Week 4 fantasy football takeaways: the usage and role changes that matter for Week 5

What a Week 4 takeaway has to be

A takeaway is a role, not a score. Fifteen of the sixteen Week 4 games are final, and the box scores are full of big lines that will not happen again. The question for Week 5 is narrower: whose share of his team's work changed, and why? Every player below is judged on the share of targets or carries he drew, with the points second. Atlanta at New Orleans is Monday night and has not been played, so no Falcons or Saints player is in this data.

Snap counts for Sunday's games had not been published when we pulled the data at 6:17 AM ET, so nothing here leans on them. Targets and carries are the work we can count.

Emanuel Wilson is Seattle's back until someone takes it from him

Emanuel Wilson took 21 of Seattle's 30 carries by running backs and receivers, 70%, and caught 3 of 4 targets for 39 yards. He scored twice before halftime, a 23 yard catch from Sam Darnold and an 8 yard run, and finished with 27.0 PPR points.

The reason for the role is a roster move, not a hot hand. Rookie Jadarian Price was placed on injured reserve on Saturday after aggravating a chest injury in practice (AP), and Zach Charbonnet is on the PUP list with a knee injury, per Sleeper. Sleeper's depth chart now lists Wilson first and George Holani, who had 7 carries, second.

Two cautions. Wilson's 81 rushing yards came at 3.9 a carry, so the touchdowns did a lot of the scoring. And Seattle hosts San Francisco in Week 5. The role is the reason to start him; the touchdowns are not something to project.

Javonte Williams had the Dallas backfield almost to himself

Javonte Williams ran for a career high three touchdowns at Houston, all in the second half (AP), on 19 of Dallas's 23 carries, 83%. He also caught all 5 of his targets. That share is the real news: a back with 83% of the carries is the back.

The yardage was thin, 62 yards on 19 carries, and 18 of his 31.3 points came from touchdowns. Dallas hosts Tampa Bay on Thursday night, October 8, so his Week 5 decision is due before most of your lineup.

CeeDee Lamb drew half of Dallas's targets

CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards and the winning 12 yard touchdown with 40 seconds left, a career high in catches (AP). The number behind it is 21 targets out of the 42 Dallas threw to its backs, receivers and tight ends, exactly 50%, the largest share of any player so far this week. George Pickens drew 3 targets for 75 yards.

A 50% share will come down, but Lamb does not need it to stay there. The takeaway is that Dallas will funnel the passing game through him when it needs to, and he plays Thursday as well.

Kyren Williams did both jobs for the Rams

Kyren Williams scored the Rams' last two touchdowns in the final four minutes, from 1 and 7 yards, in a 24 to 20 win at Philadelphia (AP). He had 16 of the Rams' 22 carries, 73%, and 13 targets, 26%, catching 10 for 67 yards. His 36.7 PPR points were the most by any running back so far in Week 4.

Puka Nacua returned after two missed games and drew 12 targets, 24%, catching 9 for 125 yards and running in a 2 yard touchdown (AP). Davante Adams drew 9. With Nacua back, Williams' target share is the one to watch: 13 targets for a back is a receiver's workload, and it may shrink. The Rams host Buffalo on Monday, October 12.

Darius Cooper scored twice on a quiet Eagles passing day

Darius Cooper caught touchdowns of 10 and 18 yards from Jalen Hurts (AP), 18.3 PPR points on 3 catches for 33 yards. He drew 7 of Philadelphia's 25 targets, 28%, the most on the team. Hurts finished 12 of 27 for 93 yards.

Read the line carefully. Two touchdowns on three catches is not a repeatable role by itself. The share is more interesting, and it exists because DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Marquise Brown (ankle) are both listed Out on Sleeper. Sleeper's depth chart has Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon ahead of Cooper. The Eagles play Jacksonville in London at 9:30 AM ET Sunday, the first kickoff of the week after Thursday night.

Other roles that moved

Source: Sleeper Week 4 stats, checked against ESPN box scores. Shares as defined in the sources above.

Monangai's day is the strangest on the list. Sleeper's depth chart still lists D'Andre Swift first, yet Monangai had 30 carries to Swift's 15 while Tyson Bagent started at quarterback for the injured Caleb Williams. Hockenson's 13 targets came with Jefferson and running back Jordan Mason both out, so his share could drop when Jefferson returns.

What did not change

Derrick Henry had 23 of Baltimore's 24 carries, 96%. Jaylen Warren had 89% of Pittsburgh's in the Thursday game. Jonathan Taylor had 20 carries and two short touchdowns in London. Those were already the roles, and Week 4 confirmed them.

What to do with this

1. Start Emanuel Wilson while the depth chart reads the same. Price is on injured reserve and Charbonnet is on PUP, so the 70% carry share has a reason behind it. Check the injury report before kickoff.
2. Set your Dallas players by Thursday. Lamb and Javonte Williams play Tampa Bay on October 8, and a player cannot be moved out of your lineup once his game begins.
3. Treat Darius Cooper as a share, not a touchdown line. Seven targets is the part that can repeat. Run close calls through start or sit, and see the Week 5 waiver wire targets for who to add.