Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - Week 4

September 30, 2026

Andrew Ball's fantasy football risers, fallers, sleepers, and busts heading into Week 4 of the 2026 season. He identifies players with rising and falling fantasy values.

The injury report was the star of Week 3.

From new injuries (De'Von Achane, Breece Hall, and more) to those predetermined to miss the weekend, there’s bound to be plenty of waiver wire movement. Now that the calendar is turning to October, dead-weight disappointments on your roster could get chopped.

Below are this week's risers and fallers. The players in this weekly article aren't necessarily the week's best and worst performers. Instead, we'll talk about trends that could last well beyond this week.

Week 4 Fantasy Football Risers

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Practicing patience is increasingly hard in 2026, but the payout is still sweet.

Jeremiyah Love was a running back running mate in Weeks 1 and 2. Tyler Allgeier dominated touches on opening weekend. The split moved into Love's favor in Week 2, but the veteran still played 12 more snaps.

Week 3 was a completely different story. The rookie commanded 26 touches, and Allgeier got six. Allgeier didn't see his first rush attempt until four minutes left in the first half. Love totaled 109 yards and one touchdown.

Here's the real kicker: Love didn't have an extraordinary, game-changing play. His longest rush was eight yards. 12 of his 21 attempts went for five yards or more. Per Fantasy Points Data, that number is at 43.9% for the season. That's consistent, solid running, and we know he has breakaway speed. It's only a matter of time.

The increased usage also means the Arizona coaching staff believes the rookie is completely healed of his preseason high-ankle sprain. We have a new RB1 in the desert.

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York Jets

These first-round rookies just need an opportunity. See above, and see Kenyon Sadiq.

With WR2 Adonai Mitchell (finger) and tight end Mason Taylor (thumb) inactive, New York's rookie tight end was, for all intents and purposes, Geno Smith's second option. A 21.6% target share (12.5% and 4.9% in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively) led to seven catches for 105 yards and a score.

Kenyon Sadiq's FIRST career TD 👏@NYJvsDET on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Hi0wg1aL4R

— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

Granted, this was a positive game script for New York's passing game. Smith threw 37 times as the Jets trailed for the vast majority of the second half. Regardless, Aaron Glenn and Co. have opened the bottle, and they can't put Sadiq back in. There should be plenty more pass-heavy scripts in New York's future.

And there's still room to grow! Sadiq only had a 56.8% route participation rate.

Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jaylen Warren was a massive spark for a Pittsburgh offense that struggled entering Week 3 against a Cincinnati defense that looked stout through two weeks.

Rico Dowdle (toe) was inactive, so the Steelers backfield went from a near 50/50 split to essentially 100% for Warren. Two touches were handled by running backs not named Warren. Lew Nichols III got a carry after a long Warren run (the turf monster got him; otherwise, he would have scored). Travis Homer got a third-quarter carry. That's it.

Warren turned his 20 touches into 176 yards. That's an RB1 finish without a touchdown. Dowdle's return timeline is unclear, but it's fair to wonder if Warren takes a much larger share of the pie when he returns. The former is only averaging 2.5 yards per carry this season.

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns, and yet only four 49ers caught a pass. How does that happen?

Well, for starters, Deebo Samuel Sr. didn't technically record a reception, but scored on an 80-yard hook-and-ladder. The man who gave him the perfect pitch, Mike Evans, didn't finish the game due to a rib injury. For those keeping score at home, four wide receivers (De'Zhaun Stribling, Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, and Demarcus Robinson) are on the injured reserve list. With Evans in the locker room, Jordan Watkins was the only other wideout to catch a pass.

George Kittle became the de facto WR1, securing five of his six receptions in the second half and scoring twice. He had 41% of the targets after Evans departed. Far more encouraging is his snap percentage. Kittle played fewer than half of San Francisco's snaps in the first two weeks, his first action since tearing his Achilles. On Sunday, that number jumped to 85.2%.

Other Fantasy Football Risers:

• Ollie Gordon II
• Harold Fannin Jr.
• Drake London
• Rashee Rice

Week 4 Fantasy Football Fallers

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Brian Thomas Jr. is no stranger to the fallers list, but he may have hit a new low.

It's not that he only caught one pass for eight yards; Jacksonville led by multiple scores the entire second half and didn't need much from the passing game. It's that he was on the field for fewer than 40% of offensive snaps (for the second time this season), played the same number of snaps as sixth-round rookie Josh Cameron, and saw the field on just 9% of two-receiver sets.

This coaching staff has lost confidence in the former first-round pick, and he's an afterthought in this Jacksonville offense. Could fantasy managers go as far as to drop Thomas? Yes, it's about that time.

Jadarian Price, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Jadarian Price = Rhamondre Stevenson.

Seattle's rookie has the same fumbling problem that's plaguing the leader of the New England backfield. Price put the ball on the ground for the second consecutive game. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, it happened four minutes into the first quarter, and Price's playing time took a massive hit.

He only saw two carries from then on, finishing with five for 15 yards. There were ample inside-the-five opportunities, but none for the first-round pick.

The Seattle coaching staff has been forced to turn to Price with Zach Charbonnet (knee) still on the mend and Emanuel Wilson churning out 1.5 and 1.6 yards per carry in two of Seattle's three games. Head coach Mike Macdonald says they'll continue to give Price the ball. But just like Stevenson, one bad play could alter your entire matchup.

Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

Drake Maye has 15 turnovers and eight total touchdowns since the beginning of last season's playoff run. He has one score through the first three weeks.

Whether it's a step up in competition from last year's cupcake schedule or lost confidence, Maye is nowhere near the quarterback we saw last year.

.@Jaguars with the takeaway@NEvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/vEcH2RoW3w

— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

His supporting cast isn't helping. A.J. Brown's ankle injury has removed the clear best offensive threat. Mack Hollins has led the team in receiving yards in two of the games. The rushing attack isn't much of an attack. The offensive line has injuries.

There are too many strong fantasy quarterbacks this season to keep throwing Maye into lineups. Until further notice, he's part of the bench mob -- or the free-agency pool.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers forced Buffalo into five turnovers, carried a lead into the fourth quarter, and still lost their third straight game. This team is broken.

The game script couldn't have set up much better for Omarion Hampton. The Bills had allowed 31 points to each of their first two opponents, with four touchdowns to the position entering Week 3. And yet, the total was 15 carries for 56 yards -- 5.6 fantasy points in any format.

Subpar performances happen, but a Los Angeles running back did find paydirt. Keaton Mitchell took a tap pass into the end zone from a yard out on the Chargers' first possession.

That's the crux of the Hampton problem. In August, he was projected to be an every-down back on a fantasy-friendly offense. He's neither of those things. His snap percentage high is 63.2%. In Week 3, it was 42%, with 36% for Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal getting his first meaningful action of the season (24.6%).

The road doesn't get any easier for the Chargers. They draw a run-stuffing Seattle defense in the Pacific Northwest. The Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans, and Ravens follow.

Other Fantasy Football Fallers:

• Bryce Young
• Chase Brown
• Malik Nabers
• David Montgomery

More Fantasy Football Analysis