5 Stats You Need To Win Your Week 4 Fantasy Matchup

Fantasy start-or-sit decisions can rack your brain, especially when last week’s box score points one way and the usage points another. That’s where we come in: stats such as total touches, yards after contact, air yards and red zone opportunities can cut through the noise and make those lineup calls a little easier.

With three weeks in the books, we’re focusing on roles that are holding steady or changing in ways worth noticing. Let’s dive into the top five stats you need to win your Week 4 fantasy matchup, and the 10 players they point to as starts!

1. Quarterback Rushing Production

A quarterback who runs carries a scoring floor that pure pocket passers cannot match, simply because rushing yards and goal-line carries add points even on a weaker passing day.

Purdy is quietly one of the position’s best plays, and the legs are a big reason why. He has added 93 rushing yards and a rushing score to a passing line of 789 yards and nine touchdowns, and the production has held rather than spiked, with 31.3 full-PPR points in Week 3 after averaging 25.3 across the first two weeks. That combination of a high floor and a mobile element is exactly what full-PPR managers want from a quarterback. The rushing may bounce around week to week, but the passing volume keeps the floor high. Purdy is a confident QB1 start hosting Denver in Week 4.

Shough has been one of the most productive streaming quarterbacks in the league, at 26.1 full-PPR points per game, and his rushing role is what separates him from the pack. He has run 14 times for 67 yards and a score while throwing for 917 yards and eight touchdowns, and the output has been steady, with 28.8 points in Week 3 against a 24.8 average over the first two weeks. The three interceptions are a reminder that the profile carries some risk, but the designed-run element gives him a scoring path most streamers lack. At home against Atlanta, Shough belongs in the QB1 conversation in Week 4.

Starts: QB Brock Purdy, QB Tyler Shough

2. Backfield Workload

Total touches are the foundation of running back scoring. Backs who dominate carries and targets hold value even when the weekly results wobble.

Jeanty’s workload is the story, not any single box score. He has handled 63 carries and 16 targets in three games, a 26.3-touch-per-game role that sits at the very top of the position. The results have swung, from a 21.5-point average over the first two weeks to a quieter 12.3 in Week 3, but the volume never moved, and that is what matters for a season-long floor. If the Week 3 dip pushed you toward the bench, the role says otherwise. Start Jeanty as an RB1 against Kansas City.

Swift pairs a heavy rushing role with genuine passing-down work, at 54 carries and 10 targets for a 21.3-touch-per-game workload. He has already found the end zone three times and earned 133 yards after contact, and while Week 3 was quiet at 10.8 points against a 23.6 average over the first two weeks, the touch count held. That is the kind of volume that travels well even when the efficiency dips. Hosting the Jets, Swift is a back-end RB1 whose role, not last week’s result, drives the call in Week 4.

Start: RB Ashton Jeanty (chalk), RB D’Andre Swift

3. Running Back Yards After Contact

Yards after contact measure a back’s own production, independent of blocking. Backs who consistently create on their own tend to keep their jobs and their goal-line work.

Tuten has been one of the more explosive young backs in the league, gaining 126 of his 204 rushing yards after contact on 43 carries, with two rushing scores. The arrow is pointing up, with 17.0 full-PPR points in Week 3 against a 12.0 average over the first two weeks, and the contact-balance profile suggests the production is earned rather than schemed. The role is still developing, so treat him as a flex rather than a locked starter, but the efficiency behind the touches is real.

Skattebo has quietly become a workhorse, handling 50 carries and adding 110 yards after contact, and his line has been remarkably consistent, at 13.0 full-PPR points in Week 3 against an 11.8 average over the first two weeks. He mixes in eight targets and a rushing score, which gives him a functional floor even when the yardage is grind-it-out. The efficiency is ordinary, but the volume and the goal-line role are what keep him in the flex conversation. Hosting Arizona, Skattebo is a stable flex play whose steady workload supports a start in Week 4.

Start: RB Bhayshul Tuten, RB Cam Skattebo

4. Wide Receiver Red Zone Targets

Red zone targets are the cleanest signal of touchdown equity for a receiver. The players seeing the most looks inside the 20 carry scoring upside that yardage alone can hide.

Watson has paired real target volume with genuine red zone work, drawing six red zone looks among 29 targets and turning them into four touchdowns and 284 yards. The production has been about as steady as it gets this early, with 22.6 full-PPR points in Week 3 against a 23.4 average over the first two weeks. The downfield role plus the red zone usage give him both a ceiling and a scoring floor, a combination most second-tier receivers cannot offer. At Tampa Bay, Watson is a confident WR2 start in Week 4 whose usage supports the results.

Downs is more of a floor play, but the opportunity is there. He has drawn 24 targets and four red zone looks, and while he has not scored yet, that is upside still to come rather than a red flag. His line has been consistent, with 12.7 full-PPR points in Week 3 against a 10.0 average over the first two weeks, built on a steady slot role. The target volume gives him a PPR floor, and the red zone looks hint at touchdown equity that has not landed. Traveling to Washington, Downs is a flex option in Week 4 with scoring upside if the end zone work converts.

Start: WR Christian Watson, WR Josh Downs

5. Tight End Red Zone Targets

Tight end is defined by scarcity, and red zone targets are where the position’s scoring lives. The players drawing looks inside the 20 are the ones most likely to deliver a usable week.

LaPorta’s overall line has been quiet, but the red zone role is the reason to keep starting him. He owns five red zone targets among 19 looks, the most of any tight end in this group, along with 14 catches for 144 yards and a score. Week 3 was slow at 7.4 full-PPR points against a 13.5 average over the first two weeks, so this is a bet on the role rather than recent results. At a position this thin, a tight end drawing this much red zone work carries weekly touchdown equity. LaPorta is a start-worthy TE1 at Carolina in Week 4, with the end zone usage pointing to positive regression.

Ferguson has already cashed his red zone chances, turning four red zone targets into three touchdowns, and the scoring has kept his line steady at 11.4 full-PPR points per game with almost no week-to-week swing. He is not a high-volume option at 11 targets, so the floor is thinner than LaPorta’s, but the goal-line role is exactly what you want streaming the position.

Start: TE Sam LaPorta, TE Jake Ferguson

The Bottom Line

These statistics point to opportunity, not certainty. Three weeks is still a modest sample, efficiency will move around, and a strong role does not guarantee a strong result. Good luck in your Week 4 matchups, and come back next week for Week 5 stats to know!

Methodology: Full-PPR scoring with no bonuses — passing yards/25, 4 per passing touchdown, minus 1 per interception, rushing yards/10, 6 per rushing touchdown, 1 per reception, receiving yards/10, 6 per receiving touchdown. Figures reflect finalized Weeks 1-3. Lost fumbles and two-point conversions are not included because no scoring value is defined for them in this format. Injury data reflects the Week 4 feed generated 2026-09-29, which is incomplete: only Thursday’s teams have reported and no final game statuses are posted.

This article was written with the help of generative AI and editied by a DraftKings Network employee.