Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 4: Baker Mayfield, Malik Nabers, and More

Last week's attempt at finding fantasy stars who would struggle was a 50/50 split, which is actually better than the first two weeks:

• Justin Herbert reached 300 passing yards, but it took him 47 attempts to get there, just 6.4 yards per pass. He was also sacked five times (which doesn't affect most fantasy leagues). With a touchdown and an interception, Herbert finished as QB12.
• Kyren Williams had a productive day with 94 rushing yards on 20 attempts and two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown. That made him a top-10 RB in standard scoring and a top-20 player in PPR.
• Brian Thomas Jr. continued his slow start, catching just two passes, though they did go for 55 yards. He finished around WR50 on the week.
• Tucker Kraft was TE1 after two weeks but had a very modest Week 3, catching three passes for 29 yards.

Let's do it again and identify one weekly starter at each offensive fantasy position who will fail to live up to those expectations in Week 4. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Check out FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the players with the best and worst matchups each week.

Quarterback

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Mayfield was a top-10 fantasy quarterback each of the past two years, was drafted as a top-10 QB this season, and currently sits at QB9. He is on the fringe of weekly fantasy starter status. Things are starting to fall down around him, though.

The Bucs started the season without wide receivers Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan and left tackle Tristan Wirfs. After Week 2, right tackle Luke Goedeke and right guard Cody Mauch both went on IR. During Week 3, Mike Evans left the game with a hamstring injury, and he will miss several games.

Godwin looks like he could return in Week 4, a needed reinforcement, though he could take a little time to work fully into shape. Wirfs is practicing in full and might also play in Week 4; again, that's great for Tampa Bay, but it might we a week or two before we see Godwin and Wirfs at their best.

The matchup is also a tough one, so these guys don't get to ease back into things. Philadelphia ranks 12th in yards per pass attempt allowed, but that number is just 5.7, a well-below-average number. Last year, they allowed the fewest yards per attempt. They are also 11th in fewest fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks after finishing fourth in 2024.

This is a case of a good quarterback facing a good defense while missing a big portion of his offensive weapons and protection. Tampa ranks 30th in pass block win rate, and while Wirfs will help, missing multiple other players is setting them behind. I see this as a tough week for the Bucs' offense and a chance to leave Mayfield on the bench if you have another option.

Running Back

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns

Gibbs has been good through the first three weeks but not great. His career rate is 5.3 yards per carry; this year, he's at 4.2. On receptions, he has historically averaged 7.4 yards per catch, but he's down at just 4.1 in 2025. Gibbs is still getting the ball, but he's not showing great efficiency the way he has in the past.

That's a player who can still be a fantasy stud, and in kind, Gibbs in RB7 in standard scoring and RB4 in PPR. (Ten catches for just 31 yards in Week 1 was a huge boon to his PPR score while not necessarily helping much in real life.) Owners aren't benching Gibbs.

If ever there was a time to consider it, though, it would be in Week 4 against the Browns. Cleveland has allowed the fewest yards per rush attempt (they were right around average last season). They have also allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs after finishing fourth best last year.

We've seen the Browns have success defensively against the Bengals (with healthy Joe Burrow) and Packers, two groups that were often picked as playoff teams. Things got out of hand against the Ravens in Week 2, but Cleveland started the game tough defensively until short fields from turnovers and a blocked punt allowed Baltimore to put up 41 on the day (that included a fumble returned for a TD also).

Specific to one of the things Gibbs does best, Cleveland is right in the middle in terms of passing yards allowed to running backs; Gibbs will always catch the ball. Big chunks of yardage might be tough to come by, though, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Gibbs have a modest fantasy day.

Again, you're probably not benching him, but it's worth being a little cautious, and David Montgomery is a more reasonable player to bench if you have Detroit's other RB.

Wide Receiver

Malik Nabers, New York Giants vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Rookie Jaxson Dart has been named as the starting quarterback for the Giants. That's exciting for New York fans, and it brings unknown potential for both the team and his skill players who might get to take advantage. No one on the roster has more to gain or lose from a top-level quarterback than Nabers.

I have written a few times about how Dart starts with about the toughest schedule you could find: Chargers, Saints, Eagles, Broncos, Eagles. That's one soft New Orleans team and three of the top 10 defenses in football (who could argue for top five). The biggest obstacle for Nabers will be getting open regularly for his rookie QB against defenses who will be all over him.

The Chargers might be the toughest of the group based on 2025 so far. Los Angeles has allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt after ranking fourth best a season ago. They have also given up the sixth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers, generally shutting down the passing game at all levels.

Owners probably aren't benching Nabers, but this is a stretch in which it's at least reasonable to consider it. If you have a super strong set of wide receivers, Nabers has a faint aura of bench-ability.

Tight End

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills

You may be saying that Johnson isn't truly a “fantasy star;” I'd tend to agree with you. He is currently TE6 in standard and TE2 in PPR, though, and he has finished as a top-10 PPR tight end every week. This is also the toughest position to fill in this column, so I'm fine including a guy who is starring consistently this season.

As with everyone here, the matchup is what may potentially hold him back in Week 4. The Bills have allowed the fifth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points to tight ends. Buffalo has been consistently good against the position, ranking in the top seven fewest fantasy points allowed to tight ends every year since 2021 aside from last year, when they were average.

Johnson will probably still get targets because there isn't a lot of pass-catching talent around him but don't be surprised if he has an inefficient week that is slow from a fantasy perspective (particularly in standard; he's a better PPR player). With tight end being a tough position to fill at times, you might not have a better option. If you have another TE with a decent outlook, though, it's worth considering leaving Johnson on the bench.