The Fantasy Football USAGE Report | Week 4, 2026

by Wyatt Bertolone · Featured

Welcome to the Weekly Fantasy Football Usage Report. Volume is paramount in fantasy football, and a player’s usage determines the type of volume they receive. Each week, I’ll look at different usage trends across the NFL to help us prepare for the rest of the season and beyond. Let’s dive into Week 4.

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Week 4 Usage Report

Quinshon Judkins’ Passing Game Usage

Entering the NFL, there were questions about how many receiving opportunities Quinshon Judkins would get. He didn’t get too many opportunities in college, and receiving wasn’t considered one of his strengths. Maybe some of that was because he was playing next to TreVeyon Henderson in his final two years. As a rookie, he got little action in the passing game, and it looked like that was going to be the case again to start 2026.

However, with Dylan Sampson getting hurt in the first game, Quinshon Judkins has started being used more as a pass catcher. Against the Steelers, Judkins ran 15 routes, which was more than Raheim Sanders, who’s been the third-down back with Sampson out, and ended the day with a 21.2% target share. Judkins is a good runner, but with how bad the Browns’ offensive line is, it’s tough for him to get going. If he can routinely be used more in the passing game, his outlook for the rest of the season will be significantly better.

Michael Pittman Doesn’t Matter

When the Steelers traded for Michael Pittman this offseason, many people figured he would slot well into the offense. Heck, some thought he could even be the WR1. Pittman’s intermediate area possession-receiver archetype is seemingly a great fit with late-career Aaron Rodgers. Instead, Pittman has been a non-factor for the Steelers and in fantasy football.


Through his three games, Michael Pittman’s playing time has been fine, with 77.1% of the snaps and 84.8% of the routes. However, he’s earned only a 10.5% target share and is averaging 5.3 PPR PPG. Yes, he missed Week 2 with a foot injury, and that may be hampering him, but his performance so far is poor enough that he likely wouldn’t be producing much better even if fully healthy. Pittman shouldn’t be rostered in redraft leagues. 

Bucky Irving Got Vultured

In 2025, Sean Tucker was a thorn in Bucky Irving’s side all season, as he operated the dedicated short-yardage back. Irving had zero goal-line carries, and his fantasy ceiling became capped. In the first few weeks of this season, however, Tucker hadn’t even touched the ball. He was even a healthy inactive in Week 1. That changed this week.


Sean Tucker only played three snaps, but he was again brought in specifically for short-yardage, and he scored a touchdown. To make matters worse for Irving, Kenneth Gainwell got in on it too. Gainwell played two of the three snaps inside the opposing 10-yard line and scored a touchdown as well. Without opportunities near the end zone, Irving’s ceiling is capped, making starting him an uneasy decision. This is a situation to monitor.

Jalon Daniels’ Interesting First Start

After Week 3, we found out Baker Mayfield had a thumb injury that would keep him out for at least a few weeks, giving undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels a chance to start. Daniels surprised many by winning the backup job in training camp and preseason. He is an athletic quarterback, but has middling arm talent and is prone to bad decisions. 

Against the Packers, Jalon Daniels completed 70.4% of his passes, which is great to see, but they went for only 148 yards. He also threw two interceptions to one touchdown. He did show off his legs, running for 55 yards on eight carries, but it wasn’t enough to give him a usable fantasy performance, with only 13.42 points. Worse yet, none of the Buccaneers pass-catchers had a productive day with Daniels. As long as he’s starting, I’m sitting Buccaneers receivers if I can help it.

Tyson Bagent Gets the Nod

Despite Case Keenum’s magical start in Week 3, the Bears went back to Tyson Bagent as their starter with Caleb Williams out. Bagent got a chance to play a decent amount as a rookie, and while he looked better than anyone expected, his play left a lot to be desired. Bagent’s dink-and-dunk playstyle makes it hard for the passing offense to generate explosive plays. But that was before Ben Johnson was in charge and the Bears were loaded with weapons.


In Week 4, with Tyson Bagent at the helm, the Bears’ offense kept cooking. Bagent completed 73.5% of his passes and threw for 268 yards with a 7.9 yards per attempt, but it could have been much more. With the game under control, the Bears didn’t pass much in the fourth quarter. I’m not interested in starting Bagent on any fantasy teams; however, the big point here is that it doesn’t matter who’s playing quarterback for Ben Johnson, and you can keep starting your Bears skill players.

