Fantasy Football Week 4: Takeaways from Sunday's Action

In Sunday's action of Week 4, we witnessed three quarterback injuries that, in some way, shape or form that will impact our fantasy football teams moving forward.

These include Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Overall, however, there weren't many injuries—Week 2 set the bar high.

There is no way I could get through this opening slide without mentioning the heart-stopping game from Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones who had 12 catches for 300 yards.

Like, what?

In almost every game there are different events that occur that result in new takeaways, good and bad.

It feels fitting to start off with a tight end who was really good, then wasn't after he was traded and is again.

You got it: Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham.

Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham Is a TE1

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

I cannot believe I'm saying this given his struggles in 2015, but Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham is entering TE1 territory.

Coming into the year, the onus was on second-year wide receiver Tyler Lockett to be the guy to step up. However, Lockett has just five targets over his last three games.

As a result of Lockett being a non-factor, Graham has stepped up in a big way, going over 100 yards receiving in back-to-back games including Week 4.

Not only that, but Graham scored a touchdown in Week 3, has made some insane catches and has 12 receptions on 17 targets over his last two games.

Of course, speculation could be that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is hurt, thus making him more of a pocket passer, but I'm starting to believe Graham is a legitimate part of their offense now.

Heading into 2016, Graham had quite a low ADP. Well, it appears that is paying dividends now.

Broncos QB Trevor Siemian Hurt; Paxton Lynch Enters Game

Frank Victores/Associated Press

Following a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian was carted off the field with a non-throwing shoulder injury.

Enter fellow quarterback Paxton Lynch.

To this point in the season, Siemian has been good, having a four-touchdown game in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals on his resume.

Given it's an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, it will be interesting to hear what the diagnosis is.

However, this could be Lynch's time to shine. We would have to think the Broncos won't exactly rush Siemian back if he is injured.

Lynch is worth an add in deeper leagues and has decent upside given his ability to run with the football.

Lions WR Golden Tate Is Droppable

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

One yard receiving.

One. Freaking. Yard.

Yup, that sums up Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate's day. Well, minus a successful two-point conversion.

Point is, I'm growing tired of this. Until now, it's been tough to totally write off Tate given how relevant he's been over the past two seasons, but, man, this is tough to watch.

Granted, yes, the Lions struggled mightily in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, but Tate has yet to eclipse 41 receiving yards this season in any game.

I hate to say this, but feel free to drop Tate in 12-team leagues. It's hard to see this turning around, barring injury.

Raiders RB Latavius Murray Non-Factor; Hovers Around 50 Percent of Snaps

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Tell me if you've heard this before: Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray barely cracks 50 percent of the team's snaps in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens.

That's been the story this season with Murray—50 percent of the snaps.

Other than his three scores this season, Murray has been OK at best this year, averaging just over 12 touches and 61 yards per game.

Yeah, touches. Not carries.

After coming off a 10-touch, 24-yard game in Week 4 without a score, we were able to see how touchdown-dependent Murray is.

Gong forward and given his overall workload, Murray is nothing more than a flex option with some upside.

Panthers QB Cam Newton Suffers Concussion

Rainier Ehrhardt/Associated Press

According to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton did suffer a concussion in the team's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

With Newton out, the team turned to backup quarterback Derek Anderson and, well, that just wasn't going to cut it.

Fortunately for the Panthers and Newton, the team has a bit of an extended week and will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football in Week 5.

There's little chance Newton misses the game, but if he does the Panthers offense will be significantly downgraded, of course.

Bills WR Robert Woods Does Well in Watkins' Absence

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

With the absence of Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins, fellow Bills wide receiver Robert Woods showed up in Week 4 in the team's win over the New England Patriots.

Going forward, Watkins is expected to be out at least eight weeks, but it's entirely possible he needs another foot surgery.

As a result, we can expect Woods to be the main receiving option for the Bills and quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Although he didn't find the end zone, Woods did catch seven balls for 89 yards.

Owned in just seven percent of Yahoo! leagues, Woods is more than likely out there in your league. He's worth a speculative add and has some flex appeal moving forward.

The Bills passing volume isn't exactly anything to get excited about, but it's never a bad thing to own a team's No. 1 option in the passing game.

Bears RB Jordan Howard Successful in First Career Start

LM Otero/Associated Press

With Chicago Bears running back Jeremy Langford injured and set to miss multiple weeks, fellow running back—and rookie—Jordan Howard got the start in the Bears' Week 4 win over the Detroit Lions.

After over 90 total yards in Week 3, Howard came up big with over 130 total yards on 26 touches.

The only thing Howard didn't manage to do was find the end zone, but hey, not everyone can be perfect.

Since the beginning of the season, I've touted Howard as the better running back over Langford, and it appears he's proving my point.

With Langford out, Howard is a no-doubt RB2. When Langford returns, there will be some kind of a committee, but it will likely favor Howard. At that point, he'll be a low-end RB2/flex.

