 12 times. Until Webb and Sean Payton figure out the offense, Nix will be a superflex-only fantasy option without much of a weekly ceiling. He gets the Chargers in Week 5.

Samuel was again a critically important part of the San Francisco offense. He scored his touchdown — his third of the year — on a well-designed red zone target from Brock Purdy. Looking far quicker and more fleet afoot than he did last year in Washington, Samuel has been a consistent flex option in 12-team leagues through Week 4. That should continue in Week 5, though the matchup is much tougher against the Seahawks secondary.

Waddle was invisible for much of the game until a late red zone touchdown with the Broncos in up-tempo catch-up mode. It was his first touchdown reception as a Bronco. Waddle, who now has three down games in his first four contests as the Broncos’ nominal WR1, will probably struggle until Denver OC Davis Webb figures out how to maximize his personnel, including the struggling Bo Nix. Against the 49ers Waddle was targeted on a meager 16 percent of his routes. Hopefully that rate will rise in Week 5 against the Chargers.

Evans toughed it out through a painful rib injury. He endured a couple shots to the midsection in the first half and remained in the game, eventually leading the Niners in targets and receiving yards. Accounting for 31 percent of the team’s air yards coming into Week 4, Evans profiles as a high-upside WR2 in most formats. Evans and the rest of the 49ers have a tough Week 5 matchup against a Seahawks secondary that has smothered opposing passing offenses so far this season.