Brian Thomas Jr. is Becoming a Part-Time Player

Brian Thomas Jr. came into 2026 after a disappointing sophomore season where he was unable to come remotely close to the expectations we had for him after a stellar rookie season. A wrist injury to start the season seemingly bothered him; at times, he looked like he didn’t fit Liam Coen’s offense well, and the other Jaguars wide receivers took turns thriving. Plenty of us made excuses for Thomas’ poor season, but that rookie campaign is looking more like a mirage.

Through four weeks, Brian Thomas Jr.’s role has been worse than anyone expected. He’s played only 50.2% of the snaps, run 63.4% of the routes, and has an 11.8% target share. He’s now a part-time player in the offense, and shouldn’t be on your fantasy teams. It’s going to take at least one injury to another pass catcher before he can be relevant again.

Malik Nabers Comes Alive

Coming off his knee injury, Malik Nabers surprised everyone by playing in Week 1, but he was still expected to start slowly. He has. Before Week 4, Nabers was averaging only 7.2 PPR fantasy points per game in a toned-down role from what we’re used to. He was playing 69.8% of the snaps, running 85% of the routes, and had a 23.4% target share. In Week 4, Nabers’ playing time increased, and he turned in his best performance yet.


Against the Cardinals, Malik Nabers scored 23.2 fantasy points while showing his explosiveness is coming back. Nabers ran 90.9% of the routes on 76.1% of the snaps and earned a 24.1% target share. We expect a larger target share from Nabers, but he did most of his work downfield in this game, which we don’t mind. Also, everyone was a bit worried about Nabers playing with Jameis Winston after last week. For this week, at least, Winston was back to his YOLO ways, and Nabers benefited. Nabers is back to must-start territory. 

Puka Nacua Returns

Puka Nacua returned this week after missing the previous two games with a groin injury that seemed like it could have kept him out even longer. There was some mystery surrounding his injury and how serious it was, so for the Rams to come out and say he wouldn’t be limited in Week 4 was surprising. After seeing Nacua play, though, it was clear he was back to normal.

In Week 4, Puka Nacua ran 90.7% of the routes while playing 90.5% of the snaps and had a 24% target share that led the team. He saw 12 targets, which he turned into nine catches for 125 yards. He also added a rush attempt that went for a touchdown, boosting his PPR points to 27.7 on the day. Nacua looks like he’s all the way back and is a top-three wide receiver in fantasy again.

Miami Backfield Information

Last week, I wrote about how Ollie Gordon had the backfield to himself after De’Von Achane went down with an injury. But that also came with Jaylen Wright missing time. This week, Wright returned to action, giving us a chance to see how this backfield could shake out for the rest of the season.


If Week 4 is any indication, Ollie Gordon will have the much better role. Against the Vikings, Gordon played 59% of the snaps, saw 68.8% of the backfield opportunities. He was also the only running back to get a target. Gordon played well, running for 100 yards thanks in part to a 53-yard rush and a touchdown on only nine carries. Jaylen Wright played 30% of the snaps and had only 31.2% of the backfield opportunities. There could have been a little bit of a “hot hand” approach here, though, so I’m not totally ready to crown Gordon. For now, I’ll echo what I was preaching last week: Gordon is a fringe RB2.

Las Vegas’ Tight Ends

We all know that Brock Bowers is an amazing tight end. It’s no surprise that Klint Kubiak is building his passing game around finding ways to get him the ball. What’s more surprising is how large a role Michael Mayer has maintained while Bowers is healthy. Bowers and Mayer are easily the best two pass catchers the Raiders have; they just happen to play the same position. We don’t often see coaches build an offense in this way, but it makes sense here.

Over the last two weeks, with Brock Bowers healthy, Mayer has played 87.7% of the snaps, run 77.8% of the routes, earned a 14.1% target share, and is averaging 14.2 PPR PPG. His production will be a bit inconsistent because Bowers is such a dominant player and commands a large target share. However, Mayer will be involved every week. If you’re in a bind, you can start him. 


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