Remember—Howard is just a better football player than Langford.

Lions RB Dwayne Washington Leaves Game with Injury

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

It appears the running back depth of the Detroit Lions is just withering away.

First it was running back Ameer Abdullah, and now it is fellow running back Dwayne Washington.

In the Lions' loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 4, Washington left the game early with an injury and did not return.

According to Kyle Meinke of MLive, it appears the culprit was the dreaded ankle.

While the actual injury is still unknown, let's hope it is not a high ankle sprain because Washington would be forced to miss quite some time.

This is definitely an injury to keep an eye on. If Washington misses any time, it will be all on Theo Riddick from here on out, with Zach Zenner mixed in a little.

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer Concussed; Week 5 in Question

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Both of the NFC Championship game quarterbacks from 2015 suffered concussions today.

First, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Now, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the injury came at a point in their game against the Los Angeles Rams when they had a real chance to win.

In Palmer's absence, backup quarterback Drew Stanton stepped in and was far from good.

What makes Palmer's concussion more interesting, if you will, than Newton's is that the Cardinals have a short week and are set to play on Thursday Night Football in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers on the road.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said the team will be "very, very careful" with Palmer and his injury.

I'm no doctor, but it's hard to believe Palmer will suit up Thursday. This may be a blessing in disguise—Palmer has been bad to this point, outside of the top-15 fantasy quarterbacks.

If Stanton draws the start, this will be a game predicated on the success of running back David Johnson with the pass-catching options taking quite a hit.

Falcons WR Julio Jones Is Not Human

Rainier Ehrhardt/Associated Press

Just figured I'd throw this out there.

Twelve receptions, 300 receiving yards and one touchdown.

There's no fantasy analysis needed here, but this deserved to be mentioned.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is a monster and we humans are not worthy.

That's all. If you own him, please let everyone in the comment section know what it's like to own a mutant (in a good way).

Falcons QB Matt Ryan Throws for 500 Yards

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Coming into the season, it was tough to find a lot of folks who were high on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

Well, he proved those doubters wrong with a 500-yard passing performance. Of course, he had some help from the guy in the previous slide, wide receiver Julio Jones, and as a result became the first tandem in NFL history to throw for 500 yards and receive for 300 yards.

No, Ryan won't throw for 500 again (right?), but he's a legitimate QB1 the rest of the way.

This is why we draft quarterbacks in the later rounds, people!

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski Finally Gets a Catch

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Well it's about time.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski finally caught a ball in the 2016 season.

After missing the first two weeks due to injury, Gronkowski was held catchless in Week 3 but finally got one for 11 yards in Week 4. Keep in mind, Gronkowski has ran just 13 routes all season, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. It's clear he's been used to help out in pass protection for rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett over the last two weeks.

While it's been a frustrating quarter of the season for Gronkowski owners, don't worry—quarterback Tom Brady is back.

Time for Gronkowski to dominate.

He gets the Cleveland Browns with Brady in Week 5.

Uh-oh.

Steelers Offense Bounces Back in a Mighty Way

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

After being held to just three points in Week 3, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense kindly said, "OK, that's enough" and bounced by with a 43-spot against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tossed five touchdowns, with wide receiver Antonio Brown catching two of them, and wide receivers Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and tight end Jesse James all caught one apiece.

With running back Le'Veon Bell back and getting 23 touches for nearly 180 total yards, the Steelers are back in the driver's seat as the most dominant fantasy offense in the NFL.

Rams RB Todd Gurley Struggles Continue

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Minus his two-touchdown performance in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley has not been what we signed up for this season.

A first-round fantasy pick across the board, the thought process here was something along the lines of, "well, he's the only option for the Rams, so he'll get a ton of work."

The logic has backfired and has become the exact opposite.

Through the first four weeks, Gurley has yet to reach the century mark and, minus his-85 yard "outburst" in Week 3, his highest rushing total was 51 yards in Week 2.

Gurley has been getting a ton of work, but opposing defenses know what's coming because the rest of the Rams offense is terrible.

Gurley is averaging just 2.6 yards per carry through four weeks.

It's impossible to sit him, but there will eventually need to be some start/sit questions with his name involved, regardless of talent.

Raiders WR Michael Crabtree Goes Off; Raiders No. 1 WR?

Larry French/Getty Images

OK, help me out here.

Is Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree the new No. 1 wide receiver for the team?

The numbers certainly point to that—especially after his three-touchdown day in Week 4.

Through the first four weeks, fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper (and presumed No. 1) has zero touchdowns and has regressed in the receiving-yards department each week.

Meanwhile, Crabtree has back-to-back double-digit target games for 102 and 88 receiving yards, respectively.

Crabtree was one of my favorite values coming into 2016.

But I didn't expect this—for him to overtake Cooper.

Stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.